US 11,987,003 B2
Methods and apparatus for washing objects produced by stereolithography
Courtney F. Converse, Los Altos, CA (US); W. Ryan Powell, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Sherwood Forlee, Redwood City, CA (US); David Eliot Scheinman, Woodside, CA (US); Scott Heines, San Jose, CA (US); and Edwin James Sabathia, Jr., Hollister, CA (US)
Assigned to Carbon, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed by Carbon, Inc., Redwood City, CA (US)
Filed on Sep. 2, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/929,357.
Application 17/929,357 is a division of application No. 16/466,535, granted, now 11,478,987, previously published as PCT/US2017/063626, filed on Nov. 29, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/471,094, filed on Mar. 14, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/434,043, filed on Dec. 14, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0410480 A1, Dec. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. B29C 64/35 (2017.01); B08B 3/04 (2006.01); B08B 3/10 (2006.01); B08B 3/12 (2006.01); B29C 64/20 (2017.01); B08B 3/08 (2006.01); B08B 3/14 (2006.01)
CPC B29C 64/35 (2017.08) [B08B 3/04 (2013.01); B08B 3/102 (2013.01); B08B 3/108 (2013.01); B08B 3/12 (2013.01); B29C 64/20 (2017.08); B08B 3/08 (2013.01); B08B 3/14 (2013.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
2. A method of making a three-dimensional object from a polymerizable resin, said method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing a carrier platform on which said three-dimensional object can be formed;
(b) producing said three-dimensional object adhered to said carrier platform from said polymerizable resin by stereolithography using an additive manufacturing apparatus, said object having residual resin on a surface thereof; and also
generating wash cycle parameters and dry cycle parameters for said object, wherein at least one of said wash cycle parameters and at least one of said dry cycle parameters are generated based on (i) at least one characteristic of said object, (ii) a type of said polymerizable resin, (iii) an orientation of said object on said carrier platform, or (iv) a combination thereof;
(c) immersing said object in said wash liquid with said object remaining adhered to said carrier platform;
(d) agitating, according to said wash cycle parameters, (i) said object in said wash liquid, (ii) said wash liquid with said object immersed therein, or (iii) both said object in said wash liquid and said wash liquid with said object immersed therein, to at least partially remove said residual resin from the surface of said object;
(e) separating said object from said wash liquid, with said object remaining adhered to said carrier platform, said object having residual wash liquid on the surface thereof;
(f) agitating, according to said dry cycle parameters, said object to at least partially remove said residual wash liquid from the surface thereof; and
(g) optionally repeating steps (c) through at least once to remove additional polymerizable resin from the surface thereof,
wherein said agitating step (d) and said agitating step (f) both include spinning said carrier platform with said object remaining adhered thereto,
wherein the method further comprises, after said producing step (b) and before said immersing step (c):
removing said carrier platform with said object adhered thereto from said additive manufacturing apparatus and connecting said carrier platform with said object adhered thereto to an object agitator above a wash vessel; and then
lowering said carrier platform with said object adhered thereto into said wash vessel, and
wherein said object agitator is configured to spin said carrier platform with said object adhered thereto about a vertical axis for said agitating step (d) and said agitating step (f).