US 12,420,477 B2
Large area projection micro stereolithography
Bryan D. Moran, Pleasanton, CA (US)
Assigned to Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, Livermore, CA (US)
Filed by LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL SECURITY, LLC, Livermore, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 22, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/456,084.
Application 17/456,084 is a division of application No. 14/688,187, filed on Apr. 16, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2022/0111584 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. B29C 64/135 (2017.01); B29L 9/00 (2006.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/00 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/135 (2017.08) [B29L 2009/00 (2013.01); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/00 (2014.12)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A large area projection micro stereolithography system for producing a product comprising:
a build plane forming a substrate, the substrate configured to support a curable resin thereon and fixedly located in an X/Y plane while producing the product; and
an adjustable beam delivery subsystem including a spatial light modulator and a beam directing optical assembly:
a processing unit;
wherein the processing unit is configured to receive a three dimensional computer aided design model of the product and to generate a multiplicity of two-dimensional computer generated slices of the product from the three dimensional computer aided design model, the multiplicity of two-dimensional computer generated slices including a first slice, a second slice, and additional slices, the first slice is further subdivided into discrete regions including a first subset of regions, a second subset of regions, and additional subsets of regions,
wherein the spatial light modulator is communicatively connected to the processing unit and configured to illuminate the first subset of regions to produce a first subset of regions image on to the beam directing optical assembly,
wherein the beam directing optical assembly is configured to project and scan the first subset of regions image within an X/Y plane, to the curable resin supported on the substrate, and the spatial light modulator and the beam directing optical assembly are not translatable within the X/Y plane associated with the build plane,
wherein the adjustable beam delivery subsystem is configured to repeat the above steps for the second subset of regions and the additional subsets of regions to complete the first slice of the product, and
wherein the adjustable beam delivery subsystem is configured to repeat the above steps for the second slice and the additional slices to complete the product.