US 12,447,679 B2
Method of operation for an apparatus for layer-by-layer manufacture of 3D objects
Gianluca Dorini, London (GB); Christoffer Raad Petersen, London (GB); Torben Lange, London (GB); Anders Hartmann, London (GB); David Armand, London (GB); and Kristian Noergaard, London (GB)
Assigned to Stratasys Powder Production Ltd., London (GB)
Filed by Stratasys Powder Production Ltd., London (GB)
Filed on Oct. 11, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/484,693.
Claims priority of application No. 2215121 (GB), filed on Oct. 13, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0123686 A1, Apr. 18, 2024
Int. Cl. B29C 64/295 (2017.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.01); B29C 64/343 (2017.01); B29C 64/386 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 50/00 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/295 (2017.08) [B29C 64/153 (2017.08); B29C 64/343 (2017.08); B29C 64/386 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/00 (2014.12)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of operation for an apparatus for the layerwise manufacture of 3D objects from particulate build material, wherein the apparatus includes a build area within a work surface and one or more heat sources configured to heat particulate build material; the method comprising two or more operational cycles of a warm up phase, the first operational cycle starting from an ambient thermal state, followed by a build phase to manufacture one or more objects, followed by a cooling phase, wherein the cooling phase includes removing a plurality of warm up layers and build layers from the apparatus;
wherein the warm up phase and the build phase each further comprise a layer cycle of:
(a) dosing an amount of build material to the work surface;
(b) distributing at least a layer portion of the dosed amount over the support or build area so as to form a layer, each layer surface forming a new build area;
(c) heating, at one or both of steps (a) and (b), the dosed amount by a first heat source;
(d) monitoring at one or more of steps (a) to (c) a temperature of the build material so as to determine a thermal state;
wherein the build phase further comprises at step (c) a step of selectively melting a layer-specific region defined within the build area to form a cross section of the one of more objects using the first heat source or a fusing heat source, and wherein the steps (a) to (d) are repeated to form a plurality of layers each until the warm up phase and the build phase are complete;
wherein the operational cycle comprises:
achieving over the plurality of warm up layers a target steady thermal state as determined from the measured thermal state;
maintaining the target steady thermal state over the plurality of build layers;
exiting the target steady thermal state to commence the cooling phase over which a reduced thermal state is achieved, wherein the reduced thermal state is above the ambient thermal state; and
determining a property of the further warm up phase of the further operational cycle based on the reduced thermal state of the preceding cooling phase, such that a duration of the further warm up phase is shorter than a duration of the warm up phase of a preceding operational cycle.