Layer manufacturing of a multi-material or multi-color 3-D object using electrostatic imaging and lamination
US6780368B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 10, 2001 |
| Grant date | Aug 24, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 7, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG05B2219/49017
- WIPO fieldOther special machines
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A freeform fabrication method for fabricating a 3-D multi-material or multi-color object from successive layers of a primary body-building powder, at least a modifier material and a binder powder in accordance with a computer-aided design of the object. The method including: (a) providing a work surface; (b) feeding a first layer of the primary body-building powder to the work surface; (c) operating an electrophotographic powder deposition device to create a images of at least a modifer powder and a binder powder in accordance with this design; (d) transferring these powder images in a desired sequence to the first layer of a body-building powder; (e) applying energy sources to fuse the binder powder for bonding the powder particles to form a first cross-section of the object; (f) repeating the feeding, operating, transferring, and applying steps to build a second and successive layers of materials in a layer-wise fashion for forming the multiple-layer, multi-material object; and (g) removing un-bonded powder particles, causing the 3-D object to appear.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.