Carbon, Inc.

Provided are methods of forming a three-dimensional object that include irradiating a resin composition of the invention with actinic radiation or light, thereby forming a three-dimensional intermediate, and then further reacting the three-dimensional intermediate to form the three-dimensional object. In some embodiments, resin compositions of the invention include a polyisocyanate such as, e.g., a reactive blocked polyisocyanate; a polyfunctional epoxy compound; a photoinitiator; optionally, a catalyst; optionally, a polyol and/or a polyamine chain extender; optionally, a reactive diluent; optionally, a pigment or dye; and optionally, a filler. Related resin compositions are also provided herein. Further, provided are three-dimensional objects formed by a method of the invention, including, e.g., objects formed of a polymer having at least one oxazolidinone linkage.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object includes: (a) providing an apparatus (b) vertically reciprocating a carrier with respect to a build surface in an upstroke and a downstroke to form a build region between a growing object and the build surface, and to fill the build region with the polymerizable liquid, while also: (i) sensing force exerted between the carrier and the build surface through the growing object and the polymerizable liquid during the upstroke; and (ii) modifying the speed and/or acceleration of the upstroke in response to the sensed force so that the sensed force approaches a predetermined target force; then (c) irradiating the build region with light to form a new portion of the object from the polymerizable liquid on the growing object; and then (d) repeating steps (b) through (c) to form additional portions on the growing object until the three-dimensional object is formed.

A method for designing a unit cell may include receiving input data via a user interface, the input data including one or more input design parameters for a unit cell, rendering a virtual three-dimensional (3D) representation of the unit cell within the user interface, based on the input design parameters, receiving, via the user interface, at least one modification command modifying the virtual 3D representation of the unit cell, altering the input data based on the received modification command, resulting in modified design parameters for the unit cell differing from the input design parameters, and outputting the modified design parameters for the unit cell.

A method of cleaning residual resin from an additively manufactured object, includes: (a) enclosing an additively manufactured object in an inner chamber of a centrifugal separator, the additively manufactured object including a light polymerized resin with a surface coating of viscous, unpolymerized, residual resin; (b) flooding the chamber with a volatile organic solvent vapor without contacting liquid organic solvent to the object, the vapor present in an amount sufficient to reduce the viscosity of the residual resin; and (c) spinning the additively manufactured object in the chamber to centrifugally separate at least a first portion of the residual resin from the object.

Described herein are methods, systems and apparatus (including associated control methods, systems and apparatus), for the production of a three-dimensional object by “bottom up” additive manufacturing, in which a carrier is vertically reciprocated with respect to a build surface, to enhance or speed the refilling of the build region with a solidifiable liquid. In preferred (but not necessarily limiting) embodiments, the three-dimensional object is produced from a liquid interface by continuous liquid interface production (i.e., “CLIP”).

A method of additively manufacturing a plurality of parts in a manner that facilitates efficient collection of metrology data on the parts is described herein. The method includes the steps of: additively manufacturing a construct, the construct comprising: (i) a backing, and (ii) a plurality of parts connected to the backing; inserting the backing into an imaging apparatus in an orientation in which the plurality of parts are positioned for imaging; then imaging the plurality parts in the imaging apparatus to collect image data from each part, and then removing the construct from the imaging apparatus and separating the parts from the backing.

Provided is a method of additively manufacturing an object having a particle surface coating thereon, using an intermediate object produced in an additive manufacturing process by light polymerization of a dual cure resin, the intermediate object having residual dual cure resin from which it was produced remaining on a surface portion thereof in unpolymerized form; forming a solid particle coating adhered to the resin coating film; and then further curing the intermediate object.

A method of forming a three-dimensional object, is carried out by (a) providing a carrier and a build plate, the build plate comprising a semipermeable member, the semipermeable member comprising a build surface with the build surface and the carrier defining a build region therebetween, and with the build surface in fluid communication by way of the semipermeable member with a source of polymerization inhibitor; (b) filling the build region with a polymerizable liquid, the polymerizable liquid contacting the build surface, (c) irradiating the build region through the build plate to produce a solid polymerized region in the build region, while forming or maintaining a liquid film release layer comprised of the polymerizable liquid formed between the solid polymerized region and the build surface, wherein the polymerization of which liquid film is inhibited by the polymerization inhibitor; and (d) advancing the carrier with the polymerized region adhered thereto away from the build surface on the build plate to create a subsequent build region between the polymerized region and the build surface while concurrently filling the subsequent build region with polymerizable liquid as in step (b). Apparatus for carrying out the method is also described.

An additively manufactured lattice includes a plurality of symmetrically oriented repeating unit cells. Each of the unit cells is comprised of a vertically oriented tubular structure having a top edge and bottom edge, said tubular structure defined by a circumferential side wall extending from said top edge to said bottom edge. The side wall has a lower portion, an intermediate portion, and an upper portion, with the lower portion terminating at the bottom edge, the upper portion terminating at the top edge, and the intermediate portion positioned between the lower portion and the upper portion. A plurality of spaced legs is included with each unit cell, with each leg formed as an outfolding of the side wall, each outfolding beginning at the side wall intermediate portion and extending progressively further outward through the side wall lower portion to the bottom edge.

Apparatus for, and associated method of, making a three-dimensional object from a light polymerizable resin by inkjet additive manufacturing are described. The methods and apparatus employ dual precursor resins, including but not limited to dual cure resins having a first component photopolymerizable and a second component polymerizable by a mechanism different from the first component.