US 11,752,689 B2
Apparatus for printing three-dimensional (3D) objects
Daniel Dikovsky, Rehovot (IL); Eduardo Napadensky, Netanya (IL); Shai Hirsch, Rehovot (IL); Evgeni Levin, Rehovot (IL); and Yoav Bressler, Tel-Aviv (IL)
Assigned to STRATASYS LTD, Rehovot (IL)
Filed by STRATASYS LTD., Rehovot (IL)
Filed on May 12, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/318,560.
Application 17/318,560 is a continuation of application No. 16/544,943, filed on Aug. 20, 2019, granted, now 11,020,896.
Application 16/544,943 is a continuation of application No. 15/580,129, granted, now 10,427,354, previously published as PCT/IL2016/050587, filed on Jun. 7, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/172,096, filed on Jun. 7, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0260815 A1, Aug. 26, 2021
Int. Cl. B29C 64/255 (2017.01); B33Y 50/02 (2015.01); G05B 19/4099 (2006.01); B29C 64/112 (2017.01); B29C 64/40 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); G06F 30/17 (2020.01); B29C 64/188 (2017.01); B29C 33/44 (2006.01); B29C 64/393 (2017.01); G06F 119/18 (2020.01); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01); G06F 30/10 (2020.01); G06F 113/10 (2020.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/264 (2017.01); B29C 64/245 (2017.01)
CPC B29C 64/112 (2017.08) [B29C 33/448 (2013.01); B29C 64/188 (2017.08); B29C 64/393 (2017.08); B29C 64/40 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); G06F 30/17 (2020.01); B29C 64/245 (2017.08); B29C 64/264 (2017.08); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/20 (2020.01); B33Y 50/02 (2014.12); G05B 19/4099 (2013.01); G05B 2219/49023 (2013.01); G06F 30/10 (2020.01); G06F 2113/10 (2020.01); G06F 2119/18 (2020.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A system for printing a three-dimensional (3D) object and a support construction for the 3D object, comprising:
a printing unit comprising one or more print heads configured to deposit body material for forming the 3D object and support material for forming the support construction;
a supply system for supplying the body material and support material to the printing unit; and
a controller configured to:
generate 3D cross sectional digital data comprising a set of horizontal slices, wherein each of the slices includes one or more body regions representing a horizontal cross section of the 3D object, and at least each of some of the slices further includes one or more support regions being adjacent to the body region and representing a corresponding horizontal cross section of the support construction;
manipulate the 3D digital data to create a set of shifted slices by performing vertical shifts between the body region and the support region of a same horizontal slice to create printing digital data, wherein at least each of some of the shifted slices includes a body region of one of the horizontal slices together with a support region of another one of the horizontal slices; and
control the printing unit to deposit, in layers, from the one or more printing heads, the body material and the support material based on the printing digital data, wherein in a single scan, droplets of the support material and droplets of the body material travel different distances.