公开(公告)号：CA1338521C

公开(公告)日：1996-08-13

申请号：CA596825

申请日：1989-04-17

Applicant: 3D SYSTEMS INC

Inventor： HULL CHARLES WILLIAM ,  SPENCE STUART THOMAS ,  ALBERT DAVID J ,  SMALLEY DENNIS ROLLETTE ,  HARLOW RICHARD A ,  STINEBAUGH PHIL ,  TARNOFF HARRY L ,  NGUYEN HOP D ,  LEWIS CHARLES WILLIAM ,  VORGITCH TOM J ,  REMBA DAVID Z

IPC: B29C35/08 ,  B29C67/00 ,  B29K105/24 ,  G01J1/42 ,  G03C9/08 ,  G03F7/00 ,  G03F7/20 ,  G06F17/50 ,  G06T17/00 ,  G06T17/10 ,  G06T17/20 ,  G05B15/02

Abstract: An improved stereolithography system for generating a three-dimensional object by creating a cross-sectional pattern of the object to be formed at a selected surface of a fluid medium capable of altering its physical state in response to appropriate synergistic stimulation by impinging radiation, particle bombardment or chemical reaction, information defining the object being specially processed to reduce curl and distortion, and increase resolution, strength, accuracy, speed and economy of reproduction even for rather difficult object shapes, the successive adjacent laminae, representing corresponding successive adjacent cross-sections of the object, being automatically formed and integrated together to provide a step-wise laminar buildup of the desired object, whereby a three-dimensional object is formed and drawn from a substantially planar surface of the fluid medium during the forming process. The conversion of CAD/CAM data descriptive of the object into stereolithographic data used to trace cross-sections of the object is described.