Patent ID: 11945168
Assignee: HEWLETT-PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY, L.P.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 14:
15. A method for generating a three-dimensional (3D) object using a 3D printing apparatus that employs build material, a fusing agent, and a detailing agent, the build material having a second color, the fusing agent having a first color different than the second color, the method comprising:
obtaining, by a processor, object model data describing the object to be generated, the object having an exterior portion and an interior portion adjacent to the exterior portion; generate object generation instructions to generate the object by, for each of a plurality of layers of the build material:
defining a gap region of the layer corresponding to the exterior portion of the object and on which no fusing agent and no detailing agent are to be applied;
defining a fusing agent region of the layer adjacent to the gap region at an interior side thereof, corresponding to the interior portion of the object, and on which the fusing agent but no detailing agent is to be applied; and
defining a detailing agent region of the layer adjacent to the gap region at an exterior side thereof, not corresponding to any portion of the object, and on which the detailing agent but no fusing agent is to be applied;

causing, by the processor, the 3D printing apparatus to generate the object in accordance with the object generation instructions,
wherein the interior portion of the object has the first color of the fusing agent and is fused as a result of the fusing agent applied on the fusing agent region of each layer absorbing energy sufficient to melt the build material,
wherein the exterior portion of the object has a color based on the second color of the build material and the first color of the fusing agent in accordance with a thickness of the exterior portion, the exterior portion fused as a result of sufficient thermal bleed from the energy absorbed by the fusing agent on the fusing agent region adjacent to the gap region,
and wherein the detailing agent region is not fused as a result of the detailing agent applied on the detailing agent region.