Patent ID: 6376148
Filing Date: 2002-04-23
Classification: B22F,B29C,B33Y,G03G,G05B,Y02P

Abstract:
A solid freeform fabrication method for fabricating a three-dimensional object from successive layers of a primary body-building powder material and a binder powder in accordance with a computer-aided design of the object, said method comprising:(a) providing a work surface; (b) feeding a first layer of said primary body-building powder material to said work surface; (c) operating an electrophotographic powder deposition means to create a transferable binder powder image in accordance with said design; (d) transferring said transferable binder powder image to said first layer of primary body-building powder material; (e) applying energy means to fuse said binder powder, forming a binder fluid to permeate through said first layer of primary body-building material for bonding and consolidating the powder particles in said first layer to form a first cross-section of said object; (f) feeding a second layer of said primary body-building powder material onto said first layer and repeating the operating, transferring, and applying steps to form a second cross-section of said object; (g) repeating the feeding, operating, transferring, and applying steps to build successive layers in a layer-wise fashion in accordance with said design for forming multiple layers of said object; and (h) removing un-bonded powder particles in said multiple layers, causing said 3-D object to appear.