Patent ID: 6401001
Filing Date: 2002-06-04
Classification: B29C,B33Y,H01L,H05K,Y10S

Abstract:
Solid freeform fabrication apparatus for making a three-dimensional object, comprising:(a) a target surface; (b) a material deposition sub-system, disposed in working proximity to said target surface, comprising: a powder delivery device comprising (1) a multiplicity of flow channels with each channel having first and second ends, said first end being supplied with particles of a fine powder composition and said second end having a discharge orifice of a predetermined size to dispense said powder composition therethrough, and (2) valve means located in control relation to each of said channels for regulating the flow of said powder particles through said discharge orifice toward said target surface; the flow of said dispensed powder particles forming a travel path; a focused energy beam disposed in working proximity to said target surface and operative to intersect said powder travel path for producing a fusion zone in which said powder particles are at least partially melted to form liquid droplets, said liquid droplets continuing to travel along said path for deposition onto said target surface; (c) motion devices coupled to said target surface and said material deposition sub-system for moving said deposition sub-system and said target surface relative to one another along selected directions in a plane defined by first and second coordinate directions and in a third coordinate direction orthogonal to said plane to form said deposition materials into a three-dimensional shape.