Patent ID: 6902246
Filing Date: 2005-06-07
Classification: B29C,B33Y

Abstract:
1. A method for dispensing a build material in a flowable state from a dispensing device of a solid freeform fabrication apparatus to form a three-dimensional object, the method comprising the steps of: providing at least one build material queue station for holding a plurality of discrete amounts of a plurality of different build materials in a non-flowable state, each build material being associated with a unique physical characteristic; providing at least one support material queue station for holding a plurality of discrete amounts of support material in a non-flowable state; loading the plurality of discrete amounts of build materials in non-flowable state to the build material queue station, the discrete amounts of build materials residing in the queue station in a random order; loading the plurality of discrete amounts of support material in a non-flowable state to the support material queue station; delivering the discrete amounts of build materials from the build material queue station to at least one hopper on the dispensing device; delivering the discrete amounts of support material from the support material queue station to at least one hopper on the dispensing device; changing the build materials and the support material from the non-flowable state to a flowable state after delivery of the build materials and the support material to the hopper; moving the build materials in the flowable state in the hopper to build material receptacles of the dispensing device and moving the support material in the flowable state in the hopper to a support material receptacle of the dispensing device; and dispensing the build materials in the build material and dispensing the support material in the support material receptacles by the dispensing device in the flowable state in a layerwise fashion to form the three-dimensional object and to form supports for the three-dimensional object.