Patent Description:
FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), also called FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication), is an additive manufacturing technology that produces an object by extruding polymer in an amorphous state through nozzle(s) to form layers as the polymer material hardens after extrusion. The patent document <CIT> describes a process for forming an extrusion additive (3D) acrylic article. The patent document <CIT> discloses a Fused Modelling Deposition (FDM) method for manufacturing a 3D (printed) item. The patent document <CIT> describes an apparatus for manufacturing a bioscaffold. The patent document <CIT> describes a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional article. The patent document <CIT> describes a method of printing an object.

Aspects of the disclosure may address some of the above-described shortcomings in the art, particularly with the solutions set forth in the claims.

The present disclosure relates to a fused filament fabrication 3D printing method for fabricating an optical wafer according to claim <NUM>.

Note that this summary section does not specify every feature and/or incrementally novel aspect of the present disclosure or claimed invention. Instead, this summary only provides a preliminary discussion of different embodiments and corresponding points of novelty. For additional details and/or possible perspectives of the embodiments, the reader is directed to the Detailed Description section and corresponding figures of the present disclosure as further discussed below.

Various embodiments of this disclosure that are proposed as examples will be described in detail with reference to the following figures, wherein:.

The following disclosure provides many different variations, or examples, for implementing different features of the provided subject matter. Specific examples of components and arrangements are described below to simplify the present disclosure. These are, of course, merely examples and are not intended to be limiting nor inoperable together in any permutation. Unless indicated otherwise, the features and embodiments described herein are operable together in any permutation. For example, the formation of a first feature over or on a second feature in the description that follows may include embodiments in which the first and second features are formed in direct contact, and may also include embodiments in which additional features may be formed between the first and second features, such that the first and second features may not be in direct contact.

Further, spatially relative terms, such as "top," "bottom," "beneath," "below," "lower," "above," "upper" and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Inventive apparatuses may be otherwise oriented (rotated <NUM> degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may likewise be interpreted accordingly.

The order of discussion of the different steps as described herein has been presented for clarity sake. In general, these steps can be performed in any suitable order. Additionally, although each of the different features, techniques, configurations, etc. herein may be discussed in different places of this disclosure, it is intended that each of the concepts can be executed independently of each other or in combination with each other. Accordingly, the present disclosure can be embodied and viewed in many different ways.

<FIG> is a schematic of fused deposition modeling (FDM), also called fused filament fabrication (FFF). As illustrated in <FIG>, one or more polymer filaments, such as thermoplastic filaments, can be pulled by driving pulleys and fed into a heated nozzle heated to a predetermined nozzle temperature, inside which the polymer is melted and extruded onto a building plate at a predetermined location to form strands on the building plate. For example, the thermoplastic can be polycarbonate (PC), alicyclic polycarbonate copolymer, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(methyl methacrylimide) (PMMI), polyamide (PA), polyester, copolyester, polysulfone (PSU), cellulose triacetate (TAC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), or cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), among others.

The nozzle can include a heating element to melt the polymer, or the nozzle can be heated itself. The nozzle can then be translated in the same plane (a first base layer), or through multiple planes (a second layer, a third layer, etc.), along an X-Y axis direction or plane that is parallel to a plane of the building plate. The nozzle can be translated at a predetermined printing speed. The heated strands of the polymer can be deposited side by side at specified layer thickness. A material of the building plate can be glass or metal, and the building plate can be heated to a predetermined plate temperature.

Once a first layer of the strands is deposited and completed, the building plate can be lowered (or the nozzle can be raised) along a Z axis direction (or the nozzle is raised along the Z axis direction) and 2nd layer is then deposited. These steps can be repeated until a part is finished. The heated strands can be fused or welded together when the strands are still in an amorphous or tacky state at or above a glass transition temperature of the polymer, and then cooled below the glass transition temperature to form a solid. Printing can be performed on an open platform or inside an enclosed chamber or partially enclosed shroud, which can be heated to a predetermined temperature. The additional heating from the chamber or shroud can help maintain a desired temperature while printing, especially as the part increases in layers away from the heated building plate. After printing is completed, parts can be cooled down under ambient condition and removed from building plate.

<FIG> is a schematic of a temperature gradient during a FDM 3D printing process, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. In a useful scope, the FDM 3D printing process may be non-isothermal, as it may be performed in an open environment and with poor temperature control. Temperature gradients exist in many locations, such as: <NUM>) from nozzle to building plate; <NUM>) from extruded amorphous/molten filament to solidified filaments/layers; <NUM>) from an interior of the fabricated part to an exterior of the part; and <NUM>) from the part to its surround area, among others. The part can also receive low force/pressure during printing, which can be generated by the nozzle that is being pushed against the building plate, in order to reach a target layer thickness. Upon exiting the nozzle, the polymer melt can meet the previously deposited layer and immediately begin to cool and solidify. As previously described, a heated chamber or shroud can help improve temperature control around the part and reduce the temperature gradient intensity.

Notably, the rapid cooling can prevent the layers from fully fusing, which often leads to voids, poor dimension accuracy, and weak mechanical strength. Parts can be weaker in the vertical, z-direction due to a weak interlayer bond strength, resulting in an anisotropic property, which can cause part warpage. Part surface quality can also be poor, with defects such as layer seams, blobs, printing lines, etc..

Described herein, a method to fabricate lenses via FDM provides a solution to known lens defects, including: <NUM>) internal defects such as voids, printing lines, blobs, black specks; <NUM>) poor dimension accuracy, and poor dimension stability such as warpage; <NUM>) rough surface topology.

Due to the above issues, it may be a challenge to manufacture an optical article, which requires <NUM>) high clarity, as indicated by: low haze, high visible light transmission, neutral color, minimal black speck, high surface smoothness; <NUM>) accurate dimension of thickness, diameter, radius and minimal warpage; and <NUM>) minimal surface roughness.

<FIG> are schematics of different optical wafers, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. An optical wafer can be defined as a thin and round part with high clarity. It can be curved (<FIG>) or flat (<FIG>). A thin and flat wafer was used as an example in the present disclosure, but it may be appreciated that a curved wafer can be fabricated similarly. The wafer described herein can have a <NUM> diameter and <NUM> thickness. Wafers having different diameters, thicknesses, and optics powers can also be produced using the same processes and methods.

<FIG> is a schematic of an FDM 3D printing process for an optical wafer, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. In a useful scope, the printing can start from a first (base) layer adjacent to the substrate, and printed line by line and layer by layer. The nozzle can be heated to melt the filament and can have a predetermined diameter to control a thickness of each layer. The building plate can be heated to promote a certain adhesion force between the building plate and the first layer of the wafer to avoid wafer movement during printing. Thus, the fabricated wafer can be divided into <NUM> parts: the first (base or bottom) layer, internal layers, and a final (top) layer.

<FIG> is a schematic of issues that can occur during printing of the optical wafer, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. In a useful scope, the printed wafer can include defects, such as a rough surface, distinct printing lines, poor dimensional accuracy, warpage, and internal defects. The internal defects can include voids, blobs, and ocular occlusions, such as opaque specks, dust, and shards.

<FIG> is a schematic of the relationships between various wafer fabrication challenges, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. In a useful scope, the structure of the optical wafer includes the <NUM> parts, each of which include respective challenges or issues during fabrication and affect the resulting wafer properties. For example, surface roughness in the top layer and/or the bottom layer can cause optical clarity issues for the resulting optical wafer. For example, the internal defects occurring in the internal layers can cause i) optical clarity issues, ii) dimensional accuracy, and iii) mechanical degradation for the resulting optical wafer. For example, nonuniform layer thickness occurring in the internal layers can cause mechanical degradation for the resulting optical wafer. For example, poor adhesion between the bottom layer and the building plate can cause i) optical clarity issues and ii) warpage for the resulting optical wafer.

In a useful scope, the part can be fabricated layer by layer via the FDM 3D printing process using a 3D model. To produce 3D models, a computer-aided design (CAD) file can be used to plot the drawing of the part. This CAD file can then be converted into the standard triangulation language (STL) format, which is then sliced into thin vertical layers. Detailed printing parameters can be set up after on how to print each layer, such as pattern, speed, line width, layer thickness, etc. Depending on the 3D printing machine and the software used, some can have hundreds of parameters.

Thus, it can be important to specify optimal printing profiles for optical wafers as the first step to best actualize potential 3D printing advantages and avoid any possible issues due to poor printing design. After a printing profile design is specified, more printing parameters can be added and evaluated.

In a useful scope, the adhesion between the building plate and the wafer can be optimized. A level of adhesion between the building plate and wafer can be important for reducing printing issues. If adhesion is too weak, the part can move during printing, or the part can warp if there is not enough force to hold the part to the building plate due to temperature gradient inside the part, especially along the Z-direction. Conversely, if adhesion is too strong, the part may not be easily removed from the building plate after printing, or the bottom layer adjacent to the building plate can peel off during removal and thus deteriorate the bottom surface. This is important as a very thin bottom layer may be needed to achieve high surface quality. This thin layer can be easily peeled off if adhesion is too strong. Adhesion can be affected by many factors, such as <NUM>) plate material; <NUM>) filament material; <NUM>) plate temperature; and <NUM>) filament temperature, among others.

Some solutions are available for maintain strong adhesion between the building plate and the part, such as: <NUM>) adhesive paper, which can be glued on the building plate and has good adhesion with a 3D printed part. However, the adhesion level may be too strong for optical wafers, which might peel off the bottom layers, or the high adhesion may leave some undesirable textures on the bottom layer of the wafer due to its rough surface. <NUM>) The adhesive can also be applied on the building plate to increase adhesion. However, the adhesive may smudge the building plate surface, and thus leave marks and/or stains on the wafer surface. This is especially an issue for optical surfaces.

Described herein, several solvents were screened, and acetone was determined to be the optimal solvent for promoting adhesion of the wafer to the building plate. The screening included a method including wiping the building plate surface for a predetermined length of time to reach an optimal adhesion level so the wafer can be fixed during printing and removed after part is cooled down, without peeling the bottom layer off. Other surface treatments, such as plasma, corona, can also be used.

In a useful scope, parameters of the 3D printing process can be optimized. As previously described, fabrication of a part or wafer can result in: <NUM>) poor bottom surface quality, <NUM>) internal defects, such as voids, blobs, printing lines, black specks, etc., and <NUM>) dimension accuracy and dimension stability such as warpage. The detailed results are described herein. For example, it was determined that bottom layer thickness can affect bottom surface quality. Various layer thicknesses were evaluated, and it was determined that a very thin layer thickness, such as <NUM> to <NUM>, is needed to achieve a high glossy surface due to minimal visible printing lines produced by very thin layers. However, to print very thin layers, other factors, such as nozzle diameter, line width, nozzle temperature and plate temperature also needed to be evaluated, as they can determine how the thin layers can be printed.

In a useful scope, treatment of the wafer surface can be optimized. The top surface quality can be poor due to some defects from FDM 3D printing, such as printing lines, blobs, etc. These defects can be difficult to be remove by FDM 3D printing only, such as via printing with a thin line width to produce a thin layer. Therefore, a coating is applied to improve surface smoothness. A refractive index of the coating is the same as the polymer for the part. For example, a refractive index of <NUM> can be used if polycarbonate (PC) is used as the polymer. The bottom surface quality can be mainly affected by the building plate surface quality and the bottom layer thickness. A high glossy surface can be achieved using a high glossy building plate, such as a glass plate, nickel plated stainless steel plate, or chrome plated plate, and printing with a thin layer thickness.

In a useful scope, one layer in the part can be printed using a first predetermined pattern, then the subsequent printed layer can be printed using a second predetermined pattern. The first predetermined pattern can be printed using the predetermined printing speed. Notably, the second predetermined pattern can be printed using the predetermined printing speed or a second, different predetermined printing speed. Similarly, the predetermined plate temperature can be adjusted or kept the same between printed layers.

3D filament preparation: an optical grade PC resin was used as raw material for the 3D filament, which was extruded using a Filabot Ex6 extruder having a diameter of <NUM> with tolerance of <NUM>. The extruded filament was inspected under microscopy and no defects and contamination was observed, such as shark skin, black speck, dust, or white swirls.

FDM 3D printer: an Ultimaker S5 3D printer was used. Its major specifications are listed in Table <NUM>. Ultimaker Cura software was used to prepare the 3D printing. The software has <NUM> parameters under <NUM> settings, as shown in Table <NUM>.

<FIG> is a snapshot of printing parameters for adjusting quality results, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. As shown, some parameters include layer height/thickness, first layer height/thickness, and line width, among others. It may be appreciated that other 3D printers can also be used, such as a Lulzbot TAZ6, PartPro300 Xt, Markforged Mark <NUM>, Rize one, Stratasys F series, or Fusion3 F410.

As previously described, an initial step of 3D printing is to design the printing profile. The printing profile refers to how the part will be placed on building plate, the printing path and pattern, etc. Table <NUM> lists the main design elements that can be considered.

Wafer placement orientation: the optical wafer can be laid either horizontally with its flat surface on the building plate, or vertically with its thin edge on the building plate. The former option is used for optical wafer printing, as the part is more stable, there is less warpage, and there is less surface roughness due to layer seams, also called Z-seams.

Printing pattern: the printing pattern can be determined by how filament strands are laid. A straight line pattern was chosen, as it will generate the least surface texture and roughness compared to circle and zig-zag patterns. A wall was thus also designed, which can hold the wafer during printing to prevent wafer delamination from the building plate, as the straight line pattern can create an asymmetric pattern.

Print line orientation between layers: the line direction between two adjacent layers can be parallel, perpendicular, or at an angle. <FIG> is a schematic of the wafer print profile design, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. The parallel orientation shown can be used, as it generates the least grids, and thus, the least haziness.

<FIG> is a printed wafer with a straight or parallel line pattern, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a printed wafer with a grid pattern, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a printed wafer with a spiral pattern, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. As shown, the straight line pattern (<FIG>) has much higher clarity than the grid pattern (<FIG>) or the spiral pattern (<FIG>).

As previously described, the building plate surface can be treated in order to achieve optimal adhesion strength with the part or wafer. Several solvents, such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), acetone, methanol, methyl ethyl ketone, and A1100 were tested. The solvents were sprayed onto a cloth, which was then wiped against the building plate surface for less than <NUM> minutes. The wafer was printed after surface treatment. Results are shown in Table <NUM>. It may be appreciated that other chemicals, and other surface treatment methods, such as plasma and corona, can also be tested for use with FDM 3D printing.

Several factors can contribute to adhesion strength between the building plate and the wafer: <NUM>) building plate surface tension, <NUM>) building plate surface polarity, <NUM>) building plate chemistry, i.e., glass, chrome, stainless steel, aluminum, etc., and <NUM>) solvent compatibility with filament material, as there might be faint residue left on the building plate after wiping. In this case, the solvent should have good compatibility with the PC, and that is why acetone and A1100 can provide stronger adhesion than IPA and methanol.

As previously described, the 3D printing process and parameters can be optimized in order to produce an optical wafer with <NUM>) high clarity, <NUM>) high dimension accuracy and stability, and <NUM>) high surface smoothness. Over <NUM> parameters as listed in the Cura software were screened, and major printing parameters were identified, which are listed in Table <NUM>. These parameters were further tested at different values, which generated numerous combinations of printing conditions. A general tendency of improving wafer quality by adjusting each parameter is summarized in Table <NUM>.

<FIG> is an optical image of printing defects, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a cross-sectional microscopy image of printing defects, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. Some examples of impact from different line width settings on defects such as blobs and printing lines, and layer height on voids, are shown in <FIG> and <FIG>. Black speck defects can be avoided if nozzle temperature is below a predetermined temperature, such as below <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic of void formation inside the wafer and surface printing lines, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. Generally, the filament was extruded and printed as overlapping between lines to increase adhesion between the layers. Voids will form if the layer height is above predetermined threshold, such as <NUM> if a <NUM> nozzle is used. Such voids will disappear if the layer height is less than <NUM> since gaps between two adjacent layers become smaller. That is, the extruded strands on the new layer can more closely nestle into the depression between strands on the previous layer. The printing pressure also becomes higher because the nozzle is pushed more to achieve thin layer thicknesses.

<FIG> is an optical image of an optical wafer printed using optimized printing parameters, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. <FIG> is an optical image of an optical wafer cross-section printed using optimized printing parameters, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. The FDM 3D printing process was optimized and able to produce a wafer with <NUM>) high glossy bottom surface, <NUM>) minimal voids, blobs, printing lines, and black specks, and <NUM>) high dimension accuracy with no warpage, as shown in <FIG>. A range for each parameter is also listed, considering PC with different melt flow indices (MFI) and different FDM 3D printers. Their impacts on wafer quality were also described in Table <NUM>.

As listed, a range of the nozzle diameter can be between <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. A temperature range of the predetermined plate temperature of the building plate can be between <NUM> to <NUM>, or between <NUM> lower than a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic and <NUM> higher than the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic. A temperature range of the predetermined nozzle temperature can be between <NUM> to <NUM>, or at least <NUM> higher than the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic, and at least <NUM> lower than a degradation temperature (according to ASTM E2550-<NUM>) of the thermoplastic. A cross-sectional shape of the nozzle and thus the filament is circular, square, or rectangular. A range of the thickness of the first (initial) layer can be between <NUM> and <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>. A range of the predetermined printing speed can be between <NUM>/s to <NUM>/s, or <NUM>/s to <NUM>/s. A range of the thickness of each additional layer on the base layer can be <NUM> to <NUM>, or <NUM> to <NUM>.

<FIG> is an optical image of a printed optical wafer's top layer or surface, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. <FIG> is an optical image of a printed optical wafer's bottom layer or surface, useful within the scope of the present disclosure.

Top surface: As shown in <FIG>, the top surface of the printed wafer is still rough due to the printing lines. The printing lines can be reduced by certain printing process, such as ironing, which uses a hot nozzle to press the wafer surface. Additional surface treatment methods can be applied to reduce printing lines and thus increase surface smoothness, such as <NUM>) coating, <NUM>) surfacing, <NUM>) film lamination, <NUM>) thermoforming, and <NUM>) compression molding.

<FIG> is an optical image of a printed wafer with a coating, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. <FIG> is an optical image of printed wafer without a coating, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. Initial tests by coating were performed by spin coating a UV curable adhesive, such as NOA60 (Norland Products Inc, NJ), which has RI of <NUM>. Thus, the coated wafer is shown in <FIG>. Further improvement can be made by mixing of NOA160 (RI: <NUM>) and NOA60 (<NUM>), which has an RI of <NUM>, which is the same as that of PC.

Bottom surface: As shown in <FIG>, the bottom surface of the printed wafer has a high glossy surface. This was achieved by using, <NUM>) a glass building plate, which has surface smoothness at optical quality, and <NUM>) a very thin layer thickness, i.e., <NUM>.

<FIG> is a microscopy image and cross-sectional profile of a printed optical wafer, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. The surface produced has very faint printing lines, at a magnitude of approximately <NUM>, which are almost invisible to human eyes, as shown in <FIG>.

<FIG> is an exemplary flow chart for a method <NUM> of fabricating an optical article, useful within the scope of the present disclosure. In step <NUM>, a surface treatment is applied to the building plate. In step <NUM>, the building plate is heated to a predetermined plate temperature. In step <NUM>, a thermoplastic is dispensed through the nozzle, the nozzle being heated to a predetermined nozzle temperature. The nozzle or the building plate is translated according to a first predetermined pattern at a predetermined printing speed to form a first layer. In step <NUM>, additional layers can be printed. In step <NUM>, the printed part or wafer is cooled and solidified.

In the preceding description, specific details have been set forth, such as a particular geometry of a processing system and descriptions of various components and processes used therein. It should be understood, however, that techniques herein may be practiced in other embodiments that depart from these specific details, and that such details are for purposes of explanation and not limitation. Embodiments disclosed herein have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Similarly, for purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding. Nevertheless, embodiments may be practiced without such specific details. Components having substantially the same functional constructions are denoted by like reference characters, and thus any redundant descriptions may be omitted.

Various techniques have been described as multiple discrete operations to assist in understanding the various embodiments. The order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. Indeed, these operations need not be performed in the order of presentation. Operations described may be performed in a different order than specifically described unless expressly indicated otherwise. Various additional operations may be performed and/or described operations may be omitted.

Claim 1:
A fused filament fabrication 3D printing method for fabricating an optical wafer, comprising:
applying a surface treatment to a building plate;
heating the building plate to a predetermined plate temperature, wherein a range of the predetermined plate temperature is between <NUM> lower than a glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic and <NUM> higher than the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic;
dispensing a thermoplastic through a nozzle set at a predetermined nozzle temperature onto the building plate while translating the nozzle or the building plate according to a first predetermined pattern at a predetermined printing speed to form a first layer; and
solidifying the first layer, wherein a range of the predetermined nozzle temperature is at least <NUM> higher than the glass transition temperature of the thermoplastic, and at least <NUM> lower than a degradation temperature of the thermoplastic,
if a printed part is not finished, repeating the dispensing step until the printed part is finished; and
applying a coating to the printed part top surface for improving surface smoothness and the refractive index of the coating is the same as the thermoplastic for the printed part.