2. Table of Contents
Introduction to 3D Printing >>>
Conventional Techniques of 3D Printing >>>
History of 3D Printing >>>
Applications of 3D Printing >>>
Technology and Patent Scouting - 3D Printing Techniques
Continuous Liquid Interphase Production (CLIP) >>>
Mask-Image-Projection-Based Lithography (MIP-SL) >>>
Lithography Based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) >>>
Contour Crafting (CC) >>>
Selective Inhibition Sintering (SIS) >>>
3. Introduction to 3D Printing
• Generally two types of manufacturing methods are used:
– Subtractive :Creates a product by removing extra material from preformed
block by cutting or drilling
– Additive: Creates a product through successive addition of materials to the
object
• Few disadvantages associated with subtractive method - limited design
capabilities and generation of waste.
• 3D Printing - a form of Additive Manufacturing Technology - builds solid 3D
objects using a 3D digital model by layer-by-layer deposition of input substrate
materials.
• Three-dimensional designs are created using specific software applications like
AutoCAD, etc.
• Softwares like SolidWorks®, Autodesk®, Inventor® or Pro/ENGINEER® slice the
3D model into layers (0.01mm thick or less in most cases) and define the tool
path. This information is communicated to the 3D printer.
4. • 3D printers work like inkjet printers. Instead of ink, 3D printers deposit the
desired substrate material in successive layers to create a tangible product
from a digital file.
• Charles Hull (3D Systems) developed the first 3D printer in 1984 and named
the technique as Stereo lithography.
• Products manufactured additively can now be used from pre-production (i.e.
rapid prototyping) to full-scale production (i.e. rapid manufacturing), in
addition to tooling applications and post-production customization.
<<< Back to Table of Contents
5. • Stereolithography (SLA): Process using a vat (resin tank) of liquid UV-curable
photopolymer resin and a UV laser to build parts, one layer at a time. Liquid
photopolymer hardens when in contact with the UV light. By changing the
position of UV laser beam, specific shape of the object can be prepared.
• Selective Laser Sintering (SLS): High power laser to fuse small particles of
metal, ceramic, plastic (such as nylon) or glass powders by heating the powder
either to just below its boiling point (sintering) or above its boiling point
(melting) into a solid mass having a desired shape.
Conventional Techniques of 3D Printing
SLA SLS
6. • Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM): Thermoplastic material (in the molten
state) is extruded from a temperature-controlled print head to produce objects
with high degree of accuracy. This method is used for modeling, prototyping,
and production applications.
• Ink-Jet 3D Printing: It creates the layer by spreading a layer of powder and
inkjet printing binder and by repetition of process, final object is created. This
method is commonly used 3D printing technology.
FDM
7. 2008
19841992
The first SLA machine is produced
by 3D Systems
2011
Charles Hull
invents
Stereo
Lithography (SLA)
to create 3D
model
•3D synthetic
scaffold coated
engineered organs
•Polyjet Technology
for 3D printing
History of 3D- Printing
2005RepRap:
Open-
source
collabora-
tion for 3D
printing
•Major breakthrough for
prosthetics as 3D-printed
prosthetic leg used in patient
•Free webstie for 3D image file
shared by Makerbot
•World’s first 3D
printed
robotic aircraft
•World’s first 3D
printed car
8. AutomobileElectronics
AviationArchitecture
Medical/Dental
3D Printing
Printing jigs,
fixtures, gauges,
patterns, molds, and
dies
Electronics
Detailed
architectural models
in an array of
materials
Architecture
Printing Prosthetic
parts, organs,
medical models,
synthetic skin
Medical/Dental
Printing Automotive
prototypes, car
parts and
accessories
Automobile
Printing Aircraft
parts like wings and
engines, rocket
engine parts
Aviation
Applications of 3D Printing
<<< Back to Table of Contents
10. Introduction to CLIP
Innovator Company – Snapshot
Overview
Research and Development
Exemplary 3D Printed Products
Geographical Presence
Clientele
Patents conferring protection to the technology
CONTINUOUS LIQUID INTERFACE PRODUCTION (CLIP)
11. INTRODUCTION TO CLIP
• Contrary to existing 3D-printing methodologies, CLIP hardens a layer polymer
just above the bottom of a liquid resin pool and continuously lifts the forming
object out of the resin.
• In CLIP, curing occurs at the bottom of the resin pool, where oxygen is not
present, this makes curing much faster and effective.
• CLIP makes it possible to produce parts with excellent mechanical properties,
resolution, and surface finish (similar to injection molding).
• CLIP process is compatible with producing parts from soft elastic materials,
ceramics , and even biological materials.
• In a comparative study, CLIP was shown to
be much faster than the conventional 3D
printing techniques.
12. • CLIP proceeds via projecting a continuous sequence of UV images through an
oxygen-permeable, UV-transparent window below a liquid resin bath.
• The platform starts from the bottom of the resin pool, and moves up, lifting
the product up from the liquid.
• Conventional 3D printers print layer by layer and require pause in between
layers, CLIP does not print layer by layer thus CLIP works faster than other
technologies. Thus, CLIP prints 25~100 times faster than average 3D printing.
• Once a part is printed with CLIP, secondary curing in a forced circulation oven
causes the materials to adapt and strengthen.
13. INNOVATOR COMPANY- SNAPSHOT
OVERVIEW
• CLIP was developed by US based Carbon3D Inc (Previously known as Eipi
Systems, Inc).
• Carbon3D was founded in 2013 and is based in California with an additional
office in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
• Carbon3D, Inc. provides additive manufacturing and 3D printing services.
• The company's patent pending technology, Continuous Liquid Interphase
Production (CLIP) was introduced at TED and Science Magazine in 2015.
• Recently company launched the M1, its first commercial 3D printer based on
CLIP technology and engineering-grade materials to deliver on the promise of
3D printing.
• Carbon3D raised $100 million from Google Ventures and others, this results in
increase in valuation to $1 billion.1
14. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Source: http://techcrunch.com/2015/08/20/with-100m-in-funding-carbon3d-will-
make-3d-manufacturing-a-reality/
Source: http://cen.acs.org/articles/93/i12/Chemistry-Key-3-D-Printers.html
18. PATENTS CONFERRING PROTECTION TO THE TECHNOLOGY
Granted
Pending
Title Priority Date Application
Date
INPADOC Family Members
Continuous
Liquid
Interphase
Printing
12-Feb-2013 12-Dec-2014 US9211678B2 | CA2898098A1 | CA2898103A1 |
CA2898106A1 | CN105122135A | CN105122136A |
CN105452958A | EP2956821A2 | EP2956822A2 |
EP2956823A2 | JP2016509962A | JP2016509963A |
JP2016509964A | KR2015117273A |
KR2015117274A | KR2015117275A |
TW201447478A | US20140361463A1 |
US20150072293A1 | US20150097315A1 |
US20150097316A1 | US20150102532A1 |
US20160059484A1 | US20160059486A1 |
US20160059487A1 | US9205601B2 | US9216546B2 |
WO2014126830A2 | WO2014126830A3 |
WO2014126834A2 | WO2014126834A3 |
WO2014126837A2 | WO2014126837A3
<<< Back to Table of Contents
19. Introduction to LCM
Innovator Company – Snapshot
Overview
Research and Development
Exemplary 3D Printed Products
Geographical Presence
Clientele
Patent conferring protection to the technology
LITHOGRAPHY-BASED CERAMIC MANUFACTURING (LCM)
20. INTRODUCTION TO LCM
• LCM is layer by layer additive method of manufacturing used mainly for the
ceramic based products.
• LCM uses photosensitive resin in which ceramic particles are homogeneously
dispersed.
• It offers the ceramics industry and research organisations a new production
technology that enables the production of highly complex parts without any
limitations.
• The photopolymer acts as binder between the ceramic particles and makes the
precise shaping of the part possible.
• Curing of a photosensitive resin which contains homogeneously dispersed
ceramic particles results in formation of the primary article. This primary
article undergoes the secondary treatment to remove polymer and gain
mechanical strength.
21. • Once the design is prepared and optimized for 3D printing, the master models
or green parts are manufactured using CeraFab 7500 machine.
• LCM uses special slurry, in the slurry Al2O3 powders are homogeneously
dispersed in a formulation containing reactive monomers photo-initiator, and a
solvent.
• Photoinitiator reacts (under an external light source) with the monomer and
forms the desired matrix. The ceramic particles bind together in matrix. Layer-
by-Layer fabrication of matrix results in the formation of green body.
• This green body is removed from the building platform and cleaned with
solvent to remove non-polymerized slurry from the cavities of the part.
CeraFab 7500Schematic image of LCM
22. • In green body the ceramic particles are separated by polymer results in the
lower density and mechanical properties than compact alumina.
• Green body under goes the post processing to gain final properties.
• These post-processing includes, debinding, (thermal decomposition of the
binder) and the subsequent sintering into a compact ceramic part. This
procedure eventually results in parts consisting of 100% ceramic material
which exhibit mechanical properties equal to conventionally fabricated parts.
Effect of Post-Processing on ceramic particle
arrangement
Green Body Final Object
23. • LCM is patent technology invented by the Technical University of Vienna and
currently further developed by Lithoz GmbH.
• Lithoz GmbH, a spin-off of the Vienna University of Technology, specializes in
the development and production of ceramic materials and additive
manufacturing systems (3D printing).
• To establishing the LCM-Technology in China, a cooperation agreement
between Tsinghua University, Department for Material Sciences and
Engineering in Bejing and Lithoz was signed.
• Lithoz in 2015 presented its new LCM-Technology and the CeraFab 7500 at the
EuroMold for the first time and was awarded with the Euromold-award in
silver.
• The leading producer of plastic and metal 3D printers, EOS, has invested in
Lithoz.
INNOVATOR COMPANY – SNAPSHOT
OVERVIEW
24. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
• Together with the Vienna University of Technology and the Medical University
of Vienna, Lithoz is currently participating in the development of a new
ceramic heart-pump.
• Lithoz presented latest 3D printer, CeraFab 8500 at Ceramitec 2015.
• Lithoz offers cost savings through simultaneous manufacturing of individual
parts or small scale series without the need for expensive tools.
Source: http://www.lithoz.com/en/news/press/company-news/
25. EXEMPLARY 3D PRINTED PRODUCTS
• Materials
– LithaLox HP 500 : Aluminiumoxide (Al2O3) based
– LithaCon 3Y 610: Zirconia (ZrO2) base
– LithaBone TCP 200: Tricalciumphosphate (Ca3(PO4)2)
29. Introduction to SIS
Innovator Company – Snapshot
Overview
Research and Development
Exemplary 3D Printed Products
Geographical Presence
Clientele
Patent conferring protection to the technology
SELECTIVE INHIBITION SINTERING (SIS)
30. INTRODUCTION TO SIS
• An additive manufacturing (AM) technology in which parts are built layer-by-
layer from a powder base material.
• The core idea of the SIS process is the prevention of selected areas of powder
layers from sintering.
• A contrary approach to the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process in which
selected areas of powder are sintered by a fine laser beam.
• SIS takes advantage of bulk sintering in the body of the part, while inhibiting
sintering at the part boundaries.
• Advantages of SIS include: No
contami
nation
Multi-
color
parts
Accuracy
Speed
Low cost
SIS
31. • SIS-Ceramics - a layer based SFF approach used for 3D printing ceramics.
• During the printing process of SIS-Ceramics, a solid powder S is used to define
the boundaries of the part by being deposited into the paved building
material.
• The complete printing of powder S is de facto a coating of the part which is
also loose powder before sintering.
• During the sintering process, the powder S keeps loose due to its higher
sintering temperature while the building material turns into a solid piece.
• The solid powder S serves as the sacrificial mold to separate the part from the
surrounding when sintering is complete.
• The coating is broken by simply brushing away the powder S and the final part
is obtained.
32. • SIS-Metals
Step 1: A thin layer of metal powder is spread over the build tank.
Step 2: Inhibitor is deposited along the layer profile with a small-orifice nozzle
or inkjet print head.
Steps 1,2 are repeated until the entire part has been completed.
Step 3: The part is bulk sintered in a conventional sintering oven under
appropriate atmosphere.
Step 4: The inhibited regions are removed, revealing the desired part and its
negative.
33. • SIS-Plastics
A. It starts by laying a thin layer of powder slightly above the previous layer,
by sweeping a roller over both a powder supply tank and the build tank.
B. Then, the areas of the powder bed selected for sintering inhibition are
wetted by a printer.
C. A radiation-minimizing frame is positioned to prevent areas of the
powder layer which lie outside the part envelope from sintering.
D. The entire layer is then sintered with a blast of thermal radiation from an
infrared heater.
In the end, a solid polymeric block remains that is totally sintered except for
those areas wetted by the inhibitor liquid.
– As implemented on the alpha machine, the heater is a coiled nichrome
wire that is mounted on a carriage. This allows the heating element to be
passed over the surface of the powder bed. Steps A-D are repeated until
the part is completed.
E. The final part can be easily extracted from the surrounding material.
34. • SIS originated in Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies (CRAFT)
at the University of Southern California.
• CRAFT focuses on automated manufacturing from a variety of materials
including polymers, metals and alloys, ceramics and composites such as
concrete at various sizes ranging from micro- to macro- scales.
• CRAFT is partners with materials, equipment, construction, architecture, real
estate, software and manufacturing industries.
• CRAFT has various specialized laboratories that house research prototypes,
support equipment, and commercial 3D Printing machines.
• Application areas for CRAFT technologies are diversified and include fields such
as biomedical, automotive, space industry, and building construction industry.
INNOVATOR COMPANY – SNAPSHOT
OVERVIEW
35. • Core Team of CRAFT includes:
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
39. Title Priority
Date
Application
Date
INPADOC Family Members
Selective
inhibition of
bonding of
power
particles for
layered
fabrication of
3-D objects
1999-10-26 2000-10-26 US6589471B1 |
AU200143015A |
WO2001038061A1
Exemplary Family Graph (Includes only US members)
PATENT CONFERRING PROTECTION TO THE TECHNOLOGY
<<< Back to Table of Contents
40. Introduction to MIP-SL
Innovator Company – Snapshot
Overview
Research and Development
Exemplary 3D Printed Products
Geographical Presence
Clientele
Patent conferring protection to the technology
MASK-IMAGE-PROJECTION-BASED STEREOLITHOGRAPHY (MIP-SL)
41. INTRODUCTION TO MIP-SL
• The AM process, Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA), offers high quality surface
finish, dimensional accuracy, and a variety of material options by using a laser
and liquid photocurable resin. However, speed limitations in this process exist.
• To address such limitations, research on the mask-image-projection-based
Stereolithography (MIP-SL) process is pursued.
• Compared to the laser-based SLA, the MIP-SL process can be much faster due
to its capability to simultaneously form the shape of a whole layer.
• Building functional microstructures, especially digital material fabrication,
require the development of a general MIP-SL process similar to the polyjet
process that can fabricate all combinations of multiple resins.
42. • Instead of the laser used in SLA, a Digital Micromirror Device (DMD) is used in
the MIP-SL process to dynamically define mask images to be projected on a
resin surface area.
• A DMD is a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device that enables one to
simultaneously control ~1 million small mirrors to turn on or off a pixel each at
over 5 KHz.
43. • In the MIP-SL process:
1. The three-dimensional (3D) CAD model of an object is sliced by a set of
horizontal planes.
2. Each thin slice is then converted into a two-dimensional (2D) mask image.
3. The planned mask image is then sent to the DMD.
4. Accordingly the image is projected onto a resin surface such that liquid
photocurable resin can be selectively cured to form the layer of the object.
• By repeating the process, 3D objects can be formed on a layer-by-layer basis.
44. • MIP-SL originated in Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies
(CRAFT) at the University of Southern California.
• CRAFT focuses on automated manufacturing from a variety of materials
including polymers, metals and alloys, ceramics and composites such as
concrete at various sizes ranging from micro- to macro- scales.
• CRAFT is partners with materials, equipment, construction, architecture, real
estate, software and manufacturing industries.
• CRAFT has various specialized laboratories that house research prototypes,
support equipment, and commercial 3D Printing machines.
• Application areas for CRAFT technologies are diversified and include fields such
as biomedical, automotive, space industry, and building construction industry.
INNOVATOR COMPANY – SNAPSHOT
OVERVIEW
48. Title Priority
Date
Application
Date
INPADOC Family Members
Digital mask-
image-
projection-
based additive
manufacturing
that applies
shearing force
to detach each
added layer
2012-04-27 2013-04-29 US9120270B2 | US20130295212A1
PATENT CONFERRING PROTECTION TO THE TECHNOLOGY
Exemplary Family Graph (Includes only US members)
<<< Back to Table of Contents
49. Introduction to CC
Innovator Company – Snapshot
Overview
Research and Development
Exemplary 3D Printed Products
Geographical Presence
Clientele
Patent conferring protection to the technology
CONTOUR CRAFTING (CC)
50. INTRODUCTION TO CC
• A layered fabrication technology developed by Dr. Behrokh Khoshnevis of the
University of Southern California.
• Has great potential for automating the construction of whole structures as
well as sub-components.
• Using this process, a single house or a colony of houses, each with possibly a
different design, may be automatically constructed in a single run, embedded
in each house all the conduits for electrical, plumbing and air-conditioning.
• CC will most probably be one of the very few feasible approaches for building
structures on other planets, such as the Moon and Mars, which are being
targeted for human colonization before the end of the new century not limited
to applications in emergency, low-income, and commercial housing.
51. • CC- a hybrid method that combines an extrusion process for forming the object
surfaces and a filling process (pouring or injection) to build the object core.
• In CC, computer control is used to take advantage of the superior surface
forming capability of troweling to create smooth and accurate, planar and free-
form surfaces.
• The layering approach enables the creation of various surface shapes using
fewer different troweling tools than in traditional plaster handwork and
sculpting.
52. • As the material is extruded, the traversal of the trowels creates smooth outer
and top surfaces on the layer. The side trowel can be deflected to create non-
orthogonal surfaces.
• The extrusion process builds only the outside edges (rims) of each layer of the
object.
• After complete extrusion of each closed section of a given layer, if needed filler
material such as concrete can be poured to fill the area defined by the
extruded rims.
53. • CC originated in Center for Rapid Automated Fabrication Technologies (CRAFT)
at the University of Southern California.
• CRAFT focuses on automated manufacturing from a variety of materials
including polymers, metals and alloys, ceramics and composites such as
concrete at various sizes ranging from micro- to macro- scales.
• CRAFT is partners with materials, equipment, construction, architecture, real
estate, software and manufacturing industries.
• CRAFT has various specialized laboratories that house research prototypes,
support equipment, and commercial 3D Printing machines.
• Application areas for CRAFT technologies are diversified and include fields such
as biomedical, automotive, space industry, and building construction industry.
INNOVATOR COMPANY – SNAPSHOT
OVERVIEW
54. • Core Team of CRAFT includes:
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
