Inventors:
Thomas J. Vorgitch - Simi Valley CA
Raymond A. Bradford - Los Angeles CA
Grady O. Floyd - Newhall CA
Harry L. Tarnoff - Van Nuys CA
Wayne A. Vinson - Valencia CA
Frank F. Little - Lakeview CA
Richard A. Harlow - Marina Del Rey CA
Wolfgang Schwarzinger - Moorpark CA
Paul H. Marygold - Monrovia CA
Mark A. Lewis - Valencia CA
Yehoram Uziel - Northridge CA
Borzo Modrek - Montebello CA
Robert T. Pitlak - Westlake Village CA
Thomas P. Chen - Saugus CA
Assignee:
3D Systems, Inc. - Valencia CA
International Classification:
G06F 1520
Abstract:
A stereolithography system employing a more powerful laser and faster dynamic mirrors to speed up part building without sacrificing accuracy is described, especially large or complex parts. A controllable shutter is placed in the beam path of the laser to selectably block the passage of the beam and prevent unwanted solidification. A suitable servo controlled feedback loop is provided to accurately position the mirrors at the higher velocity.
Also described is a means to reduce data flow by distributing tasks in a multiple processor environment, and to improve user interaction by the use of a spreadsheet model. These also improve the speed of part building, especially for large or complex parts.