Rapid prototyping and manufacturing system and method

Abstract

A stereolithography apparatus having a resin vat with resupply containers in one-way flow communication and a leveling container in two-way flow communication, an automatic offload cart to remove and replace build support platforms, an elevator assembly for supporting and releasably retaining a build platform removably attached to the stereolithography apparatus frame such that elevator forks supporting the build platform can be released into the vat and removed from the stereolithography apparatus with the vat, and a recoater assembly and recoater blade for mapping the resin surface in the vat and applying a fresh coating of resin to a cross-section being built in the vat.

1 - 12 . (canceled) 
   
   
       13 . A rapid prototyping and manufacturing (“RP&M”) system for building a three dimensional object layer-by-layer from a building medium, the RP&M system comprising:
 a) a supply of building medium from which the three dimensional object is built;   b) a source of energy for selectively solidifying the building medium into cross-sectional layers of the three dimensional object, wherein the source of energy is controlled based upon data representative of the three dimensional object;   c) an object support platform that supports the solidified layers of the three dimensional object;   d) a receptacle for receiving a removable container with supplemental building medium, wherein the receptacle selectively provides supplemental building medium to the supply of building medium;   e) at least one control system for controlling the source of energy, the object support platform, and the receptacle; and   f) a reader controlled by the at least one control system for identifying the supplemental building medium in the removable container received in the receptacle, wherein prior to the receptacle providing supplemental building medium to the supply of building medium, the control system confirms that the supplemental building medium is the same medium that is in the supply of building medium.   
   
   
       14 . An RP&M system in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the supply of building medium comprises a vat and the building medium comprises a liquid building medium. 
   
   
       15 . An RP&M system in accordance with  claim 14 , wherein the liquid building medium comprises a curable resin that is solidified by light generated by the source of energy. 
   
   
       16 . An RP&M system in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the source of energy comprises a laser that generates a spot of light that is moved across the surface of the building medium. 
   
   
       17 . An RP&M system in accordance with  claim 16 , wherein the laser comprises a ultraviolet laser and the building medium comprises a liquid curable resin. 
   
   
       18 . An RP&M system in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the at least one control system raises and lowers the object support platform with respect to a working surface of the supply of building medium. 
   
   
       19 . An RP&M system in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the receptacle comprises a coupling controlled by the at least one control system to selectively establish flow communication between the removable container and the supply of building medium. 
   
   
       20 . An RP&M system in accordance with  claim 13 , wherein the reader comprises a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) reader that reads data on an RFID tag included on the removable container. 
   
   
       21 . A removable container of supplemental building medium for use in a rapid prototyping and manufacturing (“RP&M”) system that builds three dimensional objects from building medium, the removable container comprising:
 a) a nozzle for mating with a coupling of a receptacle of the RP&M system to selectively connect the supplemental building medium to the building medium used by the RP&M system to build three dimensional objects;   b) a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag that is readable by an RFID reader of the RP&M system to confirm that the supplemental building medium is the same medium as the building medium in the RP&M system prior to completing the connection of the supplemental building medium to the building medium in the RP&M system.   
   
   
       22 . A removable container in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the nozzle comprises a quick disconnect coupling. 
   
   
       23 . A removable container in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the nozzle provides one-way flow communication with the RP&M system. 
   
   
       24 . A removable container in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the nozzle provides two-way flow communication with the RP&M system. 
   
   
       25 . A removable container in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the RFID tag is molded into the nozzle. 
   
   
       26 . A removable container in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the RFID tag includes at least one of the following data about the supplemental building medium in the container: building medium type, building medium batch number, and building medium expiration date. 
   
   
       27 . A removable container in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the supplemental building medium comprises a curable liquid resin. 
   
   
       28 . A removable container in accordance with  claim 21 , wherein the RFID tag is capable of tracking the amount of supplemental building medium supplied to the RP&M system. 
   
   
       29 . A method of providing supplemental building medium to a rapid prototyping and manufacturing (“RP&M”) system for building a three dimensional object layer-by-layer from a building medium, the method comprising:
 a) providing a removable container of supplemental building medium;   b) sensing the amount of building medium in the RP&M system to determine when an amount of building medium is within a predetermined limit;   c) reading data from a radio frequency identification (“RFID”) tag included on a removable container of supplemental building medium to determine the type of supplemental building medium in the removable container; and   d) confirming that the supplemental building medium is the same type of building medium as the building medium in the RP&M system prior to providing the supplemental building medium to the building medium in the RP&M system based upon a determination that the amount of building medium is not within the predetermined limit.   
   
   
       30 . A method in accordance with  claim 29 , wherein providing the supplemental building medium to the building medium in the RP&M system comprises controlling a coupling to allow flow communication between the supplemental building medium in the removable container and the building medium in the RP&M system. 
   
   
       31 . A method in accordance with  claim 29 , further comprising confirming that the supplemental building medium is not expired prior to providing the supplemental building medium to the building medium in the RP&M system based upon a determination that the amount of building medium is not within the predetermined limit. 
   
   
       32 . A method in accordance with  claim 29 , further comprising transferring building medium from the RP&M system to the removable container based upon a determination that the amount of building medium is not within the predetermined limit.