Covering All Technology and Application Areas of Additive Fabrication Including:
RAPID PROTOTYPING    3D PRINTING    RAPID TOOLING    RAPID MANUFACTURING

Update 56.      BRIEF Highlights 9/10/08 to 12/9/08:

An astonishing 269 US RP patents and patent applications were published during this three month period. It's estimated that the original material reviewed for this update is nearly 7,000 pages. Obviously, this summary can't provide a complete picture of all important developments. A detailed analysis, with complete information about each patent and application published during the period is available at low cost. This indexed, Acrobat pdf format report is more than 300 pages long and includes nearly 300 illustrations. Review the entire contents rapidly by category, or quickly page through to make sure you know what's happening in the complex world of RP technology. Here are a FEW highlights from Update 56.

ISSUED PATENTS and PATENT APPLICATIONS PUBLISHED

Technology

• Hewlett Packard has received a patent for a method of building stabilizing support structures in powder-based additive fabrication systems such as laser sintering or three dimensional printing. Free-standing structures are built within the powder bed to prevent it from shifting and are said to result in improved accuracy. See Fig. 1.

• A process described in a patent application could offer competition for EFAB, micro-stereolithography and other micro- and meso-scale additive technologies. Masks made by photolithography or machining are stacked to form a primary mold. Secondary molds are fabricated from it resulting in volume production of small high-aspect ratio parts. Mikro, Inc. has dubbed the technology Tomo Lithographic Molding (TOMO™).

• Technische Universitat Berlin and Voxeljet Technology GmbH (both of Germany) share assignee privileges for a patent application concerning the use of three dimensional printing to fabricate parts which may have, for example, both flexible and rigid sections.

• An active vibration damping system is the subject of a patent issued to The University of Vermont. The main application envisioned is vibration control for electronics, providing damping right at the point where it's required. See Fig. 2.

• Antennas and related electromagnetic wave shaping devices made by additive fabrication, usually stereolithography, are appearing more frequently in the IP literature. Several companies have had work published in this field during the period. The picture shows a shaped reflector to provide a substantially uniform wave front from Raytheon Company. See Fig. 3.

• The Boeing Company is the assignee for a patent application that describes a more efficient way of connecting large aircraft fuselage sections together. The sections are scanned and assembled virtually. Shims are then created by RP based on the virtual assembly, and used in the actual final assembly. See Fig. 4.
  

  
  

• A micro-organ device is described in a patent application from NASA. The interior chambers are designed to contain cell suspensions and are said to be useful for early testing of drugs under closer to physiological conditions.

  

• IN Technology Holding LLC has applied for a patent on contact lenses that can be focused dynamically, much like a patient's biological lens. A fluid reservoir enables the lens surface to change shape under influence of the motion of the eyelid.

• The Acushnet Company has applied for a patent on a custom-manufactured golf iron set. The golfer's preferences, playing style, and physical data are used to determine the design parameters.

• Three-dimensional food made by three dimensional printing is the subject of a patent application by Wei-Hsiang Lai et al (Taiwan). The possibility of full-color food is discussed as well as simultaneously making the product shipping container itself. See Fig. 5.

• Conformis Inc. has applied for several additional patents on its arthroplasty surgery system. Custom implants are often used in arthroplasty, but the company combines that benefit with a suite of surgical tools customized for each patient. The method is claimed to increase the speed accuracy and simplicity of the surgery.

  

• L-VAD Technology, Inc. has applied for a patent on an aortic blood pump implant. The assist device is said to be useful for patients that have some remaining myocardial function, and in some cases is an alternative to a transplant. See Fig. 6.

• DeguDent GmbH (Germany) has applied for two patents on improved materials and finishing for dental prosthetics. Plasma polishing is utilized to obtain the desired surface finish with no need for additional work. The technique might be useful for finishing other objects or parts made by additive processes, as well.

• A non-magnetic cobalt-palladium dental alloy is the subject of a patent application by Arun Prasad and Paul Cascone. The material may be used as a powder in laser sintering or laser melting and offers good dental properties while avoiding potential problems with NMR and other scanning devices, and also some security scanning systems.

• Playtex Products, Inc. describes the observation and evaluation of tampons in-vivo using a combination of magnetic resonance imaging and rapid prototyping. A surface model of the tampon is created and modifications and improvements are made accordingly.