The Rapid Prototyping
Patent Museum

2. Basic technology patents

As is often the case, a new class of materials provides a basis for the growth and promulgation of new engineering ideas. In this case, stereolithography was one result. While stereolithography-like processes using photopolymers were described in the early 1980’s by Hideo Kodama of Japan and Alan Herbert of 3M Corp. in the US, it was not until Charles Hull’s 1986 patent that rapid prototyping began to develop commercially. UVP Inc. was the assignee and the company licensed the technology to start-up, 3D Systems founded by former employee Hull.

During this period other inventors were thinking of applying computers to the problem of additive fabrication, as well, and in most cases choosing very different routes. Each inventor seems to have had particular applications in mind which perhaps contributed to the variety of solutions proposed. In the succeeding seven years, basic patents appeared for most of the technologies that are responsible for the majority of revenue today. In quick succession patents appeared for ballistic particle manufacturing (1987), one of the first technologies to be based on inkjets, laminated object manufacturing (1988), selective laser sintering (1989), fused deposition modeling (1992) and three dimensional printing (1993).

Other important patents were also issued during this period and the immediately ensuing years, frequently based on extending two dimensional printing technology into the third dimension. A few patents are of particular note. Brother Industries was assigned a patent which describe jetted photopolymer technology similar to that being used today by both Objet Geometries and 3D Systems. Patents issued to Efrem Fudim founder of Light Sculpting, Inc. utilize various methods of exposing entire layers of photopolymers at once without the use of guided lasers. Newer technologies which use deformable mirror devices or dynamic masking methods bear relation to this early work.

Some of the companies and technologies described in the selected patents have already come and long been gone, and others haven’t yet arrived. The selection is based on the fundamental nature of the invention, references by succeeding workers, formation of a commercial entity to exploit the invention, and the possibility of advantageous future development.

Year	US Patent No.	Title	Inventor	Assignee or Resulting Commercial Entity	Technology Area
2. Basic technology patents
1982	4323756	Method for fabricating articles by sequential layer deposition	Brown; Clyde O.; Breinan; Edward M.; Kear; Bernard H.	United Technologies Corporation	Deposition from wire feedstock into an energy beam
1986	4575330	Apparatus for production of three-dimensional objects by stereolithography	Hull; Charles W.	UVP, Inc. licensed to 3D Systems, Inc.	stereolithography
1987	4665492	Computer automated manufacturing process and system	Masters; William E., Easley	BPM, Inc.	ballistic particle manufacturing (BPM) [inkjet-based]
1988	4752352	Apparatus and method for forming an integral object from laminations	Feygin; Michael	Helisys, Inc. succeeded by Cubic Technologies, Inc.	laminated object manufacturing (LOM)
1988	4752498	Method and apparatus for production of three-dimensional objects by photosolidification	Fudim; Efrem V.	Light Sculpting, Inc.	Design Controlled Automatic Fabrication (DesCAF) [photopolymer exposed through a mask]
1988	4775092	Method and apparatus for building a workpiece by deposit welding	Edmonds; David P. ; McAninch; Michael D.	Babcock & Wilcox Company	shape melting [weld deposition]
1989	4863538	Method and apparatus for producing parts by selective sintering	Deckard; Carl R.	Board of Regents, The University of Texas System licensed to DTM, Inc. subsequently acquired by 3D Systems	selective laser sintering (SLS)
1990	4961154	Three dimensional modelling apparatus	Pomerantz; Itzchak, Cohen-Sabban; Joseph, Bieber; Avigdor, Kamir; Josef, Katz; Mathew, Nagler; Michael	Scitex Corporation Ltd., (Israel) licensed to Cubital Inc.	solid ground curing (SGC)
1991	5015312	Method and apparatus for constructing a three-dimensional surface of predetermined shape and color	Kinzie; Norman F.	Licensed or sub-licensed to: Helisys, Cubic Technologies., Kira, Solidimension, 3D Systems	laminated object manufacturing (LOM)
1991	5059266	Apparatus and method for forming three-dimensional article	Yamane; Mitsuo, Kawaguchi; Takashi, Kagayama; Shigeru, Higashiyama; Shunichi, Suzuki; Keiko, Sakai; Jun, Imaeda; Mikio, Inaishi; Kouji, Okaza	Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, (Japan)	jetted photopolymer
1992	5088047	Automated manufacturing system using thin sections	Bynum; David K.	none	electrophotographic deposition
1992	5121329	Apparatus and method for creating three-dimensional objects	Crump; S. Scott	Stratasys, Inc.	fused deposition modeling (FDM)
1992	5126529	Method and apparatus for fabrication of three-dimensional articles by thermal spray deposition	Weiss; Lee E., Prinz; Fritz R., Gursoz; E. Levent	Carnegie Mellon University	masked deposition (MD*)
1992	5136515	Method and means for constructing three-dimensional articles by particle deposition	Helinski; Richard	Licensed to 3D Systems, Inc., Solidscape and other companies.	inkjet with second support material
1992	5141680	Thermal stereolithography	Almquist; Thomas A., Smalley; Dennis R.	3D Systems, Inc.	multijet modeling (MJM) [wide area inkjet]
1993	5204055	Three-dimensional printing techniques	Sachs; Emanuel M., Haggerty; John S., Cima; Michael J., Williams; Paul A.	Massachusetts Institute of Technology licensed to Z Corp., Soligen, ProMetal and several other companies.	three dimensional printing (3DP) [inkjet-bonded build material]
1993	5257657	Method for producing a free-form solid-phase object from a material in the liquid phase	Gore; David W.	Incre, Inc.	liquid metal jet printing
1994	5348693	Formation of three dimensional objects and assemblies	Taylor; Charles S.; Tiffany; William B.; Cherkas; Paul; Frantzen; John J.; Hampton; Hilary J.; Nanis; Leonard; Shah; Bhupendra O.	Advanced Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.	High volume print-forming (HVPF)
1996	5506607	3-D model maker	Sanders, Jr.; Royden C., Forsyth; John L., Philbrook; Kempton F.	Sanders Prototypes Inc. renamed Solidscape, Inc. also licensed to Sanders Design International	inkjet with second support material
1996	5529471	Additive fabrication apparatus and method	Khoshevis; Behrokh	University of Southern California	Contour Crafting
1998	5786562	Method and device for producing three-dimensional bodies	Larson; Ralf	Arcam Limited, London, (United Kingdom)	electron beam melting (EBM)
1998	5837960	Laser production of articles from powders	Lewis; Gary K. , Milewski; John O. , Cremers; David A. , Nemec; Ronald B. , Barbe; Michael R.	Regents of the University of California	laser powder forming (LPF)
1998	5847958	Rapidly making a contoured part	Shaikh; Furgan Zafar , Brogley; Martin Andrew , Burch; Craig Edward , Grab; Gerry A. , Grenkowitz; Robert Walter, Novak; Robert Francis, Rigley; Michael Raymond	Ford Global Technologies, Inc.	CNC-based LOM method
2000	6027630	Method for electrochemical fabrication	Cohen; Adam L. .	University of Southern California licensed to Microfabrica	electrochemical fabrication (EFAB)
2000	6046426	Method and system for producing complex-shape objects	Jeantette; Francisco P. ; Keicher; David M. ; Romero; Joseph A. ; Schanwald; Lee P. .	Sandia Corporation licensed to Optomec	laser powder forming (LPF)
2000	6056843	Sheet lamination modeling method and sheet lamination modeling apparatus	Morita; Satoshi ; Sugiyama; Kazuo	Kira Corporation (Japan)	laminated object manufacturing (LOM) with selective bonding
2001	6253116	Method and apparatus for rapid freezing prototyping	Zhang; Wei ; Leu; Ming C. ; Ji; Zhiming ; Yan; Yongnian	New Jersey Institute of Technology	rapid freeze prototyping (RFP)
2001	6316153	Free-form fabricaton using multi-photon excitation	Goodman; Steven L. ; Campagnola; Paul	University of Connecticut	stereolithography variant
2002	6457629	Object consolidation employing friction joining	White; Dawn	Solidica, Inc.	Ultrasonic Consolidation
2003	6531086	Method and device for manufacturing three-dimensional bodies	Larsson; Ralf	Speed Part RP AB (Sweden)	selective laser sintering (SLS) variant
2003	6589471	Selective inhibition of bonding of power particles for layered fabrication of 3-D objects	Khoshnevis; Behrokh	University of Southern California	selective inhibition sintering (SIS)
2006	6997698	Method for creating a 3-D object	Silverbrook; Kia	Silverbrook Research Pty Ltd	inkjet with multiple, wide-area heads
2007	7261542	Apparatus for three dimensional printing using image layers	Hickerson; Kevin P.; Bedal; Bryan; Diephuis; Richard J.	Desktop Factory, Inc.	powder transfer
Year	US Patent No.	Title	Inventor	Assignee or Resulting Commercial Entity	Technology Area

Use the Prev | Next links provided on each page to proceed sequentially through the entire patent list, although not precisely in the order the entries appear in the table. Links provided in the "Technology Area" column will take you to pages within the WWGRP site that either briefly explain the method, or to directory listings or archived materials where more information can be found. You can also use the site search function and main index to uncover additional information.