System and method to control a three-dimensional (3d) printer

Abstract

A method include obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object. The method also includes generating first machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a first portion of a physical model of the object by depositing material using a syringe extruder. The first machine instructions indicate a first value of a pressure setting, the pressure setting indicating a pressure to be applied to the syringe extruder. The method also includes generating second machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a second portion of the physical model of the object by depositing material using the syringe extruder. The second machine instructions indicate a second value of the pressure setting, the second value different from the first value.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object;   processing the model data to generate a sliced model defining a plurality of layers to be deposited to form a physical model of the object, the plurality of layers including a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is above and in contact with the first layer, the first layer including a first region corresponding to a first material and a second region corresponding to a second material, and the second layer including a third region corresponding to the first material and a fourth region corresponding to the second material; and   generating machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to deposit a portion of the first material corresponding to the first region and to the third region before depositing a portion of the second material corresponding to the second region and to the fourth region.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein depositing the portion of the second material corresponding to the second region includes positioning a tip of an extruder associated with the second material below an upper surface of the first material. 
     
     
         3 . A method comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object;   generating first machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a first portion of a physical model of the object by depositing material using a syringe extruder, wherein the first machine instructions indicate a first value of a pressure setting, the pressure setting indicating a pressure to be applied to the syringe extruder; and   generating second machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a second portion of the physical model of the object by depositing material using the syringe extruder, wherein the second machine instructions indicate a second value of the pressure setting, the second value different from the first value.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the pressure setting indicates a setting of a pressure regulator that controls fluid pressure applied to a plunger of the syringe extruder. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the syringe extruder has a first flowrate when the pressure setting has the first value and has a second flowrate when the pressure setting has the second value, and wherein the first flowrate is different from the second flowrate. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first machine instructions further include first instructions to cause the syringe extruder to move at a first speed while depositing the material, and the second machine instructions further include second instructions to cause the syringe extruder to move at the first speed while depositing the material. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first machine instructions further include first instructions to cause the syringe extruder to move at a first speed while depositing the material, and the second machine instructions further include second instructions to cause the syringe extruder to move at a second speed while depositing the material, wherein the first speed is different from the second speed. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first value of the pressure setting is determined based on a first temperature associated with the material, wherein the second value of the pressure setting is determined based on a second temperature associated with the material. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 3 , further comprising determining, based on characteristics of the material, a flowrate-to-pressure relationship of the material before generating the first machine instructions. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the flowrate-to-pressure relationship of the material is determined based on a temperature associated with the material. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first value of the pressure setting is determined based on a first target line width of the material, wherein the second value of the pressure setting is determined based on a second target line width of the material, wherein the first target line width is different from the second target line width. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the second target line width is greater than the first target line width by a non-integer multiple. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the second target line width is greater than the first target line width and is less than two times the first target line width. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the first value of the pressure setting is determined based on a first target line height of the material, wherein the second value of the pressure setting is determined based on a second target line height of the material, wherein the first target line height is different from the second target line height. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the second target line height is greater than the first target line height by a non-integer multiple. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the second target line height is greater than the first target height and is less than two times the first target line height. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a third portion of the physical model is associated with a second material, wherein the third portion of the physical model defines a first opening, and wherein the first value of the pressure setting is selected to cause the syringe extruder to, during a single pass, substantially fill the first opening to form the first portion of the physical model. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein a fourth portion of the physical model is associated with the second material, wherein the fourth portion of the physical model defines a second opening, and wherein the second value of the pressure setting is selected to cause the syringe extruder to, during a single pass, substantially fill the second opening to form the second portion of the physical model. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the first opening has a first width, the second opening has a second width, and the first width is different from the second width. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein a third portion of the physical model is associated with a second material, wherein the third portion of the physical model defines a first opening, and wherein, during deposition of the first portion of the physical model, the syringe extruder is offset from a wall of the first opening by an offset distance, and the first value of the pressure setting is selected to cause the syringe extruder to deposit a line of the material having a line width equal to or greater than the offset distance. 
     
     
         21 . A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object;   processing the model data to generate a sliced model defining a plurality of layers to be deposited to form a physical model of the object, the plurality of layers including a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is above and in contact with the first layer, the first layer including a first region corresponding to a first material and a second region corresponding to a second material, and the second layer including a third region corresponding to the first material and a fourth region corresponding to the second material; and   generating machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to deposit a portion of the first material corresponding to the first region and to the third region before depositing a portion of the second material corresponding to the second region and to the fourth region.   
     
     
         22 . A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object;   generating first machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a first portion of a physical model of the object by depositing material using a syringe extruder, wherein the first machine instructions indicate a first value of a pressure setting, the pressure setting indicating a pressure to be applied to the syringe extruder; and   generating second machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a second portion of the physical model of the object by depositing material using the syringe extruder, wherein the second machine instructions indicate a second value of the pressure setting, the second value different from the first value.   
     
     
         23 . A computing device comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory accessible to the processor, the memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object; 
 processing the model data to generate a sliced model defining a plurality of layers to be deposited to form a physical model of the object, the plurality of layers including a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is above and in contact with the first layer, the first layer including a first region corresponding to a first material and a second region corresponding to a second material, and the second layer including a third region corresponding to the first material and a fourth region corresponding to the second material; and 
 generating machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to deposit a portion of the first material corresponding to the first region and to the third region before depositing a portion of the second material corresponding to the second region and to the fourth region. 
   
     
     
         24 . A computing device comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory accessible to the processor, the memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object; 
 generating first machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a first portion of a physical model of the object by depositing material using a syringe extruder, wherein the first machine instructions indicate a first value of a pressure setting, the pressure setting indicating a pressure to be applied to the syringe extruder; and 
 generating second machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to generate a second portion of the physical model of the object by depositing material using the syringe extruder, wherein the second machine instructions indicate a second value of the pressure setting, the second value different from the first value. 
   
     
     
         25 . A three-dimensional (3D) printer device comprising:
 one or more extruders configured to deposit a first material and a second material on a deposition platform to generate a physical model of an object, the physical model including a plurality of layers that includes a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is above and in contact with the first layer, wherein the first layer includes a first region corresponding to the first material and a second region corresponding to the second material, and wherein the second layer includes a third region corresponding to the first material and a fourth region corresponding to the second material;   an actuator coupled to the one or more extruders, the deposition platform, or a combination thereof; and   a controller coupled to the actuator, the controller configured to:
 cause the one or more extruders to deposit a portion of the first material corresponding to the first region and to the third region; and 
 after depositing the portion of the first material, cause the one or more extruders to deposit a portion of the second material corresponding to the second region and to the fourth region. 
   
     
     
         26 . A three-dimensional (3D) printer device comprising:
 a syringe extruder configured to deposit a material on a deposition platform at a flowrate based on a pressure regulator setting;   an actuator coupled to the syringe extruder, to the pressure regulator, to the deposition platform, or to a combination thereof; and   a controller coupled to the actuator, the controller configured to cause the syringe extruder to deposit a first portion of the material at a first flowrate to form a first portion of a physical model of an object based on a first value of the pressure regulator setting and to cause the syringe extruder to deposit a second portion of the material at a second flowrate to form a second portion of the physical model based on a second value of the pressure regulator setting.   
     
     
         27 . A method comprising:
 receiving machine instructions that enable generating a physical model of an object, the physical model including a plurality of layers that includes a first layer and a second layer, wherein the second layer is above and in contact with the first layer, wherein the first layer includes a first region corresponding to a first material and a second region corresponding to a second material, and wherein the second layer includes a third region corresponding to the first material and a fourth region corresponding to the second material;   depositing, based on the machine instructions, a portion of the first material corresponding to the first region and to the third region; and   after depositing the portion of the first material, depositing, based on the machine instructions, a portion of the second material corresponding to the second region and to the fourth region.   
     
     
         28 . A method comprising:
 receiving first machine instructions associated with a first portion of a physical model of an object and second machine instructions associated with a second portion of the physical model, wherein the first machine instructions indicate a first value of a pressure setting, the pressure setting indicating a first pressure to be applied to a syringe extruder, and wherein the second machine instructions indicate a second value of the pressure setting, the second value different from the first value;   depositing, using the syringe extruder of a three-dimensional (3D) printer device, a portion of a material at a first flowrate to form the first portion based on the first machine instructions; and   depositing, using the syringe extruder, another portion of the material at a second flowrate to form the second portion based on the second machine instructions, the first flowrate different from the second flowrate.   
     
     
         29 . A method comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object, the 3D model including a first portion corresponding to a first material and a second portion corresponding to a second material;   processing the model data to generate a sliced model defining a plurality of layers to be deposited to form a physical model of the object;   identifying, based on the sliced model, an elongated feature extending between multiple layers of the plurality of layers and having, in each of the multiple layers, cross-sectional dimensions that satisfy a point-deposition criterion; and   generating machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to, for a first layer of the multiple layers, deposit a portion of the first material to define an opening associated with the elongated feature and deposit a portion of the second material within the opening according to a point-deposition technique.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the machine instructions include instructions to translate a first extruder associated with the first material along a first axis, along a second axis, or both, to deposit the portion of the first material. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the portion of the second material is deposited according to a point-deposition technique without translating a second extruder along the first axis and without translating the second extruder along the second axis. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the point-deposition technique causes a quantity of the second material sufficient to fill the opening to be deposited. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the quantity of the second material is determined based on a flowrate of the second material. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the second material is deposited using a syringe extruder, and wherein generating machine instructions to deposit the portion of the second material according to the point-deposition technique includes determining a pressure setting and an extrusion time to cause the syringe extruder to deposit the quantity of the second material. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein a cross-section of the elongated feature in the first layer of the physical model corresponds to a cross-section of the opening in the first layer. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the elongated feature in the 3D model is less than a cross-sectional area of the opening in the first layer. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising, after identifying the elongated feature, modifying the sliced model to increase a cross-sectional area of the elongated feature in at least one layer of the multiple layers. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the cross-sectional area of the elongated feature is increased based on a dimension associated with an extruder of the 3D printing device, wherein the extruder is associated with the second material. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the machine instructions are further executable by the 3D printing device to, before depositing the portion of the second material within the opening, deposit at least a second layer of the multiple layers, wherein the opening extends between the first layer and the second layer, and wherein the portion of the second material deposited within the opening is sufficient to fill the opening extending between the first layer and the second layer. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the machine instructions cause a tip of an extruder associated with the second material to be positioned below a surface of the second layer during at least a portion of the point-deposition technique. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 39 , wherein the machine instructions cause a tip of an extruder associated with the second material to translate in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the second layer during at least a portion of the point-deposition technique. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein the point-deposition criterion is satisfied when an aspect ratio determined based on the cross-sectional dimensions is less than an aspect ratio threshold. 
     
     
         43 . A computer-readable storage device storing instructions that are executable by a processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object, the 3D model including a first portion corresponding to a first material and a second portion corresponding to a second material;   processing the model data to generate a sliced model defining a plurality of layers to be deposited to form a physical model of the object;   identifying, based on the sliced model, an elongated feature extending between multiple layers of the plurality of layers and having, in each of the multiple layers, cross-sectional dimensions that satisfy a point-deposition criterion; and   generating machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to, for a first layer of the multiple layers, deposit a portion of the first material to define an opening associated with the elongated feature and deposit a portion of the second material within the opening according to a point-deposition technique.   
     
     
         44 . A computing device comprising:
 a processor; and   a memory accessible to the processor, the memory storing instructions that are executable by the processor to cause the processor to perform operations comprising:
 obtaining model data specifying a three-dimensional (3D) model of an object, the 3D model including a first portion corresponding to a first material and a second portion corresponding to a second material; 
 processing the model data to generate a sliced model defining a plurality of layers to be deposited to form a physical model of the object; 
 identifying, based on the sliced model, an elongated feature extending between multiple layers of the plurality of layers and having, in each of the multiple layers, cross-sectional dimensions that satisfy a point-deposition criterion; and 
 generating machine instructions executable by a 3D printing device to, for a first layer of the multiple layers, deposit a portion of the first material to define an opening associated with the elongated feature and deposit a portion of the second material within the opening according to a point-deposition technique. 
   
     
     
         45 . A three-dimensional (3D) printer device comprising:
 a first extruder configured to deposit a first material on a deposition platform;   a second extruder configured to deposit a second material on the deposition platform;   an actuator coupled to the first extruder, to the second extruder, to the deposition platform, or to a combination thereof; and   a controller coupled to the actuator, the controller configured to:
 cause the first extruder to deposit a portion of the first material to define an opening associated with an elongated feature of a physical model of an object, wherein the elongated feature extends between multiple layers of a plurality of layers of the physical model and has, in each of the multiple layers, a cross-sectional dimension that satisfies a point-deposition criterion; and 
 cause the second extruder to deposit a portion of the second material to form a portion of the elongated feature using a point-deposition technique, wherein the point-deposition technique deposits the portion of the second material within the opening. 
   
     
     
         46 . A method comprising:
 receiving machine instructions that enable generating a physical model of an object including an elongated feature, wherein the elongated feature extends between multiple layers of a plurality of layers of the physical model and has, in each of the multiple layers, a cross-sectional dimension that satisfies a point-deposition criterion;   depositing, using a first extruder of a three-dimensional (3D) printer device, a portion of a first material to define an opening associated with the elongated feature of the physical model; and   depositing, using a second extruder of the 3D printer device, a portion of a second material to form a portion of the elongated feature according to a point-deposition technique, wherein the point-deposition technique causes the portion of the second material to be deposited within the opening.