Abstract:
A solid three-dimensional article is formed from a liquid medium by initially coating a layer of the liquid medium on a fixedly mounted apertured support plate. An initial cross-section or profile of the article then is formed by solidifying the liquid medium, or at least a portion thereof, on the support plate. In another embodiment, each layer of the liquid medium is formed by dispensing the entire layer from above the fixed support plate. In a further embodiment, a device is disclosed for dispensing a liquid medium in layers of uniform thickness on the medium surface of a laser modeling machine, for solidification when subjected to prescribed energy. The dispenser comprises an elongated applicator or coating bar of rectangular, essentially solid construction, with a liquid medium reservoir and dispensing passageways located adjacent a dispensing side of the bar. A feed tube and traversing mechanism support rods are secured to an opposite side of the bar. The dispensing passageways may be apertures arranged in multiple rows, with the apertures in at least one row offset with respect to the apertures in the other rows, for more uniform dispensing.