Feedstock lines for additive manufacturing of an object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10189237-B1
Application number	US-201715706476-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 15, 2017
Priority date	Sep 15, 2017
Publication date	Jan 29, 2019
Grant date	Jan 29, 2019

Abstract

A feedstock line comprises elongate filaments, a resin, and optical direction modifiers. The resin covers the elongate filaments. The optical direction modifiers are covered by the resin and are interspersed among the elongate filaments. Each of the optical direction modifiers has an outer surface. Each of the optical direction modifiers is configured such that when electromagnetic radiation strikes the outer surface from a first direction, at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation departs the outer surface in a second direction that is at an angle to the first direction to irradiate, in the interior volume of the feedstock line, the resin that, due at least in part to the elongate filaments, is not directly accessible to the electromagnetic radiation, incident on the exterior surface of the feedstock line.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A feedstock line for additive manufacturing of an object, the feedstock line having a feedstock-line length and an exterior surface, defining an interior volume of the feedstock line, and comprising:
elongate filaments, extending along at least a portion of the feedstock-line length;
a resin, covering the elongate filaments; and
optical direction modifiers, each extending along only a portion of the feedstock-line length; and
wherein:
the optical direction modifiers are covered by the resin and are interspersed among the elongate filaments;
each of the optical direction modifiers has an outer surface;
each of the optical direction modifiers is configured such that when electromagnetic radiation strikes the outer surface from a first direction, at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation departs the outer surface in a second direction that is at an angle to the first direction to irradiate, in the interior volume of the feedstock line, the resin that, due at least in part to the elongate filaments, is not directly accessible to the electromagnetic radiation, incident on the exterior surface of the feedstock line;
the optical direction modifiers comprise partial-length optical waveguides;
each of the partial-length optical waveguides comprises a partial-length optical core;
the partial-length optical core of each of the partial-length optical waveguides comprises a first partial-length-optical-core end face, a second partial-length-optical-core end face, opposite the first partial-length-optical-core end face, and a partial-length peripheral surface, extending between the first partial-length-optical-core end face and the second partial-length-optical-core end face; and
each of the partial-length optical waveguides is configured such that when the electromagnetic radiation enters the partial-length optical core via at least one of the first partial-length-optical-core end face, the second partial-length-optical-core end face, or the partial-length peripheral surface, at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation exits the partial-length optical core via the partial-length peripheral surface to irradiate, in the interior volume of the feedstock line, the resin that, due at least in part to the elongate filaments, is not directly accessible to the electromagnetic radiation, incident on the exterior surface of the feedstock line.

2. The feedstock line according to claim 1 , wherein the elongate filaments are opaque to the electromagnetic radiation.

3. The feedstock line according to claim 1 , wherein the feedstock line is configured such that when the electromagnetic radiation enters the interior volume of the feedstock line via the exterior surface of the feedstock line, the electromagnetic radiation enters at least one of the partial-length optical waveguides via at least one of the partial-length peripheral surface, the first partial-length-optical-core end face, or the second partial-length-optical-core end face of at least the one of the partial-length optical waveguides.

4. The feedstock line according to claim 1 , wherein:
the partial-length optical core has a partial-length-optical-core refractive index;
each of the partial-length optical waveguides further comprises a partial-length-optical-core cladding, at least partially covering the partial-length optical core;
the partial-length-optical-core cladding comprises at least a first partial-length-optical-core cladding resin, having a partial-length-optical-core first-cladding-resin refractive index;
the partial-length-optical-core cladding is non-uniform along each of the partial-length optical waveguides; and
the partial-length-optical-core refractive index is greater than the partial-length-optical-core first-cladding-resin refractive index.

5. The feedstock line according to claim 4 , wherein:
the partial-length peripheral surface of the partial-length optical core of each of the partial-length optical waveguides has partial-length-peripheral-surface regions devoid of the first partial-length-optical-core cladding resin;
the partial-length-optical-core cladding further comprises a second partial-length-optical-core cladding resin, having a partial-length-optical-core second-cladding-resin refractive index;
the second partial-length-optical-core cladding resin covers the partial-length-peripheral-surface regions of the partial-length peripheral surface; and
the partial-length-optical-core second-cladding-resin refractive index is greater than the partial-length-optical-core first-cladding-resin refractive index.

6. The feedstock line according to claim 5 , wherein the second partial-length-optical-core cladding resin also covers the first partial-length-optical-core cladding resin.

7. The feedstock line according to claim 5 , wherein:
the resin has a resin refractive index; and
the resin refractive index is greater than the partial-length-optical-core second-cladding-resin refractive index.

8. The feedstock line according to claim 1 , wherein the partial-length peripheral surface of the partial-length optical core of each of the partial-length optical waveguides has a surface roughness that is selected such that when electromagnetic radiation enters the partial-length optical core via at least one of the first partial-length-optical-core end face, the second partial-length-optical-core end face, or the partial-length peripheral surface, at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation exits the partial-length optical core via the partial-length peripheral surface to irradiate, in the interior volume of the feedstock line, the resin that, due at least in part to the elongate filaments, is not directly accessible to the electromagnetic radiation, incident on the exterior surface of the feedstock line.

9. The feedstock line according to claim 8 , wherein each of the partial-length optical waveguides is devoid of any cladding that covers the partial-length optical core.

10. The feedstock line according to claim 1 , wherein:
the optical direction modifiers further comprise optical direction-modifying particles; and
the optical direction-modifying particles are configured to at least one of reflect, refract, diffract, or Rayleigh-scatter the electromagnetic radiation, incident on the outer surface of any one of the optical direction-modifying particles, to disperse, in the interior volume of the feedstock line, the electromagnetic radiation to irradiate the resin that, due at least in part to the elongate filaments, is not directly accessible to the electromagnetic radiation, incident on the exterior surface of the feedstock line.

11. The feedstock line according to claim 10 , wherein:
each of the elongate filaments has a minimum outer dimension; and
each of the optical direction-modifying particles has a maximum outer dimension that is less than one-eighth the minimum outer dimension of any one of the elongate filaments.

12. The feedstock line according to claim 10 , wherein each of the optical direction-modifying particles has a maximum outer dimension that is less than 1000 nm.

13. The feedstock line according to claim 10 , wherein:
the electromagnetic radiation has a wavelength; and
each of the optical direction-modifying particles has a minimum outer dimension that is greater than one-fourth the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation.

14. The feedstock line according to claim 10 , wherein each of the optical direction-modifying particles has a minimum outer dimension that is greater than or equal to 50 nm.

15. The feedstock line according to claim 10 , wherein the optical direct

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Wilenski Mark Stewart
• Kozar Michael Patrick
• Harrison Samuel F
• Evans Nick Shadbeh
• Torres Faraón

Classifications

• B29C67/00

  Shaping techniques not covered by groups B29C39/00 - B29C65/00, B29C70/00 or B29C73/00 · CPC title

• B29D99/0078

  Producing filamentary materials · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/118

  using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM] · CPC title

• G02B6/00

  Light guides; Structural details of arrangements comprising light guides and other optical elements, e.g. couplings · CPC title