Metal objects spanning internal cavities in structures fabricated by additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10464306-B2
Application number	US-201615099812-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 15, 2016
Priority date	Apr 17, 2015
Publication date	Nov 5, 2019
Grant date	Nov 5, 2019

Abstract

A three-dimensional electronic, biological, chemical, thermal management, and/or electromechanical apparatus can be configured by depositing one or more layers of a three-dimensional structure on a substrate. Such a three-dimensional structure can include one or more internal cavities using an additive manufacturing system enhanced with a range of secondary embedding processes. The three-dimensional structure can be further configured with structural integrated metal objects spanning the internal cavities (possibly filled with air or even evacuated) of the three-dimensional structure for enhanced electromagnetic properties.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one first layer of a three-dimensional structure;
a first electrically conductive shield disposed over the at least one first layer of said three-dimensional structure;
at least one second layer disposed over the first electrically conductive shield, said at least one second layer comprising a first dielectric material, the at least one second layer different than the at least one first layer;
a cavity disposed within the at least one second layer, wherein the cavity contains at least one of a biological material, an electrochemical material, or vacuum tube electronics;
a second electrically conductive shield disposed over the cavity; and
an electrically conductive signal line disposed over between the first electrically conductive shield and the second electrically conductive shield; wherein:
the first electrically conductive shield and the second electrically conductive shield are configured to provide electrical shielding of the electrically conductive signal line;
a first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within the cavity;
a second portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within material forming the at least one second layer, the second portion disposed adjacent the first portion; and
the first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is suspended in the cavity:
above a lowermost portion of the cavity; and
below a bottommost surface of the second electrically conductive shield.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said at least one first layer and said at least one second layer comprises thermoplastic feedstock to improve said three-dimensional structure internally or externally.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line comprises a structurally integrated metal object and wherein said structurally integrated metal object is connected to said three-dimensional structure such that a force is required to remove said structurally integrated metal object from said three-dimensional structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line is connected to said three-dimensional structure to improve said three-dimensional structure mechanically, thermally, and/or electrically.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line comprises a wire with a diameter of sub-micron size or larger.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line comprises beams of at least one of the following: rectangular, triangular or any other cross-sectional geometries, lattice structures, wire meshes, metal foils, or metal sheets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said at least one first layer and said at least one second layer utilizes thermoplastic feedstock to improve said three-dimensional structure internally or externally and wherein said electrically conductive signal line is connected to said three-dimensional structure such that a force is required to remove said electrically conductive signal line from said three-dimensional structure.

8. An apparatus, comprising:
at least one layer of a three-dimensional structure defining a cavity in said three-dimensional structure, wherein the cavity contains at least one of a biological material, an electrochemical material, or vacuum tube electronics;
at least one structural integrated metal object spanning said cavity in said three-dimensional structure, the structural integrated metal object comprising an electrically conductive signal line, wherein:
a first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within material forming the at least one layer of the three-dimensional structure;
a second portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within the cavity, the second portion disposed adjacent to the first portion;
an uppermost surface portion of the at least one layer is disposed vertically adjacent to a lowermost portion of the cavity;
the electrically conductive signal line is suspended in the cavity between a topmost portion of the cavity and the lowermost portion of the cavity; and

a first conductive shield is separated from said at least one structural integrated metal object by said at least one layer of said three-dimensional structure, wherein said structurally integrated metal object comprises beams of at least one of:
rectangular, triangular, or any other cross-sectional geometries;
lattice structures;
wire meshes;
metal foils; or
metal sheets;

a second conductive shield disposed over the electrically conductive signal line, wherein the first conductive shield and the second conductive shield are configured to electrically shield the electrically conductive signal line; and
wherein said structurally integrated metal object is connected to said three-dimensional structure to improve said three-dimensional structure mechanically, thermally, and/or electrically.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said cavity further contains air or vacuum.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein said cavity further contains a thermal management material.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein said thermal management material comprises at least one of a phase change material or a thermally active material.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second electrically conductive shield is vertically adjacent to the cavity.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 , further comprising a third layer disposed over the second electrically conductive shield, the third layer comprising a second dielectric material.

14. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the second conductive shield is separated from the at least one structural integrated metal object.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 , further comprising a second layer disposed over the second conductive shield, wherein the at least one layer and the second layer comprise a dielectric material.

16. An apparatus, comprising:
a device configured for performing biological experiments, the device comprising:
at least one first layer comprising a first dielectric material;
a first conductive shield disposed over the at least one first layer;
at least one second layer disposed over the first conductive shield, said at least one second layer comprising a second dielectric material, the at least one second layer different than the at least one first layer;
a cavity disposed within the at least one second layer, wherein the cavity contains a biological material;
a second conductive shield disposed over the cavity;
an electrically conductive signal line disposed between the first conductive shield and the second conductive shield; wherein:
the first conductive shield and the second conductive shield provide electrical shielding of the electrically conductive signal line;
a first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within the cavity;
a second portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within material forming the at least one second layer; and
the first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is suspended in the cavity:
above a lowermost portion of the cavity; and

below a bottommost surface of the second conductive shield.

Assignees

• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Macdonald Eric
• Wicker Ryan
• Espalin David

Classifications

• B29C70/688

  the inserts being meshes or lattices (B29C70/82, B29C70/683 take precedence) · CPC title

• B29C70/70

  Completely encapsulating inserts {(B29C70/86 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00 Primary

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29K2705/00

  Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts · CPC title