Ribbon liquefier and method of use in extrusion-based digital manufacturing systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10500829-B2
Application number	US-201715584861-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 2, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2009
Publication date	Dec 10, 2019
Grant date	Dec 10, 2019

Abstract

A ribbon liquefier comprising an outer liquefier portion configured to receive thermal energy from a heat transfer component, and a channel at least partially defined by the outer liquefier portion, where the channel has dimensions that are configured to receive the ribbon filament, and where the ribbon liquefier is configured to melt the ribbon filament received in the channel to at least an extrudable state with the received thermal energy to provide a melt flow. The dimensions of the channel are further configured to conform the melt flow from an axially-asymmetric flow to a substantially axially-symmetric flow in an extrusion tip connected to the ribbon liquefier.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for building a three-dimensional model in an extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
heating a liquefier retained by the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, the liquefier having a non-cylindrical static channel with an inlet end and an outlet end;
feeding a non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel of the heated liquefier;
melting the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel to at least an extrudable state with the heat to provide a molten material;
moving the molten material from the non-cylindrical static channel to an extrusion tip disposed at the outlet end of the channel with a viscosity-pump action of the fed non-cylindrical filament wherein the extrusion tip has a substantially circular cross-section;
extruding the molten material from the extrusion tip; and
depositing the extruded material as a road to form at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional model.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-cylindrical static channel comprises a substantially-rectangular cross section substantially perpendicular along an axis extending from the inlet end to the outlet end.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the substantially-rectangular cross section has a width and a thickness, wherein an aspect ratio of the width to the thickness is about 2:1 or greater.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein aspect ratio of the width to the thickness ranges from 2.5:1 to about 20:1.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the static channel extends along an axis from the inlet end to the outlet end and has a partial annular cross section perpendicular to the axis.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein feeding the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel comprises driving the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel with a filament drive mechanism.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the non-cylindrical filament comprises topographical surface patterns.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein melting the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel comprises transferring the heat as thermal energy to the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel in a manner such that at least about 60% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament.

9. A method for building a three-dimensional model in an extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing a non-cylindrical filament to an extrusion head retained by the extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, wherein the extrusion head comprises a liquefier tube with a non-cylindrical static channel, a heat transfer component coupled in thermal communication with the liquefier tube, and an extrusion tip having an exit port;
transferring thermal energy from the heat transfer component to at least a portion of the liquefier tube;
feeding the non-cylindrical filament into an inlet end of the non-cylindrical static channel of the liquefier tube;
melting the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel to at least an extrudable state with the transferred thermal energy to provide a molten material;
conforming the molten material to dimensions of the static channel;
moving the molten material to an extrusion tip of the extrusion head with a viscosity-pump action of the fed non-cylindrical filament;
extruding the melt flow from the extrusion tip; and
depositing the extruded material as a road to form at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional model.

10. The method of claim 9 , non-cylindrical static channel comprises a substantially-rectangular cross section substantially perpendicular along an axis extending from the inlet end to the outlet end.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein an aspect ratio of the substantially-rectangular cross section of the static channel is about 2:1 or greater.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the extrusion head further comprises a filament drive mechanism, and wherein feeding the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel comprises driving the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel with the filament drive mechanism.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein at least a portion of the non-cylindrical static channel comprises a layer of a fluorinated polymer.

14. A method for building a three-dimensional model in an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing thermal energy to a liquefier having a liquefier tube with a non-cylindrical static flow channel extending from an inlet end to an outlet end, the liquefier tube retained by the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system;
feeding successive segments of a non-cylindrical filament from a supply source to the inlet end of the static channel of the liquefier tube, wherein the supply source is spaced from the liquefier;
transferring the provided thermal energy to the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel in a manner such that at least about 60% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament to melt the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament to produce a molten material;
moving the molten material from the static channel to an extrusion tip disposed at the outlet end of the static channel with a viscosity-pump action of unmelted segments of the fed non-cylindrical filament;
extruding the molten material from the extrusion tip; and
depositing the extruded material as a road to form at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional model.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the non-cylindrical static channel comprises a substantially-rectangular cross section substantially perpendicular along an axis extending from the inlet end to the outlet end.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the substantially-rectangular cross section has a width and a thickness, wherein an aspect ratio of the width to the thickness is about 2:1 or greater.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein at least about 65% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in the one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein at least about 70% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in the one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein feeding the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel comprises driving the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel with a filament drive mechanism.

20. The method of claim 15 , wherein the static channel extends along an axis from the inlet end to the outlet end and has a partial annular cross section perpendicular to the axis.

Assignees

• Stratasys Inc

Inventors

• Batchelder J Samuel
• Swanson William J
• Crump S Scott

Classifications

• B29K2105/0044

  Stabilisers, e.g. against oxydation, light or heat · CPC title

• B29C64/118

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

• B29K2079/085

  Thermoplastic polyimides, e.g. polyesterimides, PEI, i.e. polyetherimides, or polyamideimides; Derivatives thereof · CPC title

• B29C48/07

  Flat, e.g. panels · CPC title

• B29K2025/00

  Use of polymers of vinyl-aromatic compounds {or derivatives thereof} as moulding material · CPC title