Systems and methods for creating feedstock lines for additive manufacturing of an object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10525635-B2
Application number	US-201715706537-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2017
Priority date	Sep 15, 2017
Publication date	Jan 7, 2020
Grant date	Jan 7, 2020

Abstract

A system for creating a feedstock line for additive manufacturing of an object comprises a prepreg-tow supply, a prepreg-tow separator, an optical-direction-modifier supply, a combiner, and at least one heater. The prepreg-tow supply dispenses a precursor prepreg tow, comprising elongate filaments and resin. The prepreg-tow separator separates the precursor prepreg tow into individual elongate filaments at least partially covered with the resin. The optical-direction-modifier supply dispenses optical direction modifiers to the elongate filaments. When electromagnetic radiation strikes the outer surface of the optical direction modifiers, at least a portion of the electromagnetic radiation departs the outer surface at an angle. The combiner combines the elongate filaments and the optical direction modifiers into a derivative prepreg tow. At least the one heater heats the resin to cause wet-out of the optical direction modifiers and the elongate filaments in the derivative prepreg tow by the resin.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for creating a feedstock line for additive manufacturing of an object, the feedstock line having a feedstock-line length, the system comprising:
a prepreg-tow supply, configured to dispense a precursor prepreg tow, comprising elongate filaments and resin, covering the elongate filaments;
a prepreg-tow separator, configured to separate the precursor prepreg tow, dispensed from the prepreg-tow supply, into individual ones of the elongate filaments, at least partially covered with the resin, or into subsets of the elongate filaments, at least partially covered with the resin, wherein each of the subsets comprises a plurality of the elongate filaments;
an optical-direction-modifier supply, configured to dispense optical direction modifiers to be applied to the individual ones of the elongate filaments, at least partially covered with the resin, or the subsets of the elongate filaments, at least partially covered by the resin, originating from the prepreg-tow separator, wherein each of the optical direction modifiers has an outer surface, and 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;
a combiner, configured to combine the individual ones of the elongate filaments, at least partially covered with the resin, and the optical direction modifiers, dispensed by the optical-direction-modifier supply, or to combine the subsets of the elongate filaments, at least partially covered with the resin, and the optical direction modifiers, dispensed by the optical-direction-modifier supply, into a derivative prepreg tow so that the optical direction modifiers are interspersed among the elongate filaments; and
at least one heater, configured to heat at least one of:
the resin in the precursor prepreg tow, dispensed from the prepreg-tow supply, to a first threshold temperature to facilitate separation of the precursor prepreg tow by the prepreg-tow separator into the individual ones of the elongate filaments or into the subsets of the elongate filaments;
the resin that at least partially covers the individual ones of the elongate filaments or the subsets of the elongate filaments, originating from the prepreg-tow separator, to a second threshold temperature to cause wet-out of the optical direction modifiers and the elongate filaments in the derivative prepreg tow by the resin; or
the resin that at least partially covers the elongate filaments in the derivative prepreg tow, originating from the combiner, to a third threshold temperature to cause wet-out of the optical direction modifiers and the elongate filaments in the derivative prepreg tow by the resin.

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

3. The system according to claim 1 , wherein:
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.

4. The system according to claim 3 , 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 system 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 system 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 system 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 system according to claim 3 , 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.

9. The system 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 system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the optical direction modifiers 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 the electromagnetic radiation.

11. The system 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 system 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 system according to claim 10 , wherein:
the electromagnetic radiation has a wavelength; and
each of the optical direction-modifying particles has a minimum ou

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

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

Classifications

• B29D99/0078

  Producing filamentary materials · CPC title

• B29C70/88

  characterised primarily by possessing specific properties, e.g. electrically conductive or locally reinforced · CPC title

• B29C64/291

  for operating globally, e.g. together with selectively applied activators or inhibitors · CPC title

• B29C64/188

  involving additional operations performed on the added layers, e.g. smoothing, grinding or thickness control (surface shaping B29C59/00; after-treatment of articles without altering their shape B29C71/00) · CPC title

• G02B6/04

  formed by bundles of fibres (G02B6/24 takes precedence) · CPC title