Additive manufacturing of pipes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10690270-B2
Application number	US-201816233877-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 27, 2018
Priority date	Nov 13, 2014
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

Additive manufacturing of a pipe is disclosed. A lowering mechanism is configured to be coupled with respect to a platform and to lower a pipe through an opening in the platform. An extrusion head is configured to receive material and selectively extrude the material via a nozzle. A gantry is coupled to the extrusion head and is configured to move the extrusion head to an identified location. A controller is coupled to the gantry and configured to direct the gantry to move the extrusion head based on pipe data that identifies a geometry of the pipe. A stabilizer mechanism is configured to maintain the pipe in a desired position during the extrusion of the material.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for generating a pipe assembly, comprising:
positioning a ring of material with respect to an extrusion head;
coupling the ring of material to a lowering mechanism;
extruding material on top of the ring of material to form a pipe wall on the ring of material; and
iteratively:
1) lowering the ring of material and the pipe wall a predetermined distance; and
2) extruding the material on the pipe wall to extend the pipe wall until the pipe wall is a desired length, the pipe wall generated as a cellular structure characterizable in terms of a void-to-material ratio that differs along a longitudinal length of the pipe wall, the void-to-material ratio at a bottom portion of the pipe wall greater than the void-to-material ratio at a top portion of the pipe wall such that a structural integrity of the top portion of the pipe wall is greater than a structural integrity of the bottom portion of the pipe wall.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising lowering the ring of material and the pipe wall through an opening in a platform.

3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising lowering the ring of material and the pipe wall through the opening in the platform into a body of water.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising stabilizing the pipe wall while extruding the material on the pipe wall.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the void-to-material ratio of the pipe wall decreases along the longitudinal length of the pipe wall.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the lowering mechanism comprises a plurality of winches, each winch comprising a cable of a plurality of cables, and wherein coupling the ring of material to the lowering mechanism further comprises coupling the ring of material to the plurality of cables.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising forming a flange on an end of the pipe wall, the flange having a greater exterior diameter than an exterior diameter of the pipe wall.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the ring of material comprises a clump weight.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the extruded material comprises high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising heating the material.

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Fleischer Corey A
• Ascari Matthew B
• Gaigler Randy L
• Poppek Michael W
• Waicukauski James A

Classifications

• Y02E10/30

  Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/106 Primary

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• B29C64/386

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title