Electromagnetic print nozzle for direct-write additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10694590-B2
Application number	US-201715484913-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2017
Priority date	Jul 21, 2016
Publication date	Jun 23, 2020
Grant date	Jun 23, 2020

Abstract

A method and apparatus for additive manufacturing that includes a material guide for directing a supply of working material and a plurality of rollers for advancing the working material. An electromagnetic heater is provided to heat and deposit molten working material as a new supply of working material is forced through the material guide.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A printing nozzle for use in deposition for additive manufacturing comprising:
a plurality of rollers configured to be in lateral contact with outside edges of an electromagnetically susceptible working material for advancing the working material forward during operation, wherein the plurality of rollers is connected to a stepper motor by a set of gears;
a material guide for permitting a desired flow of the working material, the material guide comprising a plurality of channels configured to permit direct contact between the working material and the rollers during operation;
a tip positioned at an end of the material guide for depositing the working material in an appropriate position in space; and
an electromagnetic heating element positioned with respect to the material guide.

2. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic heating element is positioned around the tip.

3. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein the electromagnetic heating element is position around the material guide.

4. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein the rollers comprise knurled rollers.

5. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein the rollers are positioned at multiple places along the material guide.

6. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein one or more of the plurality of rollers are fixed and one or more of the plurality of rollers are moveable.

7. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein the moveable rollers are biased toward the fixed rollers.

8. The printing nozzle of claim 1 further comprising a load cell positioned with respect to the material guide downstream of the plurality of rollers for sensing a pressure applied to the working material.

9. The printing nozzle of claim 1 further comprising a temperature sensor positioned downstream of the electromagnetic heating element and in proximity to the tip, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed in a channel cut in the material guide.

10. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein the plurality of channels comprise a plurality of discrete channels longitudinally spaced apart along a length of the material guide.

11. The printing nozzle of claim 1 wherein the stepper motor is on a first side of the material guide and the plurality of rollers, and the set of gears is on a second side of the material guide and the plurality of rollers, the second side opposite the first side.

12. The printing nozzle of claim 11 further comprising a support structure connected to and extending about the material guide, wherein the support structure supports the stepper motor on the first side and the set of gears on the second side.

13. A method for additive manufacturing comprising:
providing a supply of slugs of a metal working material;
advancing the working material forward with a plurality of rollers in direct lateral with outside edges of the working material through channels in a material guide;
advancing the plurality of rollers by a stepper motor in combination with each of the plurality of rollers through a set of gears;
heating the working material in the material guide with an electromagnetic heating element positioned around the material guide; and
depositing molten working material through a tip positioned at an end of the material guide in an appropriate position in space.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
sensing a temperature of the working material in proximity to the tip; and
moving the working material through the material guide based upon the temperature.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
sensing a load of the working material; and
moving the working material through the material guide based upon the load.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising:
maintaining a fixed pressure on the working material;
sensing that the working material has melted; and
moving the working material through the material guide at a fixed displacement once the working material has melted.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the advancing the working material forward with a plurality of rollers in direct lateral contact with outside edges of the working material comprises the rollers directly contacting the outside edges of the working material through discrete channels longitudinally spaced apart along a length of the material guide.

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc

Inventors

• Rios Orlando
• Carter William G
• Sims Zachary C
• Love Lonnie J
• Chesser Phillip C

Classifications

• H05B6/101 Primary

  for local heating of metal pieces · CPC title

• B22F3/115 Primary

  by spraying molten metal, i.e. spray sintering, spray casting · CPC title

• B22F12/58

  for changing the material composition, e.g. by mixing · CPC title

• B22F12/53

  Nozzles · CPC title

• B22F12/13

  to preheat the material · CPC title