System and method for additively manufacturing a composite structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10723073-B2
Application number	US-201815874036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2018
Priority date	Jan 24, 2017
Publication date	Jul 28, 2020
Grant date	Jul 28, 2020

Abstract

A system for additively manufacturing a composite part is disclosed. The system may include a vat configured to hold a supply of resin, and a build surface disposed inside the vat. The system may also include a print head configured to discharge a matrix-coated continuous reinforcement onto the build surface, and an energy source configured to expose resin on a surface of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement to a cure energy.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of additively manufacturing a composite structure, comprising:
discharging from a print head a matrix-coated continuous reinforcement onto a build surface;
submerging the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement in resin;
exposing resin at a surface of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement to a cure energy; and
exposing a matrix in the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement to cure energy to at least partially cure the matrix prior to submerging the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement in resin.

2. The method of claim 1 , further including incrementally lowering the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement into the resin.

3. The method of claim 2 , further including passing resin through the build surface during incremental lowering of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement.

4. The method of claim 2 , further including incrementally raising a level of resin inside a vat housing the build surface.

5. The method of claim 4 , further including moving the print head inside the vat.

6. The method of claim 1 , further including interleaving cured layers of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement with cured layers of the resin.

7. A method of additively manufacturing a composite structure, comprising:
discharging from a print head a matrix-coated continuous reinforcement onto a build surface;
submerging the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement in resin;
exposing resin at a surface of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement to a cure energy; and
at least partially curing all of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement prior to curing of any resin on the surface of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein exposing resin at the surface of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement to the cure energy includes directing the cure energy through the build surface.

9. The method of claim 1 , further including generating an oxygen inhibiting barrier at a surface of the resin.

10. A method of additively manufacturing a composite structure, comprising:
discharging from a matrix-coated continuous reinforcement onto a build surface;
at least partially submerging the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement in resin;
curing the resin; and
exposing a matrix in the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement to cure energy to at least partially cure the matrix prior to at least partially submerging the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement in resin.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein exposing the matrix to cure energy includes directing light into the matrix.

12. The method of claim 10 , further including incrementally lowering the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement into the resin.

13. The method of claim 12 , further including passing resin over the build surface during incremental lowering of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement.

14. The method of claim 10 , further including incrementally raising a level of resin inside a vat housing the build surface.

15. The method of claim 10 , further including interleaving cured layers of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement with cured layers of the resin.

16. A method of additively manufacturing a composite structure, comprising:
discharging from a matrix-coated continuous reinforcement onto a build surface;
at least partially submerging the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement in resin;
curing the resin; and
at least partially curing all of the matrix-coated continuous reinforcement prior to curing of any resin.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein curing resin includes directing cure energy through the build surface.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the cure energy is UV light.

19. The method of claim 10 , further including generating an oxygen inhibiting barrier at a surface of the resin.

Assignees

• Cc3D Llc
• Continuous Composites Inc

Inventors

• Tyler Kenneth Lyle
• Stockett Ryan C

Classifications

• B29C48/12 Primary

  Articles with an irregular circumference when viewed in cross-section, e.g. window profiles · CPC title

• B22F10/32

  of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber · CPC title

• B22F10/12

  by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP] · CPC title

• B29C64/118

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

• B33Y70/10

  Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials · CPC title