Resin reclamation centrifuge rotor for additively manufactured objects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440259-B2
Application number	US-202117158197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 26, 2021
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

A rotor for separating residual resin from additively manufactured objects in a centrifugal separator, the rotor including a rotor base and a plurality of engagement members configured to secure additively manufactured, light polymerized, objects to the rotor base, each object carrying unpolymerized resin on a surface thereof. The improvement includes a plurality of catch pans removably connected to the base, each catch pan configured to receive unpolymerized resin therein upon centrifugal separation of the resin from the additively manufactured, light polymerized, objects.

First claim

We claim:

1. A rotor for separating residual resin from additively manufactured objects in a centrifugal separator, the rotor including a rotor base and a plurality of engagement members configured to secure additively manufactured, light polymerized, objects to said rotor base, each object carrying unpolymerized resin on a surface thereof, the improvement comprising:
a plurality of catch pans removably connected to said rotor base, each of the plurality of catch pans configured to receive unpolymerized resin therein upon centrifugal separation of the resin from the additively manufactured, light polymerized, objects.

2. The rotor of claim 1 , comprising:
(a) said rotor base configured to receive a plurality of carrier platforms, each of the plurality of carrier platforms having a build surface, each build surface having at least one light polymerized object formed thereon from a light polymerizable resin by an additive manufacturing process, each object carrying unpolymerized resin on a surface thereof, and
(b) at least one platform support connected to or extending from said rotor base for each said carrier platform, said platform supports configured to position each said carrier platform on said rotor with said build surface oriented perpendicularly to a radius of the rotor and tangentially or parallel to an axis of rotation of said rotor.

3. The rotor of claim 2 , further comprising:
(c) a catch pan support connected to or extending from said rotor base for each said carrier platform, each said catch pan support configured to position each catch pan to face each corresponding carrier platform build surface so as to receive unpolymerized resin therein upon centrifugal separation from said light polymerized objects.

4. The rotor of claim 3 , wherein each said catch pan support comprises a pair of posts.

5. The rotor of claim 2 , wherein each said platform support comprises a pair of opposing edge bumpers, and each catch pan includes a pair of opposing side edge flanges configured to engage at least one of said platform edge bumpers with said carrier platform sandwiched (or positioned) between said platform edge bumpers.

6. The rotor of claim 1 , wherein each said catch pan is configured so that said catch pans are secured to said rotor or rotor base by the securing of said carrier platforms to said rotor or rotor base.

7. The rotor of claim 2 , further comprising:
(d) a plurality of latch assemblies connected to said rotor base and configured to secure each said carrier platform to said rotor base.

8. The rotor of claim 2 , wherein said plurality of carrier platforms comprises two, three, four, or five or more carrier platforms.

9. The rotor of claim 2 , wherein each pair of platform supports comprises a pair of outer bumpers, and a pair of opposite facing inner bumpers, configured to engage side handles on said carrier platform.

10. The rotor of claim 1 , wherein said rotor has an axis of rotation, each said catch pan comprises a back wall, a pair of oppositely facing side walls connected to or extending from said back wall, and a bottom wall connected to or extending from said back wall and said side walls, said back wall having an inner surface and an outer surface;
with: (i) said back wall sloping radially outward with respect to an axis of rotation of said rotor as it approaches said bottom wall, and said bottom wall sloping downward as it approaches said back wall, to together define an acute angle and form a resin pool where centrifugally separated resin can accumulate, (ii) said back wall inner surface faces said axis of rotation and is concave with respect to said axis of rotation, or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii).

11. A catch pan for receiving residual resin separated from additively manufactured objects, said catch pan mounted on a rotor in a centrifugal separator, said catch pan comprising:
a back wall, a pair of oppositely facing side walls connected to or extending from said back wall, and a bottom wall connected to or extending from said back wall and said side walls, said back wall having an inner surface and an outer surface;
with: (i) said back wall sloping radially outward with respect to an axis of rotation of said rotor as it approaches said bottom wall, and said bottom wall sloping downward as it approaches said back wall, to together define an acute angle and form a resin pool where centrifugally separated resin can accumulate, (ii) said back wall inner surface faces said axis of rotation and is concave with respect to said axis of rotation, or (iii) a combination of (i) and (ii).

12. The catch pan of claim 11 , further comprising a top wall connected to or extending from said back wall and said side walls, said top wall having a heighth or being positioned at a height less than that of said side walls and configured to form (or said side wall and said top wall defining) a top access opening configured to receive therethrough a carrier platform having additively manufactured objects formed thereon.

13. The catch pan of claim 11 , further comprising an upwardly facing lip connected to or extending from said bottom wall and said side walls, said lip configured to form a resin pool on said bottom wall beneath and/or behind said lip.

14. The catch pan of claim 11 , said inner surface of said back wall facing said pool, said catch pan further comprising at least one alignment member connected to or on said outer surface and optionally configured to engage at least one catch pan support of said rotor.

15. A method of collecting residual resin from additively manufactured, light polymerized, objects, comprising:
(a) providing a centrifuge having the rotor of claim 1 operatively associated therewith;
(b) connecting a plurality of additively manufactured, light polymerized objects to said rotor, said objects having residual unpolymerized resin on a surface thereof;
(c) centrifugally separating said residual resin from said objects into said catch pans; and
(d) collecting said residual resin from said catch pans.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
(e) optionally combining said residual resin with additional resin; and then
(f) stereolithographically producing at least one additional object from said centrifugally separated residual resin optionally combined with additional resin.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein said resin comprises a dual cure resin.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein said object comprises a lattice and/or includes one or more internal cavities and has at least one opening formed therein in fluid communication with the cavity or cavities and configured for excess resin within the cavity or cavities to flow therethrough and out of the cavity or cavities during the centrifugally separating step.

Assignees

• Carbon Inc

Inventors

• Price R Griffin
• Sabathia Jr Edwin James
• Feller Bob E

Classifications

• B29C64/124

  using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified · CPC title

• B33Y40/00

  Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling · CPC title

• B29C64/35 Primary

  Cleaning · CPC title

• B08B7/02

  by distortion, beating, or vibration of the surface to be cleaned {(B08B7/0007 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B33Y40/20

  Post-treatment, e.g. curing, coating or polishing · CPC title