Valved nozzle with a compensator and massively parallel 3D printing system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11969935-B2
Application number	US-201716467394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 5, 2017
Priority date	Dec 7, 2016
Publication date	Apr 30, 2024
Grant date	Apr 30, 2024

Abstract

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a nozzle for a 3D printing system. The nozzle may include a flowpath with a material inlet and a material outlet. The nozzle may further include a valve in fluid communication with the flowpath between the material inlet and the material outlet, where the valve includes a closed state and an open state, where in the closed state the valve obstructs the flowpath between the material inlet and the material outlet, and where in the open state the material inlet is in fluid communication with the material outlet. The nozzle may further include a compensator in fluid communication with the flowpath, where the compensator includes a contracted state associated with the open state of the valve and an expanded state associated with the closed state of the valve.

First claim

We claim:

1. A nozzle for a 3 D printing system, the nozzle comprising:
a flowpath with a material inlet and a material outlet;
a valve in fluid communication with the flowpath between the material inlet and the material outlet, the valve including a closed state and an open state, wherein in the closed state a diaphragm of the valve is displaced and obstructs the flowpath between the material inlet and the material outlet, and wherein in the open state the material inlet is in fluid communication with the material outlet; and
a compensator in fluid communication with the flowpath, the compensator including a contracted state associated with the open state of the valve and an expanded state associated with the closed state of the valve, wherein in the contracted state, the compensator provides a portion of the flowpath with a first volume,
wherein the compensator moves from the contracted state to the expanded state when the valve moves from the open state to the closed state such that a decrease in volume of the flowpath caused by the displacement of the diaphragm when closing the valve is approximately equal to an increase in volume of the flowpath caused by movement of the compensator into the expanded state.

2. The nozzle according to claim 1 , further comprising a first pressure control inlet and a second pressure control inlet, wherein the first pressure control inlet is in fluid communication with a chamber of the compensator, and wherein the second pressure control inlet is in fluid communication with a chamber of the valve.

3. The nozzle according to claim 1 , the flowpath being a first flowpath, the valve being a first valve, and the compensator being a first compensator, the nozzle further comprising:
a second flowpath including a material inlet and a material outlet;
a second valve configured to control the flow of a material through the second flowpath; and
a second compensator configured to compensate for volumetric variations of the second flowpath due to an operation of the second valve.

4. The nozzle according to claim 3 , wherein the first flowpath and the second flowpath converge at a nozzle tip.

5. The nozzle according to claim 3 , wherein the nozzle includes a first control inlet and a second control inlet, wherein the first control inlet is in fluid communication with the first compensator and the second valve, and wherein the second control inlet is in fluid communication with the second compensator and the first valve.

6. The nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the diaphragm of the valve includes a displaceable membrane.

7. The nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the compensator includes a displaceable membrane.

8. The nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle is configured to perform a 3D printing process through movements in one direction, the one direction being a vertical direction.

9. A nozzle for a 3D printing system, the nozzle comprising:
a flowpath with a material inlet and a material outlet;
a valve in fluid communication with the flowpath between the material inlet and the material outlet; and
a compensator in fluid communication with the flowpath in a location between the material inlet and the material outlet,
wherein the valve includes a first diaphragm moveable between an open state and a closed state, wherein in the closed state the first diaphragm is displaced and obstructs the flow path between the material inlet and the material outlet,
wherein the compensator includes a second diaphragm moveable between a contracted state and an expanded state, and
wherein the second diaphragm moves from the expanded state to the contracted state when the first diaphragm moves from the open state to the closed state such that a change in volume of the flowpath caused by the displacement of the first diaphragm is approximately equal to a change in volume of the flowpath at the second diaphragm.

10. The nozzle of claim 9 , wherein a first control inlet is in fluid communication with the valve, and wherein a second control inlet is in fluid communication with the compensator.

11. The nozzle of claim 10 , wherein the first diaphragm assumes the closed state when a control pressure is applied to the first control inlet.

12. The nozzle of claim 11 , wherein the first diaphragm contacts a valve seat when the first diaphragm is in the closed state.

13. The nozzle of claim 10 , wherein the second diaphragm assumes the contracted state when a control pressure is applied to the second control inlet.

14. The nozzle of claim 13 , wherein a portion of the flowpath extends around a contact point of the second diaphragm when the second diaphragm is in the contracted state.

15. A nozzle for a 3D printing system, the nozzle comprising:
a flowpath with a material inlet and a material outlet;
a valve in fluid communication with the flowpath between the material inlet and the material outlet, the valve including a closed state and an open state, wherein in the closed state the valve obstructs the flowpath between the material inlet and the material outlet, and wherein in the open state the material inlet is in fluid communication with the material outlet; and
a compensator in fluid communication with the flowpath, the compensator including a contracted state associated with the open state of the valve and an expanded state associated with the closed state of the valve, wherein in the contracted state, the compensator provides a portion of the flowpath with a first volume; and
an actuator for switching a control pressure between the valve and the compensator such that, when the valve moves from the open state to the closed state, the compensator moves from the expanded state to the contracted state simultaneously.

16. The nozzle of claim 15 , further comprising a first control inlet and a second control inlet, wherein the first control inlet is in fluid communication with a chamber of the compensator, and wherein the second control inlet is in fluid communication with a chamber of the valve, wherein the first control inlet and the second control inlet are separately controlled.

17. The nozzle of claim 16 , wherein the actuator switches the control pressure between the first control inlet and the second control inlet when opening or closing the valve.

Assignees

• Harvard College

Inventors

• Lewis Jennifer A
• Skylar-Scott Mark A
• Mueller Jochen

Classifications

• B29C64/106 Primary

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

• B29C48/02

  Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders · CPC title

• B29C48/05

  Filamentary, e.g. strands · CPC title

• B29C48/255

  Flow control means, e.g. valves (flow dividers B29C48/695) · CPC title

• B29C48/2888

  in thread form or in strip form, e.g. rubber strips · CPC title