Printer jetting mechanism and printer employing the printer jetting mechanism

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12447534-B2
Application number	US-202117449028-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2021
Priority date	Sep 27, 2021
Publication date	Oct 21, 2025
Grant date	Oct 21, 2025

Abstract

A 3D printer includes an ejector device including a substrate and a plurality of ejector conduits on the substrate. Each ejector conduit includes: a first end positioned to accept a print material and a second end including an ejector nozzle. The ejector nozzle includes a first electrode and a second electrode, and a passageway for allowing the print material to flow from the first end to the second end. A current pulse generating system is in electrical connection with the first electrode and the second electrode of the plurality of ejector conduits. A magnetic field source is proximate the second end of the plurality of ejector conduits so as to generate a flux region disposed within the ejector nozzle of the plurality of ejector conduits during operation of the 3D printer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional (“3D”) printer, comprising:
an ejector device comprising a substrate and a plurality of ejector conduits on the substrate, the ejector conduits being arranged in an array, each ejector conduit comprising:
a first end positioned to accept a print material,
a second end comprising an ejector nozzle, the ejector nozzle comprising a first electrode and a second electrode, and
a passageway for allowing the print material to flow from the first end to the second end, at least one surface of the first electrode being exposed in the passageway and at least one surface of the second electrode being exposed in the passageway;

a current pulse generating system in electrical connection with the first electrode and the second electrode of each one of the plurality of ejector conduits;
a magnetic field source proximate the second end of each one of the plurality of ejector conduits so as to generate a flux region disposed within the ejector nozzle of each one of the plurality of ejector conduits during operation of the 3D printer; and
a positioning system for controlling the relative position of the ejector device with respect to a print substrate in a manner that would allow the print substrate to receive the print material jettable from the ejector nozzle of each one of the plurality of ejector conduits during operation of the 3D printer.

2. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein one or more of the plurality of ejector conduits each comprise a third electrode and a fourth electrode, at least one surface of the third electrode being exposed in the passageway and at least one surface of the fourth electrode being exposed in the passageway, the third electrode and the fourth electrode being a second electrode pair.

3. The three-dimensional printer of claim 2 , wherein one or more of the plurality of ejector conduits each comprise a fifth electrode and a sixth electrode, at least one surface of the fifth electrode being exposed in the passageway and at least one surface of the sixth electrode being exposed in the passageway, the fifth electrode and the sixth electrode being a third electrode pair.

4. The three-dimensional printer of claim 3 , further comprising a first rail and a second rail, the first rail and the second rail being disposed proximate the passageway, at least a portion of the passageway being positioned between the first rail and the second rail, the first rail comprising the first electrode and optionally one or both of the third electrode and the fifth electrode and the second rail comprising the second electrode and optionally one or both of the fourth electrode and the sixth electrode.

5. The three-dimensional printer of claim 4 , wherein at least a first portion of the first rail and at least a first portion of the second rail comprise at least one metal chosen from copper, copper alloys, platinum, platinum alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, palladium, palladium alloys, iron, iron alloys, nickel, nickel alloys, silver, silver alloys, magnesium, magnesium alloys, titanium, titanium alloys and refractory metals.

6. The three-dimensional printer of claim 4 , further comprising a sidewall layer disposed proximate the first rail and the second rail, the sidewall layer being patterned to form a first sidewall and a second sidewall, a distance between the first sidewall and the second sidewall defining a width of the passageway.

7. The three-dimensional printer of claim 6 , wherein the sidewall layer comprises a material chosen from metal oxides, metal oxynitrides, metal nitrides, metal carbides, polymers and combinations thereof.

8. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises at least one material chosen from insulating materials and semiconductor materials.

9. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the passageway is an open channel having at least one side that is open to the atmosphere along the length of the passageway.

10. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the passageway is a closed channel that is enclosed on all sides along the length of the passageway.

11. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , further comprising a heating mechanism for melting a solid print material into a liquid print material and a reservoir for holding the liquid print material, the reservoir being in fluid connection with the plurality of ejector conduits.

12. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic field source is configured to provide a magnetic field that is substantially perpendicular to a direction of flow of electric current through the print material.

13. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic field source is a flux circuit comprising a magnet and a flux guide attached to the magnet, the flux guide being positioned proximate the ejector nozzle for each of the plurality of ejector conduits.

14. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the magnetic field source comprises a permanent magnet.

15. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , further comprising a cooling system for cooling the magnet field source.

16. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the current pulse generating system comprises a power supply, at least one current switch and at least one controller arranged in a circuit, the controller providing variable control of one or more characteristics chosen from current amplitude and pulse length.

17. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the ejector nozzle has an inner width ranging from about 10 microns to about 1000 microns.

18. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the array has M columns of ejector conduits arranged on an X axis and N rows of ejector conduits arranged on a Y axis, where M is an integer ranging from 3 to 1000 and N is an integer ranging from 1 to 2.

19. The three-dimensional printer of claim 1 , wherein the ejector device is a microelectromechanical system (“MEMS”).

20. A printer jetting mechanism, comprising:
an ejector device comprising a substrate and an ejector conduit on the substrate, the ejector conduit comprising:
a first end positioned to accept a print material,
a second end comprising an ejector nozzle, the ejector nozzle comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, a third electrode, and a fourth electrode, wherein the first and second electrodes are a first electrode pair, and wherein the third and fourth electrodes are a second electrode pair,
a passageway for allowing the print material to flow from the first end to the second end, at least one surface of the first electrode being exposed in the passageway, least one surface of the second electrode being exposed in the passageway, at least one surface of the third electrode being exposed in the passageway, and at least one surface of the fourth electrode being exposed in the passageway;

a current pulse generating system in electrical connection with the first electrode and second electrode of the ejector conduit; and
a magnetic field source proximate the second end of the ejector conduit so as to generate a flux region disposed within the ejector nozzle during operation of the 3D printer.

21. The printer jetting mechanism of claim 20 , wherein the ejector conduit comprises a fifth electrode and a sixth electrode, at least one surface of the fifth electrode being exposed in the passageway and at least one surface of the sixth electrode being exposed in the passageway, the fifth electrode and the sixt

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Biegelsen David K
• Lu Jeng Ping

Classifications

• B81B2201/036

  Micropumps · CPC title

• B81B2201/052

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• C23C4/185

  Separation of the coating from the substrate · CPC title

• C23C4/123

  Spraying molten metal · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title