System for additive manufacturing using thin-film material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018230013-A1
Application number	US-201815897904-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Feb 15, 2018
Priority date	Feb 15, 2017
Publication date	Aug 16, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a structure. The system may include a feeder configured to feed a thin-film material through the system, and a cutter configured to cut out of the thin-film material a pattern associated with a shape of the structure at a particular layer within the structure. The system may also include a placer configured to place the pattern in at least one of a desired location and a desired orientation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system for additively manufacturing a structure, comprising:
a feeder configured to feed a thin-film material through the system; a cutter configured to cut out of the thin-film material a pattern associated with a shape of the structure at a particular layer within the structure; and a placer configured to place the pattern in at least one of a desired location and a desired orientation.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the thin-film material is graphene.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the thin-film material includes:
a supply reel; and a take-up reel located at a side of the cutter opposite the supply reel.

4 . The system of claim 3 , further including a set of rollers located between the supply and take-up reels.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the supply reel, the take-up reel, and the set of rollers is driven to rotate by a motor.

6 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cutter is at least one of a laser-type and electron-type of cutter.

7 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the cutter is configured to cut less than a complete perimeter of the pattern, such that the pattern is held in place by at least one tether of the thin-film material.

8 . The system of claim 7 , further including a controller configured to selectively direct a current pulse through the at least one tether, causing carbon bonds in the pattern to realign with carbon bonds in a previously deposited pattern.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
a majority of the pattern is cut prior to loading of the thin-film material into the feeder; and the cutter is configured to only cut a remaining portion of the pattern.

10 . The system of claim 1 , wherein:
the placer is an electromagnet located at a side of the thin-film material opposite the cutter; and the system further includes a controller configured to selectively energize the electromagnet to generate an electric field passing through the thin-film material.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the placer includes at least one of an air jet, a vacuum jet, and an ultrasonic device.

12 . The system of claim 1 , further including:
a print bed; and a controller in communication with the feeder, the cutter, and the placer, the controller being configured to:
selectively activate the feeder to move a specific frame of the thin-film material to the cutter;
selectively activate the cutter to cut a specific pattern from the specific frame of the thin-film material; and
selectively activate the placer to move the specific pattern cut from the specific frame of the thin-film material to a specific location on at least one of the print bed and an existing layer of the structure.

13 . A thin-film material for use in an additive manufacturing system, the thin-film material comprising a plurality of sequential frames joined end-to-end and spooled onto a reel, wherein each of the plurality of sequential frames includes a pattern cut into the thin-film material.

14 . The thin-film material of claim 13 , wherein less than a complete perimeter of the pattern is cut into the thin-film material in each of the plurality of sequential frames.

15 . A method of additively manufacturing a structure, comprising:
feeding a thin-film material to a staging location; cutting out of the thin-film material a pattern associated with a shape of the structure at a particular layer within the structure; and placing the pattern in at least one of a desired location and a desired orientation on top of at least one of a print bed and an existing layer of the structure.

16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein feeding the thin-film material includes:
continuously unspooling uncut frames of the thin-film material from a first reel; and spooling up cut frames of the thin-film material onto a second reel.

17 . The method of claim 15 , wherein cutting out of the thin-film material the pattern includes directing an energy beam through the thin-film material around a perimeter of the pattern.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein cutting out of the thin-film material the pattern includes cutting less than a complete perimeter of the pattern, such that the pattern is held in place by at least one tether of the thin-film material.

19 . The method of claim 15 , wherein:
the thin-film material is magnetic graphene; and placing the pattern includes selectively generating an electric field passing through the magnetic graphene to cause the magnetic graphene to move.

20 . The method of claim 15 , wherein placing the pattern includes selectively generating at least one of an air jet and a vacuum to cause the thin-film material to move.

Assignees

• Cc3D Llc
• Cc 3D Llc

Inventors

• Tyler Kenneth Lyle
• Stockett Ryan C
• Budge Trevor David

Classifications

• C01B32/194 Primary

  After-treatment · CPC title

• B33Y70/00

  Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · 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