Thermally robust nozzle for 3-dimensional printing and methods of using same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019030602-A1
Application number	US-201816035296-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 13, 2018
Priority date	Jul 13, 2017
Publication date	Jan 31, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

For conditioning build material for fused filament fabrication, thermal power is both added to and removed from a nozzle in a manner that can reduce sensitivity of the nozzle temperature to fluctuations in build material feed rate. The amount of thermal power added is at least as large as the sum of the amount removed, the amount to condition the material, and losses to the environment. The amount removed may be at least as large as half the thermal power required to condition the material to extrusion temperature, and may be comparable to, or much larger than the conditioning amount. The larger the ratio of the amount removed to the conditioning amount, the less sensitive the nozzle temperature will be to fluctuations in build material feed rate. Fine temperature control arises, enabling building with metal-containing multi-phase materials or other materials that have a narrow working temperature range.

First claim

1 . A method for conditioning a metal-containing multi-phase (MCMP) build material within a bore of a nozzle, the nozzle defining an inlet and an outlet and the bore therebetween, through which the build material passes from the inlet to the outlet, the build material having a working temperature range that includes a first temperature for mechanically driving the build material into the inlet and a second, greater temperature, for extruding the build material out from the outlet, there being an amount of thermal power required to condition build material at a steady state passing through the nozzle to the second temperature, this amount being a conditioning amount of thermal power, the method comprising:
a. providing a quantity of build material within the nozzle; b. removing a first amount of thermal power from the nozzle near the inlet, the first amount of thermal power being at least half of the conditioning amount of thermal power; and c. adding a second amount of thermal power to the nozzle near the outlet, which second amount of thermal power is greater than sum of the first amount of thermal power and the conditioning amount of thermal power.

2 . The method of claim 1 , the step of removing a first amount of thermal power comprising removing a first amount of thermal power, the first amount of thermal power being at least as large as the conditioning amount of thermal power.

3 . The method of claim 1 , the step of removing a first amount of thermal power comprising removing a first amount of thermal power, the first amount of thermal power being at least twice as large as the conditioning amount of thermal power.

4 . (canceled)

5 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising the step of measuring the temperature of the nozzle at the outlet, the step of adding a second amount of thermal power comprising, adding a second amount of thermal power, the second amount of thermal power determined in part based on the measured outlet temperature such that the temperature of the nozzle at the outlet is at least as large as the second temperature.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of measuring the temperature of the inlet of the nozzle, the step of removing an amount of thermal power comprising, removing an amount of thermal power, the amount determined in part based on the measured inlet temperature such that the temperature of the nozzle at the inlet is less than or equal to the first temperature.

7 - 8 . (canceled)

9 . The method of claim 1 , the step of removing an amount of thermal power comprising thermally coupling a flowing coolant fluid near the inlet.

10 . The method of claim 1 , the build material comprising a metal alloy that exhibits a multi-phase equilibrium between a solid phase and a liquid phase and which is characterizeable by a phase diagram having a solidus temperature and a liquidus temperature, the step of providing build material comprising providing build material having a composition that assumes a multi-phase condition at temperatures between the solidus temperature and the liquidus temperature.

11 . The method of claim 1 , the MCMP material comprising an alloy that is characterized by a phase diagram that exhibits a eutectic.

12 . The method of claim 1 , the MCMP material comprising an alloy that is characterized by a phase diagram that exhibits a peritectic.

13 . (canceled)

14 . A method for conditioning a build material within a bore of a nozzle, the nozzle defining an inlet and an outlet through which the build material passes, the build material having a working temperature range that includes an extrusion temperature for extruding the build material out from the outlet, there being an amount of thermal power required to condition build material passing through the nozzle at a steady state to the extrusion temperature, this amount being a conditioning amount of thermal power, the method comprising:
a. providing a quantity of build material within the nozzle; b. removing a first amount of thermal power from the nozzle at least ½ as large as the conditioning amount of thermal power; and c. adding a second amount of thermal power to the nozzle that is greater than a sum of the first amount of thermal power and the conditioning amount of thermal power.

15 . The method of claim 14 , the step of removing a first amount of thermal power comprising removing a first amount of thermal power, the first amount of thermal power being at least as large as the conditioning amount of thermal power.

16 . The method of claim 14 , the step of removing a first amount of thermal power comprising removing a first amount of thermal power, the first amount of thermal power being at least twice as large as the conditioning amount of thermal power.

17 . The method of claim 14 , the step of removing a first amount of thermal power comprising removing a first amount of thermal power, the first amount of thermal power being at least five times as large as the conditioning amount of thermal power.

18 . The method of claim 14 , further comprising the step of measuring the temperature of the nozzle at the outlet, the step of adding a second amount of thermal power comprising, adding a second amount of thermal power, the second amount determined in part based on the measured outlet temperature such that the temperature of the nozzle at the outlet is at least as large as the extrusion temperature.

19 . (canceled)

20 . The method of claim 14 , where there is also an amount of thermal power that is lost to an environment around the nozzle, the step of adding a second amount of thermal power to the nozzle near the outlet, comprises adding a second amount of thermal power that is approximately equal to the sum of the first amount of thermal power and the conditioning amount of thermal power, and the amount of thermal power that is lost to the environment around the nozzle.

21 . The method of claim 14 , the build material comprising a metal alloy that exhibits a multi-phase equilibrium between a solid phase and a liquid phase and which is characterizable by a phase diagram having a solidus temperature and a liquidus temperature, the step of providing build material comprising providing build material having a composition that assumes a multi-phase condition at temperatures between the solidus temperature and the liquidus temperature.

22 . The method of claim 14 , the step of removing a first amount of thermal power from the nozzle comprising removing a first amount of thermal power from the nozzle near an outer surface of the nozzle.

23 . The method of claim 14 , the step of adding a second amount of thermal power to the nozzle comprising adding a second amount of thermal power to the nozzle at a location near the bore of the nozzle.

24 - 32 . (canceled)

33 . A method for operating an extruder of a three-dimensional printer, the method comprising:
providing a nozzle including an inlet, an outlet and a bore coupling the inlet to the outlet; driving a build material through the bore, the build material including a metal-containing multi-phase material; and providing a conditioning amount of thermal power to the build material passing from the inlet to the outlet to raise the build material at the outlet to a predetermined temperature by adding a first amount of thermal power to the nozzle near the outlet and removing a second amount of thermal power from the nozzle near the inlet, wherein the conditioning amou

Assignees

• Desktop Metal Inc

Inventors

• Sachs Emanuel Michael
• Bauer Uwe
• Myerberg Jonah Samuel
• Bandiera Nicholas Graham

Classifications

• B29C64/118 Primary

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

• B22F10/32

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

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• B22F12/53

  Nozzles · CPC title

• B22F12/20

  Cooling means · CPC title