Systems and Methods for Fabricating Components

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020368812-A1
Application number	US-202016879562-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 20, 2020
Priority date	May 21, 2019
Publication date	Nov 26, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of printing an object using additive manufacturing includes depositing an amount of powder onto a print bed, spreading the amount of powder into a layer, depositing, in a first direction, a fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the layer in a cross-sectional shape of the object to form the object, and depositing the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the layer adjacent to a leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction to form at least one buffer element upstream of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of printing an object using additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
depositing an amount of powder onto a print bed; spreading the amount of powder into a layer; depositing, in a first direction, a fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the layer in a cross-sectional shape of the object to form the object; and depositing the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the layer adjacent to a leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction to form at least one buffer element upstream of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one buffer element includes a shape that conforms to a shape of the leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
depositing a second amount of powder onto the print bed; spreading the second amount of powder into a second layer; depositing, in a second direction, the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the second layer in a cross-sectional shape of the object to form the object; and depositing the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the second layer adjacent to a leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the second direction to form at least one buffer element upstream of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the second direction.

4 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the first direction is different than the second direction so that the leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction is different than the leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the second direction.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction.

6 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
depositing a third amount of powder onto the print bed; spreading the third amount of powder into a third layer; depositing, in the first direction, the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the third layer in a cross-sectional shape of the object to form the object; and depositing the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the third layer adjacent to the leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction to form the at least one buffer element upstream of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction.

7 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
depositing a third amount of powder onto the print bed; spreading the third amount of powder into a third layer; depositing, in a third direction, the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the third layer in a cross-sectional shape of the object to form the object; and depositing the fluid configured to bind the powder onto at least a portion of the third layer adjacent to a leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the third direction to form at least one buffer element upstream of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the third direction, wherein the third direction is different than the first direction and the second direction so that the leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the third direction is different than the leading edges of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction and the second direction.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein depositing the fluid configured to bind the powder to form the at least one buffer element includes forming the at least one buffer element adjacent the leading edge and at least one other edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one buffer element is sacrificial to the object,
wherein forming the at least one buffer element reduces uneven powder distribution in the cross-sectional shape of the object, and wherein the method further comprises sintering the printed object without the at least one buffer element.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein forming the at least one buffer element includes forming a plurality of buffer elements adjacent to and in contact with the leading edge,
and wherein the method further comprises:
separating the buffer elements from the object, once printed; and
sintering the printed object.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the at least one buffer element is spaced away from the object by less than approximately 5 mm.

12 . A method of printing an object using additive manufacturing, the method comprising:
depositing layers of powder; depositing a binder material onto successive layers of the layers of powder to form the object, wherein depositing a first layer of the successive layers includes:
depositing, in a first direction, the binder material in a two-dimensional shape of the object in a plane to form the object; and
depositing the binder material in the plane proximate to and separated from the two-dimensional shape of the object to form at least one buffer element adjacent a leading edge of the two-dimensional shape of the object in the first direction such that the at least one buffer element is formed upstream of the two-dimensional shape of the object in the first direction.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a side of the at least one buffer element facing the two-dimensional shape of the object includes a shape that conforms to a shape of the leading edge of the two-dimensional shape of the object.

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein depositing a second layer of the successive layers includes:
depositing, in a second direction, the binder material in a two-dimensional shape of the object in a second plane to form the object; and depositing the binder material in the second plane proximate to and separated from the two-dimensional shape of the object to form at least one buffer element adjacent a leading edge of the two-dimensional shape of the object in the second direction such that the at least one buffer element is formed upstream of the two-dimensional shape of the object in the second direction.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the first direction is opposite to the second direction so that the leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the first direction is different than the leading edge of the cross-sectional shape of the object in the second direction.

16 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one buffer element is spaced away from the cross-sectional shape of the object by less than approximately 5 mm.

17 . An apparatus for printing an object using additive manufacturing, the apparatus comprising:
a build plate; a powder source configured to deposit a powder onto the build plate; a powder spreader configured to spread the powder across the build plate to form a layer of powder; a print head configured to deposit a binder material onto the layer of powder; and a controller configured to receive instructions to form the object out of the powder and the binder material on the build plate, wherein the controller is configured to:
instruct the powder source to deposit an amount of powder onto the build plate;
instruct the powder spreader to spread the amount of powder into the layer; and
instruct the print head to deposit, in a first direction, the binder material onto at least a portion of the layer in a cross-sectional shape of the object to form the object, and to deposit the binder material onto at least a

Assignees

• Desktop Metal Inc

Inventors

• Trump Anna
• Mccambridge Matthew

Classifications

• B29C64/165 Primary

  using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber · CPC title

• B22F12/63

  Rollers · CPC title

• B22F12/52

  Hoppers · CPC title

• B22F10/64

  by thermal means (control of energy beam parameters for post heating B22F10/364) · CPC title

• B22F10/47

  characterised by structural features · CPC title