Heated three-dimensional printer head for variable material deposition

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020406541-A1
Application number	US-201916454383-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 27, 2019
Priority date	Jun 27, 2019
Publication date	Dec 31, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

An additive manufacturing device is provided and includes a printing material source, a printing head and a temperature control system. The printing material source is configured to contain a supply of printing material. The printing head is receptive of the printing material from the printing material source and is configured to print an object with the printing material. The temperature control system is coupled to the printing head and is configured to adjust a temperature of the printing material during printing to cause state changes of the printing material resulting in the printing material being one of soluble and insoluble in a solvent.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An additive manufacturing device, comprising:
a printing material source configured to contain a supply of printing material; a printing head receptive of the printing material from the printing material source and configured to print an object with the printing material; and a temperature control system coupled to the printing head and configured to adjust a temperature of the printing material during printing to cause state changes of the printing material resulting in the printing material being one of soluble and insoluble in a solvent.

2 . The additive manufacturing device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a housing defining an interior; a printing bed disposed in the interior and on which the object is printable by the printing head; and a track configured to support the printing head and to move the printing head throughout the interior relative to the printing bed.

3 . The additive manufacturing device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the printing material source is disposed at an exterior of the housing, and the additive manufacturing device further comprises a supply system by which the printing head is coupled to the printing material source for reception of the printing material.

4 . The additive manufacturing device according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature control system comprises heating and cooling elements disposed in operable proximity to the printing head.

5 . An additive manufacturing method, comprising:
printing an object with printing material; and adjusting a temperature of the printing material during the printing to cause state changes of the printing material resulting in the printing material being one of soluble and insoluble in a solvent.

6 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 5 , wherein the printing material comprises plastic and optionally a bonding agent.

7 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 5 , wherein:
the printing of the object comprises printing succeeding layers of the object, and each succeeding layer comprises one of:
only the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent;
only the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent; and
a combination of the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent and the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent.

8 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 7 , wherein:
the printing of each succeeding layer comprising only the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent comprises setting the temperature of the printing material at a temperature at which the printing material is soluble in the solvent, and the printing of each succeeding layer comprising only the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent comprises setting the temperature of the printing material at a temperature at which the printing material is insoluble in the solvent.

9 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 7 , wherein:
the printing of each succeeding layer comprising the combination of the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent and the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent comprises increasing a temperature of the printing material at soluble-to-insoluble printing material transitions, and the printing of each succeeding layer comprising the combination of the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent and the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent comprises decreasing a temperature of the printing material at insoluble-to-soluble printing material transitions.

10 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 9 , wherein:
the printing of each succeeding layer comprising the combination of the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent and the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent comprises ceasing the printing during the increasing of the temperature of the printing material at the soluble-to-insoluble printing material transitions, and the printing of each succeeding layer comprising the combination of the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent and the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent comprises ceasing the printing during the decreasing of the temperature of the printing material at the insoluble-to-soluble printing material transitions.

11 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 7 , the printing of each succeeding layer comprising the combination of the printing material in a state in which it is soluble in the solvent and the printing material in a state in which it is insoluble in the solvent comprises executing the printing such that numbers of soluble-to-insoluble printing material transitions and of insoluble-to-soluble printing material transitions are below predefined limits.

12 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 5 , further comprising bathing the object in the solvent.

13 . An additive manufacturing method, comprising:
mixing first and second materials to produce printing material with a melting temperature, the first material being insoluble in a solvent and having a first vaporizing temperature and the second material being soluble in the solvent and having a second vaporizing temperature lower than the first vaporizing temperature and higher than the melting temperature; printing first portions of an object by dispensing the printing material at first dispensing temperatures exceeding the melting temperature and being lower than the second vaporizing temperature; and printing second portions of the object by dispensing the printing material at second dispensing temperatures exceeding the second vaporizing temperature and being lower than the first vaporizing temperature.

14 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 13 , wherein the first material comprises plastic and the second material comprises a bonding agent.

15 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 13 , wherein:
the printing of the first and second portions of the object comprises printing succeeding layers of the object, and each succeeding layer comprises one of:
only sub-portions of the first portions;
only sub-portions of the second portions; and
combinations of the sub-portions of the first portions and the sub-portions of the second portions.

16 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 15 , wherein:
the printing of each succeeding layer comprising only the sub-portions of the first portions comprises setting the dispensing of the printing material at the first dispensing temperatures, and the printing of each succeeding layer comprising only the sub-portions of the second portions comprises setting the dispensing of the printing material at the second dispensing temperatures.

17 . The additive manufacturing method according to claim 15 , wherein:
the printing of each succeeding layer comprising the combinations of the sub-portions of the first portions and the sub-portions of the second portions comprises increasing a temperature at which the printing material is dispensed at transitions from the sub-portions of the first portions to the sub-portions of the second portions, and the printing of each succeeding layer comprising the combinations of the sub-portions of the first portions and the sub-portions of the second port

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Hicks Andrew
• Pedrone Miles C
• Garrett Tynan J
• Lyons Michael Peter

Classifications

• B29C64/118

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

• B29C64/106

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

• B29C64/209 Primary

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title