Patent ID: 11911965
Assignee: NORTHROP GRUMMAN SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 16:
17. A continuous filament additive manufacturing machine for building a part by laying down a continuous mono-filament or continuous composite filament material layer by layer on a tool or substrate, said machine comprising:
a robot operable to move in at least three degrees of freedom; and
a placement module coupled to the robot and being configured to deposit the filament material, said placement module including a guide for guiding the material to the part, an infrared heater coupled to a leading side of the module configured and positioned for pre-heating the substrate and the incoming material as it is being deposited from the placement module, a compaction device coupled to a following side of the module configured and positioned for compacting the material as it is being deposited from the placement module and a following device for holding a consolidation of the material as it is solidifying, said compaction device including an ultrasonic horn that is ultrasonically vibrated to melt or flow the material and cause the material to fuse and be compacted to the tool or substrate, said placement module further including a non-circular chilled skid that helps compact and cool the material as it is being deposited.