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

Claim 0:
1. 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 system operable to move in at least three degrees of freedom; and
a placement module coupled to the system and being configured to deposit the continuous filament material, said placement module including a guide for guiding the material to the part, a pre-heat source configured and positioned for heating the filament material before and as it is being deposited from the placement module and at least one compaction device configured and positioned for compacting the material as it is being deposited from the placement module, said at least one compaction device including at least one 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, wherein the placement module further includes a chilled skid that helps compact and cool the material as it is being deposited, said chilled skid being non-circular, and wherein the pre-heat source is mounted to a leading side of the placement module and the pre-heat source is an induction heater.