Patent ID: 11857735
Assignee: MEDTRONIC, INC.
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC A  B | IPC A  B

Claim 0:
1. An additive manufacturing system comprising:
a heating cartridge extending from a proximal side to a distal side and comprising a substrate inlet port at the proximal side and a substrate outlet port at the distal side, the heating cartridge defining an interior volume and a substrate channel extending through the interior volume from the proximal side to the distal side, wherein the heating cartridge defines a first filament port in fluid communication with the interior volume to receive the first filament and a second filament port in fluid communication with the interior volume to receive the second filament, wherein the first and second filament ports separately access the substrate channel; a heating element thermally coupled to the heating cartridge to heat the interior volume; a filament handling system comprising one or more motors to feed at least a first filament through the first filament port and a second filament through the second filament port into the interior volume; a substrate handling system comprising:
a head stock comprising a distal clamp to secure a distal portion of an elongate substrate, wherein the elongate substrate is positioned to pass through the substrate channel along a longitudinal direction when secured by the head stock; and
one or more motors to translate or rotate one or both of the elongate substrate when secured by the head stock and the heating cartridge relative to one another; and
a controller operably coupled to the heating element, one or more motors of the filament handling system, and one or more motors of the substrate handling system, the controller for controlling rheological flow of the first and second filament materials being deposited and configured to:
control the one or more motors of the filament handling system to selectively control the feeding of the first filament and the second filament into the interior volume; activate the heating element to melt any portion of the first filament or the second filament in the interior volume; control one or more motors of the substrate handling system to move one or both of the elongate substrate and the heating cartridge relative to one another in a longitudinal direction to form an elongate catheter jacket around the elongate substrate, wherein the catheter jacket comprises material from at least the first filament and the second filament; control one or more motors of the substrate handling system to move one or both of the elongate substrate and the heating cartridge relative to one another in a rotational direction about the longitudinal direction such that the first and second filaments create discrete rings; and the system further comprising one or more concentricity guides longitudinally spaced from the heating cartridge and disposed to facilitate adjustments to the concentricity of the catheter jacket around the elongate substrate.