Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US20110074065A1/en
Timestamp: 2018-02-17 21:39:31
Document Index: 20978185

Matched Legal Cases: ['Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61', 'Application No. 61']

US20110074065A1 - Ribbon liquefier for use in extrusion-based digital manufacturing systems - Google Patents
Ribbon liquefier for use in extrusion-based digital manufacturing systems
US20110074065A1
US20110074065A1 US12612329 US61232909A US2011074065A1 US 20110074065 A1 US20110074065 A1 US 20110074065A1 US 12612329 US12612329 US 12612329 US 61232909 A US61232909 A US 61232909A US 2011074065 A1 US2011074065 A1 US 2011074065A1
US12612329
US8439665B2 (en )
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,068, filed on Sep. 30, 2009, and entitled “Ribbon Liquefier For Use In Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems”.
Reference is hereby made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date, and entitled “Non-Cylindrical Filament For Use In Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems” (attorney docket no. S697.12-0157), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,067, filed on Sep. 30, 2009.
Reference is also hereby made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date, and entitled “Consumable Materials Having Topographical Surface Patterns For Use In Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems” (attorney docket no. S697.12-0158), which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,078, filed on Sep. 30, 2009.
Extrusion head 18 is supported by gantry 16 for building 3D model 24 and support structure 26 on platen 14 in a layer-by-layer manner, based on signals provided from controller 30. Extrusion head 18 includes subassemblies 30 and 32, each of which desirably includes a ribbon liquefier of the present disclosure. Accordingly, subassembly 30 is configured to receive and melt successive portions of a modeling material ribbon filament with a first ribbon liquefier (not shown in FIG. 1), and subassembly 32 is configured to receive and melt successive portions of a support material ribbon filament with a second ribbon liquefier (not shown in FIG. 1).
The modeling material ribbon filament may be provided to subassembly 30 from supply source 20 through pathway 34. Similarly, the support material ribbon filament may be provided to subassembly 32 from supply source 22 through pathway 36. System 10 may also include additional drive mechanisms (not shown) configured to assist in feeding the ribbon filaments from supply sources 20 and 22 to subassemblies 30 and 32. Supply sources 20 and 22 are sources (e.g., spooled containers) for the modeling and support ribbon filaments, and are desirably retained at a remote location from build chamber 12. Suitable assemblies for supply sources 20 and 22 are disclosed in Swanson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,923,634; Comb et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,122,246; and Taatjes et al, U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/255,808 and 12/255,811.
Thermal block 40 is a heat transfer component that extends around at least a portion of ribbon liquefier 38 and is configured to conduct heat to ribbon liquefier 38 and the received ribbon filament 44. Examples of suitable heat transfer components for thermal block 40 include those disclosed in Swanson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,124; Comb, U.S. Pat. No. 6,547,995; LaBossiere et al., U.S. Publication No. 2007/0228590; and Batchelder et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/150,669. In alternative embodiments, thermal block 40 may be replaced with a variety of different heat transfer components that generate thermal gradients along longitudinal axis 46.
Drive mechanism 42 includes support plate 54, base block 56, and pulley 58, where pulley 58 is rotatably secured between support plate 54 and base block 56. Support plate 54 and base block 56 are support components of drive mechanism 42, and one or both of support plate 54 and base block 56 may be secured to extrusion head 18 (shown in FIG. 1). Pulley 58 is a rotatable component that drives successive portions of ribbon filament 44 through ribbon liquefier 38 with the use of an internally-threaded surface (not shown in FIG. 2). Examples of suitable filament drive mechanisms for drive mechanism 42 include those disclosed in Batchelder et al., U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/150,667 and 12/150,669.
The cross-sectional profiles of ribbon liquefier 38 and ribbon filament 44 allow ribbon filament 44 to be melted and extruded from extrusion head 18 with reduced response times compared to cylindrical filaments and liquefiers. As discussed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,067; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date, and entitled “Non-Cylindrical Filament For Use In Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems” (attorney docket no. S697.12-0157), it is believed that the cross-sectional profiles of ribbon liquefier 38 and ribbon filament 44 effectively remove the core that is associated with a cylindrical filament having a circular cross-section. This allows ribbon filament 44 to be melted and extruded from extrusion head 18 with reduced response times, which can correspondingly increase process efficiencies in system 10 for building 3D model 24 and/or support structure 26.
Suitable dimensions for heated length 78 to exist, between port 76 and bottom end 50 (referred to as length 82), may vary depending on the heat transfer properties of thermal block 40, the thickness and material of outer tube 66, and the thickness, material, and drive rate of ribbon filament 44. Examples of suitable lengths for length 82 range from about 13 millimeters (about 0.5 inch) to about 130 millimeters (about 5.0 inches), with particularly suitable lengths 88 ranging from about 25 millimeters (about 1.0 inch) to about 51 millimeters (about 2.0 inches).
Core tube 68 is a core portion of ribbon liquefier 38 and is disposed within outer tube 66 between top end 48 and bottom end 50. As shown, core tube 68 includes exterior surface 84, which is exposed at port 76. While shown as a hollow tube, a variety of alternative core portions may be used in lieu of core tube 68, such as non-hollow, filled core portions. These embodiments may be beneficial to strengthen the lateral support for ribbon filament 44 when engaged with drive mechanism 40. Nonetheless, the use of a hollow tube (e.g., core tube 68) for the core portion is beneficial for reducing the weight of ribbon liquefier 38, and may allow electrical and/or thermal components to be retained therein. For example, one or more additional heat transfer components (not shown) may be secured within core tube 68 to assist thermal block 40 in generating a thermal gradient along longitudinal axis 46. In these embodiments, core tube 68 desirably has a wall thickness that is sufficient to support ribbon filament 44 when engaged with drive mechanism 42 (e.g., at least about 0.25 millimeters (about 0.01 inches)). Furthermore, as discussed above for outer tube 66, core tube 68 may also be replaced with tubes having different cross-sectional geometries.
As discussed above, the aspect ratios of ribbon liquefier 38 and ribbon filament 44 may be selected to effectively removing a core that is associated with a filament feedstock having a circular cross-section. This allows the ribbon liquefier 38 to attain reduced response times compared to cylindrical liquefiers having the same volumetric flow rates. In particular, as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,067; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date, and entitled “Non-Cylindrical Filament For Use In Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems” (attorney docket no. S697.12-0157), high aspect ratios are particularly suitable for reducing response rates. Accordingly, examples of suitable aspect ratios of the width of channel 72 to channel thickness 88 include aspect ratios of about 2:1 or greater.
FIG. 6 is a side view of ribbon liquefier 38 in use with pulley 58 of drive mechanism 42 (shown in FIG. 2) for melting and extruding material of ribbon filament 44 to build 3D model 24 (or alternatively support structure 26, shown in FIG. 1). Thermal block 40, and support plate 54 and base block 56 of drive mechanism 42 are omitted in FIG. 6 for ease of discussion. As shown, pulley 58 includes inner surface 98, which is the internally-threaded surface of pulley 58 and is engaged with ribbon filament 44 at port 76. Examples of suitable internally-threaded surfaces for inner surface 98 are disclosed in Batchelder et al., U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 12/150,667 and 12/150,669.
Ribbon filament 44 may be manufactured from a variety of extrudable modeling and support materials for respectively building 3D model 24 and support structure 26 (shown in FIG. 1). Suitable modeling materials for ribbon filament 44 include polymeric and metallic materials. In some embodiments, suitable modeling materials include materials having amorphous properties, such as thermoplastic materials, amorphous metallic materials, and combinations thereof. Examples of suitable thermoplastic materials for ribbon filament 34 include acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) copolymers, polycarbonates, polysulfones, polyethersulfones, polyphenylsulfones, polyetherimides, amorphous polyamides, modified variations thereof (e.g., ABS-M30 copolymers), polystyrene, and blends thereof. Examples of suitable amorphous metallic materials include those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/417,740.
Suitable support materials for ribbon filament 44 include materials having amorphous properties (e.g., thermoplastic materials) and that are desirably removable from the corresponding modeling materials after 3D model 24 and support structure 26 are built. Examples of suitable support materials for ribbon filament 44 include water-soluble support materials commercially available under the trade designations “WATERWORKS” and “SOLUBLE SUPPORTS” from Stratasys, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN; break-away support materials commercially available under the trade designation “BASS” from Stratasys, Inc., Eden Prairie, MN, and those disclosed in Crump et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,503,785; Lombardi et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,070,107 and 6,228,923; Priedeman et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,403; and Hopkins et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/508,725.
Additional examples of suitable ribbon filament for ribbon filament 44 and suitable techniques for manufacturing ribbon filament 44 include those disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,067; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date, and entitled “Non-Cylindrical Filament For Use In Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems” (attorney docket no. S697.12-0157); and ribbon filaments having topographical surface patterns as disclosed in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/247,078; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, filed on even date, and entitled “Consumable Materials Having Topographical Surface Patterns For Use In Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems” (attorney docket no. S697.12-0158).
FIGS. 9 and 10 illustrate examples of suitable alternative ribbon liquefiers to ribbon liquefier 28 (shown in FIGS. 2-7), where the above-discussed embodiments are equally applicable to the following examples. As shown in FIG. 9, ribbon liquefier 138 is a first alternative to ribbon liquefier 38, where the corresponding reference labels are increased by “100”. In this embodiment, the inlet region and port corresponding to inlet region 64 and port 76 are omitted. Instead, core tube 168 extends beyond outer tube 166 and shim component 170 at top end 148. In this embodiment, a drive mechanism (e.g., drive mechanism 42) may engage ribbon filament 44 at outer surface 184 of core tube 168, above channel 172. This allows the drive mechanism to drive successive portions of ribbon filament 44 into channel 172 while outer surface 184 functions as a lateral backing support for ribbon filament 44 in the same manner as discussed above for ribbon liquefier 38.
In an alternative embodiment, shim component 170 may also extend upward with core tube 168. In additional alternative embodiments, one or more of outer tube 166, core tube 168, and shim component 170 may include a strain gauge, as discussed in Batchelder et al., U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/150,669. This is beneficial for monitoring the loads applied to outer tube 166, core tube 168, and/or shim component 170 during operation in system 10.
1. A ribbon liquefier for use in an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system having a drive mechanism and a heat transfer component, the ribbon liquefier comprising:
an outer liquefier portion configured to receive thermal energy from the heat transfer component; and
a channel at least partially defined by the outer liquefier portion, the channel having dimensions that are configured to receive a ribbon filament, wherein the ribbon liquefier is configured to melt the ribbon filament received in the channel to at least an extrudable state with the received thermal energy to provide a melt flow, and wherein the dimensions of the slot are further configured to conform the melt flow from an axially-asymmetric flow to a substantially axially-symmetric flow in an extrusion tip connected to the ribbon liquefier.
2. The ribbon liquefier of claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the channel define an arcuate cross-section.
3. The ribbon liquefier of claim 1, wherein the dimensions of the channel define a cross section having a width and a thickness, wherein an aspect ratio of the width to the thickness is about 2:1 or greater.
4. The ribbon liquefier of claim 3, wherein aspect ratio of the width to the thickness ranges from 2.5:1 to about 20:1.
5. The ribbon liquefier of claim 1, wherein the outer liquefier portion comprises a port that is configured to provide access for the drive mechanism to engage with the ribbon filament received in the channel.
6. The ribbon liquefier of claim 1, and further comprising a core portion disposed within the outer liquefier portion and also partially defining the channel, the core portion being configured to provide backing support to the ribbon filament when the drive mechanism is engaged with the ribbon filament.
7. The ribbon liquefier of claim 6, and further comprising a shim component disposed between the outer liquefier portion and the core portion, the shim component defining a gap that further defines the channel.
8. A ribbon liquefier for use in an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system having a drive mechanism and a heat transfer component, the ribbon liquefier comprising:
an outer tube having an exterior surface and an interior surface, wherein the exterior surface of the outer tube is configured to engage with the heat transfer component;
a core portion disposed within the outer tube and having an exterior surface; and
a shim component disposed between the outer tube and the core portion, the shim component having a gap that extends along a longitudinal length of the shim component, wherein the gap defines a channel between the interior surface of the outer tube and the exterior surface of the core portion, the channel having dimensions that are configured to receive a ribbon filament, and wherein the exterior surface of the core portion is configured to provide backing support to the ribbon filament when the drive mechanism is engaged with the ribbon filament.
9. The ribbon liquefier of claim 8, wherein the dimensions of the channel define an arcuate cross-section.
10. The ribbon liquefier of claim 9, wherein the arcuate cross-section has an arcuate width that extends at an angle from a radially-concentric point, wherein the angle ranges from about 30 degrees to about 180 degrees.
11. The ribbon liquefier of claim 10, wherein the angle ranges from about 45 degrees to about 130 degrees.
12. The ribbon liquefier of claim 8, wherein the outer tube comprises a port that is configured to provide access for the drive mechanism to engage with the ribbon filament received in the channel.
13. The ribbon liquefier of claim 12, wherein the port is substantially aligned with the channel.
14. The ribbon liquefier of claim 8, wherein the core portion comprises a core tube.
driving a ribbon filament through a channel of a ribbon liquefier, the ribbon liquefier further comprising an outer liquefier portion that at least partially defines the channel;
melting the ribbon filament in the channel to at least an extrudable state to provide a melt flow, wherein the dimensions of the channel conform the melt flow to an axially-asymmetric flow; and
extruding the melt flow from an extrusion tip of the ribbon liquefier, wherein the melt flow has a substantially axially-symmetric flow in the extrusion tip.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the dimensions of the channel define an arcuate cross-section.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein the dimensions of the channel define a cross section having a width and a thickness, wherein an aspect ratio of the width to the thickness is about 2:1 or greater.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein aspect ratio of the width to the thickness ranges from 2.5:1 to about 20:1.
19. The method of claim 15, wherein the outer liquefier portion comprises a port, and wherein the method further comprises engaging a drive mechanism with the ribbon filament received within the channel at the port.
20. The method of claim 15, wherein melting the ribbon filament in the channel comprises diffusing thermal energy into the ribbon filament, wherein at least about 65% of the thermal energy is diffused only in one dimension.
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Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BATCHELDER, J. SAMUEL;SWANSON, WILIAM J.;CRUMP, S. SCOTT;SIGNING DATES FROM 20091023 TO 20091103;REEL/FRAME:023469/0852