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US 10,232,443 B2Granted
Fused filament fabrication
AssigneeDesktop Metal, Inc.
InventorsJonah Samuel Myerberg, Ricardo Fulop, Michael Andrew Gibson, Anastasios John Hart, Richard Remo Fontana, Christopher Allan Schuh, Yet-Ming Chiang, Matthew David Verminski, Emanuel Michael Sachs, Ricardo Chin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A printer fabricates an object from a computerized model using a fused filament fabrication process. The shape of an extrusion nozzle may be varied during extrusion to control, e.g., an amount of build material deposited, a shape of extrudate exiting the nozzle, a feature resolution, and the like.
Claims24
A method comprising:
- heating a wire form of a build material from a first temperature to a second temperature as the wire form of the build material moves, in a direction toward a first nozzle, along a feed path extending from a source of the wire form of the build material to the first nozzle, the build material including a metal powder dispersed in a binder system;
- at a working temperature greater than the second temperature, extruding the build material through the first nozzle and in a direction toward a build plate, the build material extruded through the first nozzle forming a three-dimensional object on the build plate;
- and
- through a second nozzle, extruding a support material including the metal powder through the second nozzle toward the build plate, the support material forming supports supporting at least a portion of the three-dimensional object on the build plate as the three-dimensional object is formed, wherein a volumetric concentration of the metal powder in the build material is greater than a volumetric concentration of the metal powder in the support material.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.