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US 10,293,589 B2Granted
System and method for additive fabrication using laminated sheets
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsTy A. Larsen, Emma Romig, Bradley J. Mitchell
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and system for fabricating a part includes sectionalizing a computer-generated representation of a part into strata having an order, forming layers corresponding to the strata from sheet material, stacking at least two of the layers in the order, and joining the layers together. The method and system are suitable for producing a phase-change material container for a thermal energy harvesting device, for example.
Claims20
A system for fabricating a part, comprising:
- a controller, comprising a processor and system memory, provided with software for generating a parametric model of a sectionalized three-dimensional part;
- a first bulk source of sheet material;
- a first forming device, associated with the controller and configured to produce layers of the sectionalized three-dimensional part from sheet material;
- a first feeding device, configured to feed the sheet material from the first bulk source to the first forming device;
- a second bulk source of bonding medium, the bonding medium comprising a first bonding agent and a second bonding agent;
- a second forming device, associated with the controller and configured to produce bonding layers from the bonding medium;
- a second feeding device, configured to feed the bonding medium from the second bulk source to the second forming device;
- a robotic arm, configured to retrieve the layers of the sectionalized three-dimensional part from the first forming device, to retrieve the bonding layers from the second forming device, to stack and align the layers in a stacking order and to position at least one of the bonding layers between the layers in the stacking order, the first bonding agent temporarily joining the layers;
- and
- a joining device, configured to permanently join the layers in a stack to produce the part by activating the second bonding agent in the bonding layers and at least partially removing the first bonding agent from the bonding layers.
7 more elements
A system for fabricating a part, comprising:
- a first intermediate storage location, configured to store templates of a bonding medium, the bonding medium comprising a first bonding agent and a second bonding agent;
- a second intermediate storage location, configured to store layers of a sectionalized three-dimensional part, formed from sheet material;
- a robotic tool, configured to stack and align the layers of the sectionalized three-dimensional part, formed from the sheet material, in a stacking order and to position the templates of the bonding medium between the layers, the first bonding agent temporarily joining the layers;
- and
- a joining device, configured to permanently join the layers in a stack to produce the part by activating the second bonding agent.
2 more elements
A system for fabricating a part, the system comprising:
- a controller, comprising a processor and system memory, provided with software for generating a parametric model of a sectionalized three-dimensional part;
- a first bulk source of sheet material;
- a first forming device, associated with the controller and configured to produce layers of the sectionalized three-dimensional part from the sheet material;
- a first feeding device, configured to feed the sheet material from the first bulk source to the first forming device;
- a first intermediate storage location, configured to receive the layers of the sectionalized three-dimensional part, produced by the first forming device;
- a second bulk source of bonding medium, the bonding medium comprising a first bonding agent and a second bonding agent;
- a second forming device, associated with the controller and configured to produce bonding layers from the bonding medium;
- a second feeding device, configured to feed the bonding medium from the second bulk source to the second forming device;
- a second intermediate storage location, configured to receive the bonding layers, produced by the second forming device;
- a robotic arm, configured to retrieve the layers of the sectionalized three-dimensional part from the first intermediate storage location, to retrieve the bonding layers from the second intermediate storage location, to stack and align the layers in a stacking order, and to position at least one of the bonding layers between adjacent ones of the layers in the stacking order, the first bonding agent temporarily joining the layers;
- and
- a joining device, configured to permanently join the layers in a stack to produce the part by activating the second bonding agent in the bonding layers and at least partially removing the first bonding agent from the bonding layers.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.