# US 10,500,829 B2 · Ribbon liquefier and method of use in extrusion-based digital manufacturing systems

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- Number: US 10,500,829 B2
- Document ID: US10500829B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/584,861
- Filed: 2017-05-02
- Published: 2017-08-17
- Granted: 2019-12-10
- Earliest claimed: 2009-09-30
- Assignees: Stratasys, Inc.
- Applicants: Stratasys, Inc.
- Inventors: J. Samuel Batchelder; William J. Swanson; S. Scott Crump
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500829B2

## CPC

- B29C 41/46: Heating or cooling
- B29C 64/106: using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
- B29C 64/118: using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
- B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
- B33Y 50/02: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B33Y 70/00: Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
- B29C 48/05: Filamentary, e.g. strands
- B29C 48/07: Flat, e.g. panels
- B29C 48/2888: {in thread form or in strip form, e.g. rubber strips}
- B29K 2025/00: Use of polymers of vinyl-aromatic compounds {or derivatives thereof} as moulding material
- B29K 2055/02: ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
- B29K 2069/00: Use of PC, i.e. polycarbonates {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material
- B29K 2077/00: Use of {PA, i.e.} polyamides, e.g. polyesteramides {or derivatives thereof}, as moulding material
- B29K 2079/085: {Thermoplastic polyimides, e.g. polyesterimides, PEI, i.e. polyetherimides, or polyamideimides; Derivatives thereof}
- B29K 2081/06: {PSU, i.e. polysulfones; PES, i.e. polyethersulfones or derivatives thereof}
- B29K 2105/0032: {Pigments, colouring agents or opacifiyng agents}
- B29K 2105/0044: {Stabilisers, e.g. against oxydation, light or heat}
- B29K 2105/0067: {Melt}
- B29K 2105/16: Fillers
- B29L 2009/00: Layered products
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00)
- B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
- B29K: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES B29B, B29C OR B29D, RELATING TO MOULDING MATERIALS OR TO MATERIALS FOR {MOULDS, } REINFORCEMENTS, FILLERS OR PREFORMED PARTS, e.g. INSERTS
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES

## Abstract

A ribbon liquefier comprising an outer liquefier portion configured to receive thermal energy from a heat transfer component, and a channel at least partially defined by the outer liquefier portion, where the channel has dimensions that are configured to receive the ribbon filament, and where 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. The dimensions of the channel 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for building a three-dimensional model in an extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
heating a liquefier retained by the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, the liquefier having a non-cylindrical static channel with an inlet end and an outlet end;
feeding a non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel of the heated liquefier;
melting the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel to at least an extrudable state with the heat to provide a molten material;
moving the molten material from the non-cylindrical static channel to an extrusion tip disposed at the outlet end of the channel with a viscosity-pump action of the fed non-cylindrical filament wherein the extrusion tip has a substantially circular cross-section;
extruding the molten material from the extrusion tip; and
depositing the extruded material as a road to form at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional model.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the non-cylindrical static channel comprises a substantially-rectangular cross section substantially perpendicular along an axis extending from the inlet end to the outlet end.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein the substantially-rectangular cross section has a width and a thickness, wherein an aspect ratio of the width to the thickness is about 2:1 or greater.

### Claim 4 (depends on 2)

The method of claim 2, wherein aspect ratio of the width to the thickness ranges from 2.5:1 to about 20:1.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the static channel extends along an axis from the inlet end to the outlet end and has a partial annular cross section perpendicular to the axis.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein feeding the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel comprises driving the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel with a filament drive mechanism.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein the non-cylindrical filament comprises topographical surface patterns.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein melting the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel comprises transferring the heat as thermal energy to the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel in a manner such that at least about 60% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament.

### Claim 9

A method for building a three-dimensional model in an extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing a non-cylindrical filament to an extrusion head retained by the extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, wherein the extrusion head comprises a liquefier tube with a non-cylindrical static channel, a heat transfer component coupled in thermal communication with the liquefier tube, and an extrusion tip having an exit port;
transferring thermal energy from the heat transfer component to at least a portion of the liquefier tube;
feeding the non-cylindrical filament into an inlet end of the non-cylindrical static channel of the liquefier tube;
melting the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel to at least an extrudable state with the transferred thermal energy to provide a molten material;
conforming the molten material to dimensions of the static channel;
moving the molten material to an extrusion tip of the extrusion head with a viscosity-pump action of the fed non-cylindrical filament;
extruding the melt flow from the extrusion tip; and
depositing the extruded material as a road to form at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional model.

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method of claim 9, non-cylindrical static channel comprises a substantially-rectangular cross section substantially perpendicular along an axis extending from the inlet end to the outlet end.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein an aspect ratio of the substantially-rectangular cross section of the static channel is about 2:1 or greater.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein the extrusion head further comprises a filament drive mechanism, and wherein feeding the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel comprises driving the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel with the filament drive mechanism.

### Claim 13 (depends on 11)

The method of claim 11, wherein at least a portion of the non-cylindrical static channel comprises a layer of a fluorinated polymer.

### Claim 14

A method for building a three-dimensional model in an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, the method comprising:
providing thermal energy to a liquefier having a liquefier tube with a non-cylindrical static flow channel extending from an inlet end to an outlet end, the liquefier tube retained by the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system;
feeding successive segments of a non-cylindrical filament from a supply source to the inlet end of the static channel of the liquefier tube, wherein the supply source is spaced from the liquefier;
transferring the provided thermal energy to the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament in the static channel in a manner such that at least about 60% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament to melt the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament to produce a molten material;
moving the molten material from the static channel to an extrusion tip disposed at the outlet end of the static channel with a viscosity-pump action of unmelted segments of the fed non-cylindrical filament;
extruding the molten material from the extrusion tip; and
depositing the extruded material as a road to form at least a portion of a layer of the three-dimensional model.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The method of claim 14, wherein the non-cylindrical static channel comprises a substantially-rectangular cross section substantially perpendicular along an axis extending from the inlet end to the outlet end.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the substantially-rectangular cross section has a width and a thickness, wherein an aspect ratio of the width to the thickness is about 2:1 or greater.

### Claim 17 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein at least about 65% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in the one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The method of claim 17, wherein at least about 70% of the transferred thermal energy diffuses through the non-cylindrical filament in the one cross-sectional dimension of the non-cylindrical filament.

### Claim 19 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein feeding the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel comprises driving the successive segments of the non-cylindrical filament into the inlet end of the static channel with a filament drive mechanism.

### Claim 20 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the static channel extends along an axis from the inlet end to the outlet end and has a partial annular cross section perpendicular to the axis.