US 10,766,195 B2 · Additive manufacturing fiber composites and related systems and methods

Abstract

Additive manufacturing fiber composites comprise a bundle of elongate fibers and a matrix material that holds or encompasses the elongate fibers of the additive manufacturing fiber tow. The matrix material includes an energy-emissive dopant that emits a curing energy in response to receiving an activating energy. The curing energy effects curing of the solidifiable matrix material so that it solidifies to a rigid or semi-rigid matrix material. Methods of additively manufacturing an article include dispensing an additive manufacturing fiber tow, a solidifiable matrix material, and an energy-emissive dopant to form a solidifiable composite, and applying the activating energy to the energy-emissive dopant to activate the energy-emissive dopant to emit the curing energy. Systems to additively manufacturing an article may be configured to employ such additive manufacturing fiber composites and/or methods.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method of additively manufacturing an article, comprising:

dispensing an additive manufacturing fiber tow, a photopolymer matrix material, and an energy-emissive dopant, wherein the energy-emissive dopant emits a curing energy in response to receiving an activating energy, and the curing energy effects curing of the photopolymer matrix material;
and
applying the activating energy to the energy-emissive dopant to activate the energy-emissive dopant to emit the curing energy, wherein the activating energy is different than the curing energy and penetrates the additive manufacturing fiber tow.

A method of additively manufacturing an article, comprising:

dispensing a solidifiable elongate additive manufacturing fiber composite comprising a photopolvmer matrix material, an additive manufacturing fiber tow within the photopolvmer matrix material, a first distribution of a first energy-emissive dopant within the photopolvmer matrix material, and a second distribution of a second energy-emissive dopant within the photopolvmer matrix material, wherein the first energy-emissive dopant and the second energy-emissive dopant emit a curing energy in response to receiving an activating energy, wherein the curing energy effects curing of the photopolvmer matrix material, wherein the activating energy is different than the curing energy and penetrates the additive manufacturing fiber tow, and wherein the first energy-emissive dopant and the second energy-emissive dopant emit the curing energy at different rates;
and
applying the activating energy to the first energy-emissive dopant and to the second energy-emissive dopant to activate the first energy-emissive dopant and the second energy-emissive dopant to emit the curing energy.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

15/726,283Filed 5 Oct 2017

Published

US 2019/0105832 A111 Apr 2019

Granted

8 Sep 2020

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

B29C 64/291
Arrangements for irradiation: for operating globally, e.g. together with selectively applied activators or inhibitors
B29C 35/0805
By wave energy or particle radiation: using electromagnetic radiation
B29C 64/118
Using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material: using filamentary material being melted, e.g.…
B29C 64/129
Using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified: characterised by the energy source therefor, e.g. by global irradiation combined with a mask

Additive manufacturing fiber composites and related systems and methods

Life of this patent

Additive manufacturing fiber composites and related systems and methods

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20