# US 10,766,241 B2 · Systems and methods for additive manufacturing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,766,241 B2 - Document ID: US10766241B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/356,420 - Filed: 2016-11-18 - Published: 2018-05-24 - Granted: 2020-09-08 - Earliest claimed: 2016-11-18 - Assignees: The Boeing Company - Applicants: The Boeing Company - Inventors: Mark Stewart Wilenski; Michael Patrick Kozar; Nick Shadbeh Evans; Faraón Torres - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10766241B2 ## CPC - B29C 35/0805: {using electromagnetic radiation} - B29C 35/0866: {using particle radiation} - B29C 64/106: using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material - B29C 64/135: the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources - B29C 64/20: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B29C 64/264: Arrangements for irradiation - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - 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 ## Abstract Systems for additive manufacturing comprise a delivery guide configured to dispense a curable material to additively manufacture a part in sequential layers of the curable material, and a source of curing energy configured to direct the curing energy to a discrete region of the curable material forward of or at a location where a subsequent layer of the curable material is dispensed from the delivery guide against a preceding layer of the curable material to cure together the subsequent layer and the preceding layer. Methods of additively manufacturing comprise dispensing a subsequent layer of a curable material against a preceding layer of the curable material, and concurrently with the dispensing, directing curing energy to a discrete region of the curable material to cure together the subsequent layer and the preceding layer. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of additively manufacturing, the method comprising: dispensing a subsequent layer of a curable material against a preceding layer of the curable material; and concurrently with the dispensing, directing curing energy to a discrete region of the curable material to cure together the subsequent layer and the preceding layer, wherein the discrete region consists of a forward side of the curable material as the curable material is being dispensed to define the subsequent layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the discrete region spans an entire width of a respective layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the discrete region spans less than an entire width of a respective layer. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the curing energy comprises an energy beam. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the dispensing comprises dispensing from a delivery guide and moving the delivery guide; and wherein the directing comprises directing the curing energy from a source that is operatively coupled relative to the delivery guide and moves with the delivery guide. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the source precedes the delivery guide as the delivery guide moves. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The method of claim 5, wherein the source is operatively coupled relative to the delivery guide and rotates about the delivery guide as the delivery guide changes direction of movement. ### Claim 8 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein the dispensing comprises dispensing from a delivery guide and moving the delivery guide; wherein the directing comprises directing the energy beam from a source that is stationary relative to the delivery guide; and wherein the directing the energy beam comprises directing the energy beam from the source to the discrete region with a mirror-positioning system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein the curable material comprises photoinitiators that facilitate dark reactions, such that the directing curing energy results in propagation of curing from the discrete region to the preceding layer. ### Claim 10 A method of additively manufacturing, the method comprising: dispensing a subsequent length of a curable material against a preceding length of the curable material; and concurrently with the dispensing, directing curing energy only to a middle region of the curable material to cure together the subsequent length and the preceding length, wherein the middle region spans less than an entire width of a respective length; wherein the curable material comprises photoinitiators that facilitate dark reactions, such that the directing curing energy results in propagation of curing from the middle region to edge regions of the respective length to co-cure the edge regions of the respective length with an abutted adjacent length of the curable material. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the middle region consists of an exposed side of the preceding length directly forward of the subsequent length as the subsequent length is being dispensed. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the middle region consists of a forward side of the curable material as the curable material is being dispensed to define the subsequent length. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the middle region consists of an exposed side of the preceding length directly forward of the subsequent length as the subsequent length is being dispensed and a forward side of the curable material as the curable material is being dispensed to define the subsequent length. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the curing energy comprises an energy beam. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The method of claim 14, wherein the dispensing comprises dispensing from a delivery guide and moving the delivery guide; wherein the directing comprises directing the energy beam from a source that is stationary relative to the delivery guide; and wherein the directing the energy beam comprises directing the energy beam from the source to the middle region with a mirror-positioning system. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The method of claim 10, wherein the dispensing comprises dispensing from a delivery guide and moving the delivery guide; and wherein the directing comprises directing the curing energy from a source that is operatively coupled relative to the delivery guide and moves with the delivery guide. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the source precedes the delivery guide as the delivery guide moves. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the source is operatively coupled relative to the delivery guide and rotates about the delivery guide as the delivery guide changes direction of movement. ### Claim 19 A method of additively manufacturing, the method comprising: dispensing a subsequent length of a curable material against a preceding length of the curable material; and concurrently with the dispensing, directing curing energy to a discrete region of the curable material to cure together the subsequent length and the preceding length, wherein an intensity of the curing energy varies across an entire width of a respective length of the curable material according to a Gaussian distribution such that the intensity of the curing energy is greater at a middle region of the respective length than at edge regions of the respective length and resulting in the edge regions of the respective length co-curing with an abutted adjacent length of the curable material. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the intensity of the curing energy varies in time along a length of the length. ### Claim 21 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the discrete region consists of an exposed side of the preceding length directly forward of the subsequent length as the subsequent length is being dispensed. ### Claim 22 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the discrete region consists of a forward side of the curable material as the curable material is being dispensed to define the subsequent length. ### Claim 23 (depends on 19) The method of claim 19, wherein the discrete region consists of an exposed side of the preceding length directly forward of the subsequent length as the subsequent length is being dispensed and a forward side of the curable material as the curable material is being dispensed to define the subsequent length.