# US 10,864,680 B2 · Method for fabricating integrated heat pipes via additive manufacturing

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- Number: US 10,864,680 B2
- Document ID: US10864680B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/189,749
- Filed: 2018-11-13
- Published: 2020-05-14
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2018-11-13
- Assignees: BAE Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
- Applicants: Bae Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.
- Inventors: Geoffrey K. Torrington; Michael J. Shaw; Michael P. Mitchell; Timothy Whalen
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864680B2

## CPC

- B29C 64/393: for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
- B29C 64/386: Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
- F28D 15/046: {characterised by the material or the construction of the capillary structure}
- F28F 7/00: Elements not covered by group F28F1/00, F28F3/00 or F28F5/00
- G06F 30/17: Mechanical parametric or variational design
- H05K 7/20336: {Heat pipes, e.g. wicks or capillary pumps}
- 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 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- F28F 2255/00: Heat exchanger elements made of materials having special features or resulting from particular manufacturing processes
- F28F 2255/18: sintered
- G06F 2113/10: Additive manufacturing, e.g. three-dimensional [3D] printing
- G06F 2119/08: Thermal analysis or thermal optimisation
- 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)
- F28D: HEAT-EXCHANGE APPARATUS, NOT PROVIDED FOR IN ANOTHER SUBCLASS, IN WHICH THE HEAT-EXCHANGE MEDIA DO NOT COME INTO DIRECT CONTACT (fluid heaters having heat generating means and heat transferring means F24H; furnaces F27; details of heat-exchange apparatus of general)
- F28F: DETAILS OF HEAT-EXCHANGE AND HEAT-TRANSFER APPARATUS, OF GENERAL APPLICATION (water and air traps, air venting F16)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- H05K: PRINTED CIRCUITS; CASINGS OR CONSTRUCTIONAL DETAILS OF ELECTRIC APPARATUS; MANUFACTURE OF ASSEMBLAGES OF ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS
- 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

A method for fabricating an integrated heat pipe is disclosed. The integrated heat pipe includes a porous wick structure, a solid conducting structure, and an integrated part. In a CAD model, the porous wick structure is represented as a simple solid having a finite amount of mechanical interference; the solid conducting structure and the integrated part are represented as simple solids. After incorporating the CAD model into a 3D-printer build file, 3D-printer parameters representing the porous wick structure of the integrated heat pipe are assigned to a porous region component model within the 3D-printer build file, and standard 3D-printer parameters representing the solid conducting structure and the integrated part are assigned to a solid region component model within the 3D-printer build file. The 3D-printer build file is utilized to print the integrated heat pipe on a 3D printer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for fabricating an integrated heat pipe, said method comprising:
providing a computer-aided design (CAD) model of a thermal management structure with an integrated heat pipe, wherein said integrated heat pipe includes a porous wick structure, a solid conducting structure, and an overlapping region, wherein said overlapping region includes both said porous wick structure and said solid conducting structure;
representing said porous wick structure in said CAD model as a first simple solid;
representing said solid conducting structure in said CAD model as a second simple solid;
representing said overlapping region in said CAD model as a volume which includes both said porous wick structure and said solid conducting structure;
incorporating said CAD model to a 3D-printer build file;
assigning a plurality of customizable 3D-printer parameters representing said porous wick structure of said integrated heat pipe to a porous region component model within said 3D-printer build file;
assigning standard default 3D-printer parameters representing said solid conducting structure and said overlapping region to a solid region component model within said 3D-printer build file; and
printing said integrated heat pipe on a 3D printer using said 3D-printer build file.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes providing a finish on said integrated heat pipe.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said method further includes filling and sealing said integrated heat pipe.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said printing is performed at a location away from where said CAD model is provided.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said CAD model is represented as an inseparable assembly of multiple individual solid component models.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said overlapping region provides adhesion between said solid conducting structure and said porous wick structure.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, wherein said porous wick structure is modeled as said first simple solid instead of a geometry of a micro wick structure.

### Claim 8

An apparatus for fabricating an integrated heat pipe, said apparatus comprising:
a data processor system having
a computer-aided design (CAD) model of an integrated heat pipe, wherein said integrated heat pipe includes a porous wick structure, a solid conducting structure, and an overlapping region, wherein said overlapping region includes said porous wick structure and said solid conducting structure;
a modeling engine wherein
said porous wick structure is represented in said CAD model as a first simple solid; and
said solid conducting structure is represented in said CAD model as a second simple solid; and
a processor
incorporates said CAD model to a 3D-printer build file;
assigns a plurality of 3D-printer parameters representing said porous wick structure of said integrated heat pipe to a porous region component model within said 3D-printer build file;
assigns standard 3D-printer parameters representing said solid conducting structure and said overlapping region to a solid region component model within said 3D-printer build file; and
a 3D printer for printing said integrated heat pipe using said 3D-printer build file.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said CAD model is represented as an inseparable assembly of multiple individual solid component models.

### Claim 10 (depends on 8)

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said 3D printer is located away from said processor.

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said overlapping region provides adhesion between said solid conducting structure and said porous wick structure.