# US 10,870,149 B2 · Material melting device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,870,149 B2 - Document ID: US10870149B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/300,591 - Filed: 2017-05-12 - Published: 2019-07-04 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-05-13 - Assignees: Marna Engineering AS - Applicants: Marna Engineering AS - Inventors: Daniel Oftedal - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10870149B2 ## CPC - B29C 48/02: Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders - B22F 10/22: Direct deposition of molten metal - B22F 12/10: Auxiliary heating means - B22F 12/20: Cooling means - B22F 12/53: Nozzles - B29C 48/05: Filamentary, e.g. strands - B29C 48/266: {Means for allowing relative movements between the apparatus parts, e.g. for twisting the extruded article or for moving the die along a surface to be coated} - B29C 48/797: Cooling - B29C 48/83: {Heating or cooling the cylinders} - B29C 48/865: {Heating} - B29C 64/106: using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - C03B 19/01: by progressive fusion {or sintering} of powdered glass onto a shaping substrate, i.e. accretion {, e.g. plasma oxidation deposition (making fibre preforms C03B37/01291)} - B29C 64/209: Heads; Nozzles - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - Y02P 10/25: Process efficiency - 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) - B22F: WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER (making alloys by powder metallurgy C22C); APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER - 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 - C03B: MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A material melting device (10) for melting a work material, and discharge of the melted work material, is described. The material melting device (10) comprises a cold part (12) and a hot part (30), and a work material duct (22) for supplying said work material. The work material duct (22) extends at least partially through the cold part (12) to a melting chamber (33) arranged in the hot part (30). The hot part (30) comprises a nozzle duct (34) extending from the melting chamber (33) to a nozzle opening (35) such that melted work material can be flowed from the melting chamber (33) and discharged from the nozzle opening (35). The melting chamber (33) has a cross-sectional area which is larger than the cross-sectional area of the work material duct (22). ## Claims ### Claim 1 Material melting device for melting a work material and discharge of the melted work material, which material melting device comprises: a cold part and a hot part comprising a head part, a work material duct for feeding of said work material, which work material duct extends at least partially through the cold part to a melting chamber which is arranged in the hot part, wherein the hot part comprises a nozzle duct extending from the melting chamber to a nozzle opening such that melted work material can be flowed from the melting chamber and discharged from the nozzle opening, and which melting chamber has a cross sectional area which is larger than the cross-sectional area of the work material duct, and wherein the cold part comprises a sealing element through which the work material duct extends, the sealing element abutting the head part at a contact area which has an area that is sufficiently large for the contact area to be self-sealing and leakage of molten work material is avoided, wherein the cold part further comprises a cooling sleeve which at least partially is made from a thermally conducting material and which comprises a through-going opening through which the work material duct extends, the cooling sleeve being cooled by a cooling element, and wherein the cooling sleeve is arranged movable relative the cooling element in the longitudinal direction of the material melting device in order to take up thermal expansion of the head part in the same longitudinal direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the melting chamber is so much larger than the cross-sectional area of the work material duct that melted work material in the melting chamber is capable of flowing around unmelted work material which is being fed into the melting chamber. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional area of the melting chamber is at least 1.2 times larger than the cross-sectional area of the work material duct. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein the work material duct in the cold part empties into the melting chamber in the hot part. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein the hot part comprises a head part, in that the melting chamber and nozzle duct are arranged in the head part, which head part is heated by a heating element. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein a sealing element is provided in the through-going opening of the cooling sleeve, and that the work material duct extends through the sealing element. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling element comprises one or more cooling ducts for through-flow of a cooling fluid. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling sleeve is spring biased such that the cooling sleeve is pressed against the head part. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8) Material melting device according to one of the claims 1-5 or 8 wherein a sleeve element is provided in the through going opening of the cooling sleeve which extends at least along a section of the through going opening, and that the work material duct extends through the sleeve element. ### Claim 10 (depends on 5) Material melting device according to claim 5, wherein the heating element is formed with at least one holding element for support of the head part in the radial direction of the head part, the at least one holding element at least partially surrounding the head part in the circumferential direction of the head part and being resilient in the radial direction of the head part in order to take up thermal expansion of the head part. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) Material melting device according to claim 7, wherein at least one holding element is formed with a material having an electric resistance for production of heat in the at least one holding element for melting of the work material thread in the melting chamber. ### Claim 12 (depends on 5) Material melting device according to claim 5, wherein the heating element comprises two or more holding elements that are distributed about the head part in the circumferential direction of the head part. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) Material melting device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one holding element has a loop form and is formed with a thickness making the loop element resilient in the radial direction of the head part. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) Material melting device according to claim 8, wherein the cross-sectional area of the at least one holding element is reduced relative the rest of the heating element for increased electric resistance and heat production in the at least one holding element relative the rest of the heating element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 5) Material melting device according to claim 5, wherein the heating element is completely, or at least partially, made from graphite. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein except for the contact area, there are no points of contact between the cold part and the warm part. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) Material melting device according to claim 1, wherein the material melting device comprises at least one insulating element comprising a thermally insulating material, which insulating material is arranged between the hot part and the cold part such that the hot part is thermally isolated from the cold part.