Removable cassette for 3D printers
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsJames Elmer Abbott, Jr., David A. Champion, Chris Paul Schodin
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In example implementations, an apparatus includes a housing, a movable base, a tab portion and a coupling mechanism. The housing is comprised of a microwave transparent material. The movable base is coupled to the housing to receive build material that is digitally printed. The tab portion is coupled to a bottom portion of at least one wall of the housing. The tab portion stops the movable base. The coupling mechanism is coupled to the housing to removably attach the apparatus to a three dimensional printer.
Claims20
An additive manufacturing system, comprising:
- a three-dimensional printer comprising:
- a removable cassette to receive a number of stacked layers of build material;
- a build material dispenser and spreader to form each layer of build material in the removable cassette;
- a liquid functional material (LFM) dispenser to digitally print LFM on portions of each layer of build material in the removable cassette;
- and
- a controller programmed to control the build material dispenser and spreader and the LFM dispenser to repeatedly form layers of build material and digitally print LFM into portions of each layer without applying energy to the LFM to define a structure in layers of build material in the removable cassette;
- and
- a separate furnace to receive the removable cassette when the removable cassette is removed from the three-dimensional printer, the furnace for curing the portions of the layers of build material that are digitally printed with LFM to form a specified object in the removable cassette.
An additive manufacturing system, comprising:
- a three-dimensional printer comprising:
- a removable cassette to receive a number of stacked layers of build material;
- a build material dispenser and spreader to form each layer of build material in the removable cassette;
- a liquid functional material (LFM) dispenser to digitally print LFM on portions of each layer of build material in the removable cassette;
- and
- a controller programmed to control the build material dispenser and spreader and the LFM dispenser to repeatedly form a layer of build material and digitally print LFM into portions of that layer to form the number of stacked layers of build material, the controller to form the number of stacked layers without applying a curing energy to the LFM, wherein the three-dimensional printer lacks an energy source to cure build material that has received LFM;
- and
- a separate furnace to receive the removable cassette when the removable cassette is removed from the three-dimensional printer, the furnace to apply heat or energy to the stacked layers of build material for curing the portions of the layers of build material that are digitally printed with LFM to form a specified object in the removable cassette.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.