# US 12,005,639 B2 · 3D printer for the additive manufacture of a component, and printing method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,005,639 B2 - Document ID: US12005639B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/761,884 - Filed: 2021-01-21 - Published: 2022-10-20 - Granted: 2024-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2020-01-29 - Assignees: TDK Electronics Co., Ltd. - Applicants: TDK Electronics AG - Inventors: Thomas Lenzen; Reinhard Neureiter; Christoph Recher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12005639B2 ## CPC - B29C 64/124: using layers of liquid which are selectively solidified - B29C 64/165: using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber - B22F 10/12: by photopolymerisation, e.g. stereolithography [SLA] or digital light processing [DLP] - B22F 10/73: of powder - B22F 12/224: {for motion along a direction within the plane of a layer} - B29C 64/194: during lay-up - B29C 64/205: Means for applying layers - B29C 64/223: Foils or films, e.g. for transferring layers of building material from one working station to another - B29C 64/232: for motion along the axis orthogonal to the plane of a layer - B29C 64/236: for motion in a direction within the plane of a layer - B29C 64/245: Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) - B29C 64/264: Arrangements for irradiation - B29C 64/35: Cleaning - B29C 64/357: Recycling - B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B33Y 40/00: Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling - B33Y 70/10: Composites of different types of material, e.g. mixtures of ceramics and polymers or mixtures of metals and biomaterials - B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing - B22F 12/50: Means for feeding of material, e.g. heads - B22F 12/67: Blades - B22F 2999/00: Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy - 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 - Y02P: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS ## Abstract A 3D printer for additively manufacturing a multilayer component. The 3D printer includes at least two separate dispensers coating a conveyor belt with respectively different raw material, a manufacturing unit in which at least part of the raw material is added to the component as a new layer, at least two separate recovery devices for selectively recovering the respectively different raw material, which is not consumed when a layer is added to the component, and for returning the raw material to the respective associated dispenser, and conveyor belt that transports the raw material from the dispenser to the manufacturing unit and further to the recovery device in the lateral direction. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A 3D printer for additive manufacturing of a multilayer component, comprising: at least two separate dispensers coating a conveyor belt with different raw materials, a first dispenser being associated with a first raw material, a second dispenser being associated with a second raw material; a manufacturing unit in which at least part of the raw material is added to the multilayer component from the conveyer belt as a new layer; and at least two separate recovery devices, a first recovery device for selectively recovering, from above the conveyer belt and laterally adjacent to the manufacturing unit, the first raw material which is not consumed when a layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the first raw material to the first dispenser, a second recovery device for selectively recovering, from above the conveyer belt and laterally adjacent to the manufacturing unit, the second raw material which is not consumed when a layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the second raw material to the second dispenser; and wherein the conveyor belt transports the first and second raw materials from the at least two separate dispensers to the manufacturing unit and further to the recovery devices in a lateral direction. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein the conveyor belt comprises a radiation permeable foil moved by rotating rollers. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A 3D printer according to claim 2, wherein the radiation permeable foil can be circulated in a circuit and can thus be coated again. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second raw materials comprises a paste comprising a ceramic, a metallic, or an organic powder with a photopolymerizable organic binder. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second dispensers comprises a device for storing the raw material and a coating device for coating the conveyor belt with the raw material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) A 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein the manufacturing unit comprises: a work surface over which the conveyor belt is guided and which comprises a window which is radiation permeable, a radiation source arranged below the window so that the raw material on the conveyor belt can be radiated and cured through the window and the conveyor belt, a building plate, to the underside of which the component adheres, which is arranged above the work surface parallel thereto, and a positioning system that can raise and lower the building plate normal to the work surface and is configured to adjust the distance between the component and the conveyor belt. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein the manufacturing unit comprises at least two cleaning devices for cleaning the component from the respective associated raw material. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) A 3D printer according to claim 7, wherein the cleaning devices can be moved laterally along the surface of the component by a drive system. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) A 3D printer according to claim 7, wherein a return device is provided for each of the cleaning devices, and wherein each return device comprises a conveying device for returning the recovered raw material to the respective associated dispenser. ### Claim 10 A 3D printer for additive manufacturing of a multilayer component, comprising: a conveyer belt that is made of a radiation permeable material, the conveyer belt having a first side and a second side opposing the first side; at least first and second separate dispensers for dispensing a first raw material and a second raw material onto the first side of the conveyer belt, the first dispenser being associated with the first raw material, the second dispenser being associated with the second raw material; a manufacturing unit having a radiation source arranged to radiate energy toward the second side of the conveyer belt and through the conveyer belt, the radiation source for curing, by use of the energy transferred through the conveyer belt, the first raw material and the second raw material to create new layers of the multilayer component; and at least first and second recovery devices, the first recovery device for selectively recovering, from above the first side of the conveyer belt and laterally adjacent to the manufacturing unit, the first raw material which is not consumed when a new layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the first raw material to the first dispenser, the second recovery device for selectively recovering, from above the first side of the conveyer belt and laterally adjacent to the manufacturing unit, the second raw material which is not consumed when a new layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the second raw material to the second dispenser; and wherein the conveyor belt transports the first and second raw materials from the first and second dispensers to the manufacturing unit and then to the first and second recovery devices. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) A 3D printer according to claim 10, wherein the radiation permeable material of the conveyor belt is a radiation permeable foil that is moved by rotating rollers. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A 3D printer according to claim 11, wherein the radiation permeable foil can be circulated in a circuit-type arrangement and can thus be repeatedly coated. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) A 3D printer according to claim 10, wherein each of the first and second raw materials comprises a paste that includes at least one of a ceramic, a metallic, or an organic powder. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A 3D printer according to claim 10, wherein each of the first and second dispensers comprises a device for storing the raw material and a coating device that coats the conveyor belt with the raw material. ### Claim 15 (depends on 10) A 3D printer according to claim 10, wherein the conveyor belt transports the first and second raw materials from the first and second dispensers to the manufacturing unit in a lateral direction. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) A 3D printer according to claim 10, wherein the manufacturing unit comprises at least two cleaning devices for cleaning the component from the respective associated raw material. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A 3D printer according to claim 16, wherein a return device is provided for each of the cleaning devices, and wherein a first return device comprises a first conveying device for returning the recovered first raw material to the first dispenser device, and wherein a second return device comprises a second conveying device for returning the recovered second raw material to the second dispenser device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 10) A 3D printer according to claim 10, further including a first return device comprising a first conveying device for returning an unused portion of the first raw material that is cleaned from the multilayer component to the first dispenser device, and a second return device comprising a second conveying device for returning an unused portion of the second raw material that is cleaned from the multilayer component to the second dispenser device. ### Claim 19 A 3D printer for additive manufacturing of a multilayer component, comprising: at least two separate dispensers coating a conveyor belt with different raw materials, a first dispenser being associated with a first raw material, a second dispenser being associated with a second raw material; a manufacturing unit in which at least part of the raw material is added to the multilayer component as a new layer, the manufacturing unit comprises first and second cleaning devices for cleaning the multilayer component from the respective first and second raw materials; first and second return devices associated, respectively, with the first and second cleaning devices, each of the first and second return devices comprising a conveying device for returning the recovered raw material to the respective first and second dispensers; and at least two separate recovery devices, a first recovery device for selectively recovering the first raw material which is not consumed when a layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the first raw material to the first dispenser, a second recovery device for selectively recovering the second raw material which is not consumed when a layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the second raw material to the second dispenser; and wherein the conveyor belt transports the first and second raw materials from the at least two separate dispensers to the manufacturing unit and further to the recovery devices in a lateral direction. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A 3D printer according to claim 19, wherein the first and second cleaning devices can be moved laterally along the surface of the multilayer component by a drive system. ### Claim 21 A 3D printer for additive manufacturing of a multilayer component, comprising: a conveyer belt that is made of a radiation permeable material, the conveyer belt having a first side and a second side opposing the first side; at least first and second separate dispensers for dispensing a first raw material and a second raw material onto the first side of the conveyer belt, the first dispenser being associated with the first raw material, the second dispenser being associated with the second raw material; a manufacturing unit having a radiation source arranged to radiate energy toward the second side of the conveyer belt and through the conveyer belt, the radiation source for curing, by use of the energy transferred through the conveyer belt, the first raw material and the second raw material to create new layers of the multilayer component; and at least first and second recovery devices, the first recovery device for selectively recovering the first raw material which is not consumed when a new layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the first raw material to the first dispenser, the second recovery device for selectively recovering the second raw material which is not consumed when a new layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the second raw material to the second dispenser; wherein the conveyor belt transports the first and second raw materials from the first and second dispensers to the manufacturing unit and then to the first and second recovery devices; and wherein the manufacturing unit comprises at least first and second cleaning devices for cleaning the component from the respective associated raw material, the first cleaning device is provided with a first return device and the second cleaning device is provided with a second return device, the first return device comprises a first conveying device for returning the recovered first raw material to the first dispenser device, the second return device comprises a second conveying device for returning the recovered second raw material to the second dispenser device. ### Claim 22 A 3D printer for additive manufacturing of a multilayer component, comprising: a conveyer belt that is made of a radiation permeable material, the conveyer belt having a first side and a second side opposing the first side; at least first and second separate dispensers for dispensing a first raw material and a second raw material onto the first side of the conveyer belt, the first dispenser being associated with the first raw material, the second dispenser being associated with the second raw material; a manufacturing unit having a radiation source arranged to radiate energy toward the second side of the conveyer belt and through the conveyer belt, the radiation source for curing, by use of the energy transferred through the conveyer belt, the first raw material and the second raw material to create new layers of the multilayer component; and at least first and second recovery devices, the first recovery device for selectively recovering the first raw material which is not consumed when a new layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the first raw material to the first dispenser, the second recovery device for selectively recovering the second raw material which is not consumed when a new layer is added to the multilayer component and for returning the second raw material to the second dispenser; a first return device comprising a first conveying device for returning an unused portion of the first raw material that is cleaned from the multilayer component to the first dispenser device; a second return device comprising a second conveying device for returning an unused portion of the second raw material that is cleaned from the multilayer component to the second dispenser device; and wherein the conveyor belt transports the first and second raw materials from the first and second dispensers to the manufacturing unit and then to the first and second recovery devices.