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US 12,318,994 B2Granted
Additive manufacturing techniques and systems to form composite materials
AssigneeOrbital Composites, Inc.
InventorsCole Nielsen-Cole, James Frei, Darrell Stevens
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A support structure of a 3D printer may include a printable surface that receives a heated bead of material and can support one or more extruded layers of material from the 3D printer. The support structure may include at least one inlet adjacent to the printable surface and one or more outlets that exit onto the printable surface. The one or more outlets are hermetically sealed to the inlet. The support structure may also include an injection mechanism operatively coupled to the at least one input.
Claims36
A method comprising:
- forming a composite structure using a 3D printer capable of printing reinforcement structures within the composite structure, wherein forming the composite structure includes 3D printing one or more of the reinforcement structures within the composite structure in a direction that breaks away from the two-dimensional plane associated with successive layers, and wherein the composite structure includes one or more porously accessible voided regions;
- enclosing the composite structure within a mold that includes:
- at least one inlet configured to connect to an injection mechanism, and
- one or more outlets open to the one or more porously accessible voided regions within the composite structure, wherein the one or more outlets are configured to provide fluidic communication with the at least one inlet;
- injecting, via the injection mechanism, a fluidic material through the at least one inlet to fill the one or more porously accessible voided regions within the composite structure;
- and
- removing the filled composite structure from the mold.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- forming a composite structure using a 3D printer capable of printing reinforcement structures within the composite structure, wherein forming the composite structure includes 3D printing one or more of the reinforcement structures within the composite structure in a direction that breaks away from the two-dimensional plane associated with successive layers, and wherein the composite structure includes one or more porously accessible voided regions;
- enclosing the composite structure in a mold that includes at least one inlet, wherein the at least one inlet of the mold is configured to allow fluidic communication with the one or more porously accessible voided regions and an injection mechanism;
- injecting via the injection mechanism, a fluidic material through the at least one inlet of the mold to fill the one or more porously accessible voided regions;
- and
- removing the filled composite structure from the mold.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- forming a composite structure using a 3D printer capable of printing reinforcement structures within the composite structure, wherein forming the composite structure includes 3D printing one or more of the reinforcement structures within the composite structure in a direction that breaks away from the two-dimensional plane associated with successive layers, and wherein the composite structure includes one or more porously accessible voided regions;
- enclosing the composite structure within a mold that includes one or more outlets open to the porously accessible voided regions;
- heating the composite structure or the mold;
- applying pressure to the object composite structure or the mold to fill at least a portion of the one or more porously accessible voided regions, forming a compact composite structure;
- and
- removing the compact composite structure from the mold.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.