US 12,502,834 B2 · Multi-stage wash system for vat polymerization-based 3D printed parts

Abstract

The invention is a system for drying, recycling, and washing off residual resin from 3D-printed objects. Some aspects of the invention include a system for recycling solvents used to clean the 3D-printed objects in a washing chamber. The recycling system may include one or more solvent reservoirs that store a solvent for cleaning residual 3D-printing material off of 3D-printed objects, a wash chamber adapted to clean the 3D-printed objects, and a solvent recycling module. The solvent recycling module receives a saturated solvent from the one or more solvent reservoirs, evaporates or condenses the saturated solvent to remove residual 3D-printing material from the saturated solvent, and returns clean solvent to the one or more solvent reservoirs of the system.

Claims19

Dependent claims

A system for recycling solvents used to clean 3D-printed objects, comprising:

one or more solvent reservoirs configured to store a solvent for cleaning residual 3D-printing material off of 3D-printed objects coupled to a platform;
a wash chamber adapted to clean the 3D-printed objects, the wash chamber in fluid communication with the one or more solvent reservoirs configured to receive the solvent from the one or more solvent reservoir;
an enclosure of the wash chamber adapted to receive the platform in a manner such that receiving the platform substantially seals the enclosure;
and
a solvent recycling module in fluid communication with the one or more solvent reservoirs, configured to:
receive a saturated solvent from the one or more solvent reservoirs;
evaporate or condense the saturated solvent to remove residual 3D-printing material from the saturated solvent;
and
return clean solvent to the one or more solvent reservoirs.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application

18/113,544Filed 23 Feb 2023 · continuation in part

Priority

6 Jan 2020

Published

US 2023/0202110 A129 Jun 2023

Granted

23 Dec 2025

Term ends

Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification18 codes

B29C 64/35
Auxiliary operations or equipment: cleaning
B08B 3/006
Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam: cabinets or cupboards specially adapted for cleaning articles by hand
B08B 3/02
Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam: cleaning by the force of jets or sprays
B08B 3/04
Cleaning by methods involving the use or presence of liquid or steam: cleaning involving contact with liquid

Family

Application62/957,645Us provisional application · filed 6 Jan 2020

Application17/142,942Parent of this continuation · filed 6 Jan 2021

Application17/678,996Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 23 Feb 2022

US 11,279,089 B2Parent of this continuation · filed 22 Mar 2022

US 2023/0202110 A1Pre-grant publication · published 29 Jun 2023

US 11,833,756 B2Parent of this continuation-in-part

Application17/678,996Parent of this continuation

US 2021/0206096 A1Published application

US 2022/0176632 A1Published application

US 12,502,834 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Multi-stage wash system for vat polymerization-based 3D printed parts

Life of this patent

Multi-stage wash system for vat polymerization-based 3D printed parts

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims19