# US 12,594,712 B2 · Method for producing a three-dimensional object, and device therefor

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- Number: US 12,594,712 B2
- Document ID: US12594712B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/001,975
- Filed: 2021-07-01
- Published: 2023-11-02
- Granted: 2026-04-07
- Earliest claimed: 2020-07-08
- Assignees: Ottobock SE & Co. Kgaa
- Applicants: Ottobock SE & Co. Kgaa
- Inventors: Lars Benjamin Finke
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12594712B2

## CPC

- B29C 64/106: using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
- B29C 64/209: Heads; Nozzles
- B29C 64/241: for rotary motion
- B29C 64/321: Feeding
- B29C 64/40: Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
- B29L 2031/7532: {Artificial members, protheses}
- B33Y 10/00: Processes of additive manufacturing
- B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
- B33Y 80/00: Products made by additive manufacturing
- 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)
- B29L: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASS B29C, RELATING TO PARTICULAR ARTICLES
- 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

## Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a three-dimensional object by means of an additive manufacturing process in which a manufacturing material is fed in a free-flowing state through at least one feed-in opening of at least one feed-in needle into a supporting material and then cured, the feed-in opening being configured in such a way that manufacturing material can be fed through it into the supporting material along a feed-in line, wherein the feed-in needle moves from a starting position to an end position that are so close together that the feed-in needle moves along an at least almost closed path, wherein the course, the extension and/or the length of the feed-in line is selected such that the three-dimensional object is produced with a single revolution of the feed-in needle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method for producing a three-dimensional object by an additive manufacturing process, comprising:
feeding a manufacturing material in a free-flowing state through at least one feed-in opening of at least one feed-in needle into a supporting material, wherein the at least one feed-in opening is configured such that the manufacturing material can be fed through it into the supporting material along a feed-in line:
moving the feed-in needle from a starting position to an end position, wherein the starting position and the end position are so close together that the feed-in needle moves along an at least almost closed path; and
curing the manufacturing material to produce the three-dimensional object, wherein a course, an extension and/or a length of the feed-in line is selected such that the three-dimensional object is produced with a single revolution of the feed-in needle,
wherein at least part of the three-dimensional object comprises an open end and a closed end,
wherein the at least one feed-in needle comprises multiple feed-in openings along the feed-in line,
wherein the at least one feed-in needle comprises the multiple feed-in openings along the feed-in line of a single feed-in needle, and the method further comprises feeding different amounts of manufacturing material per time unit into the support material through the multiple feed-in openings.

### Claim 2

A method for producing a three-dimensional object by an additive manufacturing process, comprising:
feeding a manufacturing material in a free-flowing state through at least one feed-in opening of at least one feed-in needle into a supporting material, wherein the at least one feed-in opening is configured such that the manufacturing material can be fed through it into the supporting material along a feed-in line;
moving the feed-in needle from a starting position to an end position, wherein the starting position and the end position are so close together that the feed-in needle moves along an at least almost closed path; and
curing the manufacturing material to produce the three-dimensional object, wherein a course, an extension and/or a length of the feed-in line is selected such that the three-dimensional object is produced with a single revolution of the feed-in needle,
wherein at least part of the three-dimensional object comprises an open end and a closed end,
wherein the at least one feed-in needle comprises multiple feed-in openings along the feed-in line,
wherein the at least one feed-in needle comprises the multiple feed-in openings along the feed-in line of a single feed-in needle, and the method further comprises feeding different manufacturing materials into the support material through the multiple feed-in openings.

### Claim 3

A method for producing a three-dimensional object by an additive manufacturing process, comprising:
feeding a manufacturing material in a free-flowing state through at least one feed-in opening of at least one feed-in needle into a supporting material, wherein the at least one feed-in opening is configured such that the manufacturing material can be fed through it into the supporting material along a feed-in line;
moving the feed-in needle from a starting position to an end position, wherein the starting position and the end position are so close together that the feed-in needle moves along an at least almost closed path; and
curing the manufacturing material to produce the three-dimensional object, wherein a course, an extension and/or a length of the feed-in line is selected such that the three-dimensional object is produced with a single revolution of the feed-in needle,
wherein at least part of the three-dimensional object comprises an open end and a closed end,
wherein the at least one feed-in opening comprises multiple feed-in openings along the feed-in line of a single feed-in needle, and wherein the multiple feed-in openings are fed independently from each other with the manufacturing material through multiple supply lines.