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US 12,649,270 B2Granted
Systems and methods with lattice structures for connecting materials during molding
AssigneeGM Global Technology Operations LLC
InventorsStanley Tong, Daniel Peter Schuller
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Systems and methods for manufacturing a product include at least one fabricating system to create a substrate with a lattice structure. A form receives the substrate. The form defines a cavity around the substrate. A forming system delivers a material into the cavity of the form so that the material flows into the lattice structure interweaving the material with the substrate to create a feature on the substrate from the material that is locked to the substrate by the lattice structure.
Claims17
A system for manufacturing a product, comprising:
- a substrate that includes a first segment that includes a lattice structure and a second segment that does not include the lattice structure, wherein the substrate comprises a material configured to be printed;
- at least one fabricating system configured to create the substrate with the lattice structure, wherein the first segment of the substrate defines a surface that extends completely around the first segment and that is configured to present a bonding area, and wherein the lattice structure is formed at the surface in an entirety of the surface by structural members;
- a form, configured to receive the substrate, the form defining a cavity around the lattice structure of the substrate and the form defining a seat that receives and holds the substrate at the second segment with the substrate in a disposition so that the lattice structure extends into the cavity;
- and
- a forming system configured to deliver the material into the cavity of the form, so that the material flows into the lattice structure interweaving the material with the substrate to create a feature on the substrate from the material that is locked to the substrate at the bonding area by the lattice structure, with elements of the material filling voids between the structural members,
- wherein the forming system is configured to deliver the material to form the feature on the substrate, wherein the feature surrounds the surface and is bonded to the surface by the lattice structure,
- wherein the elements are larger in cross section than the structural members to manage stress on the material,
- wherein the lattice structure is configured so that forces applied between the substrate and the feature are distributed to the structural members and the elements providing shear and tensile strength in retaining the feature in place relative to the substrate,
- wherein the lattice structure comprises a series of cells, wherein each cell is formed by the structural members that connect at nodes and that define open spaces as the voids between the structural members, wherein the open spaces include flow areas for the material to move through the series of cells, wherein the flow areas have sizes that increase as the material moves through the lattice structure to reduce the amount of heat loss through the form and increase the flow areas as the material moves through the lattice structure, meaning downstream areas of the open spaces are larger than upstream areas of the open spaces in the series of cells.
6 more elements
A method for manufacturing a product, comprising:
- fabricating, by at least one fabricating system, a substrate with a lattice structure, the substrate including a first segment that includes the lattice structure and a second segment that does not include the lattice structure, wherein the substrate comprises a material configured to be printed, wherein the first segment of the substrate defines a surface that extends completely around the first segment and that is configured to present a bonding area, and wherein the lattice structure is formed at the surface in an entirety of the surface by structural members;
- fabricating the lattice structure as a series of cells, wherein each cell includes the structural members that connect at nodes and that define open spaces between the structural members;
- forming the open spaces to include flow areas for the material to move through the series of cells, and forming the flow areas have sizes that increase as the material moves through the lattice structure, reducing the amount of heat loss through the form and increasing the flow areas as the material moves through the lattice structure, meaning downstream areas of the open spaces are larger than upstream areas of the open spaces in the series of cells;
- receiving the substrate in a form, the form defining a cavity around the lattice structure of substrate, the form defining a seat that receives and holds the substrate at the second segment with the substrate in a disposition so that the lattice structure extends into the cavity;
- delivering, by a forming system, the material into the cavity of the form, including flowing the material into the lattice structure, interweaving the material with the substrate to create a feature on the substrate from the material, and locking the material to the substrate by the lattice structure at the bonding area;
- delivering, by the forming system, the material to form the feature on the substrate, with the feature surrounding the surface and bonding to the surface by the lattice structure, structure;
- providing elements of the lattice structure with larger cross sections than the structural members to manage stress on the material;
- and
- forming the lattice structure so that forces applied between the substrate and the feature are distributed to the structural members and the elements, providing shear and tensile strength in retaining the feature in place relative to the substrate.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.