Automated additive manufacturing system for printing three-dimensional parts, printing farm thereof, and method of use thereof
AssigneeStratasys, Inc.
InventorsWilliam J. Swanson, Dominic F. Mannella, Joseph E. LaBossiere, Michael W. Hansen, Saurav Upadhyaya, Ronald G. Schloesser
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An additive manufacturing system comprising a platen assembly configured to restrain and release a film, a head gantry configured to retain a print head for printing a three-dimensional part on the restrained film, and a removal assembly configured to draw the film having the printed three-dimensional part from the platen assembly and to cut the drawn film.
Claims20
An additive manufacturing system comprising:
- a platen gantry;
- a platen assembly comprising:
- a platform portion configured to be operably retained by the platen gantry, and having a surface;
- a retention bracket biased towards the platform portion and configured to engage the surface of the platform portion for restraining a film therebetween, and to disengage from the surface to release the film;
- a head gantry configured to retain a print head for printing a three-dimensional part on the restrained film;
- and
- a removal assembly configured to draw the film having the printed three-dimensional part from the platen assembly.
An additive manufacturing system comprising:
- a platen assembly configured to restrain and release a film;
- a head gantry configured to retain a print head for printing three-dimensional parts onto the restrained film;
- a removal assembly configured to draw the released film having the printed three-dimensional parts;
- and
- a mechanism for retaining a supply of the film, wherein the mechanism is not retained by the platen assembly.
A method for printing a three-dimensional part with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
- restraining a segment of a film against a surface of a platen assembly;
- printing the three-dimensional part on the restrained film segment;
- releasing the film segment having the printed three-dimensional part;
- drawing the released film segment having the printed three-dimensional part from the platen assembly to a removal assembly;
- and
- cutting the drawn film segment having the printed three-dimensional part to separate the film segment from a subsequent segment of the film.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.