Variable Width Deposition for Additive Manufacturing with Orientable Nozzle
OwnerRandall F. Lind, Brian K. Post +5inventors
InventorsRandall F. Lind, Brian K. Post, Lonnie J. Love, Peter D. Lloyd, Charles Lynn Carnal, Craig A. Blue, Vlastimil Kunc
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Abstract
An additive manufacturing machine includes a nozzle assembly with a noncircular, rotatable outlet. The nozzle assembly deposits a bead of material having a width that is defined by the angular orientation of the noncircular shaped outlet with respect to the material deposition path direction. The combination of high material deposition rate and fine resolution save time and energy while also producing high-quality parts.
Claims17
1) A nozzle assembly for varying the width of a bead of material that is being deposited along a modified material deposition path with an additive manufacturing machine comprising:
- a stationary hollow member for attaching the nozzle assembly to a raw material delivery system of the additive manufacturing machine, said stationary hollow member extending about a central longitudinal axis and defining an inlet for accepting the raw material and an outlet disposed downstream of the inlet;
- a rotatable hollow member extending about the central longitudinal axis and defining an inlet for accepting material from the outlet of said stationary hollow member and a downstream rotatable outlet that is noncircular shaped for depositing the bead of material from the nozzle;
- and
- a driver for rotating said rotatable hollow body about its longitudinal axis and in relation to said stationary hollow member so that the width of the bead of material that is deposited is defined by the angular orientation of the noncircular shaped outlet with respect to the modified material deposition path direction as the nozzle assembly traverses along the modified material deposition path.
8) A method for varying the width of a bead of material that is being deposited with an additive manufacturing machine comprising the steps of:
- a) providing a nozzle assembly having a stationary hollow member for attaching the nozzle assembly to a raw material delivery system of the additive manufacturing machine, said stationary hollow member extending about a central longitudinal axis and defining an inlet for accepting raw material and an outlet;
- a rotatable hollow member extending about the central longitudinal axis and defining an inlet for accepting material from the outlet of said stationary hollow member and a rotatable outlet that is noncircular shaped for depositing the bead of material from the nozzle;
- and a driver for rotating said rotatable hollow body about its longitudinal axis and in relation to said stationary hollow member;
- b) traversing said nozzle along a modified material deposition path with the additive manufacturing machine;
- and
- c) rotating said rotatable hollow member about its longitudinal axis and in relation to said stationary hollow member with said driver so that the width of the bead of material that is deposited by the nozzle assembly is defined by the angular orientation of the noncircular shaped outlet with respect to the modified material deposition path direction.
14) An additive manufacturing machine comprising:
- a material delivery system;
- a nozzle assembly disposed downstream of said material delivery system, said nozzle assembly having an outlet that is noncircular shaped and the width of a bead of material that is deposited by the outlet is defined by the angular orientation of the noncircular shaped outlet with respect to a modified material deposition path direction that the nozzle assembly is traversing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.