Methods for fiber reinforced additive manufacturing
AssigneeMarkforged, Inc.
InventorGregory Thomas Mark
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments related to three dimensional printers, and reinforced filaments, and their methods of use are described. In one embodiment, a void free reinforced filament is fed into an extrusion nozzle. The reinforced filament includes a core, which may be continuous or semi-continuous, and a matrix material surrounding the core. The reinforced filament is heated to a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the matrix material and less than a melting temperature of the core prior to extruding the filament from the extrusion nozzle.
Claims21
-20. (canceled)
A three-dimensional printer for additive manufacturing of a part, comprising:
- a build plate configured to support the part;
- a tray configured to contain a photopolymer resin;
- a printhead including a nozzle configured to deposit a continuous or semi-continuous core filament within a layer of the photopolymer resin;
- a motorized feeding mechanism configured to drive the continuous or semi-continuous core filament through the nozzle;
- a motorized printhead transport mechanism configured to relatively move the printhead and the build plate;
- a source of electromagnetic radiation configured to generate electromagnetic radiation;
- a controllable mirror configured to direct the electromagnetic radiation generated by the source of electromagnetic radiation;
- and
- a controller operatively connected to the controllable mirror and configured to control the controllable mirror to direct the electromagnetic radiation to a desired location in the layer of photopolymer resin containing the deposited continuous or semi-continuous core filament
A method for additive manufacturing of a part, the method comprising:
- feeding a continuous or semi-continuous core filament into a printhead, wherein the printhead includes a nozzle;
- lowering a build plate by a layer thickness to allow a new layer of photopolymer resin to form on the build plate;
- controlling the nozzle to deposit the continuous or semi-continuous core filament within the new layer of photopolymer resin such that photopolymer resin surrounds the deposited continuous or semi-continuous core filament;
- and
- curing, during a curing process, the photopolymer resin surrounding the deposited continuous or semi-continuous filament by:
- generating electromagnetic radiation from a source of electromagnetic radiation;
- and
- directing the electromagnetic radiation to the photopolymer resin surrounding the deposited continuous or semi-continuous core filament to harden the photopolymer resin surrounding the deposited continuous or semi-continuous core filament.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.