Methods and system for mixing and dispensing viscous materials for the creation of additive structures
AssigneeNIKE, Inc.
InventorsSami Fakhouri, Askim Senyurt
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Various methods and systems are provided for mixing and dispensing viscous materials for the creation of additive structures. As one example, during a mixing and dispensing operation of a multi-dimensional printing apparatus, one or more liquids may flow into a mixing chamber via one or more material inlets arranged in a wall of the mixing chamber below a high pressure bearing of a mixing rod positioned within the mixing chamber; and movement of a mixing rod positioned within the mixing chamber is adjusted based on an operating condition of the printing apparatus.
Claims20
A method, comprising:
- during a mixing and dispensing operation with a mixing and dispensing head of a multi-dimensional printing apparatus, adjusting linear movement of a mixing rod positioned within a mixing chamber of the mixing and dispensing head, at least along a central axis of the mixing chamber, based on an operating condition of the printing apparatus.
A mixing and dispensing head for additive manufacturing, comprising:
- a mixing chamber including at least one material inlet arranged in a wall of the mixing chamber;
- and
- a mixing rod positioned within the mixing chamber and adapted to rotate around a central axis and move linearly along the central axis during mixing and dispensing with the mixing and dispensing head.
A system, comprising:
- a mixing and dispensing head, comprising:
- a mixing chamber including at least one material inlet;
- and
- a mixing rod positioned within the mixing chamber and adapted to rotate and move linearly along a central axis;
- a first pump coupled to a first material inlet of the at least one material inlet;
- and
- a controller with computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory that when executed during operation of the mixing and dispensing head, cause the controller to:
- move the mixing rod linearly along the central axis to a linear position that is determined based on a first operation amount of the first pump while rotating the mixing rod around the central axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.