Injection molding in a fluid supported additively manufactured mold
Assignee3D Systems, Inc.
InventorPatrick Dunne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A manufacturing system includes an additive manufacturing (AM) system and a fluid supported molding system. The AM system is configured to produce a plastic mold. The fluid supported molding system includes a pressure vessel surrounding a pressure chamber. The pressure vessel is configured to contain a fluid surrounding the mold. The fluid supported molding system also includes a mold material injector configured to inject a mold material into the mold. During the injection of mold material into the mold, the fluid surrounding the mold is configured to resist defection of an outer surface of the mold.
Claims19
A method of manufacturing an article comprising:
- additively manufacturing a mold having an outer wall;
- loading the mold into a pressure chamber;
- coupling the mold to a material injector;
- filling the pressure chamber with a support fluid, the support fluid contacts the outer wall of the mold;
- and
- operating the material injector to inject a material into the mold, the support fluid resisting deflection of the outer wall of the mold into the chamber.
A method of manufacturing an article comprising:
- additively manufacturing a mold having an outer wall;
- loading the mold into a pressure chamber;
- sealing the pressure chamber;
- injecting a material into the mold with a mold material injection pressure;
- and
- concurrent with injecting the material into the mold, injecting a support fluid into the pressure chamber with a support pressure that offsets and balances the mold material injection pressure.
A method of manufacturing an article comprising:
- operating an additive manufacturing system to fabricate a hollow mold;
- loading the mold into a pressure chamber;
- sealing the pressure chamber from an outside atmosphere;
- coupling an injection molding system to the hollow mold;
- filling the pressure chamber with a support fluid;
- and
- operating the injection molding system to inject a hot liquid material into the mold with an injection pressure, the support fluid offsetting the injection pressure exerted by the hot liquid material upon inside surfaces of the mold.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.