Apparatus and process for producing fiber reinforced composite objects

A process for making a composite material-based three-dimensional object comprising:

• (a) introducing a supply of reinforcement fibers and a matrix material into a flow passage of a discharge nozzle on a moveable dispensing head, said nozzle having a dispensing outlet at one end thereof in fluid-flow communication with said flow passage;
• (b) mixing said reinforcement fibers and matrix material to form a continuous preimpregnated tow and dispensing said preimpregnated tow from said dispensing outlet onto a base member positioned in the vicinity of said nozzle, said matrix material being in a predetermined physical state that permits said matrix material to readily solidify after discharge;
• (c) concurrently with the dispensing of said preimpregnated tow onto said base member, mechanically effecting relative movement of said base member and said dispensing head with respect to each other in a predetermined pattern to form a first layer of said preimpregnated tow on said base member;
• and
• (d) displacing said dispensing head a predetermined layer thickness distance from said first layer, and after the portion of said first layer adjacent said nozzle has substantially solidified, dispensing a second layer of said preimpregnated tow onto said first layer from said dispensing outlet while concurrently moving said base member and said dispensing head relative to each other, whereby said second layer solidifies and adheres to said first layer;
• and
• (e) depositing multiple layers of said preimpregnated tow built up on top of each other in multiple passes by repeated dispensing of said preimpregnated tow from said dispensing outlet as said base member and said dispensing head are moved relative to each other, with said dispensing head and said base member being displaced a predetermined distance after each preceding layer is formed, and with the dispensing of each successive layer being controlled to occur after the matrix material in the preceding layer immediately adjacent to said nozzle has substantially solidified.

A process for making a composite material-based three-dimensional object comprising:

• (a) creating a drawing of a three-dimensional object on a computer in a computer-aided design process wherein the drawing comprises a plurality of thin segments which, in combination, define said object;
• (b) generating programmed signals corresponding to each of said segments in a predetermined sequence;
• (c) introducing a supply of reinforcement fibers and a matrix material into a flow passage of a discharge nozzle on a moveable dispensing head, said nozzle having a dispensing outlet at one end thereof in fluid-flow communication with said flow passage;
• (d) mixing said reinforcement fibers and matrix material to form a continuous preimpregnated tow and dispensing said preimpregnated tow from said dispensing outlet onto a base member positioned in the vicinity of said nozzle, said matrix material being in a predetermined physical state such that said material readily solidifies after discharge;
• (e) concurrently with the dispensing of said preimpregnated tow onto said base member, and in response to said programmed signals, mechanically effecting relative movement of said base member and said dispensing head with respect to each other in a predetermined pattern to form a first layer of said preimpregnated tow on said base member;
• and,
• (f) in response to said programmed signals, displacing said dispensing head a predetermined layer thickness distance from said first layer, and after the portion of said first layer adjacent said nozzle has substantially solidified, dispensing a second layer of said preimpregnated tow onto said first layer from said dispensing outlet while concurrently moving said base member and said dispensing head relative to each other, whereby said second layer solidifies and adheres to said first layer;
• and
• (g) again in response to said programmed signals, depositing multiple layers of said preimpregnated tow built up on top of each other in multiple passes by repeated dispensing of said preimpregnated tow from said dispensing outlet as said base member and said dispensing head are moved relative to each other, with said dispensing head and said base member being displaced a predetermined distance after each preceding layer is formed, and with the dispensing of each successive layer being controlled to occur after the matrix material in the preceding layer immediately adjacent to said nozzle has substantially solidified, whereby a three-dimensional object of predetermined design is fabricated substantially layer by layer on said base member.