Digital manufacturing with amorphous metallic alloys
AssigneeStratasys, Inc.
InventorJohn Samuel Batchelder
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for building a three-dimensional object in a layer-by-layer manner, the method comprising heating a build chamber of a digital manufacturing system, feeding a solid feedstock of a modeling material comprising an amorphous metallic alloy to a liquefier assembly of the digital manufacturing system, heating the modeling material of the solid feedstock in the liquefier assembly to an extrudable state, and depositing the heated modeling material within the heated build chamber in a predetermined pattern to form the three-dimensional object.
Claims14
A method for building a three-dimensional object in a layer-by-layer manner with an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system having a build chamber, the method comprising:
- providing a supply source to the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system at a remote location from the build chamber, the supply source comprising a modeling material, wherein the modeling material comprises an amorphous metallic alloy having a melting temperature, a glass transition temperature less than about 450° C., a creep relaxation temperature, and a solidification temperature, wherein the difference between the glass transition temperature and the melting temperature is at least about 20° C., and wherein the modeling material has a wire geometry formed from a reheated and shaped solid material of the amorphous metallic alloy;
- heating the build chamber of the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system to one or more temperatures within a window ranging from the solidification temperature and the creep relaxation temperature of the modeling material;
- feeding the modeling material from the supply source disposed at the remote location from the build chamber, through a portion of the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, and to a liquefier assembly retained by the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system;
- heating the modeling material of the solid feedstock in the liquefier assembly to an extrudable state;
- and
- depositing the heated modeling material within the heated build chamber in a predetermined pattern to form the three-dimensional object.
A method for building a three-dimensional object in a layer-by-layer manner with an extrusion-based digital manufacturing system having a build chamber, the method comprising:
- providing a first container to the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system at a remote location from the build chamber, wherein the first container has a modeling material that comprises an amorphous metallic alloy and has a melting temperature, a glass transition temperature less than about 450° C., a creep relaxation temperature, and a solidification temperature, wherein the difference between the glass transition temperature and the melting temperature is at least about 20° C. and wherein the modeling material has a wire geometry formed from a reheated and shaped solid material of the amorphous metallic alloy;
- providing a second container to the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, wherein the second container has a filament of support material that comprises a thermoplastic material and has a creep relaxation temperature and a solidification temperature, and wherein a difference between the creep relaxation temperatures of the modeling material and the support material is less than about 30° C.;
- heating the build chamber of the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system to one or more temperatures within a window ranging from the solidification temperature and the creep relaxation temperature of the modeling material;
- feeding the modeling material from the first container disposed at the remote location from the build chamber, through a portion of the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system, and to an extrusion head retained by the extrusion-based digital manufacturing system;
- plastic-metal extruding the modeling material from the extrusion head in a first predetermined pattern within the heated build chamber to form the three-dimensional object;
- feeding the support material from the second container to the extrusion head;
- and
- thermoplastic extruding the support material from the extrusion head in a second predetermined pattern within the heated build chamber to form a support structure for the three-dimensional object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.