Spatial heat treatment of additively manufactured objects
AssigneeEmpire Technology Development LLC
InventorsChristopher J. Rothfuss, Vincenzo Casasanta, III, Michael Keoni Manion
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Abstract
A matrix material dispersed with one or more susceptor structures can be formed into a feedstock for an additive manufacturing process. The one or more susceptor structures can be excited by an energy field such as an electric field, a magnetic field, an electromagnetic field, or any combination thereof, to produce heat. The heat that is produced can be transferred to the matrix material that surrounds the one or more susceptor structures to provide heat treatment to the matrix material. The heat treatment can improve the material and mechanical properties of three dimensional objects formed from the feedstock.
Claims16
A feedstock system for additive manufacturing, the feedstock system comprising:
- a first feedstock, comprising:
- a first matrix material;
- and
- one or more first susceptor structures selectively dispersed in a first portion of the first matrix material, wherein the first matrix material comprises at least one second portion, different from the first portion, without the one or more first susceptor structures;
- and
- a second feedstock, different from the first feedstock, comprising:
- a second matrix material;
- and
- one or more second susceptor structures selectively dispersed in a third portion of the second matrix material, wherein the second matrix material comprises at least one fourth portion, different from the third portion, without the one or more second susceptor structures,
- wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures are configured to be excited when exposed to an energy field, and
- wherein the first or second matrix material further comprises a photo polymerization initiator, a thermal polymerization initiator, or both.
A method of making a three-dimensional object, the method comprising:
- providing a first feedstock comprising a first matrix material, and one or more first susceptor structures dispersed in the first matrix material;
- providing a second feedstock, different from the first feedstock, comprising a second matrix material, and one or more second susceptor structures dispersed in the second matrix material;
- disposing the first and second feedstocks in two or more layers to form the three-dimensional object;
- and
- exposing the three-dimensional object to an energy field to excite the one or more first and second susceptor structures, wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures produce heat when excited by the energy field, and wherein at least a portion of the heat transfers to at least a portion of the first and second matrix materials,
- wherein the first or second matrix material further comprises a photo polymerization initiator, a thermal polymerization initiator, or both.
A method of making a three-dimensional object, the method comprising:
- providing a first feedstock comprising a first matrix material, and one or more first susceptor structures dispersed in the first matrix material;
- providing a second feedstock, different from the first feedstock, comprising a second matrix material, and one or more second susceptor structures dispersed in the second matrix material;
- disposing the first and second feedstocks in two or more layers to form the three-dimensional object;
- and
- exposing the three-dimensional object to an energy field to excite the one or more first and second susceptor structures, wherein the one or more first and second susceptor structures produce heat when excited by the energy field, wherein at least a portion of the heat transfers to at least a portion of the first and second matrix materials,
- wherein the first or second matrix material further comprises a thermal polymerization initiator, and wherein the heat produced by the one or more first and second susceptor structures activates the thermal polymerization initiator.
A three-dimensional object, comprising:
- a first component comprising a first matrix material, and one or more first susceptor structures selectively disposed in at least one first region of the first matrix material, wherein the first matrix material comprises at least a second region, different from the at least one first region, without the one or more first susceptor structures, wherein the one or more first susceptor structures are configured to be excited by an energy field, and wherein the first matrix material further comprises a photo polymerization initiator, a thermal polymerization initiator, or both.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.