Three dimensional printer for fiber reinforced composite filament fabrication
AssigneeMarkforged, Inc.
InventorsGregory Thomas Mark, Antoni S. Gozdz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Various embodiments related to three dimensional printers, and reinforced filaments, and their methods of use are described. In one embodiment, a void free reinforced filament is fed into an conduit nozzle. The reinforced filament includes a core, which may be continuous or semi-continuous, and a matrix material surrounding the core. The reinforced filament is heated to a temperature greater than a melting temperature of the matrix material and less than a melting temperature of the core prior to applying the filament from the conduit nozzle.
Claims32
A process for additive manufacturing of a part, comprising:
- guiding multistranded composite filament including one or more axial fiber strands through a conduit within a deposition head, the conduit smoothly and continuously transitioning to a substantially rounded outlet, the substantially rounded outlet having a rounded inner lip in a vertical plane cross-section;
- driving the substantially rounded outlet to flatten the multistranded composite filament against previously deposited portions of the part;
- separating the multistranded composite filament to form an unattached terminal end along a path of the multistranded composite filament at a location proximate to the substantially rounded outlet;
- and
- driving the unattached terminal end of the multistranded composite filament through the conduit to exit the substantially rounded outlet.
A process for additive manufacturing of a part, comprising:
- heating a multistranded filament to a temperature at which a matrix material therein may flow within at least one of a rounded outlet or a print head, the rounded outlet having a rounded inner lip in a vertical plane cross-section;
- moving the print head and a build platen opposite the print head relative to one another in at least three degrees of freedom;
- driving the multistranded filament, and one or more axial fiber strands embedded within, through the print head, using a feeding mechanism;
- moving an unattached terminal end of the multistranded filament through the rounded outlet;
- and
- moving the rounded outlet to flatten the multistranded filament against previously deposited portions of the part.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.