LU93303B1

LU93303B1 - Build material with varying profile for manufacturing 3D objects

Info

Publication number: LU93303B1
Application number: LU93303A
Authority: LU
Inventors: Michael Alan Mcgee
Original assignee: Michael Alan Mcgee
Priority date: 2016-11-14
Filing date: 2016-11-14
Publication date: 2018-06-07

Abstract

A build material for forming a 3D object using a 3D forming apparatus, wherein the build material has a varying profile, wherein the build material profile dimensions are obtained from an electronic file of the 3D object to be formed, wherein the build material profile allows rapid production of 3D objects by a 3D printing or forming apparatus. (Fig. 11) 93303

Description

Build material with varying profile for manufacturing 3D objects

Field of the Invention

The present invention concerns a ribbon shaped build material with a varying profile for use with a 3D manufacturing apparatus; as well as products obtainable using such a build material; and 3D manufactured products.

Background

In an additive manufacturing three-dimensional systems hereby referred to as 3D printing, an object can be formed from a digital model by laying down or forming successive layers of a material that accumulate to provide the desired object.

The term 3D printer may refer to FFM (fused filament manufacturing) using an extruded material usually a thermoplastic.

Certain manufacturing techniques render each layer as a single, continuous path of a material, typically completing a layer of the object in an x-y plane and then moving to a next z position (or height) for each subsequent layer. The path height and width are usually specified by the user at the time of preparing the 3D object for printing. The required path height and width are entered into a program typically known as slicing software and the software generates a set of instructions known as a sliced file which direct the printer where and how to form each layer or slice of material. A layer is completed using multiple paths of extruded material which combine to form each layer.

One of the largest drawbacks of 3D printing is that a 3D object can require several hours or even days of printing time to complete a large 3D object. This is because the filament is usually on the scale of 1.5 to 3.5 mm in diameter and the layers of print material are a fraction of a mm in height. There thus remains a desire in the art for fast 3D object manufacturing. The present invention concerns such a desire.

Brief Summary of the Invention

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention a build material is prepared wherein the build material has a varying profile which is uniquely suited to produce a specific 3D object.

The build material varying profile is obtained from an electronic file of the 3D object to be formed. This could comprise the steps of:

Entering an electronic 3D object file into a program designed to slice the 3D object into predetermined layer thicknesses based upon the dimensions of the raw build product used as the build material. Each layer thickness would have a unique varying profile which would be calculated by the program. That unique varying profile would then be formed onto the surface of the 3D build material ribbon. The profile could be cut, pressed, forged or ground into the build material.

The unique build material could be laid into position and then stacked edge to edge and bonded to other sections of build material to quickly form a 3D object.

Multiple layers of build material could be stacked together and laser welded together to form large 3D objects in a small fraction of the time they would take to be 3D printed. For example, a 50 mm high rectangular container could be manufactured in two pieces bonded together in less than 30 seconds using a 50mm high ribbon of build material to first form a base piece of material and then forming a continuous wall piece as a perimeter which is bonded to the base along its lower edge and then sealed where the two ends of the continuous wall piece connect.

The 3D apparatus could form any shaped 3D object in minutes rather than hours or days when compared to a regular 3D printer.

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a cross section of two pieces of build material welded or bonded together. Figure 2 shows a cross section of four pieces of build material welded or bonded together to form part of a 3D object.

Figure 3 shows a cross section of two pieces of build material welded or bonded together to form part of a 3D object.

Figure 4 shows the 3D forming apparatus head forming the build material.

Figure 5 shows a rectangular box formed from three pieces of build material welded or bonded together.

Figure 6 shows a ‘V’ section which is cut out from a piece of build material to allow the material to conform to an uneven build surface.

Figure 7 shows a pre-formed piece of build material ribbon which has various cutouts and is used to form part of a complex 3D object which incorporates the various features. Figure 8 shows a pre-formed piece of build material ribbon and a section of base material.

Figure 9 shows a 3D object formed from the two components shown in figure 8 Figure 10 shows a pre-formed piece of build material ribbon which has a profile for forming a bowl.

Figure 11 shows a piece of build material ribbon which uses a continuous repeating pattern. The continuous repeating pattern allows the 3D forming apparatus to form repeated copies of a complex shaped object.

Figure 12 shows a piece of build material ribbon which comprises various complex features.

Figure

Detailed description of the drawings

Figure 1 shows a cross section of two pieces of ribbon shaped build material welded or bonded together, (la) is the previously formed build material, (lb) is the newly formed build material and (lc) shows the weld bonding the two materials together.

Figure 2 shows a cross section of four pieces of build material welded or bonded together to form part of a 3D object. Build portions (2a) and (2d) have been formed into a base and welded or bonded (2c) together. Then build material (2b) was bonded to the base plate material via a weld (2c) and then build material (2e) was bonded to the top of build material (2b).

Figure 3 shows a cross section of two pieces of build material welded or bonded together to form part of a 3D object. Build portions (3a) and (3b) have been formed and welded or bonded (3c) together. Then build material 3d has been bonded to the base plate material (3a) and build material (3b) via a weld (3c).

Figure 4 shows the 3D forming apparatus which includes a heated forming head (4g) forming the build material (4f). Build material (4a) has been previously formed and material (4b) has been bonded or welded (4c) to build material (4a) using a laser welder (4h) which melts the material (4i) where it leaves the forming head and contacts the previously formed build material.

Figure 5 shows a rectangular box formed from three pieces of build material welded or bonded together. A first piece of build material (5 a) is used to form a base layer, (5b) shows a second layer of build material which was bonded or welded (5c) to the first or base layer (5a). (5d) shows a third layer of build material which was bonded or welded (5c) to the second layer of build material (5b).

Figure 6 shows a ‘V’ section which is cut out from a piece of build material to allow the material to conform to an uneven build surface. Build material (6b) has had a section removed from the material to form a ‘V’ shape (6j). The ‘V’ shape can be closed (6k) to allow the build material to conform to differences in build height and uneven surfaces.

Figure 7 shows a pre-formed piece of build material ribbon (7m) which has various cutouts and is used to form part of 3D object which incorporates the pre-formed piece of build material ribbon (7n) including its various features and a section of base material (7p).

Figure 8 shows a pre-formed piece of build material ribbon (8r) which has various cutouts and is used to form part of 3D object and a section of base material (8q).

Figure 9 shows a 3D object (9) formed from the two components (9r and 9q) shown in figure 8

Figure 10 shows a pre-formed piece of build material ribbon (lOr) which has a profile for forming a 3D object (10s). A cross section of the 3D object (10t) shows the positioning and curve applied to the profile. shows a pre-formed piece of build material ribbon (lOr) which has various cutouts and an embodiment of an adjustable forming head (10t) which comprises a member (10s) which can be slid or moved relative to the forming head (1 Ot).

Figure 11 shows a piece of build material ribbon which uses a continuous repeating pattern (1 lv), the continuous repeating pattern allows the build material to be formed into complex shaped objects (1 lw). The continuous repeating pattern allows the 3D forming apparatus to form many copies of the complex shaped object with each complex shaped object being formed in a matter of seconds .

Figure 12 shows a piece of build material ribbon (12) which comprises various complex features (12w). This build material ribbon allows the 3D forming apparatus to install various features into the 3D object.

Summary of the Invention A build material for use with a 3D forming apparatus for forming a three-dimensional object, wherein the build material is stored in long flat shapes, or on a roll to be dispensed, similar to the manner in which tape is dispensed from a roll or like a length of ribbon, wherein the build material has a varying profile shape which is optimized to produce the desired 3D object being built or formed. The profile of the build material would vary to correspond to the profile of the 3D object to be formed and the dimensions of the profile would be based on calculations taken from a 3D electronic file of the 3D object which was to be formed.

The build material would allow 3D objects to be built or formed with very high speed.

The 3D object would be far superior in part build strength and part build speed compared to a standard 3D printing for most applications. The additional strength would be due to the fact that the 3D object would contain less layers and therefore less joins or welds between the layers which are the weakest point of any 3D printed object. As each layer could be several millimeters or centimeters in size, a build time of a few minutes could be expected for almost all 3D objects rather than a 3D print time of hours to days as is common on with todays 3D printers and build materials.

In one embodiment a computer program or slicing software produces a 3D printing file based on a digital 3D drawing of the 3D object to be created. The 3D printing file includes instructions calculating the profile of the build material ribbon to be used to form the 3D object and steps for placement of the build material ribbon for forming the 3D object.

The build material would be heated until soft and workable and then manipulated by the forming head of a 3D apparatus until it is in the desired shape. The heating could be localized or low enough that it does not deform the finish on the build material profile.

The term soft or workable in this patent application is not intended to refer to making the build material into a flowing liquid such as is the case with a traditional tabletop 3D printer. In this application the term soft and workable only refers to heating the material until it can be bent and formed into shapes whilst allowing it to retain its original shape when no bending or forming pressure is applied to it.

The build material could be formed into a generally rectangular cross section which can be easily loaded into the 3d forming apparatus. The material could be coiled or stored in long straight pieces.

The build material could be cut into custom lengths according to the 3D object requirements or the build material could be a continuous repeating profile wherein several 3D objects or even hundreds of 3D objects may be formed from the same length of build material.

The build material could be pre-formed either by the 3D forming apparatus or by a seperate pre-forming apparatus. A separate pre-forming apparatus could be optimized to handle a large amount of build material ribbon very quickly, adding features, a varying profile and cut-out sections as required. Pre-forming quickly adds any complex shapes before the build material is passed to the 3D forming head so that the material is suited to the manufacture of a particular 3D object. The pre-forming step takes place before the positioning and bonding of the build material.

The build material could comprise a piece of ribbon with angles or features on its surface. The build material could be perforated or have cutout sections before entering the forming head to allow the forming of through holes in a formed section of material. Complex angles or convex/ concave curves could be added to the build material. This would allow any complex 3D curves and organic looking shaped to be formed by the apparatus.

The material could also be post-formed whereby the build material could be heated and stretched or bent after bonding takes place to add complex angles or curves which might be otherwise difficult to achieve by the 3D forming apparatus.

The build material ribbon could contain various complex features such as dowel holding mounts and bosses for screws to be threaded into holes. The feature could be bonded into place with the next feature being located an exact distance further along on the build material ribbon to allow accurate and precise placement. In one embodiment the complex feature could be bonded into place and then the laser welder or another cutting means could cut the build material ribbon to allow the forming head to move over to the next part which is to be formed.

The build material could comprise a material finish, color or pattern which suits the 3D object to be formed, words or symbols could be formed on the build material ribbon before loading into the 3D forming apparatus.

The build material could be formed with extra material or lumps on the surface of the material in predetermined locations to allow the material to be welded and allow the lumps of material to flow into the weld joints. The 3D forming apparatus could be configured to place the bonds or welds on the inside of a 3D object to minimize the effect of the welds or bonds on the 3D objects surface finish.

In one embodiment a welding rod of build material could be introduced into the melting zone where the build material is being joined to add additional material and reinforce the bonding area. A hot roller could imprint a required surface texture on the build material as it is processed by the apparatus. The profile or features could be cut, pressed, forged extruded or ground into the build material.

The build material could narrow in width or thickness to allow it to conform to an uneven surface and form an uneven wall profile. The build material could be formed to follow the contours of a complex shape and allow the tape to be easily bonded to another piece of build material with a complex contoured surface.

The opening in the forming head could adjust in height and width as shown in figure 10 to allow the material to be accurately placed by the forming head regardless of the dimensions of the build material. Complex parts could be assembled by adjoining two shaped pieces of build material.

The tape or ribbon like build material could be a thermoplastic product with various dimensions. As the build material passes through the 3D forming apparatus the build material is heated until it becomes pliable, workable or soft. The soft build material passes through the forming head and is pulled bent and formed into shapes above a build plate or a previously formed section of build material. The build material is formed closely to the previously formed section of build material and is in contact with or touching the previously formed section of build material as it is formed. The two pieces of build material are immediately bonded to each other and locked into position by a welding or bonding device such as a laser which targets the seam along the edge of the material where the build materials meet. The forming head may be rotated, twisted or lowered and raised to form the build material. This way large geometric shapes could be easily manufactured in a small fraction of the time it would take to 3D print the same object.

In one embodiment the build material ribbon could have small perforations or holes to allow the laser welder to spot weld material through the ribbon wall.

In one embodiment the build material is configured to have shaped edges so that layers of build material can be stacked and easily bonded with previous layers using a bonding apparatus such as a laser, the laser targets the material just as it leaves the forming head to immediately bond the build material portions together

The material could be bonded together using different methods of welding, a heated tip could be applied to the seam where the newly formed build material meets or touches the previously formed material. A nozzle that dispenses liquid plastic could be used to bond the pieces of build material together. A resin or adhesive could be used to bond the pieces together.

According to one aspect of the invention, if a build material tape of 4mm thick 10mm wide and several meters long were passed through a forming apparatus to have contours, curves and cutouts added to it in predetermined locations. That build material could be quickly used to form a complex geometric shape such as a plastic box with curved edges or cube with varying surface features measuring 100 by 100 by 100 mm. The box walls could be formed using 10 layers of stacked formed material. This would result in a build time of around 1 or 2 minutes as opposed to several hours using current 3D printing technology. As another example, the same 100 by 100 by 100 mm cube could be formed from one larger piece of build tape 4mm thick and 100mm wide. The sizes of build tape mentioned in this paragraph are merely examples and do not in any way limit the invention.

According to one aspect of the invention at least one clamping point such as a rectangular tab or through hole could be placed or bonded on the surface of the build material and configured to hold the build material in position whilst the build material is being formed. This would allow the material to be formed as it would stop the free end of the build material which has not yet been bonded to a second piece of material from moving when force was applied by the forming head.

Claims

1. Bauelement zum Bilden eines 3D-0bjekts unter Verwendung einer 3D-Bildungsvorrichtung, Wobei das Aufbaumaterial ein variierendes Profil aufweist, Wobei das Profil eines Teils des Baumaterials dem Profil des Teils des zu bildenden 3D-Objekts entspricht, Wobei die Baumaterialprofilabmessungen aus einer elektronischen Datei des zu bildenden 3D-Objekts erhalten werden, Wobei das Aufbaumaterial ein Material umfasst, das weich und bearbeitbar wird, wenn es erwärmt wird, Wobei ein Teil des Baumaterialprofils einer Schicht einer geschnittenen 3D-Objektdatei entspricht.A device for forming a 3D object using a 3D forming apparatus, wherein the building material has a varying profile, wherein the profile of a part of the building material corresponds to the profile of the part of the 3D object to be formed, wherein the building material profile dimensions are from an electronic file of the 3D object to be formed, wherein the build material comprises a material that becomes soft and workable when heated, wherein a portion of the build material profile corresponds to a layer of a trimmed 3D object file.

2. Ein Baumaterial zur Bildung eines Merkmals eines 3D-Objekts unter Verwendung einer 3D-Bildungsvorrichtung, Wobei mindestens ein Teil des Baumaterials zu dem Merkmal des Teils geformt ist Des zu bildenden 3D-Objekts, Wobei die Baumaterialabmessungen aus einer elektronischen Akte der 3D-Objekt, das gebildet werden soil, Wobei das Aufbaumaterial ein Material umfasst, das bei Erwärmung weich und bearbeitbar wird.2. A building material for forming a feature of a 3D object using a 3D forming apparatus, wherein at least a part of the building material is formed into the feature of the part of the 3D object to be formed, wherein the building material dimensions from an electronic file is the 3D object which is to be formed, wherein the building material comprises a material that becomes soft and workable when heated.

3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, dadurch gekennzeichnet, Wobei das Aufbaumaterial ein variierendes Profil aufweist, Wobei das Aufbaumaterial lange dunne Formen aufweist, Wobei das Baustoffprofil aus einer elektronischen Akte der 3D-Objekt, das gebildet werden soil, Wobei ein Teil des Profils des Baumaterials einem Teil des Profils des zu bildenden 3D-Objekts entspricht.3. The method according to claim 1, characterized, Wherein the construction material has a varying profile, wherein the construction material has long thin forms, wherein the building material profile from an electronic file of the 3D object to be formed, Wherein a part of the profile of the building material corresponds to a part of the profile of the 3D object to be formed.

4. Aufbaumaterial nach Anspruch 1, 2 oder 3, dadurch gekennzeichnet, dass das Aufbaumaterial einen thermoplastischen Kunststoff umfasst.4. Building material according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that the building material comprises a thermoplastic material.

5. Verfahren nach einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 4, dadurch gekennzeichnet, Wobei Schichten des Aufbaumaterials leicht gestapelt werden können, um einen Teil eines 3D-Objekts zu bilden.A method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that layers of the building material can be easily stacked to form part of a 3D object.

6. Baustoff nach Anspruch 1, 2 oder 3, wobei das Baustoffprofil mit zusätzlichem Aufbaumaterial ausgebildet ist, um es dem Baustoff zu ermöglichen, an andere Teile des Baustoffs geschweißt zu werden, wobei das zusätzliche Baustoffmaterial in die Schmelzzone fließt, um zusätzliches zu schaffen Festigkeit gegenüber der Schweißnaht.6. The building material of claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the building material profile is formed with additional construction material to allow the building material to be welded to other parts of the building material, wherein the additional building material flows into the molten zone to provide additional strength opposite the weld.

7. Produkt nach Anspruch 1, 2 oder 3 erhältlich.7. Product according to claim 1, 2 or 3 available.

8. Verfahren zur Herstellung des Aufbaumaterials nach Anspruch 1, 2 oder 3.8. A method for producing the building material according to claim 1, 2 or 3.