System and method for writing an article of manufacture into bulk material

• US 10,040,239 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2015
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP (Chevron Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP (Chevron Corp.)
• Inventors: Brown, Jr., Alfred E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniels, Matthew J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hohenbrink, Jr., Lawrence D
• Application Number:
  US14/664,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20160271875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,236 Days
• Field of Search: 425375, 264308
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/135 the energy source being concentrated, e.g. scanning lasers or focused light sources
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/171 specially adapted for manufacturing multiple 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/264 Arrangements for irradiation
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0002 monomers or prepolymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0058 Liquid or visquous
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/251 Particles, powder or granules expandable particles B29K2105/046
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

Disclosed embodiments include the formation of a manufacturing part by a process in which three-dimensional patterns of excitation are produced in a bulk material, and the three-dimensional patterns intersect to cause interference. The interference is used to perform physical or chemical conversion of the bulk material into an article of manufacture having a geometry corresponding to a three-dimensional projection produced from the intersection of the three-dimensional patterns.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing, comprising:

selectively forming an additive manufacturing part using an intersection of two or more three-dimensional patterns by a process comprising;

projecting at least a first three-dimensional pattern and a second three-dimensional pattern into a build chamber having a base material, wherein projecting at least the first three-dimensional pattern and the second three-dimensional pattern into the build chamber comprises projecting a plurality of acoustic waveforms using a plurality of phononic crystals and one or more acoustic sources;

intersecting the first three-dimensional pattern and the second three-dimensional pattern to cause interference of the first and second three-dimensional patterns, wherein the interference of the first and second three-dimensional patterns is such that a three-dimensional projection is formed in the build chamber; and

using the three-dimensional projection to cause the base material to undergo a change to form at least a portion of the additive manufacturing part.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the base material present in the build chamber is a solution, the base material comprises a photoreactive material, and the first and second patterns are images representing the additive manufacturing part.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the process comprises isolating the additive manufacturing part from a solvent of the solution in response to the interference.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more acoustic sources comprise opto-acoustic transducers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the base material comprises solid granules of metal, ceramic, resin, sand, clay, glass, or any combination thereof, and the three-dimensional projection causes the base material to melt or sinter to produce the additive manufacturing part.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the process comprises producing the three-dimensional projection inside of a granule bed of the base material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein using the three-dimensional projection to cause the base material to undergo the reaction causes the additive manufacturing part to be formed all at once.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the process comprises adjusting a geometry of the first three-dimensional pattern, the second three-dimensional pattern, or both, during the process to form different portions of the additive manufacturing part.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the process comprises rotating, translating, or both, the first three-dimensional pattern, the second three-dimensional pattern, or both, during the process to form different portions of the additive manufacturing part.

10. A manufacturing system, comprising:

a build chamber configured to hold a base material;

one or more emission devices configured to project at least two three-dimensional patterns within the build chamber such that the at least two three-dimensional patterns intersect and constructively interfere with each other, wherein the one or more emission devices are configured to project the at least two three-dimensional patterns at respective energies such that when they interfere, a three-dimensional projection is formed within the build chamber having an energy sufficient to cause the base material to react and form at least a portion of an additive manufacturing part, and wherein the one or more emission devices comprise a plurality of phononic crystals and one or more acoustic sources configured to project a plurality of acoustic waveforms; and

a controller configured to control the operation of the one or more emission devices and to coordinate the projection of the first and second three-dimensional patterns.

11. The system of claim 10, comprising a feed system configured to provide the base material to the build chamber, wherein the controller is coupled to the feed system and is configured to cause the feed system to provide a controlled amount of the base material to the build chamber, the controlled amount being correlated to the controlled operation of the one or more emission devices.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to cause the feed system to fill the build chamber with a granular bed of the base material, and is configured to control the operation of the one or more emission devices to project the at least two three-dimensional patterns within the granular bed of the base material.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to cause the feed system to fill the build chamber with a solution of the base material, and is configured to control the operation of the one or more emission devices to project the at least two three-dimensional patterns within the solution.

14. The system of claim 13, comprising a drain system coupled to the build chamber, the feed system, and the controller, wherein the drain system is configured to remove a solvent of the solution, and the controller is configured to cause the drain system to remove the solvent from the build chamber after causing the one or more emission devices to project the at least two three-dimensional patterns within the build chamber.

15. The system of claim 10, comprising a vibration dampening system coupled to the build chamber and configured to dampen vibrations of the build chamber to enhance the precision of the effect of the three-dimensional projection on the base material.

16. The system of claim 10, comprising a build chamber actuation system configured to cause at least a portion of the build chamber to actuate to enable settling of the base material within the build chamber.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the one or more emission devices are configured to generate three-dimensional patterns of acoustic excitation.

18. A method of manufacturing, comprising:

directing emissions into a build chamber having a bulk material using an emission system, wherein the emission system is controlled by a controller to cause the emissions to produce three-dimensional patterns of excitation in the bulk material, wherein directing the emissions into the bulk material using the emission system comprises projecting a plurality of acoustic waveforms using a plurality of phononic crystals and one or more acoustic sources; and

intersecting the three-dimensional patterns of excitation to cause interference of the three-dimensional patterns to cause a three-dimensional projection to be formed in the bulk material, the three-dimensional projection having a geometry corresponding to a defined geometry of an article of manufacture; and

wherein the three-dimensional projection has sufficient energy to cause a physical change, a chemical change, or both, in the bulk material to cause the bulk material to produce the article of manufacture in the defined geometry.