Systems, devices, and methods for three-dimensional printing

• US 10,052,824 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2015
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Erb, Dylan C., Siegel, Joshua E., Ehrenberg, Isaac M., Jain, Pranay
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniels, Matthew J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Graham, Andrew D
• Application Number:
  US14/711,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20150328838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,196 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/10 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/209 Heads; Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/295 Heating elements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric

Abstract

Systems, devices, and methods for three-dimensional printing are provided. The systems, devices, and methods provide for high throughput printing by allowing for parallel extrusion within a single vertical layer of the printed object, i.e., parallel extrusion within an x-y coordinate plane. Any advancement of an extruder can be limited to movement along a single axis, or even no axis at all, so that printing occurs more quickly. In some embodiments, the extruder can include a printing plate that includes a plurality of apertures defined by conductive elements extending in a grid-like manner. The printer can be designed such that material is disposed to a build platform through the apertures only when the aperture is heated on all four sides, for instance by running current through the conductive elements that define the aperture. Other systems, devices, and methods for three-dimensional printing are also provided.

Claims

1. A method for printing in three dimensions, comprising:

printing a first layer by depositing material in a plurality of locations within an x-y coordinate plane of a first vertical level through an extruder, wherein the extruder comprises a plurality of apertures defined between intersecting conductive elements; and

printing a second layer that is disposed vertically above or below the first layer by depositing material in a plurality of locations within an x-y coordinate plane of a second vertical level through the extruder,

wherein depositing the material in the plurality of locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level through the extruder comprises selectively heating a subset of the intersecting conductive elements to selectively heat a perimeter of a subset of the plurality of apertures to deposit the material at the plurality of locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein printing the first layer further comprises controlling at least one of a viscosity of material and a temperature of material that is deposited such that the material passes through the subset of apertures present at the plurality of locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level, and

wherein printing the second layer further comprises controlling at least one of a viscosity of material and a temperature of material that is deposited such that the material passes through the subset of apertures present at the plurality of locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the second vertical level.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein printing the first layer by depositing material in the plurality of locations further comprises cycling a printing function between two or more locations of the plurality of locations to deposit the material within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the extruder is a printing plate and the method further comprises moving the printing plate vertically along a z-axis prior to printing the second layer.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising moving the printing plate with respect to one or both of the x-axis and the y-axis to establish the plurality of locations within the x-y coordinate plane at which the material is deposited for the second layer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein printing the first layer further comprises advancing the extruder along only a single axis, either an x-axis or a y-axis, to deposit material in the plurality of locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein printing the first layer occurs without advancing the extruder through the x-y coordinate plane to deposit the material in the plurality of locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the material deposited when printing the first layer and the material deposited when printing the second layer comprises a non-photocurable material.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the material deposited when printing the first layer and the material deposited when printing the second layer comprises a thermoplastic.

10. A method for printing in three dimensions, comprising:

heating a material positioned proximate to one or more selected locations of a printing plate that has a plurality of apertures defined between intersecting conductive elements to pass the material through from one side of the plate to the other side of the plate to form a first printed layer; and

heating a material positioned proximate to one or more selected locations of the printing plate to pass a material through from one side of the plate to the other side of the plate to form a second printed layer, the second printed layer being disposed on top of the first printed layer,

wherein heating the material positioned proximate to the one or more selected locations of the printing plate to form the first printed layer or the second printed layer comprises selectively heating a subset of the intersecting conductive elements to selectively heat a perimeter of a subset of the plurality of apertures to pass the material through from the one side of the plate to the other side of the plate at the one or more selected locations of the printing plate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein heating the material positioned proximate to the one or more selected locations of the printing plate to form the first printed layer further comprises supplying electrical current to the printing plate to heat the subset of the intersecting conductive elements that define the subset of apertures of the printing plate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the intersecting conductive elements comprise a plurality of first conductive elements disposed along a first axis that intersect with a plurality of second conductive elements disposed along a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis, and wherein supplying electrical current further comprises:

supplying electrical current to a subset of the first conductive elements to heat a perimeter of the subset of apertures along the first axis; and

supplying electrical current to a subset of the second conductive elements to heat a perimeter of the subset of apertures along the second axis.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising cycling the supply of electrical current to one or more conductive elements of the subset of the first conductive elements and one or more conductive elements of the subset of the second conductive elements to control through which apertures the material passes.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising moving the printing plate vertically along a z-axis prior to printing the second layer.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising moving the printing plate with respect to one or both of an x-axis and a y-axis prior to printing the second layer.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein heating the material positioned proximate to the one or more selected locations of the printing plate to form the first printed layer further comprises applying a laser to the subset of the intersecting conductive elements to selectively heat the perimeter of the subset of apertures to pass the material from the one side of the plate to the other side of the plate.

17. The method of claim 10,

wherein heating the material positioned proximate to the one or more selected locations of the printing plate to form the first printed layer includes passing the material through the subset of apertures simultaneously, and

wherein heating the material positioned proximate to the one or more selected locations of the printing plate to form the second printed layer includes passing the material through the subset of apertures simultaneously.

18. A method for printing in three dimensions, comprising:

printing a first layer by near simultaneously depositing material in a plurality of selected locations within an x-y coordinate plane of a first vertical level through an extruder, wherein the extruder comprises a plurality of apertures defined between intersecting conductive elements; and

printing a second layer that is disposed vertically above or below the first layer by near simultaneously depositing material in a plurality of selected locations within an x-y coordinate plane of a second vertical level through the extruder,

wherein near simultaneously depositing the material in the plurality of selected locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level through the extruder comprises sequentially heating different subsets of the intersecting conductive elements to heat the perimeters of a subset of the plurality of apertures through which to deposit the material at the plurality of selected locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level, and wherein the different subsets of the intersecting conductive elements are sequentially heated to avoid depositing the material at a non-selected location within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein each subset of the intersecting conductive elements does not intersect about a perimeter of a non-selected location within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the intersecting conductive elements comprise a plurality of first conductive elements disposed along a first axis that intersect with a plurality of second conductive elements disposed along a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein near simultaneously depositing the material in the plurality of selected locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level through the extruder comprises:

heating a subset of the first intersecting conductive elements; and

sequentially heating different subsets of the second intersecting conductive elements, while continuing to heat the subset of the first intersecting conductive elements, to deposit the material at one of more of the selected locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein heating each of the different subsets of the second intersecting conductive elements along with the subset of the first intersecting conductive elements does not heat a perimeter of a non-selected location within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein near simultaneously depositing the material in the plurality of selected locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level through the extruder comprises:

heating a subset of the second intersecting conductive elements; and

sequentially heating different subsets of the first intersecting conductive elements, while continuing to heat the subset of the second intersecting conductive elements, to deposit the material at one of more of the selected locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein heating each of the different subsets of the first intersecting conductive elements along with the subset of the first intersecting conductive elements does not heat a perimeter of a non-selected location within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein sequentially heating the different subsets of the intersecting conductive elements to heat the perimeters of a subset of apertures through which to deposit the material at the plurality of selected locations within the x-y coordinate plane of the first vertical level or the second vertical level comprises sequentially supplying electrical current to the different subsets of the intersecting conductive elements.