Three-dimensional parts having interconnected Hollow patterns, method of manufacturing and method of producing composite part

• US 10,093,039 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2016
• Issued: 10/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Jayanti, Subramaniam, Heide, Erik K., Holzwarth, Donald J., Studanski, Thomas James, Wild, Alissa Ann, Johnson, Kevin C.
• Primary Examiner(s): KRUPICKA, ADAM C
• Application Number:
  US15/159,448
• Publication Number:
  US 20160257033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 873 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/3842 Manufacturing moulds, e.g. shaping the mould surface by machining
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/40 Plastics, e.g. foam or rubber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/52 soluble or fusible in particular used in injection moulding B29C45/4457
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/30 Shaping by lay-up, i.e. applying fibres, tape or broadsheet on a mould, former or core; Shaping by spray-up, i.e. spraying of fibres on a mould, former or core
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0872 Prepregs
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2307/04 Carbon
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2833/08 Polymers of acrylic acid esters, e.g. PMA, i.e. polymethylacrylate
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2995/0062 water-soluble
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1234 Honeycomb, or with grain orientation or elongated elements in defined angular relationship in respective components [e.g., parallel, inter- secting, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24149 Honeycomb-like
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24165 Hexagonally shaped cavities

Abstract

A three-dimensional part is printed using an additive manufacturing technique. The three-dimensional part includes an outer wall having an outer surface defining a shape of a part and in interior surface defining an interior cavity. The part includes a plurality of first sections having a plurality of printed layers, each printed layer of the first section having a plurality of wall segments that form triangle shaped cells wherein each of the plurality of first sections are attached to the interior surface of the outer wall. The part includes a plurality of second sections having a plurality of printed layers, each printed layer of the second section having a plurality of wall segments that form hexagram shaped cells of hexagons and triangles, wherein each of the plurality of second printed sections are attached to the interior surface of the outer wall and wherein the first and second sections are in an alternating pattern, wherein when adjacent printed layers of the first and second sections are printed a wall segment of a cell defining a triangle bisect the hexagon shaped cell.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional part printed using an additive manufacturing technique, the three-dimensional part comprising:

an outer wall having an outer surface defining a shape of a part and in interior surface defining an interior cavity

a plurality of first sections comprising a series of first printed layers, each first printed layer having a plurality of wall segments that form triangle shaped cells wherein each of the series of first printed sections are attached to the interior surface of the outer wall; and

a plurality of second sections comprising a series of second printed layers, each second printed layer having a plurality of wall segments that form hexagram shaped cells of hexagons and triangles, wherein each of the series of second sections are attached to the interior surface of the outer wall and wherein the first and second sections are in an alternating pattern and wherein when adjacent first and second printed layers of the first and second sections are printed, a wall segment of a cell defining a triangle bisect the hexagon shaped cell.

2. The three-dimensional part of claim 1, wherein adjacent pairs of first and second sections form a set and wherein a next set of the first and second sections is angularly rotated from the previously printed set of first and second sections.

3. The three-dimensional part of claim 2, wherein the next set of first and second sections is angularly rotated about 50 degrees to about 70 degrees relative to the previously printed set of layers.

4. The three-dimensional part of claim 2, wherein the next set of first and second sections is angularly rotated about 60 degrees relative to the previously printed set of layers.

5. The three-dimensional part of claim 1, wherein an average cell size for both the plurality of first and second sections is in the range of about 0.2 inches to about 0.5 inches.

6. The three-dimensional part of claim 1, wherein an average cell size for both the plurality of first and second sections is in the range of about 0.25 inches to about 0.4 inches.

7. The three dimensional part of claim 1, wherein first and second plurality of sections result in a part with no inherent axes of symmetry.

8. A method of additive manufacturing a sacrificial tooling part having an interconnected hollow triangular fill pattern, the method comprising:

printing a outer wall portion having an outer surface and an inner surface;

printing a first section comprising a plurality of triangular shaped cell layers, wherein the triangle cells are formed by segments, wherein each segment extends in a substantially straight line between two points on the inner surface; and

printing a second section comprising a plurality of hexagram shaped cell layers over the first section of triangular shaped cell layers, wherein the hexagram cells comprise hexagon cells that have common triangle cells,

wherein the hexagram cells are formed by segments, wherein each segment extends in a substantially straight line between two points on the inner surface wherein when the first and second set of cell sections are printed the triangle cells interconnect with the hexagram cells.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein when the second set of the hexagram sections are printed over the first section of triangle layers, a side of the triangle cells bisects the hexagon cell.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second sections are a set and wherein a next set of first and second sections is printed at an angle rotated to the printed set of first and second sections.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the next set of first and second sections are printed at an angle between about 50 degrees and about 70 degrees relative to the previously printed set of sections.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the next set of first and second sections are printed at an angle of about 60 degrees relative to the previously printed set of sections.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein an average cell size for both the plurality of first and second sections is in the range of about 0.2 inches to about 0.5 inches.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein an average cell size for both the plurality of first and second layers is in the range of about 0.25 inches to about 0.4 inches.

15. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second sections each comprise one or more intermediate segments that is printed to the wall and connected ends of two adjacent substantially straight segments.

16. A method of manufacturing a sacrificial tooling part in a layer by layer manner utilizing an additive manufacturing device, the sacrificial tooling part configured for use in making a composite part, the method comprising:

printing layers of an outer wall portion having an outer surface and an inner surface using an additive manufacturing technique with a water soluble or disintegrable material, wherein the outer wall surface defines a shape of the desired composite part;

printing a first section comprising a plurality of triangular shaped cell layers using the additive manufacturing technique with a water soluble or disintegrable material, wherein the triangle cells are formed by segments, wherein each segment extends in a substantially straight line between two points on the inner surface; and

printing a second section comprising a plurality of hexagram shaped cell layers over the first section of triangular shaped cell layers using the additive manufacturing technique with a water soluble or disintegrable material, wherein the hexagram cells comprise hexagon cells that have common triangle cells, wherein the hexagram cells are formed by segments, wherein each segment extends in a substantially straight line between two points on the inner surface wherein when the first and second set of cell sections are printed the triangle cells interconnect with the hexagram cells; and

repeating the printing of the first and second cell sections within the outer wall portion until the sacrificial tooling part is built where the next printed sections are rotated an angle relative to the previously printed layers.

17. The method of claim 16 and further comprising:

placing one or more layers of composite material over the outer surface of the outer wall portion after the part is built;

curing the composite material at elevated temperatures and pressures to produce the composite part; and

submerging the cured composite part in an aqueous solution to remove the part therefrom.

18. The method of claim 17 and wherein the sacrificial tooling part will sustain its shape at elevated temperatures in the range of 230°

F. to about 250°

F.

19. The method of claim 17 and wherein the where the sacrificial tooling part will sustain its shape at elevated pressure of up to about 100 psig.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein when the second set of the hexagram sections are printed over the first set of triangle sections, a side of the triangle cells bisects the hexagon cell.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the next set of first and second layers are printed at an angle between about 50 degrees and about 70 degrees relative to the previously printed layers.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the next set of first and second sections are printed at an angle of about 60 degrees relative to the previously printed set of sections.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein an average cell size for both the plurality of first and second sections in the range of about 0.2 inches to about 0.5 inches.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein an average cell size for both the plurality of first and second sections in the range of about 0.25 inches to about 0.4 inches.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second sections each comprise one or more intermediate segments that is printed to the wall and connected ends of two adjacent substantially straight segments.