Remote operations of additive manufacturing devices

• US 10,350,820 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Redwire Space Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Made In Space, Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Michael, Snyder, Michael, Dunn, Jason, Kemmer, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz Rodriguez, Carlos R
• Application Number:
  US14/520,154
• Publication Number:
  US 20150112472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,729 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/209 Heads; Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/25 Housings, e.g. machine housings
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/259 Interchangeable
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/321 Feeding
• 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 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

Node-based remote operations of additive manufacturing device are disclosed. In an aspect, a system for operating a remote additive manufacturing device is disclosed. Each computing device is a node in a communications path and contains an instance of a command software program configured to receive and send a single set of commands, ensure the integrity of such commands and/or operate communicatively connected additive manufacturing devices.

Claims

1. A system for operating a remote additive manufacturing device, the system comprising:

a remote additive manufacturing device located in a remote location arranged with at least one monitoring sensor to obtain operational data about the remote additive manufacturing device, an enclosure with a door to isolate an additive manufacturing process build area from an environment outside of the additive manufacturing device and an environmental control unit positioned within the remote additive manufacturing device to isolate contaminants created during an additive manufacturing process to create a part, the environmental control unit comprising a filter, a fan, at least one atmospheric sensor, and a temperature regulation device to delay access through the door to the build area until contaminant concentration levels are at an acceptable threshold as measured by the at least one atmospheric sensor;

a command file, the command file including a remote additive manufacturing device designation, device action instructions, and command file operations protocols;

a first node having a first instance of a control software installed thereon, the control software configured to receive, transmit, and execute the command file, the transmitting based on the remote additive manufacturing device designation, the first node receiving the command file;

a second node having a second instance of the control software installed thereon, the second node located near and communicatively coupled to the remote additive manufacturing device designated by the remote additive manufacturing device designation, the second node receiving the command file via the first node, confirms integrity of the command file by performing a check sum on the data received from the first node prior to the remote additive manufacturing device operating and returning the check sum result to the first node and monitoring the data collected from the at least one sensor; and

wherein the remote additive manufacturing device is remotely positioned relative to the first node; and

wherein the control software further comprises operations protocols which facilitate initialization of part creation, termination of part creation and pause of part creation as commanded from either the first node or the second node without human interaction with the additive manufacturing device in response to at least one measurement taken by the at least one monitoring sensor and the at least one atmospheric sensor.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the device action instructions are part creation instructions.

3. The system of claim 2, the part creation instructions comprising g-code, the remote additive manufacturing device designation comprising an IP address.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the device action instructions are one of:

a calibration command;

a remote maintenance command;

a remote activation command; and

a remote deactivation command.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second node is positioned within the remote additive manufacturing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote location is one of:

a rural area;

a space station;

a spacecraft; and

a naval vessel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the control software controls the operation of the environmental control unit in response to at least one measurement taken by the at least one monitoring sensor and the at least one atmospheric sensor.

8. The system of claim 7, the control software further comprising a log database, the control software storing operational and communication records in the log database.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the operational and communication records are stored in the log database of each instance of the control software.

10. The system of claim 7, the remote additive manufacturing device further comprising a motorized locking door, the control software configured to measure contamination concentration within the remote additive manufacturing device via the at least one atmospheric sensor and unlock and open the door when the measured contamination concentration drops below a contamination threshold level.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the command software includes operations protocols and communications protocols.

12. The system of claim 11, the remote additive manufacturing device comprising a self-leveling build tray controllable by the second node, wherein the operations protocol includes leveling the self-leveling build tray prior to part creation.

13. The system of claim 11, the control software including a kill command configured to, when input at any node, cease operation of the remote additive manufacturing device.

14. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of additional nodes, the plurality of additional nodes communicatively coupled to the first node and the second node and transmitting the command file to the second node from the first node.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the first node is located on earth and the remote additive manufacturing device is located in space.

16. The system of claim 1, the control software comprising a location database comprising IP addresses for each node and each remote additive manufacturing device.

21. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

issuing, via the originating node, a kill command to the remote additive manufacturing device.

17. A method of uploading a part creation file to a remote additive manufacturing device, the method comprising:

providing a remote additive manufacturing device arranged with at least one monitoring sensor at a remote location, an enclosure with a door to isolate an additive manufacturing process build area from an environment outside of the additive manufacturing device and an environmental control unit positioned within the remote additive manufacturing device to isolate contaminants created during an additive manufacturing process to create a part, the environmental control unit comprising a filter, a fan, at least one atmospheric sensor, and a temperature regulation device to delay access through the door to the build area until contaminant concentration levels are at an acceptable threshold as measured by the at least one atmospheric sensor;

creating a command file; and

uploading the command file at an originating node to a node network comprising a plurality of nodes;

wherein the remote additive manufacturing device is communicatively coupled to one of the plurality of nodes which is arranged to confirm integrity of the command file and communicating with the originating node a status of at least one of the integrity and data from the at least one monitoring sensor, at each node of the plurality of nodes each having an instant of control software installed thereon, the control software, at each node comprises operations protocols which facilitate initialization of and part creation, termination of part creation and pause of part creation as commanded from either any one node of the plurality of nodes without human interaction with the additive manufacturing device in response to at least one measurement taken by the at least one monitoring sensor and the at least one atmospheric sensor; and

wherein the command file includes a remote additive manufacturing device designation, device action instructions, and command file operations protocols.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the remote additive manufacturing device is located in space.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the command file is uploaded at a first node.

20. The method of claim 17, the method further comprising:

receiving command file receipt confirmation from the one of the plurality of nodes communicatively coupled to the remote additive manufacturing device.