Three-dimensional printing of auxetic/non-auxetic combo objects

• US 10,442,132 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2018
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc. (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Amano, Jun, Stopa, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Tentoni, Leo B
• Application Number:
  US16/009,972
• Time in Patent Office: 487 Days
• Field of Search: 264255, 264308
• 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 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/141 using only solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 80/00 Products made by additive manufacturing

Abstract

A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional printed (3D-printed) object on a base plate. The method includes: depositing at least one block of a first material in a first layer directly onto the base plate; and depositing at least one block of a second material either in the first layer adjacent to the one or more blocks of the first material, or in a second layer directly onto the at least one block of the first material in the first layer. The first material is one of a non-auxetic structure or an auxetic structure, and the second material is the other one of the non-auxetic structure or the auxetic structure.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional printed (3D-printed) object on a base plate, the method comprising:

depositing at least one block of a first material in a first layer directly onto the base plate;

depositing at least one block of a second material either;

in the first layer adjacent to the one or more blocks of the first material, or

in a second layer directly onto the at least one block of the first material in the first layer;

depositing at least one block of the second material in the first layer adjacent to the block of the first material; and

depositing in the second layer either;

at least one block of the first material directly onto the block of the second material in the first layer, or

at least one block of the second material directly onto the block of the first material in the first layer,

wherein the first material is one of a non-auxetic structure or an auxetic structure, and the second material is the other one of the non-auxetic structure or the auxetic structure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

depositing a plurality of blocks of the first material and a plurality of blocks of the second material in the first layer directly on the base plate;

depositing a plurality of blocks of the first material in the second layer directly onto respective blocks of the plurality of blocks of the second material in the first layer; and

depositing a plurality of blocks of the second material in the second layer directly onto respective blocks of the plurality of blocks of the first material in the first layer.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

depositing a plurality of blocks of the first material and a plurality of blocks of the second material in a plurality of successive layers,

wherein within each of the successive layers, each block of the first material is adjacent to a respective block of the second material,

wherein each of the blocks of the first material in each of the successive layers is deposited directly onto a respective block of the second material in the previous layer, and

wherein each of the blocks of the second material in the each of the successive layers is deposited directly onto a respective block of the first material in the previous layer.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

depositing a number of blocks of the first material in at least one successive layer that is fewer than a number of blocks of the second material deposited in the previous layer; and

depositing a number of blocks of the second material in at least one successive layer that is fewer than a number of blocks of the first material deposited in the previous layer.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

depositing at least one block of the first material in at least one successive layer that has a size different than a size of a respective block of the second material deposited in the previous layer.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

depositing at least one block of the first material in at least one successive layer that has a thickness different than a thickness of a respective block of the second material deposited in the previous layer.

7. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

depositing at least one block of the first material in at least one successive layer that has a size different than a size of an adjacent block of the second material deposited in the same layer.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

removing the 3D printed structure from the base plate for post-printing processes on the 3D printed object.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first layer or the second layer is entirely deposited with the first material or the second material.

10. The method of claim 3, wherein

a plurality of the blocks of the first material and a plurality of the blocks of the second material in at least one successive layer create vertical interfaces between the blocks of the first material in the successive layer and respective adjacent blocks of the second material in the successive layer,

a plurality of the blocks of the first material and a plurality of the blocks of the second material in the previous layer to the successive layer create vertical interfaces between the blocks of the first material in the previous layer and respective adjacent blocks of the second material in the previous layer,

wherein one or more of the vertical interfaces in the one successive layer do not overlap with the vertical interfaces of the previous layer.