Methods and apparatuses for additively manufacturing rubber
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus for disposing green rubber, the apparatus comprising:
- a housing comprising a base and a support structure;
an external source of green rubber;
an inlet for receiving the green rubber from the external source;
a nozzle mounted to the support structure and positioned to receive the green rubber from the inlet via a barrel connecting the inlet to the nozzle;
a ram mounted to the support structure separate and spaced apart from the inlet and barrel and configured to translate linearly along an extrusion axis of the nozzle and toward the inlet to apply a force to the green rubber so as to eject the green rubber from the nozzle;
temperature control elements configured to control temperature of the green rubber in the barrel;
a build surface upon which disposing of the ejected green rubber takes place;
a cutting instrument mounted between the nozzle and the build surface and configured to separate the green rubber from the nozzle;
a first vibration transducer that vibrates the cutting instrument; and
an actuator capable of moving at least one of the nozzle and the build surface.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus, system, and method for disposing green rubber, via 3D Printing or additive manufacturing, are provided. The apparatus includes at least a housing, a nozzle, and a heating element. Green rubber is forced through the nozzle and deposited in an iterative build process. The apparatus may be used in a variety of applications, including tire applications.
-
Citations
17 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for disposing green rubber, the apparatus comprising:
-
a housing comprising a base and a support structure; an external source of green rubber; an inlet for receiving the green rubber from the external source; a nozzle mounted to the support structure and positioned to receive the green rubber from the inlet via a barrel connecting the inlet to the nozzle; a ram mounted to the support structure separate and spaced apart from the inlet and barrel and configured to translate linearly along an extrusion axis of the nozzle and toward the inlet to apply a force to the green rubber so as to eject the green rubber from the nozzle; temperature control elements configured to control temperature of the green rubber in the barrel; a build surface upon which disposing of the ejected green rubber takes place; a cutting instrument mounted between the nozzle and the build surface and configured to separate the green rubber from the nozzle; a first vibration transducer that vibrates the cutting instrument; and an actuator capable of moving at least one of the nozzle and the build surface. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
Specification