Metal objects spanning internal cavities in structures fabricated by additive manufacturing

• US 10,464,306 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2016
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Original Assignee: Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (University of Texas System)
• Inventors: MacDonald, Eric, Wicker, Ryan, Espalin, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Yager, James C
• Application Number:
  US15/099,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20160303800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• 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 70/688 the inserts being meshes or lattices B29C70/82, B29C70/683 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 70/70 Completely encapsulating inserts B29C70/86 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/20 Inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/206 Meshes, lattices or nets
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2705/00 Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, for preformed parts, e.g. for inserts
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/003 comprising a metal layer
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/34 Electrical apparatus, e.g. sparking plugs or parts thereof
• 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 428/1352 Polymer or resin containing [i.e., natural or synthetic]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/1355 Elemental metal containing [e.g., substrate, foil, film, coating, etc.]

Abstract

A three-dimensional electronic, biological, chemical, thermal management, and/or electromechanical apparatus can be configured by depositing one or more layers of a three-dimensional structure on a substrate. Such a three-dimensional structure can include one or more internal cavities using an additive manufacturing system enhanced with a range of secondary embedding processes. The three-dimensional structure can be further configured with structural integrated metal objects spanning the internal cavities (possibly filled with air or even evacuated) of the three-dimensional structure for enhanced electromagnetic properties.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one first layer of a three-dimensional structure;

a first electrically conductive shield disposed over the at least one first layer of said three-dimensional structure;

at least one second layer disposed over the first electrically conductive shield, said at least one second layer comprising a first dielectric material, the at least one second layer different than the at least one first layer;

a cavity disposed within the at least one second layer, wherein the cavity contains at least one of a biological material, an electrochemical material, or vacuum tube electronics;

a second electrically conductive shield disposed over the cavity; and

an electrically conductive signal line disposed over between the first electrically conductive shield and the second electrically conductive shield;

wherein;

the first electrically conductive shield and the second electrically conductive shield are configured to provide electrical shielding of the electrically conductive signal line;

a first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within the cavity;

a second portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within material forming the at least one second layer, the second portion disposed adjacent the first portion; and

the first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is suspended in the cavity;

above a lowermost portion of the cavity; and

below a bottommost surface of the second electrically conductive shield.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said at least one first layer and said at least one second layer comprises thermoplastic feedstock to improve said three-dimensional structure internally or externally.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line comprises a structurally integrated metal object and wherein said structurally integrated metal object is connected to said three-dimensional structure such that a force is required to remove said structurally integrated metal object from said three-dimensional structure.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line is connected to said three-dimensional structure to improve said three-dimensional structure mechanically, thermally, and/or electrically.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line comprises a wire with a diameter of sub-micron size or larger.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive signal line comprises beams of at least one of the following:

rectangular, triangular or any other cross-sectional geometries, lattice structures, wire meshes, metal foils, or metal sheets.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of said at least one first layer and said at least one second layer utilizes thermoplastic feedstock to improve said three-dimensional structure internally or externally and wherein said electrically conductive signal line is connected to said three-dimensional structure such that a force is required to remove said electrically conductive signal line from said three-dimensional structure.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cavity further contains air or vacuum.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said cavity further contains a thermal management material.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said thermal management material comprises at least one of a phase change material or a thermally active material.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second electrically conductive shield is vertically adjacent to the cavity.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a third layer disposed over the second electrically conductive shield, the third layer comprising a second dielectric material.

8. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one layer of a three-dimensional structure defining a cavity in said three-dimensional structure, wherein the cavity contains at least one of a biological material, an electrochemical material, or vacuum tube electronics;

at least one structural integrated metal object spanning said cavity in said three-dimensional structure, the structural integrated metal object comprising an electrically conductive signal line, wherein;

a first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within material forming the at least one layer of the three-dimensional structure;

a second portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within the cavity, the second portion disposed adjacent to the first portion;

an uppermost surface portion of the at least one layer is disposed vertically adjacent to a lowermost portion of the cavity;

the electrically conductive signal line is suspended in the cavity between a topmost portion of the cavity and the lowermost portion of the cavity; and

a first conductive shield is separated from said at least one structural integrated metal object by said at least one layer of said three-dimensional structure, wherein said structurally integrated metal object comprises beams of at least one of;

rectangular, triangular, or any other cross-sectional geometries;

lattice structures;

wire meshes;

metal foils;

or

metal sheets;

a second conductive shield disposed over the electrically conductive signal line, wherein the first conductive shield and the second conductive shield are configured to electrically shield the electrically conductive signal line; and

wherein said structurally integrated metal object is connected to said three-dimensional structure to improve said three-dimensional structure mechanically, thermally, and/or electrically.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second conductive shield is separated from the at least one structural integrated metal object.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a second layer disposed over the second conductive shield, wherein the at least one layer and the second layer comprise a dielectric material.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a device configured for performing biological experiments, the device comprising;

at least one first layer comprising a first dielectric material;

a first conductive shield disposed over the at least one first layer;

at least one second layer disposed over the first conductive shield, said at least one second layer comprising a second dielectric material, the at least one second layer different than the at least one first layer;

a cavity disposed within the at least one second layer, wherein the cavity contains a biological material;

a second conductive shield disposed over the cavity;

an electrically conductive signal line disposed between the first conductive shield and the second conductive shield;

wherein;

the first conductive shield and the second conductive shield provide electrical shielding of the electrically conductive signal line;

a first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within the cavity;

a second portion of the electrically conductive signal line is disposed within material forming the at least one second layer; and

the first portion of the electrically conductive signal line is suspended in the cavity;

above a lowermost portion of the cavity; and

below a bottommost surface of the second conductive shield.