Systems and methods for printing components using additive manufacturing

• US 10,668,664 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2018
• Issued: 06/02/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thermwood Corporation
• Original Assignee: Thermwood Corporation
• Inventors: Susnjara, Kenneth J., Vaal, Scott G., Vote, Nicolas C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Booker, Kelvin
• Application Number:
  US16/186,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20200147876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/10 Processes of additive manufacturing
• 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 64/227 Driving means
• 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 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/4145 characterised by using same processor to execute programmable controller and numerical controller function [CNC] and PC controlled NC [PCNC]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2021 Shape modification

Abstract

A method of forming a part using additive manufacturing may include receiving, at a computer numeric controlled (CNC) machine, a computer aided design (CAD) model of the part. The method may further include dividing the CAD model into plurality of sections. The method may further include slicing each of the plurality of sections into a plurality of layers. Each section may include a distinct set of print parameters. The method may further include depositing a flowable material onto a worktable according the set of print parameters for each section of the plurality of sections to manufacture the part.

Claims

1. A method of forming a part using additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computer numeric controlled (CNC) machine, a computer aided design (CAD) model of the part;

dividing the CAD model into a plurality of sections including a first section and a second section, the first section and the second section being determined based on a first height range and a second height range, respectively;

selecting, by user inputs, a first set of print parameters for the first section and a second set of print parameters for the second section, wherein the first set of print parameters are different from the second set of print parameters, wherein the first set of print parameters include an overlap parameter that defines an amount of overlap of adjacent beads of material;

slicing each of the plurality of sections into a plurality of layers after selecting the first set of print parameters and the second set of print parameters;

depositing a flowable material onto a worktable according the set of print parameters for each section of the of the plurality of sections to manufacture the part, including deposition adjacent beads of the flowable material that overlap each other according to the amount of overlap defined by the overlap parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein dividing the CAD model into the plurality of sections includes defining one section having a lower most layer positioned at a height above the worktable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sets of print parameters includes a toolpath type for each of the plurality of layers.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the sets of print parameters include a fill style, the fill style including a smart zigzag type.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein depositing the flowable material includes printing a first layer of the first section and a first layer of the second section, and wherein the first layer of the first section and the first layer of the second section fuse together.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the layers of the first section are deposited so as to be interspersed with the layers of the second section.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of print parameters includes a layer height parameter, the layer height parameter defining a thickness of each layer produced in the slicing.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the overlap parameter corresponds to a lowest amount of overlap of the adjacent beads of material or a maximum amount of overlap of the adjacent beads of material.

9. A method of forming a part using additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

receiving at an electronic device, a computer aided design (CAD) model of the part;

dividing the CAD model into a first section and a second section based on a first height range and a second height range, respectively;

selecting, by a user input, a first set of print parameters for the first section including an overlap parameter that defines an amount of overlap of adjacent beads of material;

selecting, by a user input, a second set of print parameters for the second section, wherein the first set of print parameters is different from the second set of print parameters;

slicing the first section into a first set of layers and slicing the second section into a second set of layers after selecting the first set of print parameters and the second set of print parameters; and

depositing a flowable material onto a surface according the first set of print parameters and the second set of print parameters, wherein the first set of layers and the second set of layers are deposited so as to be interspersed with one another.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein depositing the flowable material onto the surface includes forming the first section and the second section, the first section fusing to the second section.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first set of layers includes a first layer, the first layer having a first height above the surface, wherein the first height is spaced above the surface.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the flowable material is deposited according to the first set of print parameters and the second set of print parameters in a single printing process.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the first set of layers includes a fill portion and a first boundary bead, and the second set of layers includes a second boundary bead, and wherein the second set of layers do not include a fill portion.

14. A method of forming a part using additive manufacturing, the method comprising:

receiving at an electronic device, a computer aided design (CAD) model of the part;

dividing the CAD model into a plurality of sections including a first section and a second section, the first section and the second section being determined based on a first height range and a second height range, respectively;

selecting a first set of print parameters for the first section, including an overlap parameter that defines an amount of overlap of adjacent beads of material, and a second set of print parameters for the second section;

slicing each of the plurality of sections into a plurality of layers after selecting the first set of print parameters and the second set of print parameters, each layer having a plurality of print parameters; and

depositing a flowable material onto a substrate according to the plurality of print parameters for each of the plurality of layers, including depositing adjacent beads of the flowable material that overlap each other according to the amount of overlap defined by the overlap parameter, wherein the first set of print parameters differs from the second set of print parameters.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of print parameters of the set of layers of the first section include an upper Z material limit and a lower Z material limit, the lower Z material limit having a height above the substrate.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a number of the plurality of layers is determined based in part on a height of one or more of the plurality of sections.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the first section includes a number of boundary layers different from a number of boundary layers of the second section.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is a computer numeric controlled (CNC) machine.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the layers of the first section and the layers of the second section are deposited so as to be interspersed with one another, and wherein one or more of the layers of the first section fuses with one or more of the layers of the second section.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the CAD model includes a shape of an outer surface of the part and a shape of an internal structure of the part.