Conical viscosity pump with axially positionable impeller and method of printing a 3D part
First Claim
1. A pump assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system, the pump assembly comprising:
- a viscosity pump having a pump housing having a first end and a second end wherein the first end has a cross sectional area greater than a cross sectional area of the second end and a conical shaped inner surface extending therebetween and defining a pump chamber, an inlet proximate the first end and an outlet proximate the second end, wherein the outlet comprises a conical configuration and includes an exit orifice configured to extrude a consumable material;
an impeller having an axis of rotation, the impeller comprising a shaft positioned through the first end of the pump housing and into the conical shaped chamber wherein the impeller comprises a distal tip-end at a distal end of the shaft wherein the impeller is configured to be rotated about the axis of rotation and moved along the axis of rotation within the pump housing, wherein the impeller distal tip-end comprises a logarithmic spiral and has a conical surface having a complementary configuration to the conical outlet of the viscosity pump such that the impeller is configured to mate with the conical outlet to provide a seal between the conical surface and the conical outlet; and
an actuator coupled to a proximal end of the impeller, wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the impeller parallel about the axis of rotation, wherein the actuator is configured to extend and retract the impeller along the axis of rotation to adjust the size of a gap between the distal end of the impeller and the inner surface of the pump housing to control the flow of an extrudable material through the outlet within the pump housing, wherein the actuator is configured to change a distance between the distal tip-end of the impeller and the outlet of the viscosity pump as a part is being printed such that a rate of rotation of the impeller about the axis of the rotation along with a change in the distance between the distal tip-end of the impeller and the outlet of the viscosity pump are utilized to control a volumetric flow rate of the consumable material.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A pump assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system includes a viscosity pump having a first end and a second end wherein the first end has a cross sectional area greater than a cross sectional area of the second end. The viscosity pump has a conical shaped inner surface defining a pump chamber, an inlet proximate the first end and an outlet proximate the second end. The viscosity pump includes an impeller having an axis of rotation, where the impeller has a shaft positioned through the first end of the first housing and into the pump chamber. The impeller includes a distal tip-end at a distal end of the shaft wherein the impeller is configured to be axially displaced within the pump chamber of the viscosity pump parallel to the axis of rotation. An actuator is coupled to a proximal end of the impeller, wherein the actuator is configured to move the impeller parallel to the axis of rotation.
53 Citations
18 Claims
-
1. A pump assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system, the pump assembly comprising:
-
a viscosity pump having a pump housing having a first end and a second end wherein the first end has a cross sectional area greater than a cross sectional area of the second end and a conical shaped inner surface extending therebetween and defining a pump chamber, an inlet proximate the first end and an outlet proximate the second end, wherein the outlet comprises a conical configuration and includes an exit orifice configured to extrude a consumable material; an impeller having an axis of rotation, the impeller comprising a shaft positioned through the first end of the pump housing and into the conical shaped chamber wherein the impeller comprises a distal tip-end at a distal end of the shaft wherein the impeller is configured to be rotated about the axis of rotation and moved along the axis of rotation within the pump housing, wherein the impeller distal tip-end comprises a logarithmic spiral and has a conical surface having a complementary configuration to the conical outlet of the viscosity pump such that the impeller is configured to mate with the conical outlet to provide a seal between the conical surface and the conical outlet; and an actuator coupled to a proximal end of the impeller, wherein the actuator is configured to rotate the impeller parallel about the axis of rotation, wherein the actuator is configured to extend and retract the impeller along the axis of rotation to adjust the size of a gap between the distal end of the impeller and the inner surface of the pump housing to control the flow of an extrudable material through the outlet within the pump housing, wherein the actuator is configured to change a distance between the distal tip-end of the impeller and the outlet of the viscosity pump as a part is being printed such that a rate of rotation of the impeller about the axis of the rotation along with a change in the distance between the distal tip-end of the impeller and the outlet of the viscosity pump are utilized to control a volumetric flow rate of the consumable material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A pump assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system, the pump assembly comprising:
-
a viscosity pump having a pump chamber with a first end and a second end wherein the first end has a cross sectional area greater than a cross sectional area of the second end and a conical shaped inner surface extending therebetween and defining a pump chamber, an inlet proximate the first end and a conical outlet proximate the second end; an impeller having an axis of rotation, the impeller comprising a shaft positioned through the first end of the pump housing and into the conical shaped chamber wherein the impeller comprises a distal tip-end at a distal end of the shaft wherein the impeller is configured to be displaced along the axis of rotation within the pump chamber and rotate about the axis of rotation to control a volumetric flow rate of the consumable material, wherein the impeller distal tip-end comprises a logarithmic spiral and has a conical surface having a complementary configuration to the conical outlet of the viscosity pump such that the impeller is configured to mate with the outlet to provide a seal between the conical surface and the conical outlet; an actuator coupled to a proximal end of the impeller, wherein the actuator is configured to move the impeller along the axis of rotation and change a distance between the distal tip-end and the outlet as a part is being printed; a level sensor configured to sense a level of a consumable material within the pump chamber; and a controller configured to receive a signal from the level sensor wherein the controller is configured to send a signal to the actuator to move the impeller within the pump chamber along the axis of rotation to selected locations and adjust a rate of rotation about the axis of rotation to control a volumetric flow rate of material from the outlet based upon the sensed change in level over time. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
-
Specification