Methods and systems for integrating fluid dispensing technology with stereolithography

• US 20060225834A1
• Filed: 03/31/2005
• Published: 10/12/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: National Technology & Engineering Solutions Of Sandia LLC (Honeywell International Inc.), 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: Medina, Francisco, Wicker, Ryan, Chavez, Bart D., Palmer, Jeremy A., Davis, Don W., Gallegos, Phillip L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,658,603 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 156/273.300
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• 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 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing

Abstract

An integrated system and method of integrating fluid dispensing technologies (e.g., direct-write (DW)) with rapid prototyping (RP) technologies (e.g., stereolithography (SL)) without part registration comprising: an SL apparatus and a fluid dispensing apparatus further comprising a translation mechanism adapted to translate the fluid dispensing apparatus along the Z-, Y- and Z-axes. The fluid dispensing apparatus comprises: a pressurized fluid container; a valve mechanism adapted to control the flow of fluid from the pressurized fluid container; and a dispensing nozzle adapted to deposit the fluid in a desired location. To aid in calibration, the integrated system includes a laser sensor and a mechanical switch. The method further comprises building a second part layer on top of the fluid deposits and optionally accommodating multi-layered circuitry by incorporating a connector trace. Thus, the present invention is capable of efficiently building single and multi-material SL fabricated parts embedded with complex three-dimensional circuitry using DW.

Claims

1. An integrated rapid prototyping devices comprising:

one or more stereolithography apparatuses having one or more lasers adapted to cure a resin; and

one or more fluid dispensing apparatuses configured to communicate with the stereolithography apparatus and adapted to deposit fluid on the resin cured by the stereolithography apparatus without re-registration.

2. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus is a direct write apparatus.

3. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus further comprises a translation mechanism adapted to translate the fluid dispensing apparatus along the x-axis.

4. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus further comprises a translation mechanism adapted to translate the fluid dispensing apparatus along the y-axis.

5. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus further comprises a translation mechanism adapted to translate the fluid dispensing apparatus along the z-axis.

6. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus further comprises:

a pressurized fluid container;

a valve mechanism adapted to control the flow of fluid from the pressurized fluid container; and

a dispensing nozzle adapted to deposit the fluid to a desire location.

7. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus further comprises one or more laser sensors adapted to aid in calibrating the fluid dispensing apparatus to the stereolithography apparatus.

8. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus further comprises a mechanical switch adapted to aid in calibrating the fluid dispensing apparatus to the stereolithography apparatus.

9. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus is selected from the group consisting of:

non-contact dispensing mechanisms, non-contact coaxial jet mechanisms, direct-contact dispensing mechanisms, ink jet dispensing mechanisms, pressurized nozzle dispensing mechanisms, liquid droplet generators, continuous ink dispensing mechanisms, filamentary ink dispensing mechanisms, extrusion devices, wire-feed mechanisms, component placement mechanisms, gear pumps, air pressure pumps, positive displacement pumps, screw-driven pumps, syringe pumps, fused deposition modeling nozzles, mixing nozzles, extrusion nozzles and any combination thereof.

10. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of:

inks, conductive inks, curable inks, curable media, conductive fluids, electronic inks, conductors, insulators, semi-conductive materials, magnetic materials, spin materials, piezoelectric materials, opto-electronic, thermoelectric materials, radio frequency materials, ultraviolet curable resins, controlled reaction materials, precursor fluids, metal-organic liquids, solutions, suspensions, sol-gels, nanoparticles, colloidal fluids, thermoplastics, extrudable materials, thermosets, 2-part epoxy materials and any combination thereof.

11. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the stereolithography apparatus is adapted to build multi-material parts.

12. The integrated rapid prototyping devices of claim 1, wherein the resin is selected from:

a hydrogel, a stereolithography resin, a radically polymerizable organic compound, a cationically polymerizable organic compound, a polyether, a polyol compound, an elastomer particle, a curable ink, a photopolymer resin, a photopolymer powdered material, and any combination thereof.

13. A method of integrated rapid prototyping comprising:

fabricating a first part layer using stereolithography apparatus; and

depositing fluid on the first part layer using a fluid dispensing apparatus without re-registration.

14. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13 further comprising depositing fluid to make a circuit on the first part layer.

15. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13 further comprising curing the fluid.

16. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 15, wherein the step of curing is accomplished by selecting a curing apparatus selected from the group consisting of:

a ultraviolet light source, a particle bombarder, a chemical sprayer, a radiation impinger, an ink jet, an oven, a fan, a pump, a curing device and a drying device that incorporates convection, conduction and/or radiation heat transfer and any combinations thereof.

17. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13 further comprising building a second part layer on top of the fluid deposits.

18. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 17 further comprising depositing fluid on the second part layer.

19. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 18 further comprising depositing fluid to connect the fluid disposed on the first part layer and the fluid disposed on the second part layer.

20. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13, wherein the fluid is selected from the group consisting of:

inks, conductive inks, curable inks, curable media, conductive fluids, electronic inks, conductors, insulators, semi-conductive materials, magnetic materials, spin materials, piezoelectric materials, opto-electronic, thermoelectric materials, radio frequency materials, ultraviolet curable resins, controlled reaction materials, precursor fluids, metal-organic liquids, solutions, suspensions, sol-gels, nanoparticles, colloidal fluids, thermoplastics, extrudable materials, thermosets, 2-part epoxy materials and any combination thereof.

21. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13, wherein the step of depositing the fluid is accomplished by a mechanism selected from the group consisting of:

non-contact dispensing mechanisms, non-contact coaxial jet mechanisms, direct-contact dispensing mechanisms, ink jet dispensing mechanisms, pressurized nozzle dispensing mechanisms, liquid droplet generators, continuous ink dispensing mechanisms, filamentary ink dispensing mechanisms, extrusion devices, wire-feed mechanisms, component placement mechanisms, gear pumps, air pressure pumps, positive displacement pumps, screw-driven pumps, syringe pumps, fused deposition modeling nozzles, mixing nozzles, extrusion nozzles and any combination thereof.

22. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13, wherein the fluid dispensing apparatus is a direct write apparatus.

23. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13, further comprising calibrating the fluid dispensing apparatus with the stereolithography apparatus.

24. The method of integrated rapid prototyping of claim 13, wherein the stereolithography apparatus is adapted to build multi-material parts.