ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM AND METHOD WITH INTERCHANGEABLE CARTRIDGES FOR PRINTING CUSTOMIZED CHOCOLATE CONFECTIONS

• US 20120251689A1
• Filed: 03/28/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Inventors: Batchelder, J. Samuel
• Granted Patent: US 8,986,767 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 426/383
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/0056 Processes in which the material is shaped at least partially by a die; Extrusion of cross-sections or plates, optionally with the associated cutting
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/04 Apparatus specially adapted for manufacture or treatment of cocoa or cocoa products machines for roasting cocoa A23N12/00
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 1/202 Apparatus in which the material is shaped at least partially by a die; Extrusion of cross-sections or plates, optionally with the associated cutting device
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/0097 Decorating sweetmeats or confectionery
• CPC Class Codes: A23G 3/0242 Apparatus in which the material is shaped at least partially by a die; Extrusion of cross-sections or plates, optionally the associated cutting device
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 2020/253 Coating food items by printing onto them; Printing layers of food products
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

An additive manufacturing system for printing a chocolate confection, the system comprising a platen, a print head, and a cartridge configured to be removably secured to the print head, wherein the cartridge contains a supply of the chocolate material.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing system for printing a chocolate confection, the system comprising:

at least one controller configured to receive instructions for printing the chocolate confection, and further configured to relay commands relating to the received instructions;

a platen;

a print head, wherein at least one of the platen and the print head is movable such that the platen and the print head move relative to each other based on commands from the controller; and

a cartridge configured to be removably secured to the print head, wherein the cartridge contains a supply of the chocolate material, and wherein the print head is configured to extrude the chocolate material onto the platen to build the three-dimensional part using a layer-based, additive manufacturing technique in a duration that prevents the chocolate material from thickening past a viscosity threshold of the chocolate material.

2. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the duration is 60 minutes or less.

3. The additive manufacturing system of claim 2, wherein the duration is 50 minutes or less.

4. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the supply of the chocolate material is pre-tempered.

5. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises:

a compressible bellows reservoir configured to contain the supply of the chocolate material; and

an extrusion tip secured to the compressible bellows reservoir.

6. The additive manufacturing system of claim 5, wherein the print head comprises:

a rotatable drive wheel; and

a tracked shaft configured to engage the rotatable drive wheel, wherein the tracked shaft is configured to operably engage the compressible bellows reservoir.

7. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the cartridge comprises:

a compressible tube configured to contain the supply of the chocolate material;

a pair of plates disposed on opposing sides of the compressible tube; and

an extrusion tip secured to the compressible tube.

8. The additive manufacturing system of claim 7, wherein the pair of plates each comprise a thermostatically-controlled plate.

9. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the print head comprises:

a housing die having a cavity configured to retain the cartridge; and

a mating tool having a wedge block configured to insert into the cavity to apply pressure to the cartridge, wherein at least one of the housing die and the mating tool is configured to transfer heat to the chocolate material in the cartridge to melt the chocolate material.

10. A cartridge configured to be removably secured to a print head of an additive manufacturing system, the cartridge comprising:

a compressible tube configured to contain a supply of a chocolate material, the compressible tube having opposing major surfaces;

an extrusion tip secured to the compressible tube;

a first thermally-conductive plate disposed against a first of the opposing major surfaces of the compressible tube; and

a second thermally-conductive plate disposed against a second of the opposing major surfaces of the compressible tube, wherein the first and second thermally-conductive plates are configured to transfer thermal energy to the chocolate material in the compressible tube to heat the chocolate material to an extrudate state, and wherein the compressible tube is configured to collapse under an application of external pressure to extrude the heated chocolate material from the extrusion tip.

11. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the first and second thermally-conductive plates each comprise a thermostatically-controlled plate.

12. The cartridge of claim 10, wherein the supply of the chocolate material has a volume of about 2.2 cubic inches or less.

13. The cartridge of claim 10, and further comprising a mechanism configured to securely install the cartridge to the print head.

14. A method for printing a chocolate confection, the method comprising:

installing a cartridge to a print head of an additive manufacturing system, wherein the cartridge comprises a compressible reservoir containing a supply of a chocolate material;

heating the supply of the chocolate material in the installed cartridge to an extrudable state;

compressing the compressible reservoir in a direction along a vertical axis to extrude the heated chocolate material from the installed cartridge onto a platen of the additive manufacturing system to build at least a portion of the chocolate confection using a layer-based, additive manufacturing technique, wherein all usable amounts of the chocolate material are extruded from the cartridge prior to the chocolate material thickening past a viscosity threshold of the chocolate material.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein heating the supply of the chocolate material in the cartridge comprises directing heated air to the cartridge.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein cartridge further comprises a pair of thermally-conductive plates, and wherein the compressible reservoir comprises a compressible tube disposed between the of thermally-conductive plates.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the compressible reservoir comprises a compressible bellows reservoir.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein all of the usable amounts of the chocolate material from the cartridge are extruded by about 50 minutes or less from heating the supply of the chocolate material in the cartridge to the extrudable state.

19. The method of claim 14, and further comprising:

removing the installed cartridge from the print head after all of the usable amounts of the chocolate material are extruded from the cartridge; and

installing a second cartridge to the print head, wherein the second cartridge contains a second supply of the chocolate material.

20. The method of claim 14, and further comprising moving the platen in at least five degrees of freedom while extruding the heated chocolate material from the cartridge.