BUILD PLATFORM THAT PROVIDES MECHANICAL ENGAGEMENT WITH ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING PRINTS

• US 20160144563A1
• Filed: 11/20/2014
• Published: 05/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Elliott, Amelia M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,908,287 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B23Q 7/03 by means of endless chain conveyors B23Q7/1447, B23Q7/16 take precedence
• 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 64/245 Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• 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

Abstract

A build platform and methods of fabricating an article with such a platform in an extrusion-type additive manufacturing machine are provided. A platform body 202 includes features 204 that extend outward from the body 202. The features 204 define protrusive areas 206 and recessive areas 208 that cooperate to mechanically engage the extruded material that forms the initial layers 220 of an article when the article is being fabricated by a nozzle 12 of the additive manufacturing machine 10.

Claims

1. An apparatus for supporting an article of manufacture that is fabricated from layers of material extruded by an additive manufacturing machine nozzle, the apparatus comprising:

a platform body having raised features extending outward from said body, said features defining protrusive areas and recessive areas; and

wherein the protrusive areas and recessive areas cooperate to mechanically engage the extruded material that forms the initial layers of an article when the article is being fabricated.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the protrusive areas overhang the recessive areas when viewed from a nozzle central axis direction.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said body includes a build area that is accessible by the nozzle when said platform body is installed in an additive manufacturing machine and a non-build area that is not accessible by the nozzle when said platform body is installed in an additive manufacturing machine.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein a portion of the non-build area extends at least ninety degrees around at least one cylindrical roller.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein a portion of the non-build area extends around and between at least two cylindrical rollers in a continuous, belt-like configuration.

6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the platform body is moveable such that the distance between protrusive areas increases when the build area is extending around a cylindrical roller in order to disengage a fabricated article from said platform body.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said platform body includes links that join said extending features in a linked-track configuration.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said raised features are rotatable rods having a greater than ninety degree pie-shaped cross section in a direction that is perpendicular to a nozzle central axis.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said platform body is made from a material that has a glass transition temperature of less than approximately 200 degrees Celsius.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein said platform body is made from a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum alloys, stainless steel alloys and plastics.

11. A method for fabricating an article of manufacture from layers of a material extruded by an additive manufacturing machine nozzle, the method comprising the steps of:

a. positioning a platform body having features extending outward and defining protrusive areas and recessive areas in a build area that is accessible by the nozzle;

b. extruding one or more initial layers of material with the nozzle across the protrusive areas and recessive areas at a first traverse speed such that at least one of the initial layers at least partially fills the recessive areas and is mechanically engaged by the extending features;

c. extruding additional layers of material with the nozzle on top of the initial layers at a second traverse speed such that the additional layers are thermally bonded to the initial layers and the article of manufacture is engaged with the platform body; and

d. disengaging the article of manufacture from the platform.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first traverse speed is less than the second traverse speed in the extruding steps.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the first traverse speed is equal to the second traverse speed in the extruding steps.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the first traverse speed is greater than the second traverse speed in the extruding steps.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the disengaging step includes sliding the article from the platform.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the disengaging step includes flexing the features apart.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the disengaging step includes flexing the features apart by rotating the platform body around a cylindrical roller.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the disengaging step includes rotating the features 360 degrees about their longitudinal axes.

19. The method of claim 11 and further comprising the step of:

e. removing the initial layers from the article of manufacture.

20. An apparatus for supporting an article of manufacture that is fabricated from layers of material extruded by an additive manufacturing machine nozzle, the apparatus comprising:

a platform body that mechanically engages the extruded material that forms the initial layers of an article when the article is being fabricated.