Systems and methods for freeform fabrication of foamed structures

• US 9,079,337 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cornell University
• Original Assignee: Cornell University
• Inventors: Lipton, Jeffrey I., Lipson, Hod
• Primary Examiner(s): DANIELS, MATTHEW J
• Application Number:
  US13/356,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20120241993A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 264/308
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 20/20 Making of laminated, multi-layered, stuffed or hollow foodstuffs, e.g. by wrapping in preformed edible dough sheets or in edible food containers
• CPC Class Codes: A23P 2020/253 Coating food items by printing onto them; Printing layers of food products
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/04 Machines for domestic use not covered elsewhere, e.g. for grinding, mixing, stirring, kneading, emulsifying, whipping or beating foodstuffs, e.g. power-driven
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 43/25 Devices for grating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 37/0025 Applying surface layers, e.g. coatings, decorative layers, printed layers, to articles during shaping, e.g. in-mould printing moulding on preformed layers as inserts B29C70/68; applying fluent material to surfaces in general B05
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 44/16 shaped by the expansion of the material
• 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 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/209 Heads; Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

Technologies are provided herein for fabricating foamed structures using a three dimensional fabricator. In particular, the present disclosure provides systems and methods of producing foamed structures using foamed materials, lattice foamed materials, and/or layer deposition employing the concept of viscous thread instability.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a 3D foam structure comprising:

receiving an image of the geometry of the foam structure to be fabricated;

slicing the image into slices;

further slicing said slices into sub slices;

generating bottom seal layer sub slice and top seal layer sub slice material deposition tool paths each comprising an exterior wall and a solid fill path, and an interior layer sub slice material deposition tool path comprising an exterior wall and a sparsely filled sub slice with channels;

depositing the bottom seal layer along the bottom seal layer sub slice material deposition tool path;

depositing the interior layer along the interior layer sub slice material deposition tool path to form channels;

depositing the top seal layer along the top seal layer sub slice material deposition tool path bridging said channels in the interior layer to entrap air in closed cell foam channels.

2. A method of fabricating multi-layer foam structures comprising:

slicing a target object into layers of a predetermined height with a fabrication software application;

pathing the sliced layers with the fabrication software application to form deposition paths;

dispensing material from a nozzle on a surface along a first deposition path in a translated coiling pattern caused by viscous thread instability to form a first layer;

dispensing material from the nozzle on the first layer along a second deposition path in a translated coiling pattern caused by viscous thread instability to form a second layer.