3D printing system

• US 10,603,838 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2017
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tyco Electronics Company Limited (TE Connectivity Limited), TE Connectivity Corporation (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: Tyco Electronics Company Limited (TE Connectivity Limited)
• Inventors: Deng, Yingcong, Xin, Liming, Zhang, Dandan, Lu, Roberto Francisco-Yi, Hu, Lvhai, Liu, Yun
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Moreno Hernandez, Jerzi H
• Application Number:
  US15/441,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20170165915A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,131 Days
• 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 64/232 for motion along the axis orthogonal to the plane of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/236 for motion in a direction within the plane of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/241 for rotary motion
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/245 Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• 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

Abstract

A 3D printing system is disclosed. The 3D printing system has a print head and a positioning platform. The positioning platform supports and positions a product printed by the print head. The positioning platform is movable with respect to the print head in a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction perpendicular to each other. The positioning platform is also rotatable with respect to the print head about at least two of the first, second, and third directions.

Claims

1. A 3D printing system, comprising:

a print head;

a positioning platform supporting and positioning a product printed by the print head;

a robot connected to the print head and configured to move the print head with respect to the positioning platform in a first direction, a second direction, and a third direction perpendicular to each other; and

a movement device on which the positioning platform is mounted, the movement device configured to rotate the positioning platform with respect to the print head about at least two of the first, second, and third directions, the movement device having;

a first rotation drive with an output shaft rotating about the first direction;

a second rotation drive with an output shaft rotating about the second direction;

a first link with a first end connected to the output shaft of the first rotation drive;

a second link with a first end pivotally connected to the positioning platform and an opposite second end pivotally connected to a second end of the first link; and

a third link with a first end connected to the output shaft of the second rotation drive and an opposite second end pivotally connected to the positioning platform.

2. The 3D printing system of claim 1, wherein the robot is a planar articulated robot, a six-axis robot, a Cartesian coordinate robot, a serial robot, a parallel robot, or a serial-parallel robot.

3. The 3D printing system of claim 1, wherein each of the first link, the second link, and the third link is shaped as a quarter-arc.

4. The 3D printing system of claim 1, wherein a first pivotal axis at a joint of the first link and the second link, a second pivotal axis at a joint of the second link and the positioning platform, a third pivotal axis at a joint of the third link and the positioning platform, a first axis of the output shaft of the first rotation drive, and a second axis of the output shaft of the second rotation drive intersect at a same point.

5. The 3D printing system of claim 4, wherein the same point is located at a geometric center of the positioning platform.

6. The 3D printing system of claim 5, wherein the first rotation drive is mounted on a first vertical mounting plate mounted on a base and the second rotation drive is mounted on a second vertical mounting plate mounted on the base.

7. The 3D printing system of claim 1, wherein the movement device and the robot are mounted on a base.

8. The 3D printing system of claim 1, wherein the output shaft of the first rotation drive and the output shaft of the second rotation drive are each indirectly connected to the positioning platform.