Additive Manufacturing Nozzle Control for Precise Overlapping Trajectories
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional additive manufacturing methods restrict design freedom and efficiency due to maintaining a predetermined distance of the toolpath from the material depositing device, leading to excessive material accumulation and structural inaccuracies.
Innovation Solution
An additive manufacturing method that controls the movement speed and discharge rate of a nozzle relative to a base, allowing the nozzle to move closer to itself along a target trajectory, with varying speeds and rates to form segments that align with the trajectory, preventing excessive material accumulation and ensuring precise, efficient manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the nozzle moves closer to itself along the target trajectory, then design freedom and manufacturing efficiency are improved, but excessive material accumulation occurs causing structural inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the discharge rate variable rather than constant. The discharge rate is dynamically adjusted based on the nozzle's position and movement speed along the target trajectory, allowing the system to adapt to changing geometric conditions and prevent excessive material accumulation while maintaining high productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of discharge rate from a fixed value to a variable that depends on the nozzle's position and movement characteristics. By modifying this parameter dynamically, the system resolves the contradiction between moving closer to itself (improving efficiency) and preventing material accumulation (maintaining precision).
2Manufacturing precision
If the material depositing device moves slower and discharges more material, then the three-dimensional object is more precisely formed, but manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts both movement speed and discharge rate based on the target trajectory and geometric requirements. This allows precise formation of the three-dimensional object without uniformly slowing down the entire process, thereby reducing overall manufacturing time while maintaining precision where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent simultaneously varies movement speed and discharge rate as interrelated parameters. By coordinating changes in both parameters, the system achieves precise material deposition without the trade-off of increased manufacturing time that would result from uniformly slower operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of three-dimensional objects with smooth transitions and precise structural accuracy, allowing for the creation of complex shapes without stopping the manufacturing process, even with materials that are difficult to control.
Implementation Method 1
a curable first material may be a liquid or a high-viscose material that can be cured, hardened or set hard so as to form the three-dimensional object
Data Source
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AI summary
An additive manufacturing method for controlling an additive manufacturing system for manufacturing a three-dimensional object (2) from a curable first material according to a three-dimensional data model, the additive manufacturing system, and a three-dimensional object are provided. The nozzle of the additive manufacturing system is moved such that a third section of the target trajectory is close to a second section of the target trajectory and a vertical distance (d23) between the third section (U3) and the second section (U2) at a first vertically overlapping part (OP1) is less than a height of the first segment (S1) discharged in a first section (U1) of the target trajectory. At least one of a magnitude of a second movement speed, with which the nozzle is moved in the second section, and a magnitude of a third movement speed, with which the nozzle is moved in the third section, is higher than a magnitude of a first movement speed, with which the nozzle is moved in the first section. Alternatively or in addition thereto, at least one of a second discharge rate, with which the first material is discharged from the nozzle in the second section, and a third discharge rate, with which the first material is discharged from the nozzle in the third section, is lower than a first discharge rate, with which the first material is discharged from the nozzle in the first section.