Additive Manufacturing Waste Recycling and Curing System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing 3D printing processes generate waste materials that are typically disposed of as environmental hazards, requiring costly and regulated disposal methods due to nozzle clogging and material surplus, which is not environmentally friendly.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for reusing surplus materials by filtering and recycling them within the printing process, allowing the materials to be redeposited as part of the 3D object or support construction, and forming a waste block for safe disposal, thereby reducing waste and environmental impact.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If standard disposal methods (sewerage system or municipal waste removal service) are used for waste material, then disposal is simple and straightforward, but it causes environmental harm and may be prohibited by laws or regulations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts harmful waste material into beneficial cured waste blocks through UV irradiation. The waste material, which would otherwise cause environmental harm, is transformed into a safe, solidified state that can be disposed of without environmental damage. This aligns with the principle of converting harmful factors into beneficial effects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the waste material by subjecting it to UV irradiation. This curing process transforms the liquid or semi-liquid waste material into a solid, stable form, fundamentally altering its properties to make it safe for disposal while eliminating environmental harm.
2Loss of time
If waste material is not cured and disposed of directly, then disposal is faster and simpler, but it creates environmental hazards and regulatory compliance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary curing of the waste material before final disposal. By irradiating the waste material with UV light before disposal, the system prepares the material in advance to eliminate environmental hazards, ensuring safe disposal while maintaining efficiency.
3Productivity
If surplus material is disposed of as waste, then the printing process is simpler and faster, but it increases environmental impact and disposal costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent recovers surplus material by collecting it in a bath and filtering it through a filter unit. The filtered material is then reused in the printing process, preventing material waste while maintaining printing productivity. This recovery process eliminates the need to discard valuable materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The system serves itself by recycling surplus material back into the printing process. The filtered and reused material continues to be used for printing without requiring external intervention or additional resources, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating material waste.
4Ease of repair
If purged material is collected and disposed of with waste, then the printing head maintenance is simpler, but it increases waste volume and disposal complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the disposal of purged material and surplus waste material into a single process. Both types of material are collected, filtered, and cured together, consolidating what would otherwise be separate disposal streams into one unified process, thereby reducing overall waste volume and disposal complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the state of purged and waste materials through UV irradiation, transforming them from liquid or semi-liquid forms into solid cured waste blocks. This parameter change consolidates multiple waste streams into a single manageable form, reducing waste volume and simplifying disposal.
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
This approach significantly reduces waste generation, allows for the reuse of materials within the printing process, and enables environmentally safe disposal of the waste block, improving the sustainability and efficiency of 3D printing operations.
Implementation Method 1
The building materials may be UV polymerizable compositions, e.g. photopolymers, which are polymerized, solidified, conditioned or cured after deposition, for example, by ultraviolet (UV) radiation.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing system for forming three-dimensional objects, layer by layer is provided. The system includes inkjet printing heads, each printing head adapted to dispense one of a modeling material, a support material or a reusable waste material that comprises one or more materials that were previously discharged from at least one of the inkjet printing heads; a modeling material container; a support material container; a reusable waste material container and a leveling unit that removes surplus material from previously deposited layers, the surplus material being provided to the reusable waste container via a tube. In embodiments, the method comprises dispensing the reusable material to form a separate waste block adjacent to the three-dimensional object.