Drawn Fused Filament Fabrication for Fine Feature Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is limited by the nozzle size, restricting the resolution and increasing printing time for small features, as the filament diameter is fixed by the nozzle diameter, making it challenging to produce complex or small-scale objects with precise interior structures.
Innovation Solution
The drawn fused filament fabrication method allows for the extrusion of filaments smaller than the nozzle diameter by initially extruding a small amount of material, pulling it while moving, and anchoring it at the end, enabling the creation of thin filaments with varying diameters between 1 μm and 100 μm, independent of the nozzle size, thus overcoming the size limitations of traditional FFF.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a small nozzle is used to extrude material in fused filament fabrication, then the resolution and manufacturing precision are improved, but the printing time increases significantly and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the extrusion process into two distinct stages: a rapid deposition stage where material is extruded quickly to cover large distances, and a drawing stage where the extruded material is pulled and thinned to the desired fine diameter. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently - the deposition stage for speed and the drawing stage for precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary extrusion of material at a larger diameter before the drawing operation. This preliminary action creates a reservoir of material that can then be rapidly drawn down to the final fine diameter, allowing the system to benefit from both fast extrusion and fine resolution in the final product.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the filament diameter is fixed by the nozzle diameter in traditional FFF, then the device complexity is reduced, but the adaptability to create objects with varying feature sizes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic control of filament diameter through a drawing mechanism that can adjust the pull force and speed in real-time. This allows the system to transition from static nozzle-based diameter control to dynamic post-extrusion diameter control, enabling variable filament diameters while maintaining relatively simple extrusion hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and dimensions of the extruded material after extrusion by applying drawing forces. This parameter change approach allows the filament diameter to be adjusted independently of the nozzle diameter, providing adaptability without requiring multiple nozzles or complex switching mechanisms.
3Productivity
If material is extruded continuously at high speed, then productivity is improved, but the ability to create fine features and control filament diameter is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the diameter control function from the extrusion process itself and separates it into a subsequent drawing operation. This allows the extrusion to focus on high-speed material deposition while the drawing operation independently handles the fine diameter control, resolving the conflict between speed and precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a temporal dimension to the diameter control by implementing it after extrusion rather than during. This dimensional shift allows high-speed extrusion to proceed uninterrupted while diameter control is applied in a separate phase, enabling both high productivity and fine feature creation.
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 method significantly enhances the ability to print objects with fine features and complex interior structures, reducing printing time and enabling the production of objects with optimal surface area to volume ratios, such as filters and bioreactors, by allowing for the creation of thin filaments that can connect across large distances without the constraints of nozzle size.
Implementation Method 1
a heating element positioned above the build plate and configured to heat the filament to a temperature above a melting point of the filament
Implementation Method 2
a nozzle positioned below the heating element and configured to extrude a molten filament onto the build plate
Implementation Method 3
the extruded material cools and solidifies, forming a filament
Data Source
AI summary
A drawn fused filament fabrication method of three-dimensional printing is disclosed in which the filament extruded is variable and not restricted to the diameter of the nozzle used for extrusion. This method composes three steps. The first is to extrude a small amount of material at a starting position. Next, the extruding head pulls the extruded material along while moving away from the starting position. During this time to material cools down and solidifies. As a result, a thin filament is formed. Third, once the extruding head moves to a destination, a small amount of material can be extruded and deposited to anchor this newly formed filament to a surface. The drawn fused filament fabrication method may be used to print three-dimensional parts having significant lower thickness than the diameter of the nozzle used to extrude the printing material.