Elastomeric Additive Manufacturing for Smooth Silicone Deposition
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing systems for elastomeric materials, particularly silicone, face challenges in achieving smooth, consistent texture and desired material properties, are limited to monolithic structures, and struggle with gravity effects, mold dependency, and lack flexibility in material deposition, especially for medical-grade applications.
Innovation Solution
An additive manufacturing system with a first dispensing system, secondary dispensing system, and deposition apparatus that allows for controlled deposition of elastomeric materials with varying properties, using a dynamic mixer and deposition substrate to overcome gravity and enable precise, continuous deposition of filaments or layers with desired properties at specific locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If low viscosity, low-temperature-curing materials are used to enable the deposition process, then the deposition process becomes feasible, but the structural quality and material properties of the final product are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from low-temperature curing materials to high-temperature curing materials, and from viscous materials to non-viscous materials. This fundamental parameter change enables the use of medical-grade silicone with superior mechanical properties while maintaining depositability through the novel dispensing system that extrudes material in a non-viscous state and cures it in situ.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical injection molding systems with an additive manufacturing system that uses controlled extrusion and in situ curing. Instead of injecting viscous material under high pressure into molds, the system extrudes non-viscous material precisely where needed and cures it in place, eliminating the need for molds and enabling complex geometries with medical-grade materials.
2Quantity of substance
If significantly viscous silicone materials are extruded with high pressure onto a substrate, then material can be deposited, but the silicone deforms, sags, or loses its desired shape before curing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by extruding the silicone material in a non-viscous, easily controllable state before it cures. The material is deposited in the desired shape while non-viscous, then cured in situ to lock that shape in place. This prevents the sagging and deformation that occurs when viscous materials are used, as the curing process immediately follows the shaping process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transitions by exploiting the transition of silicone material from a non-viscous liquid state during extrusion to a cured solid state in situ. The material is extruded in a low-viscosity state that allows precise shaping, then undergoes curing transformation to become a dimensionally stable solid, effectively using the phase change to achieve both easy deposition and shape retention.
3Measurement precision
If discrete beads or droplets of elastomeric material are added one at a time, then the material can be precisely placed, but the structural quality and smoothness of the final product are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies continuity of useful action by extruding the elastomeric material as a continuous filament or stream rather than as discrete beads or droplets. The material flows continuously from the dispensing system and is cured in situ, creating smooth, continuous structures without the discontinuities and surface imperfections that result from bead-by-bead deposition. This maintains both placement precision and surface smoothness.
4Reliability
If medical-grade silicone materials are used, then the mechanical and chemical properties are improved, but the materials are thick and viscous requiring high pressure injection molding
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by fundamentally altering the viscosity parameter of the silicone material during the process. Medical-grade silicone is heated or chemically treated to reduce its viscosity to a non-viscous state, enabling easy extrusion through the dispensing system. After precise deposition in this low-viscosity state, the material is cured in situ, restoring its desirable mechanical properties while eliminating the processing difficulties of high-viscosity materials.
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
The system achieves precise, continuous deposition of elastomeric materials with controlled variability, overcoming gravity effects and enabling the production of complex structures with varying properties, suitable for medical-grade applications.
Implementation Method 1
A heated stage is configured to heat the deposited material to a temperature above a glass transition temperature of the elastomeric material to reduce viscosity of the deposited material
Implementation Method 2
An ultrasonic vibration module is configured to provide ultrasonic vibration to the deposited material to reduce viscosity of the deposited material
Implementation Method 3
Other additive manufacturing systems require a low- or room-temperature curing or vulcanizing elastomeric material so that the mass of elastomeric material quickly cures and does not deform during the formation process
Data Source
AI summary
A system for additive manufacturing a medical device, the system comprising a first dispensing system, a second dispensing system, a deposition apparatus, and a deposition substrate on a surface of which the deposition apparatus is configured to deposit at least one elastomeric material into a filament. The deposition apparatus receives the at least one elastomeric material from the first and second dispensing systems in proportions effecting a desired property in the medical device. The deposition apparatus may comprise heating and/or cooling elements, a sonic vibration module, and/or a pneumatic suck-back valve. The deposition substrate may have a configuration corresponding to a desired shape of the medical device and is configured to rotate and/or translate relative to the deposition apparatus. The system comprises a controller configured to control the deposition.