Feed Housing Purge System for Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D printing processes using molten thermoplastic materials are slow for large-scale production and prone to cross-contamination during material changeovers, requiring inefficient two-step processes and manual cleaning challenges.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating compressed gas injection and vibration forces to completely empty the system of material during changeovers, using a vacuum to pull pellets from a hopper and a material removal device with an actuator to dislodge and remove retained material, thereby preventing cross-contamination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If compressed gas injection is used to completely empty the system during material changeovers, then cross-contamination is reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Compressed gas is introduced as an intermediary substance to facilitate the removal of retained material from the feed housing. The gas acts as a mediator that pushes residual material through the discharge passage, ensuring complete evacuation without direct mechanical intervention. This resolves the contradiction by providing an effective cross-contamination prevention mechanism while avoiding complex mechanical cleaning systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs pneumatic principles by using compressed gas flow to evacuate material from the feed housing. The pressurized gas creates a fluid dynamic environment that forces residual material through the discharge passage, replacing complex mechanical evacuation systems with a simpler pneumatic solution that effectively prevents cross-contamination.
2Productivity
If a material removal device with actuator is added to dislodge retained material, then material changeover speed is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The actuator activates the material removal device before the actual material changeover process begins. By pre-dislodging retained material from the feed housing and supply line, the system prepares for rapid material transition. This preliminary action resolves the contradiction by enabling faster changeovers while keeping the added complexity minimal and targeted.
Solution Approach 2:
The material removal device is designed to automatically evacuate retained material using the actuator and compressed gas system, without requiring manual intervention. The system serves itself by automatically clearing its own supply line and feed housing, improving changeover speed while avoiding the complexity of manual cleaning procedures.
3Productivity
If vacuum delivery system is used to convey plastic pellets, then material supply efficiency is improved, but material removal difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using the vacuum system in reverse to remove material, the invention employs a separate compressed gas-driven material removal device. This inverts the approach by using a different mechanism (gas pressure rather than vacuum suction) specifically for material evacuation, resolving the contradiction by maintaining vacuum efficiency for supply while simplifying removal through a dedicated system.
Solution Approach 2:
Compressed gas serves as an intermediary mechanism that facilitates material removal from the vacuum delivery system. The gas pressure system acts as a separate mediator that can evacuate material without interfering with the vacuum supply system's operation, resolving the contradiction by decoupling the supply and removal functions into distinct, optimized systems.
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
Facilitates faster material changeovers and reduces cross-contamination, ensuring efficient and complete removal of materials without manual intervention, enhancing the overall productivity of 3D printing processes.
Implementation Method 1
A vacuum may be used to pull plastic pellets from the bottom of a first (e.g., relative large) hopper mounted to the floor, and draw these pellets into a smaller vacuum receiver and second (e.g., smaller) hopper mounted above the extruder.
Implementation Method 2
compressed gas (e.g., air) is forcefully injected into a material flow during a material unloading process to completely empty out the system
Implementation Method 3
In at least some aspects of the disclosure, forces (e.g., vibration forces) may be applied to one or more components of the system, in addition to or instead of compressed gas.
Data Source
AI summary
An additive manufacturing apparatus includes a material container having a hollow interior configured to receive a material and an extruder connected below the material container to receive the material from the material container. The additive manufacturing apparatus includes a material removal device including an actuator configured to activate the material removal device to dislodge retained material from within the hollow interior of the material container and a drain passage configured to receive the dislodged material and guide the material to an exterior of the additive manufacturing apparatus.