Additive Manufacturing Fiber Tows with Interstitial Bindments
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing systems face challenges in efficiently producing articles with uniform fiber distribution and reduced waste, as well as maintaining positional accuracy and rigidity during the 3D printing process using continuous filaments.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing fiber tows comprising a bundle of elongate fibers with interposed bindments, which provide interstitial regions and are fixed together to hold the configuration, allowing for the application and solidification of a solidifiable matrix material to form a finished article.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If continuous filament is used in additive manufacturing, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to difficulty in controlling fiber distribution and positional accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous filament is segmented into discrete fiber tows with bindments at regular intervals. This segmentation allows the fiber bundle to be manipulated and positioned more precisely during deposition, while still maintaining the continuous nature of the reinforcement fibers for structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
Bindments are introduced as intermediary elements within the fiber tow. These bindments act as spacing maintainers and positioners, ensuring uniform distribution of fibers and accurate positioning of the tow during the additive manufacturing process. The bindments facilitate controlled deposition while maintaining fiber alignment.
2Manufacturing precision
If conventional fiber reinforcement methods are used, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of substance increases due to waste generation
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber tows are pre-configured with bindments attached at specific intervals before the additive manufacturing process. This preliminary arrangement of fibers and bindments ensures that the reinforcement elements are already positioned and spaced correctly, eliminating the need for post-processing adjustments and reducing material waste from trial-and-error positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The bindments are designed to be temporary positioning aids that can be removed or dissolved after serving their function during manufacturing. This allows the reinforcement fibers to be precisely positioned during deposition, while the sacrificial bindments are discarded, enabling reuse of the valuable fiber materials and reducing overall waste.
3Manufacturing precision
If fiber bundle is made rigid to maintain configuration, then positional accuracy is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in dispensing
Solution Approach 1:
The fiber tow structure is designed with dynamic characteristics through the use of flexible bindments that can adapt during dispensing. The bindments provide enough rigidity to maintain fiber spacing and tow configuration during storage and handling, but remain flexible enough to allow the tow to bend and conform during the dispensing and deposition process, facilitating ease of operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bindments function as flexible structural elements that maintain the overall geometry of the fiber tow while allowing local flexibility. This enables the tow to be manipulated and positioned accurately during deposition, combining the benefits of structural integrity with operational flexibility.
Data Source
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AI summary
Additive manufacturing fiber tows (10) comprise a bundle of elongate fibers. Bindments (16), which may include particles, elongated bindment segments, coating segments, and/or encircling bindments are interposed among the plural elongate fibers to provide interstitial regions (20) among the plural elongate fibers and the bindments. Methods of additively manufacturing an article with a configuration comprise dispensing the additive manufacturing fiber tow with bindments in multiple successive courses in the configuration to additively manufacture the article. The methods may include fixing the bindments together to hold the article in the configuration with the interstitial regions among the plural elongate fibers and the bindments. A solidifiable matrix material (40) may be applied to the article, including to the interstitial regions, and the solidifiable matrix material may be solidified to form a finished article.