3D-Printed Impeller Balancing Using Redistributed Curable Resin
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for balancing fan impellers in mobile electronic devices are inefficient and costly, as they rely on subtractive processes that require multiple iterations and resource-intensive material removal to achieve dynamic balance, which is not suitable for the compact designs of modern electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
The use of additive manufacturing to create partially cured impellers, which are then rotated to redistribute a curable liquid and balanced before final curing, eliminating the need for solvent washing and reducing processing time and cost by utilizing the excess resin for balancing, thereby producing a rotationally balanced impeller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional subtractive methods (machining or laser ablation) are used to balance impellers, then dynamic balance can be achieved, but multiple iterations are required increasing time, cost, and resources
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of removing material to achieve balance, the invention adds curable liquid material to the impeller in a controlled manner during the additive manufacturing process. The impeller is built layer by layer with deliberate material placement that compensates for imbalances, eliminating the need for iterative subtraction and achieving balance in a single manufacturing pass.
Solution Approach 2:
The balancing considerations are incorporated into the impeller design and manufacturing process before the impeller is completed. By calculating and implementing balance compensation during the additive manufacturing process itself, rather than after completion, the invention eliminates subsequent balancing iterations and reduces total process time.
2Manufacturing precision
If traditional subtractive methods are used to balance impellers, then dynamic balance can be achieved, but material must be removed increasing cost and resources
Solution Approach 1:
The invention inverts the traditional approach by adding material rather than removing it. During additive manufacturing, curable liquid is deposited in specific patterns and locations that directly compensate for imbalances, eliminating the need for material removal operations and associated waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention recovers and utilizes the curable liquid that would otherwise be considered excess or waste material in additive manufacturing. By incorporating this liquid into the balancing process, the invention transforms potential waste into a functional component that achieves dynamic balance without requiring additional material removal.
3Adaptability or versatility
If additive manufacturing is used to create impellers, then new geometries and reduced waste are achieved, but rotational imbalance may occur without proper balancing processes
Solution Approach 1:
The additive manufacturing process is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it creates the complex impeller geometry and incorporates balancing compensation in the same manufacturing sequence. The curable liquid deposition serves both as structural material and as balance compensation material, eliminating the need for separate balancing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Balance compensation is built into the additive manufacturing process from the beginning. By calculating the required balance compensation and incorporating it during layer-by-layer construction, the invention ensures that complex geometries are produced with inherent balance, avoiding post-manufacturing balancing issues.
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 enhances the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of fan impeller manufacturing by allowing for new geometries and reducing waste, improving thermal management in compact electronic devices by ensuring balanced rotation without the need for extensive material removal.
Implementation Method 1
The rotation causes the curable liquid to redistribute on the first stage impeller to compensate for rotational imbalances in the first stage impeller
Implementation Method 2
After the curable liquid has redistributed, it is cured in place to produce a second stage (fully cured) impeller that is rotationally balanced
Data Source
Figure 1~2-1
Figure 2-2~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A method of manufacturing an impeller for a thermal management device includes partially curing a curable liquid (448, 464) in a curable liquid bath (440) to form a first stage rotor (216, 316, 416, 516, 612, 616), removing the first stage rotor (216, 316, 416, 516, 612, 616) from the curable liquid bath (440), the first stage rotor (216, 316, 416, 516, 612, 616) having excess curable liquid (448) on a surface thereof, rotating the first stage rotor (216, 316, 416, 516, 612, 616) to displace the excess curable liquid (448) radially outward from a rotational axis (222, 422, 622) to compensate for imbalances in the first stage rotor (216, 316, 416, 516, 612, 616), and fully curing the first stage rotor (216, 316, 416, 516, 612, 616) and at least a portion of the excess curable liquid (448) to produce a second stage rotor (462) that is more rotationally balanced than the first stage rotor (216, 316, 416, 516, 612, 616).