Interconnected Hollow 3D Parts via Rotated Transition Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing techniques face challenges in creating 3D parts with hollow geometries that allow for fluid flow while maintaining structural integrity and minimizing weight.
Innovation Solution
The method involves printing sets of cell layers with hollow cells, such as honeycomb cells, and transition layers with sloped walls that diverge and converge to interconnect adjacent cell layers, allowing fluid flow through the hollow cells, and rotating printing orientations between transition layers to ensure connectivity and strength.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If hollow geometries are created in 3D parts, then weight is reduced and fluid flow is enabled, but structural integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The 3D part is divided into multiple cell layers with hollow cells arranged in arrays. Each cell layer is segmented into individual hollow cells separated by wall segments, allowing the structure to be both lightweight and structurally sound through distributed load-bearing elements.
Solution Approach 2:
Transition layers with sloped walls are introduced to vertically interconnect hollow cells across adjacent cell layers. The sloped walls diverge from one wall segment and converge to another, creating three-dimensional fluid pathways that enable fluid flow through multiple layers while maintaining structural integrity through angled support elements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If hollow cells are interconnected for fluid flow, then fluid flow capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transition layers are arranged periodically between cell layers, with sloped walls following a repeating pattern of divergence and convergence. This periodic structure enables fluid flow through multiple layers while simplifying manufacturing through repetitive, standardized transition zone geometry that can be easily programmed into additive manufacturing processes.
3Strength
If printing orientation is rotated between transition layers, then connectivity and strength are improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The sloped walls in transition layers are designed with asymmetric orientations relative to the cell layers. By rotating the printing orientation between transition layers, the structure creates varied connectivity patterns that enhance strength and fluid flow pathways while the asymmetry prevents simple stacking, requiring controlled orientation changes during manufacturing.
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional part printed using an additive manufacturing technique, which includes sets of printed cell layers, each defining an array of hollow cells with wall segments, and sets of printed transition layers, each being disposed between adjacent printed cell layers, where the sets of printed transition layers each comprise sloped walls that diverge from a first portion of the wall segments and that converge towards a second portion of the wall segments to interconnect the hollow cells of adjacent printed cell layers, and where the sloped walls of adjacent printed transition layers have printing orientations that are rotated from each other in a build plane.