Mesh Additive Manufacturing Tray for Object Retention During Decaking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing additive manufacturing processes face challenges in efficiently separating build objects from non-solidified build material without causing damage or losing traceability during the decaking operation.
Innovation Solution
The use of a tray with a mesh and restraining features that support the build cake, allowing build objects to be restrained within object regions during the decaking process, facilitated by vibration and gas streams to manage non-solidified material passage, ensuring precise object retention and reducing contact-induced damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vibration and gas streams are used to remove non-solidified build material during decaking, then the efficiency of material separation is improved, but the risk of damage to delicate build objects increases
Solution Approach 1:
The build platform is divided into multiple object regions with individual restraining features, allowing selective restraint of build objects in specific zones while permitting material removal in other areas. This segmentation enables the decaking process to proceed efficiently without compromising delicate objects.
Solution Approach 2:
Build objects are positioned within object regions and restrained by restraining features before the decaking operation begins. This preliminary restraint prevents objects from moving or rotating during the vibration and gas stream application, eliminating damage risks while maintaining high decaking efficiency.
2Productivity
If build objects are freely moved during decaking, then the process is simpler and faster, but traceability of build objects is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The build platform is segmented into multiple object regions, each capable of restraining build objects independently. This segmentation allows the system to maintain traceability of individual objects within their designated regions while still enabling efficient bulk material removal across the entire platform.
Solution Approach 2:
Restraining features act as intermediaries between the build objects and the decaking process. These features maintain the positional relationship between objects and the build platform, ensuring traceability is preserved even as material is rapidly removed through vibration and gas streams.
3Loss of information
If restraining features are added to the tray to prevent object movement, then object traceability is maintained, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The restraining features are implemented as deformable contact portions with compliant surfaces, which can be integrated into the mesh structure of the build platform. This flexible implementation maintains object restraint functionality while minimizing structural complexity and avoiding rigid additional components.
Solution Approach 2:
The build platform utilizes a mesh structure that provides both support and restraint functionality. The porous mesh design allows gas streams to pass through for material removal while the restraining features integrated into the mesh maintain object position, achieving traceability without significant complexity increase.
4Reliability
If a solid tray surface is used to restrain objects, then object retention is reliable, but non-solidified material cannot pass through efficiently
Solution Approach 1:
The build platform is constructed as a mesh with openings that allow non-solidified build material to pass through efficiently during decaking. The mesh structure maintains object retention through integrated restraining features while permitting rapid material removal, achieving both reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The mesh structure is divided into object regions with restraining features and open regions for material removal. This segmentation allows the platform to simultaneously provide reliable object retention in designated areas and efficient material passage in other areas, resolving the contradiction between retention reliability and removal efficiency.
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 approach enhances the traceability and reduces damage to delicate build objects by restraining them within object regions, facilitating automated handling and quality control.
Implementation Method 1
non-solidified build material from the build cake passes through the openings of the mesh
Implementation Method 2
facilitated by vibration and gas streams to manage non-solidified material passage
Implementation Method 3
facilitated by vibration and gas streams to manage non-solidified material passage
Data Source
AI summary
An additive manufacturing process which comprises carrying out an additive manufacturing build process to create a build cake. The build cake comprises a build object and non-solidified build material and the build object is built in a build location within the build cake. The build cake is supported on a tray which comprises a mesh having openings therethrough. The tray also includes an object region and a restraining feature to restrain a build object within the object region. The process comprises performing a decake operation in which non-solidified build material from the build cake passes through the openings of the mesh and the object moves into contact with the tray in the object region so that the object is restrained within the object region of the tray by the restraining feature.