3D Metal Drop Ejection with Dual-Voltage Surface and Core Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 3D metal printers face challenges in balancing operational parameter values during the start-up procedure, leading to compromised material properties and surface finish, limiting the latitude for achieving competing goals of surface quality and mechanical properties.
Innovation Solution
A 3D metal object printer that dynamically adjusts operational parameters by using different voltage levels for forming interior and surface portions of the object, with a higher voltage for interior portions to enhance tensile strength and a lower voltage for surface features to improve finish.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a single set of operational parameters is used during printing, then the printing process is simple to operate, but the part cannot achieve both good surface quality and best mechanical properties simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic parameter adjustment during the printing process. The controller automatically changes operational parameters (such as heater power, ejection voltage, or deposition speed) based on the current printing stage - using different parameters for building the part body versus forming the surface layer. This transforms the static parameter setting into a dynamic, stage-adaptive process that simultaneously optimizes both mechanical properties and surface quality without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different operational parameters to different regions of the part being printed. Specifically, the surface layer receives optimized parameters for surface quality while the interior layers use parameters optimized for mechanical strength. This local differentiation of printing parameters allows each region of the part to achieve its optimal properties independently, resolving the contradiction between overall mechanical performance and surface finish.
2Manufacturing precision
If operational parameter values are optimized for surface quality, then surface finish improves, but mechanical properties of the part are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the printing process into distinct segments or stages: a bulk-building stage for the interior layers and a surface-forming stage for the final layers. Each segment uses independently optimized operational parameters - the bulk stage prioritizes deposition efficiency and structural integrity for mechanical strength, while the surface stage prioritizes layer precision and surface quality. This segmentation allows both conflicting quality attributes to be optimized in their respective domains without compromise.
3Strength
If operational parameter values are optimized for mechanical properties, then tensile strength improves, but surface finish deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic parameter adjustment during the printing process. The controller automatically changes operational parameters (such as heater power, ejection voltage, or deposition speed) based on the current printing stage - using different parameters for building the part body versus forming the surface layer. This transforms the static parameter setting into a dynamic, stage-adaptive process that simultaneously optimizes both mechanical properties and surface quality without requiring manual intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares the part structure with optimized bulk parameters first, establishing the mechanical foundation and tensile strength through properly parameterized interior layer deposition. Only after this structural foundation is established does the system switch to surface-optimized parameters for the final layers. This preliminary action ensures that mechanical properties are locked in before surface quality optimization begins, preventing compromise of either attribute.
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 allows for a wider range of parameter values, resulting in improved mechanical properties for interior parts and better surface finish for exterior parts, enhancing the overall quality of the printed objects.
Implementation Method 1
An electrical current is passed through the coil to produce an electromagnetic field that causes the meniscus of the melted metal at a nozzle of the chamber to separate from the melted metal within the chamber and be propelled from the one or more nozzles
Implementation Method 2
a source of solid metal, such as a roll of wire or pellets, that is fed into a chamber of an ejector head where an external heater is operated to melt the solid metal
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus is configured to eject melted metal drops from an ejector head at different velocities to form different portions of metal object layers with different measurable values of a same physical property. The different velocities are achieved by operating the ejector head with two different electrical voltages. The greater voltage that achieves the higher velocity is about 25% greater than the voltage used to achieve the lesser velocity. By operating the ejector head with the two different voltages different portions of the object can be formed with different physical property characteristics.