Multi-Filament Deposition Head for Composite Joining
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing technologies, such as fused filament deposition, are limited in scale and rate of filament material delivery, making them unsuitable for large-scale applications like mass production in the automotive industry, particularly when joining composite workpieces like carbon fiber composites.
Innovation Solution
A fused filament deposition head with a feed end, dispensing end, and heaters that introduce and heat multiple filaments, combining them into a single nozzle to increase the volume of material delivered, allowing for robust joint formation in composite workpieces, and equipped with features like slot identifiers and preheaters for precise material placement and bonding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If traditional additive manufacturing uses a single filament, then the process is simple, but the volume and rate of material delivery are insufficient for large-scale applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple filaments (first filament, second filament, third filament) into a single deposition path through a common nozzle assembly. The filaments are fed through separate channels but converge and are extruded together as a consolidated material stream, effectively merging multiple material sources into one unified deposition process to achieve high volume delivery without proportionally increasing device complexity
2Productivity
If traditional additive manufacturing processes are used, then the equipment is simple, but the rate of filament material delivery is too slow for mass production
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple heaters (first heater, second heater, third heater) are integrated into a single heater assembly that collectively manages the thermal processing of multiple filaments. The heaters are positioned to simultaneously heat the filaments as they travel through the deposition head, enabling rapid material delivery while consolidating the heating function into one coordinated subsystem rather than requiring separate heating mechanisms for each filament
3Productivity
If multiple filaments are deposited separately through multiple nozzles, then material delivery rate increases, but the precision of material placement decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple filament deposition paths into a single consolidated nozzle output where the first, second, and third filaments are extruded together as one material stream. This unified deposition approach maintains high material delivery rate through the combined volume of multiple filaments while ensuring precise placement through a single controlled extrusion point, eliminating the positioning errors that would result from multiple separate nozzle operations
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
Enables efficient and robust joining of large-scale composite workpieces by providing the necessary amount and rate of filament material, surpassing traditional methods like adhesive bonding and riveting, and facilitating mass production environments.
Implementation Method 1
The heater(s) are situated between the feed end and the dispensing end. The heater(s) heat the multiple filaments as the filaments travels from the feed end and to the dispensing end.
Implementation Method 2
Along the way the filament is heated and fully melted before exiting the extruder head
Implementation Method 3
a single filament is supplied from a spool and is urged through an extruder head to an underlying part
Data Source
AI summary
A fused filament deposition head is employed for depositing filament materials on workpieces to join the workpieces together. The workpieces can be of an automotive application, aerospace application, or something else. The fused filament deposition head, in an example, has a feed end, a dispensing end, and a heater. The feed end introduces more than one filament in the fused filament deposition head, as demanded in the larger application. The dispensing end delivers materials of the filaments to the underlying workpieces. The materials are delivered together. The heater serves to heat the filaments as they travel through the fused filament deposition head. The filaments can include a filament having a core portion of liquid-crystal polymer material.