Rotating Build Area for Multi-Side Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing technologies are limited to working on one side of a work plane, requiring support materials and multipart prints for complex geometries, which prolongs the manufacturing time and restricts possible geometries, especially in environments like micro-gravity where traditional manufacturing is challenging.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that enables additive manufacturing deposition on multiple sides of a component during a single operation using a flipping build area with a rotation platform that can rotate about at least two axes, allowing for the exposure of previously hidden surfaces for printing, thereby reducing the need for support materials and enabling complex geometries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If additive manufacturing is performed on only one side of a work plane, then the manufacturing process is simple, but complex geometries are restricted and support materials are required
Solution Approach 1:
The build area is made dynamic by enabling rotation about multiple axes, allowing the work plane to reorient during manufacturing. This dynamic capability enables the system to access and manufacture on multiple sides of complex geometries without requiring support materials, resolving the contradiction between process simplicity and geometry capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from single-side (one-dimensional access) to multi-side (three-dimensional access) manufacturing by adding rotational degrees of freedom. This dimensional expansion allows the build area to approach complex geometries from multiple orientations, enabling previously impossible manufacturing operations
2Adaptability or versatility
If support materials are used to enable complex geometries, then geometry versatility is improved, but manufacturing time is prolonged
Solution Approach 1:
By making the build area dynamic and rotatable, the system can manufacture on multiple sides of components without support materials. This eliminates the time required to manufacture and remove support structures while maintaining the ability to create complex geometries
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the need for support materials by providing alternative access to complex geometries through multi-axis rotation. The build area can approach overhangs and complex features from multiple orientations without requiring sacrificial support structures
3Adaptability or versatility
If multipart prints are used to create complex geometries, then geometry versatility is improved, but device complexity and operation time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The dynamic build area that can rotate about multiple axes enables single-part manufacturing of complex geometries that would otherwise require multiple separate prints. This eliminates the need for complex multi-step operations and part assembly while maintaining geometric versatility
4Device complexity
If a single build surface is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but access to multiple sides of components is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The build area is transformed from a static single surface to a dynamic multi-position surface through the addition of rotation mechanisms. This allows the same physical build surface to access multiple sides of components by rotating into different orientations, maintaining device simplicity while enabling multi-side manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable build area serves multiple functions: it can manufacture on top surfaces, bottom surfaces, and side surfaces of components using the same physical build surface. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for multiple separate build surfaces while maintaining device simplicity
Data Source
AI summary
An additive manufacturing device build platform is disclosed having a build area having an initial build surface, the initial build surface further having an outer area that is separable from the initial build area for use as a secondary build surface, the outer area having a rotation mechanism wherein the secondary build surface is locatable in a different plane away from the initial build surface by placement of the outer area with the rotation mechanism. Another system and method are also disclosed.