Selective Liquid Cooling for Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current additive manufacturing technologies face challenges in achieving high speed and high resolution with engineered thermoplastics, as FDM methods are slow for high resolution parts and DLP methods are costly and prone to polymer degradation.
Innovation Solution
The method employs selective cooling of liquefied thermoplastic using a matrix of Peltier thermoelectric heat exchange elements to solidify the material, allowing for rapid and precise layer formation by controlling temperature zones within the build tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If FDM additive manufacturing is used with small extrusion nozzles for high resolution parts, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to low printing speed
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding energy to polymerize material as in conventional methods, this invention removes energy through selective cooling to solidify liquefied thermoplastic, inverting the traditional energy addition approach to achieve both high resolution and high speed manufacturing
Solution Approach 2:
The invention utilizes phase transitions of thermoplastic material between liquid and solid states through controlled heating and cooling. The material is heated to become liquid for easy deposition, then selectively cooled to solidify and form the desired part geometry, enabling rapid high-resolution manufacturing
2Productivity
If FDM machines use larger extrusion nozzles to improve printing speed, then productivity is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to lower part resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies local quality by using a matrix of independently controllable heat exchange elements that can selectively cool only specific areas where part material is to be formed, while other areas remain heated and liquid. This localized control enables high resolution without sacrificing printing speed
3Productivity
If DLP additive manufacturing is used to increase manufacturing speed with high resolution, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases due to high polymer costs and light-induced degradation issues
Solution Approach 1:
The invention uses conventional thermoplastic materials that are inexpensive and widely available, replacing the expensive specialized photopolymers required by DLP technology. The thermoplastic can be easily replenished from bulk material without degradation concerns, significantly reducing material costs while maintaining high speed and high resolution capabilities
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 enables high-resolution part production at high speeds, surpassing the capabilities of existing technologies by efficiently removing energy from the polymer to solidify it, reducing material costs and avoiding light-induced degradation.
Implementation Method 1
These elements use the Peltier thermoelectric effect to operate between cold and hot modes quickly
Implementation Method 2
a matrix of heat exchange elements, each of which may be selectively and independently heated and cooled
Implementation Method 3
A cooled platen is then lowered onto the liquefied thermoplastic creating a liquid interface between both the heat/cool element matrix and platen
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
A method of additively manufacturing parts by selectively cooling a liquefied thermoplastic material.