Apparatus, system and method of combining additive manufacturing print types
View Patent ↗An apparatus, system and method of additive manufacturing. The apparatus, system and method include at least: a rastering print head suitable to print an outer contour for the additive manufacturing print; a secondary print head suitable to print infrared-actuated print material within the outer contour; and an infrared actuator, suitable to flow the infrared-actuated print material within the outer contour.
1 . An apparatus for applying a print plan for making an additive manufacturing print, comprising:
a first print head;
a second print head;
an infrared actuator; and
a computing system comprising:
one or more processors; and
memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to perform operations of:
FDM printing, via the first print head and according to the print plan, an outer contour object comprising a bead of melted filament which then hardens;
FDM printing, via the second print head and according to the print plan, a plurality of raster runs within the outer contour object, comprising beads of infrared actuatable melted filament which then harden, wherein the hardened raster runs have a plurality of gaps; and
heating, via the infrared actuator, at least a portion of the hardened raster runs to flow said portion of hardened raster runs to fill at least a portion of the gaps.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gaps include edge gaps, turnaround gaps and intra-run gaps.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations do not include depositing an anti-heat agent.