Granted Patent B2

US 12,661,713 · App. 18/830,274 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Inventor: Weidong Song (Woodinville, WA)

Assignee: Blue Origin Manufacturing, LLC

B22F12/50B22F10/22B33Y10/00B33Y30/00

Abstract

Claims (11)

1 . A friction stir additive manufacturing system comprising:

a spindle configured to rotate about a central axis, the spindle comprising a plurality of spindle channels extending from a first end of the spindle to a second end of the spindle;

a plurality of wires; and

a feeding system configured to feed each of the plurality of wires through a respective spindle channel of the plurality of spindle channels as the spindle rotates, the plurality of wires configured to soften as they are fed through the spindle channels and the spindle rotates, the feeding system comprising:

a guide having a plurality of guide channels positioned in a linear array, each guide channel configured to receive a wire of the plurality of wires and guide the wire through a spindle channel of the plurality of spindle channels, the guide comprising a first portion comprising a first plurality of rollers configured to rotate about a first roller axis, the guide further comprising a second portion comprising a second plurality of rollers configured to rotate about a second roller axis generally parallel to the first roller axis, the plurality of guide channels arranged between the first plurality of rollers and the second plurality of rollers, and

a motor configured to rotate the guide to drive the plurality of wires through the respective spindle channels.

2 . The friction stir additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of sleeves, each of the plurality of sleeves configured to be received within a corresponding channel from the plurality of spindle channels, each of the sleeves comprising a hollow interior configured to receive a wire of the plurality of wires.

3 . The friction stir additive manufacturing system of claim 2 , wherein a portion of at least one of the plurality of sleeves curves inward and toward the central axis of the spindle.

4 . The friction stir additive manufacturing system of claim 2 , wherein a first sleeve of the plurality of sleeves has a first inner diameter and a second sleeve of the plurality of sleeves has a second inner diameter that is different than the first inner diameter, and wherein an exterior diameter of the first sleeve of the plurality of sleeves is the same as an exterior diameter of the second sleeve of the plurality of sleeves.

5 . The friction stir additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the linear array of the guide channels has a length that exceeds a diameter of the spindle.

6 . The friction stir additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the linear array of the guide channels has a length that is less than a diameter of the spindle.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (400)