Apparatus, system and method of heat filtering for additive manufacturing
View Patent ↗An apparatus, system and method for additive manufacturing. The apparatus, system and method include at least a print bed having thereon powdered print material; a dispersing head suitable to disperse one or more heat-actuated agents onto the powdered print material as indicated by a print plan; a broadband infrared energy source suitable to pass over the print bed so as to actuate the dispersed agent; and a heat energy filter interfaced to the broadband energy source so as to filter the actuating energy to one or a range of wavelengths of the infrared energy source that is less than the available broadband.
1 . An apparatus for printing an additive manufactured object the apparatus comprising a control system comprising one or more print plans:
first and second powdered polymers on a print bed;
a dispersing head suitable to selectively disperse a heat-actuated agent onto the first and second powdered polymers in a shape or to a depth according to the one or more print plans, configured to actuate at least one of the first and second powdered polymers;
a broadband infrared energy source suitable to pass over the print bed so as to actuate the dispersed heat-actuated agent to thus form a desired pattern of the print plan in the first and second powder polymers;
a heat energy filter comprising two or more band pass filters, interfaced to the broadband infrared energy source, comprising an automatically adjustable filter rotatable about a center axis wherein the automatically adjustable filter is automatically adjusted based on the one or more print plans or a manual pre-print entry, to provide filtering at different wavelengths in which a combination of the heat-actuated agent and at least one of the first or second powdered polymers are sensitive to so as to provide an actuation of the dispersed heat-actuated agent and associated at least one first or second powdered polymers to form the desired pattern of the one or more print plans.
2 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first and second powdered polymers comprises polyamides.
3 . The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat energy filter is insulated or cooled.
4 . An apparatus for additive manufacturing, comprising:
a control system comprising one or more print plans;
first and second powdered polymers on a print bed;
a dispersing head suitable to disperse a heat-actuated agent onto the first and second powdered polymers in a shape or to a depth as executed by the one or more print plans, configured to actuate at least one of the first and second powdered polymers;
a broadband infrared energy source suitable to pass over the print bed so as to actuate the dispersed heat-actuated agent to thus form a desired pattern of the one or more print plans in the first and second powdered polymers; and
a heat energy filter comprising two or more band pass filters, interfaced to the broadband infrared energy source, comprising a filter rotated by manual means about a center axis to rotational positions identified by markings associated with providing filtering at different wavelengths in which a combination of the heat-actuated agent and at least one of the first or second powdered polymers are sensitive to so as to provide an actuation of the dispersed heat-actuated agent and associated at least one first or second powdered polymers to form the desired pattern of the one or more print plans.
5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the heat energy filter is actively cooled.
6 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the heat energy filter is cooled with one or more cooling fans.
7 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the heat energy filter is insulated.