Nederlandse Organisatie Voor Toegepast-Natuurwetenschappelijk Onderzoek Tno

Dsm IP Assets B.v.

Other

Andries Rijfers

Leonardus Antonius Maria Brouwers

René Jos Houben

Jacobus Hubertus Theodoor Jamar

Mark Herman Else Vaes

Herman Hendrikus Maalderink

Adrianus Johannes Petrus Maria Vermeer

Frits Kornelis Feenstra

Robin Bernardus Johannes Koldeweij

Mark Herman Vaes

Borgert Kruizinga

Augustinus Gerardus Maria Biemans

Jentske D Kooistra

Adrianus Johannes Vermeer

Jacobus Eversdijk

Richard Thomas

Yves Lodewijk Maria Creyghton

Brian Bauman

Antonius Hubertus Joannes Gerardus Lommen

Kjeld Jacobus Cornelis Van Bommel

Mara Berkhout

Antonius Hubertus Lommen

A plasma source (), comprises an outer face () with an aperture () for delivering a plasma from the aperture. A transport mechanism is configured to transport a substrate () and the plasma source relative to each other parallel to the outer face, with a substrate surface to be processed in parallel with at least a part of the outer face that contains the aperture. First (-) and second tile (-) are arranged within a first plane of a working electrode () with neighbouring edges () bordering a first plasma collection space (-) and a third tile (-) is arranged in a second plane of the working electrode parallel to the first plane such that the third tile overlaps neighbouring edges in the first plane. At least one of the working and counter electrodes comprises a local modification () near said neighbouring edges to increase a plasma delivery to the aperture compensating for loss of plasma collection due to the neighbouring edges.

Plasma source and method of operating the same

A production line for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing. The production line comprises: (i) a first and a second building platform for carrying a tangible product; (ii) a deposition head for providing a layer of construction material onto the building platforms; (iii) a conveyor for conveying the building platforms in a conveying plane towards and away from the deposition head repeatedly; and (iv) height adjustment means to adjust the distance between the deposition head and the building platforms by displacing the building platforms relative to the conveyor in a direction perpendicular to the conveying plane. The production line may further comprise a picking unit for picking a product from the building platforms.

Production line for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing

A production line for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing. The production line includes: first and second movable carriers, each carrier comprising a transporter for transporting the carrier, and a building platform for supporting a tangible product, one or more deposition heads for depositing construction material in a deposition direction onto the building platforms, and a conveyor for conveying the first and second building platform towards the deposition head and away from the deposition head repeatedly. The first and the second transporter are movable at variable speeds relative to each other along a trajectory of the conveyor. Optionally, the height of the building platforms can be adjusted.

A cartridge assembly () of a 3D printer system for printing a plastic substance, such as a dough, comprises a refillable cartridge () and a punch-fill adapter () having a circumferential cutting edge () and being provided with a punch-fill connector () to form a manually releasable interconnection between the cartridge and the punch-fill adapter. When said interconnection is effective, the cartridge assembly is effective as a manual tool for punching, by means of said circumferential cutting edge, punched slices out of a supply slice of said plastic substance, and thereby for automatically inserting said punched slices into the inner space of the cartridge. Thanks to this punch-fill connector the manual (re)filling of the cartridge can be performed more easily and more reliably.

3D printer system and method for filling a cartridge of such a system

The invention relates to a production line and a method for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing. The production line comprises a deposition head for depositing construction material layerwise on a building platform. The building platforms can move with a different speed along a conveyor. Optionally, the height of the building platforms can be adjusted. The method is characterized in that at least two building platforms are moving with different speed.

Apparatus and method for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing

The invention relates to a method and a production line () for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing. Layers of a uniform thickness are deposited on top of each other and solidified in a pattern that corresponds to a cross section of the product. The method and production line are in particular suited for making mutually different products out of powders of construction material. The construction material is deposited on the different building platforms () individually by a deposition head (). A surplus of material is removed by a remover (), preferably before the layer is solidified (). This allows that the quantity of material can be adapted to the specific product on each building platform. The production line further comprises a platform conveyor () for conveying the towards and away from the deposition head repeatedly.

Method and production line for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing

The invention relates to a method and a production line for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing. The production line comprises (i) a first and a second building platform () for carrying a tangible product, (ii) a deposition head () for providing a layer of construction material onto the building platforms, (iii) a conveyor () for conveying the building platforms in a conveying plane towards and away from the deposition head repeatedly, (iv) height adjustment means () to adjust the distance between the deposition head and the building platforms by displacing the building platforms relative to the conveyor in a direction () perpendicular to the conveying plane. The production line may further comprise a picking unit () for picking a product from the building platforms. The method allows making different tangible products in a continuous process by layerwise manufacturing. The method comprises a step of moving the platforms on which a product is made repeatedly past a material providing device for depositing subsequent layers and a step of adjusting the distance between such device and the building platforms by moving the platforms in a vertical direction.

Method and apparatus for making tangible products by layerwise manufacturing

The invention is directed at a print head for printing a suspension fluid. The print head comprises a nozzle having one or more nozzle outlets for allowing the suspension fluid to be ejected from the nozzle, a flow path including a supply channel for supplying the suspension fluid to the one or more nozzle outlets, and a supply pump for establishing a flow within the flow path. The nozzle further comprises an actuator for imparting pressure fluctuations on the suspension fluid at the one or more nozzle outlets for generating a stream of droplets therefrom. The flow path further comprises a shear section for locally increasing the shear rate at least at a location in the flow path upstream of the one or more nozzle outlets. The flow path further includes a return channel for allowing excess fluid not ejected from the nozzle to flow away from the one or more nozzle outlets. The shear section is configured to locally increase the shear rate to be larger than a shear rate obtained near at least one of the one or more nozzle outlets. The invention is further directed at a printing apparatus, a method of printing, and a method of manufacturing a print head.

Print head for printing a suspension fluid comprising particles, printing apparatus and method

Method of spray-drying a high-viscosity fluid, e.g. comprising a food product. The method comprises providing a nozzle plate wherein at least one nozzle is provided, said nozzle plate having an inner main surface and an outer main surface. The method comprises providing the high-viscosity fluid in a reservoir that is in fluidum connection with the at least one nozzle. The method comprises pressurizing the high-viscosity fluid in the reservoir, wherein the fluid flows, as a result of said pressurizing, towards the nozzle plate, thus creating a pressure difference over the at least one nozzle so that the fluid flows out of the at least one nozzle, thereby passing the outer main surface after passing the inner main surface. A cross-sectional area of the at least one nozzle in the inner main surface exceeds a cross-sectional area of the at least one nozzle in the outer main surface.

Method of spray-drying and apparatus for spray-drying

An apparatus and method are for printing a fluid material by a continuous jet printing technique. The apparatus includes a flow restricting structure arranged near an outflow opening for restricting a flow of the material between a reservoir and the outflow opening by a restricted passage through the flow restricting structure. Furthermore, the flow restricting structure, an actuating surface, and a nozzle are arranged to bind a micro volume directly adjacent an inside of the outflow opening for the purpose of guiding or reflecting pressure variations generated by the pressure regulating mechanism towards the outflow opening.

Continuous jet printing of a fluid material

The invention relates to a droplet break up device () comprising: a chamber () for containing a pressurized printing liquid () comprising a bottom plate; at least one outlet channel (') having a central axis, provided in said chamber for ejecting the printing liquid; and an actuator for breaking up, a fluid jetted out of the outlet channel. The actuator comprises a revolving, member () comprising a surface deformation (&#x2032;) shaped to provide a pressure pulse near the outlet channel. Accordingly, a simple mechanism is provided for providing multiple printing nozzles.

Droplet break-up device

The invention relates to a droplet break up device comprising: a chamber for containing a printing liquid comprising a bottom plate; a pump for pressurizing the printing liquid; an outlet channel having a central axis, provided in said chamber for ejecting the printing liquid; and an actuator for breaking up a fluid jetted out of the outlet channel. The actuator is provided around the outlet channel, arranged to symmetrically impart a pressure pulse central to the outlet channel axis. Accordingly, smaller droplets can be delivered at higher frequencies.

The present invention relates to an illumination system for use in a stereolithography apparatus. The illumination system includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), each LED having at least a first light-emitting surface and a second surface, at least one of the first and the second surface being substantially flat. The illumination further includes a plurality of electrical pathways, selectively connected to the respective LEDs, such that each LED can be individually controlled and a leveling surface. The leveling surface is substantially flat and in leveling contact with the at least one substantially flat surface of each LED, such that a two-dimensional array of LEDs extends in a plane parallel to the leveling surface.

Illumination system for use in a stereolithography apparatus

A system and method of layerwise production of a tangible object (), they system comprising a construction shape () to form a liquid layer to be brought in contact with the tangible object; solidifying means () for solidifying a predetermined area of a layer () of the liquid (), so as to obtain a solid layer () of the tangible object (), the solid layer thus having a predetermined shape, separating means (&#x2033;) for separating said solid layer from said construction shape; moving means () for moving, relative to one another, the construction shape () to a predetermined position relative to the tangible object (), for carrying out a successive such method cycle for solidifying a predetermined area of a successive such liquid layer; the system is arranged to provide a limited volume of liquid adhered to the construction shape to form a liquid layer of limited height that does not contact the tangible object; wherein said moving of said construction shape and said solidifying of said predetermined area are carried out to take place simultaneously.

Method and apparatus for layerwise production of a 3D object

The invention concerns an illumination system for use in a stereolithography apparatus, comprising a planar support supporting a two-dimensional array of individually controllable wide-angle light-emitting diodes (LEDs); and a multilens projector array arranged relative to the array, and adapted to project a focused image of the LEDs onto a work area. The multilens projector array is arranged to project light from the LED array having a light emitting edge area image spot size which is smaller than or equal to a light emitting central area image spot size.

Growing community of inventors

Kamerik, Netherlands

Andries Rijfers