Ut-battelle, Inc.

Brian K Post

Phillip C Chesser

Lonnie J Love

Randall F Lind

Alex C Roschli

Vlastimil Kunc

Ahmed A Hassen

John M Lindahl

Craig A Blue

Mariappan Parans Paranthaman

Seokpum Kim

Andrew P Reis

Michael C Borish

Orlando Rios

James William Klett

Ling Li

Brian C Sales

Benjamin J Hedger

Peter D Lloyd

Christopher J Hershey

Gregory D Dreifus

Natalie A Griffiths

Matthew R Sallas

Celeste Atkins

Kristine Moody

Mike Walch

Caroline Carter

Tyler C Smith

Peter Wang

Thomas Zeke Sudbury

Brennan T Smith

Tim Deluca

Brenda M Pracheil

Robert H Fredette

Vipin Kumar

John Ormerod

Colin L Cini

Vlastimil Kune

Bentley T Beard, Ii

David W Nuttall

Peng Liu

An additive manufacturing system for additive manufacturing material with long fibers includes an extruder comprising a nozzle that includes a static-mixing portion, a compression portion, and a long fiber alignment portion. The static-mixing portion includes a static-mixing channel with static-mixing rods distributed inside and extending radially inward from a channel wall. The long fiber alignment portion has an alignment channel with a diameter Dthat is less than a diameter Dof the static-mixing channel. The compression portion includes with a reducing diameter from an input end to an output end of the compression channel. A nozzle and method for additive manufacturing are also disclosed.

Static mixing nozzles for long fiber and resin mixing and dispersing in polymer additive manufacturing

Systems and methods for operating an aquatic robot. The methods comprise: autonomously propelling the aquatic robot through a body of water to a location where a water sample is to be obtained; and performing operations by the aquatic robot to autonomously collect the water sample, cause the water sample to flow through a filter that retains eDNA, lyses and releases the eDNA to a create a lysate, process the lysate to obtain a product for eDNA sequencing, generate eDNA sequencing data using the product, and communicate the eDNA sequencing data to a remote external device.

Remote autonomous environmental DNA sampler and analyzer

An electromagnet alignment system for in-situ alignment of a magnetic particulate material is provided. The magnetic particulate material is dispensed through an orifice of a dispensing nozzle used for 3D printing. The system has an electromagnet assembly having a coil. The coil is configured to generate a pulsed magnetic field having a target magnetic flux intensity upon energization of the coil when the magnetic particulate material is being heated and moved through the dispensing nozzle. As a result, the magnetic particulate material is at least partially aligned with respect to a direction by the pulsed magnetic field. The system further includes a power source for implementing the energization of the coil.

Alignment system for magnetic particulate material used for additive manufacturing

A print head for additive manufacturing with a material includes an accumulator comprising an elongated body with an open interior and an inside diameter. A slide tube is slidably mounted within the open interior of the elongated body. The slide tube has a sealing piston head hermetically sealing the open end within the elongated body to define a variable gas containment space. A pressurized gas is supplied to the gas containment space. A rotatable shaping nozzle with an opening for discharging material is provided. A positive displacement extruder delivers material from the accumulator to the nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly can include a nozzle rotation drive for rotating the shaping nozzle about an axis of rotation. The nozzle opening can be aligned with the axis of rotation, and defines a discharge axis that can be perpendicular to the axis of rotation. A method of additive manufacturing is also disclosed.

Precision bead forming 3D print head for cementitious materials

Toolpath generation for additive manufacturing systems involves operations on polygonal contours derived from a model for additively manufacturing a structure. One aspect involves modifying or creating a model to allow parts to be printed without starting and stopping the printing equipment by generating continuous toolpaths or toolpaths having a reduced number of isolated paths. Another aspect involves modifying a slicing engine to generate a continuous toolpath or toolpath having a reduced number of isolated paths based on a representation of an object to be additively manufactured. Another aspect involves selectively placing the gaps at alternating positions among the sliced layers to create a zippering effect.

Continuous toolpaths for additive manufacturing

A system and method for improving additive manufacturing, including additive manufacturing toolpaths, is provided. The system and method includes a toolpath generator that obtains initial toolpaths of an object, identifies isolated paths in the toolpaths, and adds bridge connections between neighboring isolated paths in each layer to improve the toolpaths. The bridge connections facilitate the continuous and non-stop deposition of each layer according to improved toolpaths during additive manufacture, which can reduce total deposition time and improve the resultant additive manufacture.

System and method for additive manufacturing with toolpath bridges and resultant structure

A method for rapid manufacturing of three dimensional discontinuous fiber preforms is provided. The method includes the deposition of a polymeric material containing fibers on a surface to form a tailored charge for compression molding. The reinforced polymeric material may be a thermoplastic or a reactive polymer with viscosity low enough to allow flow through an orifice during deposition, yet high enough zero shear viscosity to retain the approximate shape of the deposited charge. The material can be deposited in a predetermined pattern to induce the desired mechanical properties through alignment of the fibers. This deposition can be performed in a single layer or in multiple layers. The alignment is achieved passively by shear alignment of the fibers or actively through fiber orientation control or mixing. The fibers can be of the desired material, length, and morphology, including short and long filaments.

Rapid manufacturing of tailored preforms

An assembly for additive manufacturing includes a build housing including a base, a print head, and a print head support connected to the base for supporting the print head above the base. A driver system is provided for moving the print head and the base relative to one another. A build platform comprising a build support and at least one platen. The build support can be detachably engageable to the housing. The platens can be detachably engageable to the build support. The build support can include registration structure for registering the position of the build support relative to the build housing. A method of additive manufacturing is also disclosed.

Increased material flow throughput in large scale additive manufacturing through movable segmented build platform

A cable-driven additive manufacturing system includes an end effector configured for linear translation within a three-dimensional workspace, an aerial hoist suspending the end effector by at least one suspension cable, a plurality of base stations disposed below the aerial hoist, and control cables running from each of the base stations to the end effector.

Cable-driven additive manufacturing system

A method of forming a low-density three-dimensional article is provided. The method includes printing a low-density composition on a substrate to form at least one layer comprising the low-density composition. The low-density composition includes a (P) polymer component and (M) a microsphere component in a ratio by volume (P):(M). The method also includes selectively controlling a density of the low-density composition during printing to give the at least one layer on the substrate. Selectively controlling the density of the low-density composition includes varying the ratio (P):(M) during printing. The method further includes repeating the printing and selectively controlling the density of the low-density composition to form additional layer(s), thereby forming the low-density three-dimensional article. A low-density three-dimensional article prepared in accordance with the method is also provided.

Method for printing low-density polymer structures

An additive manufacturing method that includes an extruder providing a supply of working material and a nozzle connected with respect to the extruder, the nozzle directing the working material to a deposit surface. A diverter valve is positioned between the extruder and the nozzle to direct the working material to an exhaust port away from the deposit surface under certain conditions.

Polymer exhaust for eliminating extruder transients

A methodfor generating and dispensing a powderedrelease agent during an additive manufacturing build is disclosed. A solid bodyof release agent material is ground insitu by a grinderand dispensed on a surface of the partto prevent adhesion of an adjacent layer of a base material. With the addition of the powderedrelease agent, a support structureis easily separated from the base materialwhen the partis complete, saving time and preventing the partfrom sustaining unintentional damage. Since no powderedrelease agent is actually loaded or stored in the apparatus, the potential for spillage, waste, inconsistent dispensing, inadvertent dispensing, and clumping due to humidity is eliminated.

Method for generating and dispensing a powdered release agent

A method for producing magnet-polymer pellets useful as a feedstock in an additive manufacturing process, comprising: (i) blending thermoplastic polymer and hard magnetic particles; (ii) feeding the blended magnet-polymer mixture into a pre-feed hopper that feeds directly into an inlet of a temperature-controlled barrel extruder; (iii) feeding the blended magnet-polymer mixture into the barrel extruder at a fixed feed rate of 5-20 kg/hour, wherein the temperature at the outlet is at least to no more than 10&#xb0; C. above a glass transition temperature of the blended magnet-polymer mixture; (iv) feeding the blended magnet-polymer mixture directly into an extruding die; (v) passing the blended magnet-polymer mixture through the extruding die at a fixed speed; and (vi) cutting the magnet-polymer mixture at regular intervals as the mixture exits the extruding die at the fixed speed. The use of the pellets as feed material in an additive manufacturing process is also described.

Magnetic feed material and its use in producing bonded permanent magnets by additive manufacturing

An apparatusand a methodfor generating and dispensing a powderedrelease agent during an additive manufacturing build is disclosed. A solid bodyof release agent material is ground insitu by a grinderand dispensed on a surface of the partto prevent adhesion of an adjacent layer of a base material. With the addition of the powderedrelease agent, a support structureis easily separated from the base materialwhen the partis complete, saving time and preventing the partfrom sustaining unintentional damage. Since no powderedrelease agent is actually loaded or stored in the apparatus, the potential for spillage, waste, inconsistent dispensing, inadvertent dispensing, and clumping due to humidity is eliminated.

Apparatus for generating and dispensing a powdered release agent

An additive manufacturing extrusion head that includes a heated nozzle for accepting a feedstock and extruding the feedstock onto a substrate at a deposition plane, the nozzle having a longitudinal extrusion axis. A reciprocating platen surrounds the nozzle, the platen operable to reciprocate along the extrusion axis at or above the deposition plane as the nozzle extrudes feedstock onto the substrate; and wherein the platen flattens the extruded feedstock such that it does not protrude above the deposition plane as the extrusion head traverses over the substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Knoxville, TN, United States of America

Brian K Post