Impossible Objects, Inc.

James Brough

Robert W Swartz

Eugene Gore

Nick Tarzian

A system and method for lifting substrate sheets off of a stack of porous sheets one at a time, even though the sheets tend to stick together. A felt tamp is lowered onto the stack of sheets, and as the tamp is raised, a set of edge flickers create a downward force on the corners of the top sheet. This causes the edges of the top sheet to bend downward slightly just enough to pry the second sheet loose from the top sheet. The tamp can then be further raised with only the top sheet adhering to the felt, and the lifted sheet can be deposited at the next station in the process. Periodically, a brush is used to renew the surface of the felt to prevent matting of the felt fibers.

Carbon fiber sheet separation with flickers for 3-dimensional printing

A felt gripper head contains two regions of felt material each on plates that slide and form a slight angle with respect to each other during engagement with a fibrous substrate material.

Growing community of inventors

Buffalo Grove, IL, United States of America

James Brough