PRECISION BEAD FORMING 3D PRINT HEAD FOR CEMENTITIOUS MATERIALS

• Main Authors: Atkins, Celeste, Chesser, Phillip, Lind, Randall F, Post, Brian K
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 31.03.2022
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS, SLAG, OR MIXTURESCONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

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.