Multi-Material in 3D Printing

Printing multi-material parts using a purge tower technique to efficiently utilize multiple print heads on a 3D printer. The technique involves printing a multi-node purge tower alongside the multi-material part being printed. The purge tower has multiple subdivisions that touch and support each other. The subdivisions are assigned to the print heads used for the multi-material part. This brings the heads from standby to printing condition. After printing the purge tower, the part is printed using the activated heads. The purge tower provides a stable structure for tall prints and prevents toppling. The closed toolpaths and non-overlapping subdivisions ensure proper head movement.

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A method for 3D printing objects using a fused deposition modeling (FDM) printer that allows producing items with high filler content and smooth surfaces. The method involves using a core-shell nozzle with a separate feeder for particulate filler material and a feeder for filament. The filler is fed to the extruder and the filament to the shell of the nozzle. This enables creating a core-shell extrudate during printing with a filler-rich core enclosed by a filament shell. The core-shell extrudate is then deposited layer by layer to form the 3D printed object. The core filler content can be much higher than in conventional FDM printing. The core-shell structure also allows smoother surfaces compared to using fillers in the filament.

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A method for 3D printing items using semi-crystalline polymers like polyethylene that prevents warping and adhesion failures during printing. The method involves selectively cooling and heating the build plate and printed layers to optimize crystallization and melting. This allows the semi-crystalline polymers to adhere to the plate during printing and then solidify for strength. The steps include: 1) depositing the polymer on the plate at a high temperature to melt it and adhere it. 2) cooling the deposited layers below their crystallization temperature. 3) raising the plate temperature to below the polymer's melting point. 4) continuing printing with the higher plate temperature and lower layer temperature to prevent warping and adhesion failures. 5) removing the printed item at room temperature. This sequence enables the semi-crystall

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Method to accurately 3D print complex models using a custom data format called GRAPE (Graphical Rectangular Actual Positional Encoding) and a flexible recipe system for printing materials. The GRAPE format describes 3D models as assemblies of rectangular shapes, allowing accurate printing of complex geometries. The recipe system lets operators define printing parameters like flow rate and material properties for specific materials. The recipes are converted to XML files used by the printer to print accurately. The recipe system also enables adaptive printing techniques for different material viscosities.

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Multi-material 3D printing system with gradual drying and curing to increase speed, reduce shrinkage and distortion compared to traditional inkjet 3D printing. The system has separate material deposition, drying, and curing stations. It uses a delivery system to move the printed layers through multiple extraction units that gradually remove solvent. This allows faster drying compared to all-in-one solvent evaporation. The printed layers are then transferred to curing stations for final curing before being stacked.

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3D printing complex objects with multiple materials from a single extruder in a way that avoids the limitations of parallel feed methods. The series-enabled multi-material extrusion (SEME) technique allows 3D printing of objects with different materials without needing multiple extruders or parallel feeds. It involves sequentially feeding together sections of different material filaments into the printer extruder to create a continuous multicomponent filament. The printer toolpath is coordinated with automated filament splicing to change materials on the fly during printing.

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Additive manufacturing of multi-material 3D-printed parts uses controlled powder release from the nozzle to deposit powders selectively in each layer. A nozzle releases granular powder from a reservoir to form layers of a part. An excitation source applies a signal to the nozzle to control the powder release pattern for each layer. This allows printing parts with different powders in each layer. The powders can be selectively sintered to form the final part.

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A device and method for additive manufacturing of multi-material objects using 3D printing. The technique involves using multiple tool heads with different compositions like cement paste, thermoplastic polymer, and elastomeric polymer. The tool heads can simultaneously deposit these contrasting materials to create structures with composite properties. The process involves adjusting parameters like speed and temperature to control material properties and enable compatibility between adjacent layers. A planning system determines the optimal toolpaths for depositing the various materials.

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Printing multi-colored 3D objects using fusing agents to heat and fuse colored powder-build material selectively. The additive manufacturing system deposits colored fusing agents matching subtractive colorants like magenta, yellow, and cyan. It also deposits a colorless UV-absorbing agent. The system uses monochromatic light sources to fuse colored areas selectively. A controller adjusts irradiation to compensate for different color intensities.

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Roller-based deposition of multiple powders to fabricate hierarchical, graded materials like functionally graded objects. The powders are selectively adhered to treated regions on a roller surface. The roller transfers the powders to a substrate to build up layers of the graded material. The treatment of the roller regions induces affinity with specific powders.

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Additive manufacturing of medical devices, such as catheters and leads, allows for a wider range of filament materials to create a wider range of resulting catheter or lead characteristics compared to existing techniques. The process involves feeding multiple filaments into a heated chamber, where they melt and mix before being extruded to form the device. The system can use filaments with different hardness levels to achieve variable stiffness over the device length.

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Producing multi-material components with additive manufacturing systems. The method involves identifying parameter models for each material, using observed data from gradient samples, and developing an algorithm that outputs optimal parameter values for each material. This allows controlling parameters like laser power and velocity to achieve desired component objectives when combining multiple materials.

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Additive manufacturing by fused filament fabrication (FFF) of components using specialized filaments that contain binders capable of releasing secondary materials like metals or ceramics when heated above a conversion temperature. This allows the printing of composite parts using a primary material that can be sintered into a final component, while the binder releases additional materials during sintering to add desired properties like alloying elements or fillers. The filament may also include a sacrificial binder that can be fully removed after printing/sintering to create voids or channels.

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An automated multi-material bioprinting system that uses a microfluidic device to integrate multiple bioinks into a stereolithographic printer. The microfluidic device allows rapid switching between bioinks with minimal cross-contamination. This enables the precise fabrication of 3D tissue constructs with multiple cell types and biologically active components. The microfluidic system prevents cell aggregation during printing and creates heterogeneous tissue-like structures.

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Bioprinter with multiple extruders to create organ-on-a-chip devices like lung-on-a-chip for drug testing. The bioprinter has a cabinet housing fixed extruders and a movable build plate mounted on XYZ stages. The extruders deposit materials like bioinks onto the build plate to create chips with microchannels and tissue scaffolds. The build plate movement allows layer-by-layer printing. The extruders can also be coaxial to print hollow channels. The chip can be seeded with cells and perfused to mimic organ function. The bioprinter enables automated manufacturing of organomimetic devices for drug testing and research.

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Manufacturing process and equipment for composite structural metamaterial parts with complex shapes and functions. The process involves using a 3D printer with material switching capability to print the part in stages. In each stage, the printer selectively deposits different materials like metals, oxides, and carbon nanomaterials based on the desired topology. This allows creating composite structures with unique properties. An in-situ electroless plating system is integrated into the printer to further enhance the material versatility. The equipment setup includes an isolation platform, 3D printer, material switching machine, communication system, and integrated plating system.

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3D printer for manufacturing continuous functionally gradient materials and complex 3D structures. The printer has separate modules for active mixing of materials, static mixing and printing. The active mixing module has multiple feeders to mix components before passing to the static mixing module. This allows uniform blending of dissimilar materials like liquids and powders. The static mixing module prevents settling during printing. The printer also has a constraining and sacrificial layer module to create the complex shapes with gradient properties.

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Method for 3D printing items with varying core and shell materials in each layer to create parts with customized properties. The method uses a 3D printer with a coreshell nozzle containing an inner core nozzle and outer shell nozzle. During printing, the inner and outer nozzles can be independently controlled to vary the arrangement and dimensions of the core and shell materials escaping from the printer. This allows creating 3D printed items where the core and shell properties change within a layer or between layers. The varying core and shell materials can have different mechanical, thermal, or optical properties. The resulting 3D printed items have customized properties compared to uniform core or shell layers. The method provides a way to locally control and optimize properties in 3D printed parts.

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High-resolution 3D printing over a large area using multiple materials involves using multiple printing heads, each covered in a different material, to print a multi-material sample. The heads have surrounding nozzles that pump resin to form a raised pool above the free surface. This allows subsequent layers to be printed without touching the vat's entire bottom surface. Suction nozzles between vats collect residual uncured material when the sample moves between materials.

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3D printing of multilayer components with separate material layers that can be printed more efficiently, resource-savingly, and cost-effectively than current methods. The key idea is to apply multiple layers of material simultaneously to a conveyor belt, allow excess to be recovered, then selectively recycle it back into the appropriate dispensers for the next layer. This avoids waste and enables printing separate materials in the same build without assembly. The printed components have separated layers that are chemically bonded directly together. The conveyor belt passes through a radiation source to cure the layers. Cleaning removes any residue between layers. This allows printing components with layers of different materials without complex assembly or excess material.

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