Reinforced fused-deposition modeling

Abstract

An apparatus for manufacturing an object includes an extrusion head having an extrusion needle for extruding thermoplastic material associated with one or more fiber strands. The apparatus may further include a turn-table, a more robotic arm for moving the extrusion head and needle, thermoplastic filament and fiber strand spools and thermoplastic filament and fiber strands. A controller is provided for directing the robotic arm, extrusion head and the turn-table. Further, a method for manufacturing an object includes generating a design for the object that substantially satisfies desired structural properties of the object and generating a sequence for extruding one or more beads of thermoplastic material to manufacture the object according to the design, in which the one or more beads of thermoplastic material are associated with one or more fiber strands. The one or more beads of thermoplastic material and the associated one or more fiber strands are then extruded according to the sequence.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus for manufacturing an object, the apparatus comprising an extrusion head for extruding thermoplastic material associated with one or more fiber strands. 
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a spooled filament of thermoplastic material for feeding to the extrusion head, the filament of thermoplastic material containing one or more fiber strands. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a spooled filament of thermoplastic material for feeding to the extrusion head. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a spooled fiber strand for feeding to the extrusion head. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the extrusion head includes an extrusion needle through which the thermoplastic material and the associated one or more fiber strands are extruded from the extrusion head. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 5 , wherein the extrusion needle has a length equal to at least the longest dimension of the object. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the extrusion head includes a blade element for cutting the one or more fiber strands. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 7 , wherein the extrusion head includes an extrusion needle and wherein the blade element is disposed at a dispensing tip of the extrusion needle. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the extrusion head includes an extrusion needle and further comprising a positioning assembly for placing a dispensing tip of the extrusion needle at any location in a build volume of the object from any approach angle. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the positioning assembly provides at least three degrees of freedom. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the positioning assembly comprises a six or seven axes robotic arm. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the extrusion head moves along a Z axis in any direction, along an X axis in any direction, along the a Y axis in any direction, and any combination thereof. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , further comprising a controller for directing at least one of the positioning assembly and the extrusion head. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , further comprising a controller for directing at least one of the positioning assembly and the extrusion head. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a platform on which the object is built. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 15 , wherein the platform includes a drive mechanism for rotating the platform around a Z axis in any direction, moving the platform along the Z axis in any direction, moving the platform along an X axis in any direction, moving the platform along a Y axis in any direction, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , further comprising a controller for directing the drive mechanism. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a controller for:
 generating a design for the object that substantially satisfies desired structural properties of the object;   generating a sequence for extruding the thermoplastic material and the associated one or more fiber strands to manufacture the object according to the design; and   directing the extrusion head to extrude the thermoplastic material and the associated one or more fiber strands according to the sequence.   
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 18 , wherein the controller includes a list of structural properties of the thermoplastic material and the associated one or more fiber strands, the list being used by the controller for generating the design and the sequence. 
     
     
         20 . A method for manufacturing an object, the method comprising:
 generating, in a computer process, a design for the object that substantially satisfies desired structural properties of the object;   generating, in a computer process, a sequence for extruding one or more beads of thermoplastic material to manufacture the object according to the design, wherein the one or more beads of thermoplastic material are associated with one or more fiber strands; and   extruding the one or more beads of thermoplastic material and the associated one or more fiber strands according to the sequence.   
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more fiber strands are disposed within the one or more beads, partially within the one or more beads, adjacent to the one or more beads, or any combination thereof. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more fiber strands and the one or more beads are extruded together or separately in any order. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the length of any of the one or more fiber strands is short, medium, or long. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more fiber strands are made of the same material or different materials or some of the one or more fiber strands are made of the same material and some of the one or more fiber strands are made of different materials. 
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more fiber strands have the same modulus of elasticity or different modulus of elasticity, or some of the one or more fiber strands have the same modulus of elasticity and some of the one or more fiber strands have different modulus of elasticity. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein at least one of the one or more fiber strands comprises a bundle of fiber strands. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more fiber strands are oriented parallel to a longitudinal axis of the one or more beads, at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the one or more beads, or parallel to a longitudinal axis of the one or more beads and at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the one or more beads. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the one or more fiber strands are cut to a desired length in accordance with the design prior to being extruded, after being extruded, or prior to being extruded and after being extruded. 
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the extruding step is performed with an extrusion head, and wherein after the sequence generating step and prior to the extruding step, further comprising feeding one or more filaments of the thermoplastic material to the extrusion head to be melted therein, wherein the one or more beads of the thermoplastic material are extruded from the melted filaments of the thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 29 , wherein at least one of the one or more filaments of the thermoplastic material includes at least one of the one or more fiber strands. 
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 29 , further comprising feeding at least one of the one or more fiber strands to the extrusion head and associating the at least one of the one or more fiber strands with the one or more beads of the thermoplastic material. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein at least one of the one or more filaments of the thermoplastic material includes at least another one of the one or more fiber strands. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the extruding step is performed with an extrusion head, and further comprising moving the extrusion head along a Z axis in any direction, along an X axis in any direction; along a Y axis in any direction; or any combination thereof, as the sequence progresses. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the extruding step is performed on a platform, and further comprising rotating the platform around a Z axis in any direction or along the Z axis in any direction, or any combination thereof, as the sequence progresses. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 20 , wherein the extruding step is performed on a platform with an extrusion head, and further comprising moving the extrusion head along the a axis in any direction, moving the extrusion head along an X axis in any direction, moving the extrusion head along a Y axis in any direction, rotating the platform around the Z axis in any direction, moving the platform along the Z axis in any direction, or any combination thereof, as the sequence progresses.