Cooperative 3D printing platform

{
  "publication_number": "US11718041B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Cooperative 3D printing platform",
  "abstract": "A 3-D printing system comprising a plurality of printers. The printers are motorized to allow movement in X and Y directions or to rotate freely. Each printer may have one or more printheads. Also provided is a surface independent from said printers adapted to receive a printed object.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A 3-D printing system comprising: a plurality of printers and an electrically conductive surface; said printers being motorized to allow movement thereof in any direction and to allow free rotation thereof over said electrically conductive surface; each of said printers having one or more printheads and a plurality of brushes for electrically connecting to said electrically conductive surface for powering said printers; said electrically conductive surface being independent from said printers and adapted to receive a printed object formed by said printers; and said electrically conductive surface comprised of a plurality of electrically conductive islands surrounded by nonconductive areas comprised of perpendicularly extending grooves and channels, said islands comprised of alternating positive and negative conductive strips arranged over a nonconductive base, with a depth of said channels reaching down to said base and a depth of said grooves not reaching said base.",
    "2. The system of claim 1 wherein said electrically conductive surface is comprised on a plurality tiles.",
    "3. The system of claim 2 wherein each of said tiles is identical.",
    "4. The system of claim 3 wherein each of said tiles is comprised of a plurality of said conductive strips disposed on a respective one of said nonconductive base.",
    "5. The system of claim 3 wherein each of said conductive strips is comprised of a plurality of square sections that form said islands, said square sections separated by said grooves, and said grooves having a width.",
    "6. The system of claim 5 wherein each of said conductive strips is separated by said channels, said channels having a width that is the same as said width of said grooves.",
    "7. The system of claim 6 wherein said grooves and said channels are filled with a nonconductive material to form said nonconductive areas that surround said islands.",
    "8. The system of claim 7 wherein said tiles have an outer edge groove that is in the shape of a half-groove that when connected to another half-groove of another one of said tiles forms a full groove.",
    "9. The system of claim 8 wherein and said nonconductive material filling said grooves and channels is epoxy.",
    "10. The system of claim 9 wherein said nonconductive areas form a lattice network.",
    "11. The system of claim 10 wherein said brushes are equally spaced apart around a circle.",
    "12. The system of claim 11 wherein said circle has a diameter that is equal or less than the sum of two times the width of one of said square sections plus said width of a channel.",
    "13. The system of claim 12 wherein the system is configured such that each of said printers prints a portion of the printed object such that printed portions of the object form a completed printed object.",
    "14. The system of claim 13 wherein said printers are adapted to insert pre-made portions of a print job into the printed object.",
    "15. The system of claim 14 wherein said printers include a gripper to pick and place non-3D-printed components for assembly into the printed object.",
    "16. The system of claim 15 wherein said printers each have a plurality of printheads adapted to print different materials.",
    "17. The system of claim 16 wherein said printers each have one or more position sensors that take a series of pictures, the system being configured to compare the pictures to obtain relative motion of the printers.",
    "18. The system of claim 17 wherein said one or more position sensors is one or more video cameras.",
    "19. The system of claim 18 wherein said one or more video cameras is located underneath the printer.",
    "20. The system of claim 1 wherein said printers are adapted to work together to print one or more of said printed object."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "Not applicable.\n\nNot applicable.\n\nAlthough 3D printing has become increasingly popular, it remains a niche technology due to its inability to scale, in terms of printing large objects and printing fast.\n\nIn one embodiment, the present invention provides a novel platform for 3D printing and assembly, which can enable a low-cost autonomous factory with greatly enhanced flexibility.\n\nIn other embodiments, the present invention may significantly increase the speed of 3D printing by having a plurality of mobile 3D printers working together on one printing job.\n\nIn other embodiments, the present invention is not limited to printing objects that only fit on or within a print bed since the embodiments include mobile printers that eliminate the need for a dedicated print bed and accordingly may travel over the entire factory floor or another surface.\n\nIn other embodiments, the present invention significantly increases the capability of 3D printing by using hybrid 3D printing which can use a pick-and-place mechanism such as a robotic hand to pick and place components that cannot be 3D printed and assemble them into other structures during the printing process.\n\nIn other embodiments, the present invention enables 3D printing with different 3D printing processes with different printing materials, which can potentially overcome the disadvantages of any single 3D printing process.\n\nIn other embodiments, the present invention enables cloud manufacturing by providing a network connection such as an Internet connection to all the mobile robots.",
  "cpc": [
    "B29C 64/393",
    "B29C 64/106",
    "B29C 64/188",
    "B29C 64/209",
    "B29C 64/227",
    "B29C 64/236",
    "B29C 64/30",
    "B29C 64/379",
    "B33Y 30/00",
    "B33Y 50/02",
    "H01R 2201/26",
    "H01R 41/00"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B29C 64/209",
    "B29C 64/236",
    "B29C 64/393",
    "B33Y 30/00",
    "B33Y 50/02",
    "B29C 64/227",
    "B29C 64/30"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "University of Arkansas at Little Rock"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "Wenchao Zhou",
    "Lucas Galvan Marques",
    "Robert Austin Williams"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2021-10-08",
  "publication_date": "2023-08-08",
  "grant_date": "2023-08-08",
  "priority_date": "2017-05-05",
  "application_number": "US-202117497856-A",
  "family_id": "80356603",
  "cited_by_count": 1,
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  ]
}