Additive manufacturing method and apparatus for fabricating a component using acoustic forces to position precursor material
US11491715B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Dec 18, 2015 |
| Grant date | Nov 8, 2022 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 4, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG03H2001/2289
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A method of fabricating a component (1) comprises the steps of providing precursor material in a working medium, creating acoustic forces and positioning the precursor material in the working medium under the effect of the acoustic forces, so that a material distribution is formed, which has a shape of the component to be fabricated, and subjecting at least one of the material distribution and the working medium to a fixation, so that the precursor material of the material distribution or the working medium surrounding the material distribution is bound, wherein the step of creating the acoustic forces includes generating an acoustic interference pattern (5), and the material distribution (4) is formed by moving the precursor material (2) towards energy extrema of the acoustic interference pattern (5). Furthermore, an apparatus (100) for fabricating a component (1) is described.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.