WO2012166505A1

WO2012166505A1 - Structural component made by three-dimensional printing

Info

Publication number: WO2012166505A1
Application number: PCT/US2012/039310
Authority: WO
Inventors: Walter B. PIPP, Jr.
Original assignee: A. Raymond Et Cie
Priority date: 2011-06-02
Filing date: 2012-05-24
Publication date: 2012-12-06

Abstract

A structural component is provided. In another aspect, a vehicular component, such as a handle, is made of layers of material, a light curable material and/or multiple built-up materials. Another aspect uses a three-dimensional printing machine to emit material from an ink jet printing head to build up a structural component.

Description

STRUCTURAL COMPONENT MADE BY THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 /492,424, filed on June 2, 201 1 . The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY

[0002] The present invention relates generally to structural components and more particularly to manufacturing of a vehicular component.

[0003] Traditionally, polymeric parts are made by injection or extrusion molding. In such processes, a heated polymeric liquid is inserted into match metal dies under high pressure, after which the dies are internally cooled in order to cure the manufactured parts. Air is vented from the die cavity when the molten polymer is injected therein. Injection and extrusion molding are ideally suited for high volume production where one hundred thousand or more parts per year are required. These traditional manufacturing processes, however, disadvantageously require very expensive machined steel dies, which are difficult and time consuming to modify if part revisions are desired, and are subject to problematic part-to-part tolerance variations. Such variations are due to molding shrinkage during curing, molding pressure differences, part warpage due to internal voids and external sink marks, and the like. The expense of this traditional die tooling makes lower volume production of polymeric parts prohibitively expensive.

[0004] It is also known to use stereolithography to produce nonfunctional polymeric parts. Such conventional stereolithography methods use a laser to create a layered part on a moving platform within a vat of liquid polymer. The part rises from the liquid as it is being made. These parts are extremely slow to produce and impractically brittle.

[0005] In accordance with the present invention, a structural component is provided. In another aspect, a vehicular component, such as a handle, is made of layers of material, a light curable material and/or multiple built-up materials. Another aspect uses a three-dimensional printing machine to emit material from an ink jet printing head to build up a structural component. A further aspect provides a method of making a door handle by depositing material in layers and/or a built-up additive arrangement. Yet another aspect makes a structural handle by depositing material in an environment where the handle is essentially surrounded by a gas, such as air, during the material deposition. A method of making a multi-material and/or pre-assembled vehicular handle is also employed in another aspect.

[0006] The present structural components and method are advantageous over traditional devices. For example, the present vehicular handles and method do not require any unique tooling or dies, thereby saving hundreds of thousands of dollars and many weeks of die manufacturing time. Furthermore, the present method allows for quick and inexpensive design and part revisions from one manufacturing cycle to another. In another aspect, part- to-part tolerance variations are essentially non-existent with the present structural components and method such that at least ten, and more preferably at least forty, identical door handles can be produced in a single machine manufacturing cycle. For other aspects of the present components and method, multiple head openings, a stationary support for the built-up components within the machine, and the ambient air manufacturing environment allow for increased manufacturing speed, simpler machinery and ease of access to the manufactured components. It is also noteworthy that the present vehicular handle and method are advantageously capable of creating die-locked part configurations that would otherwise be prohibitively expensive, if not impossible, to produce with conventional dies. In other aspects, the present vehicular components and method reduce post-manufacturing assembly by creating mating parts in a pre-installed or pre-assembled condition within the same manufacturing machine cycle; for example, this can apply to covers, inserts and/or seals. Materials of different characteristics, such as flexibility, tensile strength, hoop strength, chemical resistance, UV fade resistance, or even color can be deposited to create different sections of the vehicular component at essentially the same time. Additional advantages and features of the present invention can be found in the following description and appended claims as well as in the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a perspective view showing door handles on an automotive vehicle of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the door handle of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 3 is a top elevational view showing the door handle;

[0010] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 4-4 of Figure 2, showing the door handle;

[0011] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view, taken along line 5-5 of Figure

2, showing the door handle;

[0012] Figure 6 is a perspective view showing a machine manufacturing the door handles, with an upper cover of the machine removed; and

[0013] Figures 7A-C are a series of diagrammatic side views showing the machine building up the door handles.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] Figures 1 -5 illustrate an automotive vehicle 31 including various three-dimensionally printed structural components, including handles 35 and 37. Exterior handle 37 is mounted to a vehicular door outer panel 41 while interior handle 35 is mounted to an interior door trim panel or structural door inner panel 43. The preferred example disclosed hereinafter is the interior handle but many aspects thereof are also applicable to the exterior handle or even an interior side rail-mounted assist handle.

[0015] Interior door handle 35 includes an aesthetically pleasing cover 101 , a structural core 103, a seal 105 and a functional lever 107. Core 103 is three-dimensionally printed from a rigid and durable polymeric material, but which does not require ultraviolet light-fade resistance or good color matching properties. Core 103 includes a peripheral shell 1 1 1 within which are multiple transverse and longitudinal walls and/or ribs 1 13 and 1 15, respectively. Open spaces 1 17 of predetermined size, shape and location, are located between many of the adjacent walls or ribs and are entirely enclosed within shell 1 1 1 . [0016] Cover 101 is three-dimensionally printed integrally with each associated pass of the machine head along with core 1 1 1 such that they are essentially simultaneously created together. Cover 101 is made of a different and more resilient, ultraviolet light-fade resistant and color matchable polymeric material than is the material for core 1 1 1 . Alternately, either the cover or core can be printed from a metallic material while the other is polymeric. Cover 101 optionally includes transversely enlarged gripping bumps 121 extending from the nominal surface thereof. Cover 101 essentially surrounds all of core except at a hidden end 123 thereof.

[0017] Seal 105 is integrally formed with core 1 1 1 and/or cover 101 as an integral deposited part with the three-dimensional printing process. Seal 105 is made of a third material which is more resilient than that of core 1 1 1 and cover 101 . Seal 105 deters water, gas (for example, exhaust), and/or dust flow through an opening 131 in vehicular panel 143.

[0018] Lever 107 is integrally created as part of core 1 1 1 and has offset angled sections. Furthermore, lever has a generally hollow, internal shape throughout its length and may be optionally blocked by a solid distal end 133. A door latch rod, cable, or other mechanism, is moveably coupled to lever 107 for actuation when handle 35 is pivoted by a vehicle user. Exemplary mechanisms and alternate handle shapes are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,961 ,166 entitled "Automotive Vehicle Door Handle Assembly" which issued to Edwards on October 5, 1999; and U.S. Patent No. 5,895,081 entitled "Inside Door Handle Assembly for Vehicles" which issued to Tanimoto et al. on April 20, 1999; both of which are incorporated by reference herein. It is also envisioned that the present three-dimensionally printed handle can alternately be used as an exterior vehicular door handle, a handle on a watercraft vehicle and/or a handle on an airspace vehicle.

[0019] The preferred manufacturing machine and process are shown in Figures 6-7C. A three-dimensional printing machine 1501 includes a stationary support surface 1503 upon which a set of identical handles 35 are created. Machine 1501 further includes at least one ink jet printer head 1505, and preferably eight heads, which traverse side to side along one or more gantry rails 1507 by an electric motor or other automatically controlled actuators. The gantry rail also moves fore and aft above support surface 1503 along outboard tracks 1509, driven by an electric motor or other automatically controlled actuator. At least two storage tanks 151 1 or removable cartridges are connected to head 1505 via supply hoses 1513 in order to feed the same or different polymeric materials 1515 contained within each tank 151 1 to multiple ink jet printer openings 1517 in head 1505. Openings 1517 may constitute an array of 10 x 10 or even 100 x 100 nozzles, and more preferably 96 nozzles, arranged in a linear array such that multiple material flows are simultaneously emitted during a single head pass. The material is preferably an ultraviolet light-curable photopolymer in the form of a powder and water mixture. Alternately, a spool containing an elongated and flexible string or filament of the polymeric material can be fed to the head, melted and emitted onto the support surface as a layered and continuous string.

[0020] A computer controller 1519, having an input keyboard 1521 , an output display screen 1523, and a microprocessor, is connected to a central processing unit 1525 of machine 1501 to control the feed of material from tanks 151 1 and the actuator movement of head 1505 relative to support surface 1503. The machine user downloads a CAD file containing a design of the handle into non-transient computer memory, such as RAM, ROM, a hard drive or removable storage, associated with computer controller 1519. The user then uses software instructions stored in the memory to digitally lay out the desired quantity of the components onto support surface 1503 and position the handles in a manufacturing orientation, while adding any supports 1527 or pixel bridges to the design which are later removed after the manufacturing. The user also inputs the material(s) to be used in the manufacturing, whereafter the microprocessor in computer controller 1519 and CPU 1525 runs the software to cause head 1505 to begin its movement and material deposition in order to create the set of handle components.

[0021] During the first pass of head 1505, ink jet printing openings 1517 emit streams of polymeric material 1515 and lay down a first layer, constituting a bottom external surface with a first transverse pass of head 1505; for the preferred interior handles, an outermost layer of cover 101 or seal 105. This first pass lays down a material thickness of approximately 0.1 -1 .0 mm of the handle. As the machine head continues in its transverse path, it will also lay down the same exact material layer for each adjacent handle being manufactured in the same manufacturing cycle. Alternately, if the array of openings is large enough, spread out or contained on multiple machine heads, then multiple handles 35 can be simultaneously deposited. One or more ultraviolet lights 1541 are attached to head 1505 which serve to emit light onto the layered material immediately after its deposition which binds together and cures the layer of material deposited. After the first layer has been deposited for each of the multiple handles, head 1505 then emits a second layer of polymeric material 1515 upon the already deposited first layer which is then bound to the first layer when cured by lights 1541 . This layering and curing is repeated many times, for example, with more than fifty layers or head passes, until the handle is fully created.

[0022] Material is deposited where computer controller 1519 informs head 1505 that a wall or other polymeric formation is desired but head 1505 will not deposit any material where an open area 1 17 is present in the CAD drawing of the component. The polymeric material is stacked in many layers thereby creating the entire handle 35 as an integral and single piece part in a gaseous, particularly ambient and unpressured air, environment inside an enclosure of machine 1501 . In other words, the handles are all surrounded by air except for the first layer which contacts support surface 1503, during the entire manufacturing cycle. As used herein, manufacturing or machine "cycle" refers to the time period from which the head begins depositing the first layer of material until when the head deposits the final layer of material for the completed part and is cured in the machine. After the machine cycle is complete, the user manually removes the manufactured handles from support surface 1503, such as by use of a putty knife or other removal tool. At least forty handles are made in a single machine cycle, which is preferably less than ninety minutes. In one optional step, each removed handle 35 is dipped into a hardener, solvent or final curing solution, which also serves to dissolve any supports 1527 or bridges, especially when they are made of a solvent-dissolvable material, different from the primary material defining the cover, core, seal and lever of the handle. [0023] The present three-dimensional printing advantageously builds up the flexible seal and cover essentially simultaneously in the same pass as the adjacent rigid core and lever are built up. The seal is made of a more flexible, UV curable polymer (for one exemplary configuration, DM 9870 material) as compared to the adjacent rigid core and lever (for one exemplary configuration, Verogray material). It is noteworthy that the seal is integrally connected and made as a single part with the remainder of the handle such that post- manufacturing assembly is not required. The seal can optionally have a dove tail engagement within an undercut of the adjacent core thereby providing an additional mechanical connection to provide extra durability.

[0024] Exemplary generic three-dimensional printing machines and materials that can be employed to make a handle component as specified herein are disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication Nos. 2010/0217429 entitled "Rapid Production Apparatus" which published to Kritchman et al. on August 26, 2010, 201 1 /0074065 entitled "Ribbon Liquefier for Use in Extrusion-Based Digital Manufacturing Systems" which published to Batchelder et al. on March 31 , 201 1 , and U.S. Patent Nos. 7,851 ,122 entitled "Compositions and Methods for Use in Three Dimensional Model Printing" which issued to Napadensky on December 14, 2010, 7,369,915 entitled "Device, System and Method for Accurate Printing of Three Dimensional Objects" which issued to Kritchman et al. on May 6, 2008, and 5,866,058 entitled "Method for Rapid Prototyping of Solid Models" which issued to Batchelder et al. on February 2, 1999. These patent publications and patents are all incorporated by reference herein. A presently preferred machine is the Connex 500 model from Objet Geometries Inc. but may less preferably be a Dimension Elite fused deposition modeling machine from Stratasys, Inc. Nevertheless, it should be appreciated that manufacturing the handles disclosed herein by the present three-dimensional printing steps also disclosed herein is a significant leap in technology.

[0025] While various embodiments have been disclosed herein, and it should be appreciated that other variations may be employed. For example, pre- assembled or separately printed washers, seals, brackets or gaskets can be simultaneously made by the layering and building up process of three- dimensional printing as discussed herein. It should also be realized that while pre-assembled manufacturing is advantageous, the components may be separately manufactured and assembled although many of the present advantages will not be achieved. Additionally, entirely enclosed hollow spaces of predetermined size and shape can be designed and manufactured inside thickened walls of any of the present components (for example, inside gripping bumps 121 ) in order to save material costs and weight, and/or to add greater flexibility. It is also envisioned that the present three-dimensional printing method can be used to manufacture other structural vehicular components having an aesthetically pleasing outer cover essentially encapsulating or surrounding at least a majority of a structural inner core, with enclosed air pockets or predetermined spaces therein, for use with automobiles, boats, airplanes, or other vehicles. As another variation, the three-dimensionally printed handle may have its core fixed at both ends and be part of an interior door trim panel, rear lift gate-mounted handle, or interior trim-mounted assist handle. Any of the component functions, features and segments thereof may be interchanged with any of the other components disclosed hereinabove, although certain benefits may not be realized. Nevertheless, such changes, modifications or variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Claims

CLAIMS The invention claimed is:

1 . A method of making a vehicular handle, the method comprising:

(a) creating a first layer of material to define a first section of the vehicular handle;

(b) emitting light onto the first layer to perform at least one of: (a) hardening, (b) curing or (c) bonding the first layer;

(c) creating a second layer of the material upon the first layer to define a second section of the vehicular component after the prior step;

(d) emitting light onto the second layer to perform at least one of: (a) hardening, (b) curing or (c) bonding the second layer;

(e) creating at least a third layer of the material upon the second layer to define at least a third section of the vehicular handle after the prior step;

(f) emitting light onto the third layer to perform at least one of: (a) hardening, (b) curing or (c) bonding the third layer;

(g) creating an entirely enclosed air space of predetermined shape and location internally within the handle while at least one of the layers is being created; and

(h) removing the finished vehicular handle from a machine which performs the creating and emitting steps, with the layers all being integrally connected to their adjacent layers;

the finished vehicular handle being functionally durable and made by the machine in less than ninety minutes.

2. The method of Claim 1 , further comprising depositing the first layer of the material from a printing head onto a support surface of the machine in an ambient air environment.

3. The method of Claim 1 , wherein the material is a light curable polymer.

4. The method of Claim 1 , wherein the light is ultraviolet light which is immediately passed over each layer of the vehicular handle after it is deposited.

5. The method of Claim 1 , wherein the vehicular handle is an automotive vehicle interior handle, further comprising creating a flexible gripping cover in the same deposited layer as a rigid internal core for at least one layer.

6. The method of Claim 1 , further comprising creating entirely hidden internal ribs adjacent to the predetermined air space within an outer surface of the vehicular handle during layering of the material.

7. The method of Claim 1 , further comprising making a flexible section of the vehicular handle by additively depositing a different material that is integrally made with a more rigid section being of a more rigid material.

8. The method of Claim 1 , further comprising making a seal integrally connected with the vehicular handle.

9. The method of Claim 1 , further comprising making a lever arm integrally extending from a structural core of the vehicular handle.

10. A method of manufacturing a vehicular handle, the method comprising:

(a) emitting a first material from at least a first opening in a machine;

(b) emitting at least a second and different material from at least a second machine opening; and

(c) depositing at least one of the materials at desired locations on a support surface of the machine to build up a complete vehicular handle;

wherein the vehicular handle comprises a first section made of the first material and a second section made of the second material, with the sections being integrally attached together as a single piece by the depositing step.

1 1 . The method of Claim 10, further comprising creating a softer and ultraviolet fade resistant cover of the handle from the second material over a more rigid and structural core of the handle made from the first material by additively layering the materials.

12. The method of Claim 10, wherein the first material is metallic and the second material is polymeric.

13. The method of Claim 10, further comprising creating internally hidden structural ribs and predetermined spaces therebetween within a rigid core during at least some of the layer depositing.

14. The method of Claim 10, further comprising creating a resilient seal from the second material integrally attached to the first material.

15. The method of Claim 10, further comprising flowing the materials from an ink jet printing head including multiples of the openings such that the materials simultaneously flow for each layer of the vehicular handle.

16. The method of Claim 10, wherein the materials are three- dimensionally printable polymers.

17. The method of Claim 10, wherein at least ten of the vehicular handles are manufactured in a single machine cycle in less than ninety minutes, free of part-to-part tolerance differences.

18. The method of Claim 10, wherein the vehicular handle is substantially surrounded by a gas while the depositing occurs.

19. A method of making a vehicular handle, the method comprising:

(a) depositing a layer of material onto a support surface, the layer defining an outer surface of the vehicular handle;

(b) additively depositing subsequent layers of the material upon each prior layer until the vehicular handle is completely created;

(c) creating the vehicular handle to comprise a rigid internal core and a grippable external cover surrounding at least a majority of the core, the handle being made of the material as part of the depositing steps;

(d) surrounding at least a majority of the vehicular handle with a gas during the depositing and creating steps; and

(e) curing the vehicular handle so that the layers of the material bond together.

20. The method of Claim 19, further comprising creating the cover from a more resilient material than the core, the cover and core being integrally created as a single piece in at least some of the layer depositing steps.

21 . The method of Claim 19, further comprising creating internally hidden structural ribs and predetermined spaces therebetween within the core during at least some of the layer depositing steps.

22. The method of Claim 19, wherein the gas is ambient and unpressured air, and the handle is a functional vehicular door handle.

23. The method of Claim 19, further comprising flowing the material from a machine head positioned above the support surface, at least one of the machine head and the support surface automatically moving relative to the other according to computer instructions in order to create identical multiples of the handle in the same machine cycle, free of contraction or expansion due to the manufacture thereof.

24. The method of Claim 19, wherein the material is a three- dimensionally printable polymer.

25. The method of Claim 19, wherein the material is a polymeric string emitted from a moveable machine head in a continuous manner from a spool which supplies the string to the machine head.

26. The method of Claim 19, wherein at least ten of the handles are substantially simultaneously manufactured in a single machine cycle in less than ninety minutes.

27. The method of Claim 19, further comprising flowing the material from an ink jet printing head including openings arranged in an array such that multiple material flows are simultaneously occurring for each layer of the handle.

28. A vehicular handle comprising:

a structural core section of the vehicular handle including at least one three-dimensionally printable material; and

a second section of the vehicular handle including the at least one three- dimensionally printable material;

the second section being more resilient than the core section, and the sections being integrally attached together.

29. The handle of Claim 28, wherein the core section is located inside an automotive vehicle, and at least one of the sections encapsulates open spaces internally therein.

30. The handle of Claim 28, wherein the core section includes multiple ribs with a predetermined open space therebetween hidden within the second section which includes an external cover integral with the core.

31 The handle of Claim 28, wherein the second section is a seal.

32. The handle of Claim 28, further comprising a lever extending from the core, the lever and core being an integral single piece, and the handle being a door handle.

33. The handle of Claim 28, wherein the at least one material includes a polymeric material.

34. The handle of Claim 28, wherein the material is light curable.

35. The handle of Claim 28, wherein the second section is an outer cover including undulating gripping bumps.