04.17.19
Effective Dec. 25, 2018, Orlando, FL-based nScrypt and its research arm, Sciperio, secured U.S. Patent No. 10,162,339 B2 for “Automated manufacturing using modular structures and real-time feedback for precision control.” The patent has 18 claims, 3 of which are independent and 15 are dependent.
The patent covers a scalable machine and process for combining 3D printing with traditional manufacturing processes to manufacture large, high-precision parts. The machine and process use a rigid frame or modular girders, combined with three computer-controlled motion systems coordinated by a battery of sensors that provide continuous, closed-loop feedback that enables minute manufacturing adjustments in XYZ in real-time. One motion system controls the movement of the gantry and the second motion system controls the movement of the part being built. A third motion control system runs a second gantry that holds the 3D printing or traditional manufacturing tool head. The second gantry rides on the first gantry. A system controller uses information from the sensors to coordinate the motion systems in real-time. If the motion systems move out of place, they adjust themselves back into position.
By building the frame from standard girders, the system can be scaled from a fraction of a meter to 10s or even 100s of meters, to build very large parts with high precision and nanometer resolution.
The motion systems can be any mechanisms that move under computer control in the XYZ axes, such as belt drives, ball screw drives, or linear motor drives. The sensors can be optical sensors, laser sensors, semiconductive sensors, RF sensors, or acoustic sensors. The tool heads can be material extruders or Micro-Dispensing tool heads for 3D printing, or tool heads for traditional manufacturing, such as cutting, milling, or polishing.
"We saw a need for a Direct Digital Manufacturing system that can make large parts with high precision and tight tolerances," Dr. Church said. "This patented system, which can be assembled from standard girders to make it scalable at a reasonable price, combines multiple motion control systems, computer control, and sensors that provide continuous feedback to tweak the 3D printing or traditional manufacturing process for large, high-precision parts."
Dr. Church’s co-inventors are Paul Deffenbaugh, nScrypt’s engineering manager and R&D lead; Josh Goldfarb, nScrypt’s electrical engineer; Charles (Mike) Newton, head of nScrypt’s Cyberfacturing Center; and Michael Owens, nScrypt’s mechanical designer.
The full text of the patent is available here.