Patents Assigned to Continuous Composites Inc.
  • Patent number: 11584069
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects are disclosed. Two or more materials are extruded simultaneously as a composite, with at least one material in liquid form and at least one material in a solid continuous strand completely encased within the liquid material. A means of curing the liquid material after extrusion hardens the composite. A part is constructed using a series of extruded composite paths. The strand material within the composite contains specific chemical, mechanical, or electrical characteristics that instill the object with enhanced capabilities not possible with only one material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth Lyle Tyler
  • Patent number: 11577455
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects are disclosed. Two or more materials are extruded simultaneously as a composite, with at least one material in liquid form and at least one material in a solid continuous strand completely encased within the liquid material. A means of curing the liquid material after extrusion hardens the composite. A part is constructed using a series of extruded composite paths. The strand material within the composite contains specific chemical, mechanical, or electrical characteristics that instill the object with enhanced capabilities not possible with only one material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth Lyle Tyler
  • Patent number: 11579579
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for use in additively manufacturing a structure. The system may include an additive manufacturing machine, a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, and a processor. The processor may be configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to determine a plurality of tension vectors to be generated within the structure, and to generate a plan for manufacturing the structure. The plan may include tool paths that arrange continuous fibers within the structure to generate the plurality of tension vectors. The processor may also be configured to execute the computer-executable instructions to cause the additive manufacturing machine to follow the plan and manufacture the structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2023
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Ryan C Stockett, Kenneth L. Tyler, Blake L. Alfson, Josiah D. Coad
  • Publication number: 20230008580
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system is disclosed for use in fabricating a structure. The additive manufacturing system may include a support, and an outlet configured to discharge a material. The outlet may be operatively connected to and moveable by the support in a normal travel direction during material discharge. The outlet may include a guide, and a compactor operatively connected to the guide at a trailing location relative to the normal travel direction. The compactor may be moveable in an axial direction of the guide. The outlet may also include at least one cure enhancer mounted to move with the compactor relative to the guide. The at least one cure enhancer may be configured to expose the material to a cure energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2022
    Publication date: January 12, 2023
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan Andrew STRANBERG
  • Patent number: 11548220
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The method may include discharging a composite material from a print head and moving the print head during discharging to fabricate a preform from the composite material. The method may also include densifying the preform with a densifying material, and heating the preform to pyrolize the at least one of the composite material and the densifying material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2023
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Tyler B. Alvarado, Brock Adam Jahner, Andrew John Overby, Jeremiah R. Smith, Ryan C. Stockett, Nathan Andrew Stranberg
  • Publication number: 20230001637
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system is disclosed for use in fabricating a structure. The additive manufacturing system may include a print head configured to discharge a material, a first structure, and a second structure. The first structure may be configured to move the print head within a plane during discharge of the material. The second structure may be configured to move the print head within the plane during material discharge, the second structure being movable together with the print head by the first structure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 8, 2022
    Publication date: January 5, 2023
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew John Overby
  • Patent number: 11541598
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a composite structure. The system may include a support, and a print head operatively connected to and moveable by the support. The print head may include a first supply configured to hold a liquid matrix, a second supply configured to hold a continuous reinforcement, and a wetting module configured to separately receive the liquid matrix and the continuous reinforcement from the first and second supplies, respectively, and to discharge a composite material including the continuous reinforcement wetted with the liquid matrix. The wetting module may include a body forming an internal chamber having an upstream open end and a downstream open end, an entrant nozzle disposed within the upstream open end and configured to receive the continuous reinforcement, and an exit nozzle disposed within the downstream closed end and configured to discharge the composite material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Trevor David Budge, Brock Adam Jahner, Jeremiah R. Smith, Nathan Andrew Stranberg, Andrew Michael Stulc, Samuel VanDenBerg, Stephen Tyler Wilson, Andrew John Overby
  • Patent number: 11541603
    Abstract: A print head is disclosed for use in an additive manufacturing system. The print head may include an outlet configured to discharge a material, and a compacting device mounted to trail behind the outlet during movement of the print head in a normal direction. The print head may also include a spring configured to bias the compacting device against the material and to allow movement of the compacting device in a direction parallel with a discharge direction of the material through the outlet, and a locker configured to selectively lock a position of the compacting device relative to the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Andrew Stranberg, Stephen Tyler Wilson, Samuel VanDenBerg
  • Publication number: 20220410474
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for additively manufacturing a structure. The method may include discharging a composite material, including a reinforcement and a matrix, from a print head, and moving the print head during discharging to form the structure from the composite material. The method may further include exposing the composite material during discharging to a cure energy to trigger the matrix to harden, and selectively adding a filler to the composite material to cause the composite material to increase a temperature achieved when the composite material is exposed to the cure energy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2022
    Publication date: December 29, 2022
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan Andrew Stranberg
  • Publication number: 20220379565
    Abstract: Methods and associated systems and apparatus are disclosed for determining a tool path for use in additively manufacturing a structure. The methods may include receiving data that at least partially defines a plurality of intersecting elongate elements forming a layer of the structure, and determining, based on the received data, a graph structure comprising a plurality of edges each representing one of the plurality of intersecting elongate elements, and a node representing an intersection of at least two of the plurality of intersecting elongate elements. The method may also include determining a plurality of regions of the structure based on the graph structure, each region comprising one or more elongate elements, and generating a plurality of tool paths for each of the plurality of regions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2022
    Publication date: December 1, 2022
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Mikel Negugogor, Logan Lalonde, Rachael Kathleen Morris
  • Patent number: 11511480
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for additive manufacturing of a composite structure. The system may include a support, and a print head connected to and moveable by the support. The print head may include an outlet configured to discharge a continuous reinforcement at least partially coated in a matrix. The outlet may be moveable relative to the support. The print head may also include at least one actuator configured to cause movement of the outlet relative to the support.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Rachael Kathleen Morris, Ryan C. Stockett
  • Publication number: 20220371274
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system is disclosed for use in fabricating a structure. The additive manufacturing system may include a support, and a print head configured to discharge a material and being operatively connected to and moveable by the support in a normal travel direction during material discharge. The print head may include a module located at a trailing side of the discharging material relative to the normal travel direction and being configured to compact the material and expose the material to a cure energy at a tool center point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2022
    Publication date: November 24, 2022
    Applicant: CONTINUOUS COMPOSITES INC.
    Inventors: MARCUS RAYE VINCENT BRODIE, KYLE FRANK CUMMINGS, ANDREW MICHEAL STULC, NATHAN ANDREW STRANBERG, BROCK ADAM JAHNER, STEPHEN TYLER WILSON
  • Publication number: 20220355537
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for use in additively manufacturing a structure. The system may include a print head to discharge a material, and a support to move the print head during discharging to fabricate a structure. The system may also include a receiver mounted to the print head to generate a signal indicative of at least one of a shape, a size, and a location of the discharged material, and a processor in communication with the receiver and the support. The processor may be configured to generate a data cloud of the structure fabricated by the additive manufacturing system based on the signal and based on a known position of the receiver at a time of signal generation. The processor may also be configured to make a comparison of the data cloud and a virtual model of the structure during discharging, and to selectively affect discharging based on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2022
    Publication date: November 10, 2022
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Rachael Kathleen Morris, Ryan C. Stockett
  • Patent number: 11485070
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system is disclosed for use in fabricating a structure. The additive manufacturing system may include a support, and an outlet configured to discharge a material. The outlet may be operatively connected to and moveable by the support in a normal travel direction during material discharge. The outlet may include a guide, and a compactor operatively connected to the guide at a trailing location relative to the normal travel direction. The compactor may be moveable in an axial direction of the guide. The outlet may also include at least one cure enhancer mounted to move with the compactor relative to the guide. The at least one cure enhancer may be configured to expose the material to a cure energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventor: Nathan Andrew Stranberg
  • Publication number: 20220339868
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for additively manufacturing a structure. The system may include a motion platform, a print head, and a drive. The drive may include a base connectable to the motion platform, a slipring disposed inside of the base, and a drivetrain extending between the base and the print head.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Andrew Michael Stulc, Nathan Andrew Stranberg
  • Publication number: 20220339866
    Abstract: A print head is disclosed for use in additively manufacturing an object. The print head may have a housing, and a wetting module configured to wet a reinforcement with a liquid matrix. The print head may also include a matrix supply configured to hold a quantity of the liquid matrix and supply the liquid matrix to the wetting module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Andrew Stranberg, Andrew John Overby, Andrew Michael Stulc, Stephen Tyler Wilson, Ryan C. Stocket, Brock Adam Jahner
  • Publication number: 20220339874
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for use in additively manufacturing an object. The system may have a support and a first module operatively mounted to an end of the support and configured to discharge a material during motion of the support to form an object. The system may also have a second module configured to sever the material, at least a third module configured to at least one of compact or cure the material, and an actuator configured to cause movement of the second and the at least a third modules relative to the first module.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Andrew Stranberg, Andrew John Overby, Andrew Michael Stulc, Stephen Tyler Wilson, Ryan C. Stocket, Brock Adam Jahner
  • Publication number: 20220339871
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for use in additively manufacturing an object. The system may have a reinforcement supply, a matrix supply, and a wetting module configured to separately receive reinforcement from the reinforcement supply and matrix from the matrix supply and to discharge the reinforcement wetted with the matrix. The wetting module may include a body forming an enclosure and having an inlet end configured to receive the reinforcement and an outlet end configured to discharge the reinforcement wetted with the matrix. The wetting module may also include a plurality of nozzles dividing the enclosure into at least a wetting chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 5, 2022
    Publication date: October 27, 2022
    Applicant: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Andrew Stranberg, Andrew John Overby, Andrew Michael Stulc, Stephen Tyler Wilson, Ryan C. Stocket, Brock Adam Jahner
  • Patent number: 11478980
    Abstract: A system is disclosed for use in additively manufacturing a structure. The system may include a print head configured to discharge a material, and a support connected to and configured to move the print head during discharging to fabricate a structure. The system may also include a receiver mounted to the print head and configured to generate a signal indicative of at least one of a shape, a size, and a location of the discharged material, and a processor in communication with the receiver and the support. The processor may be configured to generate a data cloud of the structure fabricated by the additive manufacturing system based on the signal and based on a known position of the receiver at a time of signal generation. The processor may also be configured to make a comparison of the data cloud and a virtual model of the structure during discharging, and to selectively affect discharging based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventors: Rachael Kathleen Morris, Ryan C. Stockett
  • Patent number: 11472104
    Abstract: An additive manufacturing system is disclosed for use in fabricating a structure. The additive manufacturing system may include a print head configured to discharge a material, a first structure, and a second structure. The first structure may be configured to move the print head within a plane during discharge of the material. The second structure may be configured to move the print head within the plane during material discharge, the second structure being movable together with the print head by the first structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Continuous Composites Inc.
    Inventor: Andrew John Overby