Patents Examined by Galen H Hauth
  • Patent number: 12290881
    Abstract: A laser processing method includes forming a first processing mark to form an origin of dividing or a dividing groove with a laser beam in a first direction, and forming a second processing mark by forming an origin of dividing or a dividing groove with the laser beam in a second direction that intersects the first direction. An unprocessed region in which the processing is not executed remains at an intersection at which the first direction and the second direction intersect each other. The method further includes processing the unprocessed region. The unprocessed region processing step forms a coupling processing mark that couples the first processing mark and the second processing mark to each other to form an origin of dividing or a dividing groove with the laser beam in a direction arising from setting an inclination with respect to the first direction or the second direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: DISCO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hiroshi Morikazu
  • Patent number: 12290985
    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 an outlet configured to discharge a material in a trajectory along a central axis of the outlet, and a compactor disposed downstream of the outlet relative to the trajectory and configured to press the material transversely against an adjacent surface. The outlet may be configured to translate relative to the compacting module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    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: 12290984
    Abstract: A method of moving a print head between a plurality of partitioned chambers in a 3D printer includes providing the 3D printer having a thermal barrier having an area defined by a length and width, wherein a print head nozzle can be positioned through the thermal barrier along the width or the length and at least two partitioned chambers below the area of the thermal barrier, wherein a first chamber comprises a printing chamber and a second chamber comprises a chamber providing another functionality. The method includes raising the print head in a z direction from the second chamber to above the thermal barrier and moving the print head in a x-y direction from above the second chamber over the partition to a location above the first chamber. The method also includes lowering the print head in the z direction and into the first chamber such that an extrusion port of a nozzle of the print head is proximate a x-y print plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: STRATASYS, INC.
    Inventors: Paul Joseph Leavitt, Thomas Joseph McDonough
  • Patent number: 12290989
    Abstract: Methods of printing a 3D object comprising depositing a building material, layer by layer, via printing heads comprising one or more nozzle arrays; and activating each of said printing heads to dispense a building material at least once within a specified period of time during printing to form a portion of said bulk region according to data provided by a CAD file, and activating said printing heads to deposit the building material to form another portion of the bulk region without relating to said data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: STRATASYS LTD.
    Inventors: Shai Sultan, Shmuel Rubin
  • Patent number: 12291648
    Abstract: A photocurable material formulation for a lost model that has a high elastic modulus, shows small thermal expansion, has heat resistance in a certain temperature region, and is free of a photoacid generator to be used in an epoxy material or the like. The formulation is a photocurable composition including curable materials formed of monofunctional (meth)acrylates each having a molecular weight of 150 or more and less than 350, and a bifunctional (meth)acrylate having a molecular weight of 200 or more and less than 400.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Terunobu Saitoh, Kenichi Kanai
  • Patent number: 12290972
    Abstract: An injection molding machine includes: a mold clamping unit; an injection unit; and a safety cover that surrounds the mold clamping unit and the injection unit. The safety cover includes a detachable panel that is attached to an opening. The safety cover includes a door portion that moves between a position where the door portion blocks a second portion of the opening and a position where the door portion does not cover the opening. The safety cover has a size that is smaller than the opening but greater than the second portion. A detachable panel has a first stopper that restricts an opening motion of the door portion when only the second portion is open. The safety cover is provided with a second stopper that restricts the opening motion of the door portion when the opening is entirely open and the detachable panel is removed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2025
    Assignee: FANUC CORPORATION
    Inventor: Lei Wang
  • Patent number: 12285910
    Abstract: In various aspects, top-down stereolithography apparatus and methods of use thereof are provided herein that allow for additive manufacturing of an article from a high-viscosity resin. The apparatus and methods can print resins having viscosities higher than conventional systems, e.g. viscosities up to about 100 Pa·s at the elevated temperature. The resin may have a room temperature viscosity of about 100 Pa·s, about 250 Pa·s, about 1000 Pa·s, or more. In some aspects, the resin is a solid at room temperature. The apparatus and methods do not rely upon solvents or other viscosity modifiers being added to the resin, and are capable of top-down additive manufacturing approaches which provide reduced stress on the printed article.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: VIRGINIA TECH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTIES, INC.
    Inventors: Nicholas Chartrain, Viswanath Meenakshisundaram, Christopher B. Williams
  • Patent number: 12286804
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides systems, methods, and computer-readable storage devices for building construction from extrudable materials with improved accuracy due to increased stability of components. In some aspects, a construction system includes a frame assembly disposed at a building site and a moveable frame assembly (e.g., gantry) coupled to the frame assembly and configured to move along a first axis. A moveable platform is coupled to and configured to move along the moveable frame assembly along a second axis perpendicular to the first axis. The moveable platform has an opening and a guide structure is disposed within the opening and configured to move along a third axis that is perpendicular to the first and second axes. The guide structure holds a conduit configured to deposit, via a nozzle, extrudable building material at the building site. Use of the guide structure, disposed within the opening, stabilizes the nozzle during material deposition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: My Robot Builds LLC
    Inventor: Craig Pettit
  • Patent number: 12285909
    Abstract: In an aspect, a method for additive manufacture of a three-dimensional object based on a computational model comprises steps of: grayscale photohardening a precursor material to form a portion of the object; and applying a hardened meniscus coating at a feature of the object; wherein the three-dimensional object is formed via at least the combination of the steps of gray scale photohardening and applying the meniscus coating. In some embodiments, the grayscale photohardening step is a grayscale photopolymerization step. In some embodiments, the applying a hardened meniscus coating step is a meniscus equilibrium post-curing step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2025
    Assignee: Northwestern University
    Inventors: Xiangfan Chen, Wenzhong Liu, Hao F. Zhang, Cheng Sun
  • Patent number: 12280530
    Abstract: A melt blowing nozzle apparatus for producing a plurality of fiber strands from a polymer melt has at least one melt inlet and at least one process air inlet. The apparatus further has a nozzle plate having a plurality of small tubes, each having a capillary bore for extruding the fiber strands, and an extrusion plate arranged underneath the nozzle plate, which extrusion plate has a plurality of extrusion openings for blowing out the fiber strands, corresponding to the small tubes. Each extrusion opening encloses one of the small tubes with an air gap. To ensure mountability in case of a large number of small tubes, a channel system of a common distribution device is provided for connection and distribution of the melt inlet to the capillaries of the small tubes and for connection and distribution of the process air inlet to the extrusion openings of the extrusion plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Günter Schütt
  • Patent number: 12280529
    Abstract: A three-dimensional (3D) drawing pen can include a housing that has a port that permits insertion of a strand of material into the housing. The strand can be moved through the housing toward a nozzle assembly configured to permit the strand to be extruded out of the 3D drawing pen in a form that retains its shape against gravity in free space to draw a 3D object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2025
    Assignee: WobbleWorks, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Dilworth, Maxwell Bogue
  • Patent number: 12277664
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a custom cranial remodeling device for correction of cranial deformities in a subject is described. The method comprises generating a three-dimensional head data file for the subject and determining contour lines on the head. The method further comprises automatically generating a modified head shape data file and juxtaposing the modified head shape with the head represented by the three-dimensional head data file having the contour lines thereon. Still further the method includes utilizing the modified head shape data file to generate a shape for a desired custom cranial remodeling device, the shape having an interior surface to contact the head and an outer surface. The method also includes projecting lines outward from the contour lines to the outer surface and utilizing the projected lines to establish cranial remodeling device contour lines for the custom cranial remodeling device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2025
    Assignee: CRANIAL TECHNOOLGIES, INC.
    Inventors: Timothy R. Littlefield, Jerold N. Luisi, George E. Kechter
  • Patent number: 12269215
    Abstract: A method for 3D printing a part in a layer-wise manner includes providing a pool of polymerizable liquid in a vessel over a build window and positioning a downward-facing build platform in the pool, thereby defining a build region above the build window. The method includes selectively curing a volume of polymerizable liquid in the build region by imparting electromagnetic radiation through the build window to form a printed layer of the part adhered to the build platform and scanning at least a portion of the build window with monochromatic, polarized light along a plane of incidence. The method includes measuring a change in intensity and polarity of the light to obtain information about the printed layer. The method includes raising the build platform to a height of a next layer to be printed and modifying the electromagnetic energy imparted into the next layer based upon the obtained information to print a next layer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: STRATASYS, INC.
    Inventor: J. Samuel Batchelder
  • Patent number: 12269217
    Abstract: A bioprinter (1) comprising at least one printhead (4a, 4b, 4c) with nozzle (5), a printbed (20) onto which the printhead (4a, 4b, 4c) is arranged to print an ink, an ultrasonic sensor arrangement arranged at the printbed (20), a controller (7) arranged to control movement of the printhead/nozzle (4a, 4b, 4c; 5) and to perform calibration of the printhead/nozzle (4a, 4b, 5 4c; 5) based on information from the ultrasonic sensor arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Cellink Bioprinting AB
    Inventors: Anton Andren, Peter Faltpihl, Erik Sternå, Adam Micha, Ali Cakir, Hector Martinez, Erik Gatenholm
  • Patent number: 12269617
    Abstract: An example apparatus includes a first 3D printer head configured to form a spiral structure around a hub and a second 3D printer head configured to form a boom extending between the second 3D printer head and the hub. The apparatus further includes one or more actuators coupled to the first 3D printer head and the second 3D printer head to control a distance between the first 3D printer head and the second 3D printer head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Maxar Space LLC
    Inventor: Thomas Kilborn Church
  • Patent number: 12269205
    Abstract: Systems and methods for lens creations are disclosed. The method includes initiating light transmission from a light source through a diffuser into a container holding resin and a substrate. The light transmission is performed according to an irradiation pattern wherein each point in the resin is illuminated by at least 10% of the diffuser. This causes a lens to be formed. To achieve this illumination, at least 15% of the diffuser receives light from the light source. Further, a diameter of the diffuser is greater than or equal to a diameter of the substrate. The system performing the methods includes a polymerization apparatus and may include a resin conditioning and reservoir apparatus, a metrology unit, a resin drainage apparatus and an optional postcuring apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2025
    Assignee: Indizen Optical Technologies S.L.
    Inventors: Eduardo Pascual, José Alonso Fernández, Ignacio Canga, Juan Antonio Quiroga Mellado, Daniel Crespo Vázquez
  • Patent number: 12263639
    Abstract: An improved apparatus and method are provided to remove powder from a web, for example, in a 3D printing apparatus. A flexible blade is provided to contact and move across a first portion of the web located between adjacent portions of the web to scrape powder from the first portion without removing powder deposited on the adjacent portions. A pair of edge vacuum nozzles and a central vacuum nozzle are also provided to move with the flexible blade to remove powder from both edges of the first portion and a central region of the first portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2024
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: Sakuu Corporation
    Inventors: Morteza Vatani, Timothy Byman, Justin Carroll
  • Patent number: 12263667
    Abstract: A composite material includes a laminate in which fiber sheets are laminated. The laminate has a bendable portion that is to be bent along a mold. In a region of the laminate from an end edge on a bent side to the bendable portion, the laminate is divided into layers along a plate thickness direction of the laminate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Toshiki Kitazawa, Shoya Mano, Hiromichi Akiyama, Kenji Murakami, Masahiko Shimizu
  • Patent number: 12263633
    Abstract: A nylon tube automatic thermoforming apparatus includes a main body, a conveying assembly, a heating assembly and a tube bending assembly. The heating assembly includes an oven communicated with the conveying assembly and an electrically heated cylinder arranged between the oven and the tube bending assembly. A heating coil is arranged in the electrically heated cylinder. A nylon tube is conveyed from the conveying assembly and enters the tube bending assembly via the oven and the heating coil. The electrically heated cylinder and the tube bending assembly are arranged outside the main body. A nylon tube shaping process includes the steps of drawing, heating inside a main body, heating outside the main body, bending, staying, feeding, angle adjusting, repeating the above steps until the length and the curvature of the nylon tube meet the requirements, and cutting off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2025
    Assignee: ZHEJIANG BOSHITE GROUP CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bo Feng, Longjun He
  • Patent number: 12258682
    Abstract: The present invention belongs to the field of functional fibrous materials, and discloses a magnetic fibrous material and a preparation method and application thereof. A polymer and a magnetic load raw material are dissolved in a solvent to obtain a uniform spinning solution; a solute component that reacts with the magnetic load raw material is added into a coagulation bath solvent to obtain a reactive coagulation bath solution; the spinning solution is electrospun, and the produced fiber is collected with the reactive coagulation bath solution, so that the magnetic load raw material in the fiber reacts in situ with the solute in the reactive coagulation bath solution to obtain the magnetic fibrous material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2025
    Assignee: SOUTH CHINA UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Linge Wang, Yifan Jia, Qianqian Yu, Yang Wu