Patents by Inventor Luke Plummer

Luke Plummer has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12053926
    Abstract: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2023
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2024
    Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
  • Publication number: 20240025117
    Abstract: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2023
    Publication date: January 25, 2024
    Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
  • Publication number: 20240017493
    Abstract: Techniques are described for consistently moving powder from a hopper into a trough for subsequent delivery into a build area of an additive fabrication system. A powder delivery apparatus may comprise a hopper, a trough, and a doser. The doser may be configured to rotate about an axis and may include a recess that, when the doser is rotated about the axis, travels into and out of the hopper and into and out of the trough. As a result, when powder is present in the hopper, the recess may carry powder from the hopper to the trough when the doser rotates. The trough and doser may be configured so that when the trough contains the desired amount of powder for recoating, the doser does not transfer additional material from the hopper into the trough. As a result, the amount of powder in the trough may be self-regulating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2023
    Publication date: January 18, 2024
    Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
  • Publication number: 20230311419
    Abstract: Techniques are described for consistently moving powder from a hopper into a trough for subsequent delivery into a build area of an additive fabrication system. A powder conveyer may be arranged at least partially within the hopper and configured to be actuated to transfer powder to the trough. The powder conveyer may be formed as a screw conveyor, for example. Such techniques do not require complex closed-loop control systems and may be effective irrespective of the flowability of the powder. In at least some cases, there may be no production of excess powder because the amount of powder that is metered into the trough may be precisely controlled to be the amount needed for recoating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2023
    Publication date: October 5, 2023
    Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
  • Patent number: 11745424
    Abstract: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 5, 2023
    Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
  • Patent number: 11685118
    Abstract: Techniques are described for consistently moving powder from a hopper into a trough for subsequent delivery into a build area of an additive fabrication system. A powder delivery apparatus may comprise a hopper, a trough, and a doser. The doser may be configured to rotate about an axis and may include a recess that, when the doser is rotated about the axis, travels into and out of the hopper and into and out of the trough. As a result, when powder is present in the hopper, the recess may carry powder from the hopper to the trough when the doser rotates. The trough and doser may be configured so that when the trough contains the desired amount of powder for recoating, the doser does not transfer additional material from the hopper into the trough. As a result, the amount of powder in the trough may be self-regulating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
  • Publication number: 20210362419
    Abstract: Techniques are described for consistently moving powder from a hopper into a trough for subsequent delivery into a build area of an additive fabrication system. A powder delivery apparatus may comprise a hopper, a trough, and a doser. The doser may be configured to rotate about an axis and may include a recess that, when the doser is rotated about the axis, travels into and out of the hopper and into and out of the trough. As a result, when powder is present in the hopper, the recess may carry powder from the hopper to the trough when the doser rotates. The trough and doser may be configured so that when the trough contains the desired amount of powder for recoating, the doser does not transfer additional material from the hopper into the trough. As a result, the amount of powder in the trough may be self-regulating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 21, 2021
    Publication date: November 25, 2021
    Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
  • Publication number: 20210107063
    Abstract: According to some aspects, degradation of material in a sintering additive fabrication process may be mitigated or avoided by fabricating parts within a chamber that includes one or more thermal breaks. The thermal break may be implemented using a variety of structures, but generally allows material in the chamber close to the surface to be maintained at different temperatures than the material further from the surface. For instance, as a result of the thermal break, parts located within the material of the chamber that were formed earlier during fabrication may be kept cooler to avoid damage to the parts yet the upper surface (sometimes called the “build surface”) of unconsolidated material may be heated enough so as to require minimal additional energy exposure to trigger consolidation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2020
    Publication date: April 15, 2021
    Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
  • Publication number: 20180319081
    Abstract: Techniques for producing removable build modules for additive fabrication devices are described. According to some aspects, a removable build module may comprise an enclosure having an open top, a fabrication platform arranged in an interior of the enclosure, and at least one actuator incorporated into the enclosure and configured to move the fabrication platform towards and away from the open top of the enclosure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Publication date: November 8, 2018
    Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Eduardo Torrealba, Luke Plummer, Brian Chan, Maxim Lobovsky, Shane Wighton, Ian Ferguson
  • Patent number: D836141
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Eduardo Torrealba, Maxim Lobovsky, Yoav Reches, Jason Livingston, Luke Plummer, Brian Chan
  • Patent number: D937912
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoav Reches, John E. Ouchterlony, Brian Chan, Luke Plummer
  • Patent number: D979615
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.
    Inventors: Yoav Reches, John E. Ouchterlony, Luke Plummer