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).
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Patent number: 12053926Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: August 7, 2023Date of Patent: August 6, 2024Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
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Publication number: 20240025117Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: August 7, 2023Publication date: January 25, 2024Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
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Publication number: 20240017493Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: June 20, 2023Publication date: January 18, 2024Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
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Publication number: 20230311419Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: March 28, 2023Publication date: October 5, 2023Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
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Patent number: 11745424Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: September 16, 2020Date of Patent: September 5, 2023Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
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Patent number: 11685118Abstract: 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: GrantFiled: May 21, 2021Date of Patent: June 27, 2023Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
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Publication number: 20210362419Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 21, 2021Publication date: November 25, 2021Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Luke Plummer, Maria Rosa Ruiz, Carlos Ruiz-Vargas, Robert Morgan, Joseph Johnson, Connor Evans
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Publication number: 20210107063Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2020Publication date: April 15, 2021Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Robb Morgan, Luke Plummer, Christopher Auld
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Publication number: 20180319081Abstract: 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: ApplicationFiled: May 3, 2018Publication date: November 8, 2018Applicant: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Eduardo Torrealba, Luke Plummer, Brian Chan, Maxim Lobovsky, Shane Wighton, Ian Ferguson
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Patent number: D836141Type: GrantFiled: May 5, 2017Date of Patent: December 18, 2018Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Eduardo Torrealba, Maxim Lobovsky, Yoav Reches, Jason Livingston, Luke Plummer, Brian Chan
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Patent number: D937912Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2020Date of Patent: December 7, 2021Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Yoav Reches, John E. Ouchterlony, Brian Chan, Luke Plummer
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Patent number: D979615Type: GrantFiled: June 23, 2020Date of Patent: February 28, 2023Assignee: Formlabs, Inc.Inventors: Yoav Reches, John E. Ouchterlony, Luke Plummer