US 11,712,849 B2
3-D printer
Nanzhu Zhao, Novi, MI (US); Jinwei Cao, New Hudson, MI (US); Nilesh Dale, Novi, MI (US); Sandeep Patil, Farmington Hills, MI (US); Cenk Gumeci, Northville, MI (US); and Mohammed Hussain Abdul Jabbar, Farmington Hills, MI (US)
Assigned to NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC., Franklin, TN (US)
Filed by Nissan North America, Inc., Franklin, TN (US)
Filed on Jul. 6, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/921,638.
Prior Publication US 2022/0001612 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B29C 64/245 (2017.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B29C 64/135 (2017.01); B29C 64/264 (2017.01); B29C 64/255 (2017.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/245 (2017.08) [B29C 64/135 (2017.08); B29C 64/255 (2017.08); B29C 64/264 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A 3-D printer apparatus, comprising
a tank structure having a bottom wall and a printing area located above and spaced apart from the bottom wall, the tank structure further including a first side wall, a second wall and a third side wall extending upward from the bottom wall that at least partially define an interior volume within the tank structure;
a gas permeable liquid within the tank, above and along the bottom wall of the tank structure defining a first mobile layer below the printing area;
an inhibition liquid within the tank, above, overlaying and contacting the gas permeable liquid defining a second mobile layer below the printing area;
a polymerizable resin above, overlaying and contacting the inhibition liquid and located within the printing area;
an object carrier initially located within the tank during a printing process with the printing area being defined along and below a lower surface of the object carrier;
a carrier movement device attached to the object carrier;
a resin curing device configured to provide light to the printing area;
an electronic controller controlling the printing process and being in electronic communication with the carrier movement device and the resin curing device, the electronic controller being configured to control positioning and movement of the object carrier via operation of the carrier movement device and controlling operation of the resin curing device; and
the first wall having a manifold area that includes a plurality of ports, each of the plurality of ports including a diverging end open to the interior volume of the tank structure, the plurality of ports being located to provide a laminar flow of the gas permeable liquid along the bottom wall of the tank structure toward the third wall, the second wall includes a reservoir, located above the bottom wall, that retains the gas permeable liquid, the reservoir being in fluid communication with the manifold area of the first wall, wherein the gas permeable liquid functions, in part, as a coolant that draws heat from within the tank during the printing process and releases some of the heat via an exterior surface of the second wall and the reservoir to an ambient air.