US 11,945,157 B2
Multi-material additive manufacturing apparatus and method
Meredith Elissa Dubelman, Liberty Township, OH (US); Christopher Barnhill, Cincinnati, OH (US); Xi Yang, West Chester, OH (US); and Mary Kathryn Thompson, Hamilton, OH (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Oct. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/973,092.
Application 17/973,092 is a division of application No. 16/560,479, filed on Sep. 4, 2019, granted, now 11,498,267.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/783,809, filed on Dec. 21, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2023/0039012 A1, Feb. 9, 2023
Int. Cl. B29C 64/129 (2017.01); B29C 64/241 (2017.01); B29C 64/245 (2017.01); B29C 64/264 (2017.01); B29C 64/35 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01)
CPC B29C 64/129 (2017.08) [B29C 64/241 (2017.08); B29C 64/245 (2017.08); B29C 64/264 (2017.08); B29C 64/35 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising:
at least two resin handling assemblies, each resin handling assembly including a resin support, wherein each resin support defines a build surface which is located in a build zone of the respective resin handling assembly;
a stage positioned adjacent the build zone and configured to hold a stacked arrangement of one or more cured layers of a radiant-energy-curable resin;
one or more actuators operable to manipulate a relative position of a selected one of the build surfaces and the stage,
a shifting mechanism operable to change the relative positions of the stage and the resin handling assemblies; and
a radiant energy apparatus positioned adjacent to the build zone opposite to the stage, and operable to generate and project radiant energy in a predetermined pattern;
wherein the one or more actuators are further configured to move the stage in a first direction and in a second direction transverse to the first direction between the selected one of the build surfaces and another build surface defined by another resin support.