Additive manufacturing devices and methods for the same are provided. The additive manufacturing device may include a stage configured to support a substrate, a printhead disposed above the stage, and a targeted heating system disposed proximal the printhead. The printhead may be configured to heat a build material to a molten build material and deposit the molten build material on the substrate in the form of droplets to fabricate the article. The targeted heating system may be configured to control a temperature or temperature gradient of the droplets deposited on the substrate, an area proximal the substrate, or combinations thereof.

A three-dimensional (3D) printer includes a heated printing surface and a multi-tool extrusion assembly. The multi-tool extrusion assembly includes a barrier extrusion assembly and a metal extrusion assembly. The barrier extrusion assembly includes: a first inlet adapter to receive a barrier material; a first torque-and-pinch assembly, coupled to the first inlet adapter, to receive the barrier material; and a first hot-end assembly, coupled to the first torque-and-pinch assembly, to receive the barrier material and extrude the barrier material to form an outer retaining barrier on the heated printing surface. The metal extrusion assembly includes: a second inlet adapter to receive a metal; a second torque-and-pinch assembly, coupled to the second inlet adaptor, to receive the metal; and a second hot-end assembly, coupled to the second torque-and-pinch assembly, to extrude the metal to form an inner metal filing on the heated printed surface within the outer retaining barrier.

A three-dimensional (3D) printer includes an ejector having a nozzle. The 3D printer also includes a heating element configured to heat a solid metal in the ejector, thereby causing the solid metal to change to a liquid metal within the ejector. The 3D printer also includes a coil wrapped at least partially around the ejector. The 3D printer also includes a power source configured to supply one or more pulses of power to the coil, which cause one or more drops of the liquid metal to be jetted out of the nozzle. The 3D printer also includes a substrate configured to support the one or more drops as the one or more drops solidify to form a 3D object. The 3D printer also includes a gas source configured to cause an oxygen concentration to be less than about 5% proximate to the one or more drops, the 3D object, or both.

The invention relates to a nozzle for producing microdroplets of metal using gas flow, to a nozzle for producing microdroplets using electrodispersion, to a combination of a melt spinner for forming elongate metal fibers with a nozzle and to a method of forming microdroplets using at least one of a gas flow and electrodispersion.

A controlled environment system for the additive manufacture of metal objects using magnetohydrodynamic jetting. A sealing plate is placed against an Péclet gap seal of a volume enclosure. A flow of inert gas is used to maintain a high-purity volume in the interior of the volume enclosure. A print head accesses the interior and delivers build material through a hole in the sealing plate. A build plate is movable relative to the sealing plate within the interior of the volume enclosure on which objects can be fabricated.

A solid composite additive manufacturing method for high-performance structural component includes: the rod-shaped raw material of solid composite additive is heated to a solid solution temperature, wherein the rod-shaped raw material is prepared by casting method; the rod-shaped raw material of the solid composite additive after solid solution is loaded into the extrusion die and extruded into a set shape; The raw materials of the extruded solid composite additive are laid on the base plate layer by layer according to the track by rolling or other pressure connection methods to form the prefabricated billet of the solid composite additive. The prefabricated billet is processed by numerical control to obtain metal part. The solid composite additive manufacturing method refines the grain, breaks the oxide film, and improves the mechanical properties of the structural component.

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus selects operational parameters for operation of the printer to form conductive metal traces on substrates with dimensions within appropriate tolerances and with sufficient conductive material to carry electrical currents without burning up or becoming too hot. The apparatus identifies the material of the substrate and the bulk metal being melted for ejection and uses this identification data to select the operational parameters. Thus, the apparatus can form conductive traces and circuits on a wide range of substrate materials including polymeric substrates, semiconductor materials, oxide layers on semiconductor materials, glass, and other crystalline materials.

A metal 3D printer is disclosed for fabricating metal articles by depositing molten metal onto a print bed. The metal 3D printer has a print head formed of a crucible and a nozzle. The crucible heats the molten metal and the nozzle deposits the molten metal onto the print bed. The 3D printer further includes an induction heating system to heat the print head and a heated print bed disposed below the nozzle. The metal 3D printer also comprises a computer numerically controlled (CNC) gantry configured to move the print head and the print bed relative to each other along X, Y, and Z axes. A shielding gas blower may direct a first stream of shielding gas proximate to the crucible and a second stream of shielding gas proximate to the nozzle. The feedstock for the printer may comprise a plurality of wire strands braided together. A mesh overlay may be positioned on top of the print bed.

A three-dimensional (3D) metal object manufacturing apparatus has a thermally insulative layer between a platform on which an ejection head ejects drops of melted metal and a X-Y translation mechanism on which the platform is moved within an X-Y plane opposite the ejection head. The apparatus also includes a housing having an internal volume in which the platform and X-Y translation mechanism are located. In one embodiment, the thermally insulative layer is a plurality of spheres made of a thermally insulative material such as a ceramic made of zirconium dioxide or zirconium oxide. The thermally insulative layer protects the X-Y mechanism while the housing helps keep the surface temperature of the object being formed on the platform in an optimal range for bonding of the ejected melted metal drops to the object's surface.

A three-dimensional (3D) printer includes an ejector and a coil wrapped partially around the ejector. The 3D printer also includes a power source configured to transmit voltage pulses to the coil. The 3D printer causes one or more drops of the liquid to be jetted out of the nozzle, and a substrate configured to support the one or more drops and advance along a path defined by one or more arcuate contours, where the one or more arcuate contours define a first layer of a strut. One or more struts are printed from the first layer of the strut to a node of each strut. The one or more struts are printed from a first layer to a node and combine to fabricate a lattice structure including one or more vertical struts and/or one or more angled struts wherein each strut intersects with another strut at a node.