Slurry dispense system

Abstract

A slurry dispense system utilizes a buffer chamber to release the pressure from the supply pump, and buffer the irregular flow rate of the supply pump. It also utilizes a positive displacement pump to control the dispense flow. With the help of the buffer chamber, the positive displacement pump is able to provide a constant flow rate, and can be accurately controlled. A high resolution and a high speed can be achieved at the same time.

Claims

1. A slurry dispense system, comprising: a slurry supply component comprising a supply pump and a pipe to transport said slurry; a buffer chamber comprising an inlet communicatively connected with said pipe to receive said slurry from said slurry supply component to maintain a predetermined range of volume of slurry in said buffer chamber, a release opening releasing pressure from said slurry supply component, and an outlet to displace said slurry; and a flow control dispenser communicatively connected with said outlet of said buffer chamber to dispense said slurry at a controlled flow rate.

2. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 1, wherein said flow control dispenser further comprises a positive displacement pump to dispense said slurry at a controlled flow rate.

3. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said positive displacement pump is a progressing cavity pump.

4. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 3, wherein said release opening is higher than said inlet, wherein the surface of said slurry in said buffer chamber is maintained between the level of said release opening and the level of said inlet.

5. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 4, wherein said buffer chamber further comprises a helical blade extruding inside said buffer chamber, and a motor coupled with said helical blade to rotate said helical blade to mix said slurry.

6. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 5, wherein the rotor of said progressing cavity pump is coupled with said helical blade and is driven by said motor of said buffer chamber through said helical blade.

7. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 6, wherein said buffer chamber is a cylinder providing a cylindrical cavity therewithin to contain said slurry, wherein said release opening is at the top of said cylinder, and said outlet is at the bottom of said cylinder.

8. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 7, wherein said flow control dispenser further comprises a nozzle connected with the outlet of said progressing cavity pump to regulate said slurry.

9. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 8, wherein said slurry is concrete.

10. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 2, wherein said release opening is higher than said inlet, wherein the surface of said slurry in said buffer chamber is maintained between the level of said release opening and the level of said inlet.

11. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 10, wherein said buffer chamber further comprises a helical blade extruding inside said buffer chamber, and a motor coupled with said helical blade to rotate said helical blade to mix said slurry.

12. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 11, wherein said buffer chamber is a cylinder providing a cylindrical cavity therewithin to contain said slurry, wherein said release opening is at the top of said cylinder, and said outlet is at the bottom of said cylinder.

13. The slurry dispense system, as recited in claim 12, wherein said slurry is concrete.

14. A concrete 3D printer, comprising: a concrete supply component comprising a supply pump and a pipe to transport said concrete; a buffer chamber comprising an inlet communicatively connected with said pipe to receive said concrete from said concrete supply component to maintain a predetermined range of volume of concrete in said buffer chamber, a release opening releasing pressure from said concrete supply component, and an outlet to displace said concrete; a flow control dispenser, comprising a positive displacement pump communicatively connected with said outlet of said buffer chamber to dispense said concrete at a controlled flow rate, and a nozzle coupled with the said positive displacement pump to regulate said dispensed concrete; a positioning system coupled with said buffer chamber and flow control dispenser and move said buffer chamber and flow control dispenser in 3 dimension; and a control system controlling said flow rate of said flow control dispenser, said movement of said positioning system, and said transportation of said concrete supply component, wherein said flow rate is adjusted according to said movement of said positioning system.

15. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 14, wherein said positive displacement pump is a progressing cavity pump.

16. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 15, wherein said release opening is higher than said inlet, wherein the surface of said concrete in said buffer chamber is maintained between the level of said release opening and the level of said inlet.

17. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 16, wherein said buffer chamber further comprises a helical blade extruding inside said buffer chamber, and a motor coupled with said helical blade to rotate said helical blade to mix said concrete.

18. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 17, wherein the rotor of said progressing cavity pump is coupled with said helical blade and is driven by said motor of said buffer chamber through said helical blade.

19. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 18 wherein said buffer chamber is a cylinder providing a cylindrical cavity therewithin to contain said concrete, wherein said release opening is at the top of said cylinder, and said outlet is at the bottom of said cylinder.

20. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 14, wherein said release opening is higher than said inlet, wherein the surface of said concrete in said buffer chamber is maintained between the level of said release opening and the level of said inlet.

21. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 20, wherein said buffer chamber further comprises a helical blade extruding inside said buffer chamber, and a motor coupled with said helical blade to rotate said helical blade to mix said concrete.

22. The concrete 3D printer, as recited in claim 21 wherein said buffer chamber is a cylinder providing a cylindrical cavity therewithin to contain said concrete, wherein said release opening is at the top of said cylinder, and said outlet is at the bottom of said cylinder.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING(S)

[0024] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a slurry dispense system according to the present embodiment of the invention.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a slurry dispense system according to the present embodiment of the invention.

[0026] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a slurry dispense system according to the present embodiment of the invention.

[0027] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a concrete 3D printer according to the present embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] In accordance with a preferred embodiment, FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 depict the machine as a presently embodiment, wherein the machine comprises a slurry supply component 10, a buffer chamber 20, and a flow control dispenser 30.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, the slurry supply component 10 comprises a supply pump 11, a pipe 12, and a slurry tank 13. The supply pump 11 and the pipe 12 are connected to transport the slurry from the slurry tank 13 to the buffer chamber 20 which may be a distance away. The pipe 12 is soft and flexible; therefore the buffer chamber 20 and the flow control dispenser 30 can work in a remote position, and can be moved during working, at the same time the supply pump 11 position could be fixed.

[0030] Since the tank 13 and the supply pump 11 don't need to be moved during working, the tank 13 may have a large capacity, and is easy to refill. This makes it possible for the system to work continuously for a long time. In a preferred embodiment, the slurry material is concrete, and the supply pump 11 may be a piston pump. The concrete can be mixed in the tank 13 or be filled by other means of concrete transportation, such as concrete truck.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment, the buffer chamber 20 is a cylinder providing a cylindrical cavity 21 inside to contain a volume of slurry. The buffer chamber 20 comprises an inlet 22 at the lower portion of the cylinder 20; and an outlet 23 at the bottom of the cylinder 20. The inlet 22 is communicatively connected with the pipe 12 to receive the slurry supplied through the pipe 12. The outlet 23 is communicatively connected with the flow control dispenser 30 to release the slurry to it.

[0032] The top of the cylinder 20 is not sealed. In the preferred embodiment, the buffer chamber 20 also comprises a release opening 24 at the upper portion of the cylinder 20 and is higher than the inlet 22. The release opening 24 releases the pressure from the slurry supply component 10. In a preferred embodiment, the release opening 24 is a hole on the side of the cylinder 20, and also works as an overflow hole 24.

[0033] In a preferred embodiment, during working, the slurry supply component 10 keeps feeding concrete to the buffer chamber 20 to maintain a certain range of volume of the concrete within the cylindrical cavity 21. The surface level of the concrete inside the cylindrical cavity 21 should not be higher than the overflow hole 24 which will limit the volume. And the surface level of the concrete should not be lower than the inlet 22 to prevent the concrete to mix with air. The cavity between these two levels defines a buffer volume for the concrete inside the buffer chamber 20.

[0034] Since the buffer chamber 20 is not sealed, the pressure from the supply pump 11 is released and will not damage the dispenser 30 or cause leaking. Also, the buffer volume absorbs the uncontrollable fluctuate of the concrete flow from the pipe 12. Therefore the irregular concrete supply will not affect the flow control of the dispenser 30.

[0035] It is worth mentioning, the buffer chamber is not a tank to supply concrete to the dispenser 30 directly. The buffer volume is determined to eliminate the inconstancy of the concrete supply, so the volume doesn't need to be large. As a result, the whole volume of the buffer chamber 20 is small, and the whole weight of the buffer chamber with the concrete inside is limited.

[0036] The supply pump 11 and the flow control dispenser 30 are synchronized and have the same flow rate in average to maintain the concrete volume. Alternatively, the buffer chamber 20 may employ a sensor to detect the surface level of the concrete to control the supply pump 11 to maintain a predetermined volume of the concrete.

[0037] The buffer chamber 20 may also comprise a mixer 25 to mix the concrete inside. In the preferred embodiment, the mixer 25 comprises a helical blade 26 longitudinally extruding inside the cavity 21 of the cylinder 20, and a motor 27 attached on the top of the cylinder 20 to drive the helical blade 26 to mix the concrete. The mixer 25 may also push the concrete towards the outlet 23.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the flow control dispenser 30 comprises a positive displacement pump 31 and a nozzle 32. A positive displacement pump transports the fluid by trapping a fixed amount of volume and displacing the volume to the outlet. Theoretically positive displacement pump can produce the same flow at a given speed (RPM) if no pressure is executed to cause internal leakage. In the embodiment of the present invention, the buffer chamber 20 has released the pressure from the slurry supply component 10, therefore the positive displacement pump 31 can provide accurate control of the dispense flow, and the slurry flow can be started smoothly and shut down clearly.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 3, in the preferred embodiment of the present, the positive displacement pump 31 is a progressing cavity pump. Normally a progressive cavity pump comprises a helical rotor 311 and a twin helix, twice the wavelength helical hole in a stator 312. The rotor 311 seals tightly against the stator 312 as it rotates, forming a set of fixed-size cavities in between. The cavities move when the rotor 311 is rotated but their shape or volume does not change. The pumped material is moved inside the cavities.

[0040] The inlet of the positive displacement pump 31 is communicatively connected with the outlet 23 of the buffer chamber 20. The concrete inside the buffer chamber 20 will be fed to the positive displacement pump 31 by gravity or by the mixer 25 alternatively.

[0041] The nozzle 32 is connected to the outlet of the positive displacement pump 31 to regulate the size and position of the concrete flow. It is worth mentioning, the opening of the nozzle 32 may have different shape to regulate the contour of the concrete flow. Also, the flow control dispenser 30 may be tilted in a degree to dispense concrete.

[0042] In a preferred embodiment, the rotor 311 of the positive displacement pump 31 is coupled with the shaft of the helical blade 26 longitudinally and is driven by the motor 27. By changing the RPM of the motor 27, the flow rate of the dispenser 30 is adjusted accordingly.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 4, a preferred embodiment of the present invention further comprises a positioning system 40, and a control system 50 to perform concrete 3D printing. The buffer chamber 20 and the flow control dispenser 30 are coupled on the positioning system 40 and can be moved in a 3D space. The control system 50 is connected with the positioning system 40 to control the position and movement of the flow control dispenser 30 in order to dispense the concrete to form a predetermined pattern. The control system 50 is also connected with the motor 27 to control the flow rate of the positive displacement pump 31 according to the requirement of the pattern printing. The control system 50 is also connected with the slurry supply component 10 to control the slurry supply to maintain a predetermined volume of concrete in the buffer chamber 20.

[0044] In summary, the present invention utilizes a buffer chamber 20 to release the pressure from the supply pump 11, and buffer the irregular flow rate of the slurry supply component 10. As a result, the supply pump 11 and the dispenser 30 can be placed in a distance away without worrying the delay of pressure transportation; the concrete can be supplied continuously to fabricate bulky objects; the supply flow rate doesn't need to be constant; the components of the dispenser 30 are not required to be high pressure resistance; and the load of the positioning system is low.

[0045] The present invention also utilizes a positive displacement pump 31 to control the dispense flow. With the help of the buffer chamber 20, the positive displacement pump 31 is possible to provide a constant flow rate, and can be accurately controlled. A high resolution can be achieved because of the accuracy; at the same time, a high speed is also available.

[0046] While the embodiments and alternatives of the invention have been shown and described, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.