Obvious 3D printer technology based on 31. Use of porous materials

This page was part of an MTU course MSE4777 OA and MSE4777 OB/MSE5777/EE4777/EE5777: Open-source 3-D printingPlease leave comments using the talk page. The course runs in the Fall semester. It is not open edit.Read more...

Broad and/or obvious patent claims for 3-D printing technology may hamper the open-source 3-D printing community's ability to innovate. Previous work on an algorithm protected 3-D printing materials. This page is part of a MTU Open Source 3-D Printing class project to investigate 3-D printing concepts using TRIZ and is presented here as a defensive publication of prior art to help identify obvious 'inventions' for 3-D printing.

Examiners: The ideas on this page dated Dec 3, 2015 and Nov 29, 2016 were developed by university students with less than a semester of formal 3-D printing experience (or by an instructor in class) and thus should be considered unpatentable because of obviousness to any person skilled in the art of additive manufacturing.
Appropedians: This page is open edit. Please fee free to add ideas and sign them below with ~~~~ or to use any of the ideas to built better open-source 3-D printers.

FrankBeFay (talk) 07:02, 3 December 2015 (PST)

1. Second extruder nozzle using foam rubber or plastic for high speed infill
2. A foaming material can be utilized in combination with large scale machines to quickly prototype large objects
3. Heat resistant, high density foam rubber can be used as a print surface, and would maker for relatively easy print removal
4. Lock a section of disposable sponge around the start or end of extruder drives to clean filament before it enter the system
5. Optimize infill gcode to create 3 dimensional infill structure for structural integrity at similar density to more common infill structures
6. A sponge, in lieu of a hotend, could be injected with ink or paint to paint pictures on print surface
7. A sponge, in lieu of a hotend, could be used to thoroughly clean the print surface
8. Injection molded sponge structure (heat resistant) could be used as a buffer between heated bed and body of printer
9. Sponge mounted against hobbed bolt/extruder drive could clean the drive gear as it extrudes
10. Sponge mounted to linear bearings (on applicable printers) could keep the guide rods clear of debris
11. Increase speed by reducing weight of printhead through removing material Blsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
12. Look for existing porosity and decrease it by adding weight to increase stability Blsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
13. Look for existing porosity and fill it to increase the durability of an objectBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
14. Reduce the amount of energy needed to cool the print head by increasing porosity of surrounding materials Blsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
15. Reduce the amount of energy needed to move the print head by increasing the porosity of the material Blsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
16. Reduce the costs of prints by selectively increasing the porosity so as to not harm structural stabilityBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
17. Reduce the time of prints by selectively increasing the porosityBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
18. Selective porosity may allow for improved cleaning of printer componentsBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
19. Selective porosity may allow for reduced weight in transporting the printerBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
20. Improve the flexibility of materials by being able to create composites through porous structuresBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
21. Reduce vibrations by infusing dampening material into printer componentsBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
22. Control the electromagnetic properties of a printed object by being able to infuse porous prints with electromagnetic materialsBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)
23. Create porous prints with the intent of using them as storage vessels, by absorbing fluidsBlsavone (talk) 07:52, 1 December 2016 (PST)