公开(公告)号：US20170095973A1

公开(公告)日：2017-04-06

申请号：US15286942

申请日：2016-10-06

Applicant: Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Inventor： Sarah M. Chamberlain ,  Richard T. Eberheim

IPC: B29C67/00 ,  B33Y50/02 ,  B33Y30/00 ,  B28B1/00 ,  B33Y10/00

CPC classification number: B33Y10/00 ,  B28B1/001 ,  B29C64/106 ,  B29C64/20 ,  B29C64/386 ,  B29K2105/12 ,  B33Y30/00 ,  B33Y50/02

Abstract: A parallel robotic manipulator for generating 3 dimensional structures includes a set of redeployable towers adapted to transport one or more cables, and at least one drive source operable to draw or traverse the cables across a rendering area. An end-effector suspended from the cables is operable to deposit extrudate onto the rendering area, and a nozzle in the end-effector is configured to selectively deposit the extrudate at predefined locations based on the position of the cable. A control unit has control logic for directing the drive source, in which the cables are responsive to the drive source for disposing the end-effector either along the cables or drawn and extended from the towers. An extrudate reservoir and a pump in fluidic communication with the reservoir allows the pump to force the extrudate for deposition at the predefined location responsive to the control logic.