3 ms·
Actually the fan is to cool the current layer, immediately after depositing, to solidify it as quickly as possible. That it also cools the previous layer is jus
by jstanley 9y ago
Actually the fan is to cool the current layer, immediately after depositing, to solidify it as quickly as possible. That it also cools the previous layer is just an accident.
I think Animats is right. It would be better to locally heat the previous layer right before depositing, and then cool the joint right after.
Unfortunately that requires highly precise heating and (even harder) cooling, so is probably still a few years away.
- Animats 9y agoLocalized cooling isn't hard. Laser cutters do it; they have a tiny nozzle spraying compressed air (in some machines, an inert gas) on the cutting site. For temperature feedback, a non-contact IR sensor would work. Operate the IR sensor only during the off time of the laser (presumably pulse-width modulated) and you can read the temperature while heating.