{
  "patent_number": "US 12415312",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How a 3D Printer Makes Flexible Medical Devices with Two Liquids",
  "original_title": "Additive manufacturing system, method and corresponding components for making elastomeric structures",
  "summary": "This patent describes a specialized 3D printing system that precisely mixes and deposits two liquid silicone parts to create flexible, solid medical devices like prosthetics, using a rotating and translating base and a special nozzle that prevents drips.",
  "what_it_does": "This system is designed for \"additive manufacturing\" (3D printing) of medical devices using liquid silicone. It uses two separate reservoirs, one for \"part A\" and one for \"part B\" of an uncured liquid silicone material (Claim 1). These two parts are kept separate until they reach a \"dynamic mixer\" inside the \"deposition apparatus\" (the print head), where an \"impeller\" blends them together just before they exit the \"nozzle\" (Claim 1). The mixed silicone is then deposited onto a \"cylindrical or conical mandrel\" (a rotating mold) which can both \"rotate\" and \"translate\" (move along its axis) (Claim 1). The print head also moves to build up the desired shape (Claim 1). A key feature is a \"pneumatic suck-back valve\" that pulls back the silicone from the nozzle after each deposit, ensuring \"clean breaks between distinct filaments\" (Claim 1). For example, it could precisely build up layers of a custom prosthetic liner directly onto a rotating mold.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover 3D printing systems that use non-silicone materials or materials that are not two-part liquid curable systems.",
    "Does not cover systems that mix the two silicone parts before they enter the dynamic mixer within the deposition apparatus, as the patent specifies a \"combined, but unblended, flow\" before mixing.",
    "Does not cover deposition onto flat or irregularly shaped substrates that are not cylindrical or conical mandrels.",
    "Does not cover systems that lack a pneumatic suck-back valve to prevent dripping and ensure clean filament breaks.",
    "Does not cover systems where the mandrel does not rotate and translate, or where the deposition apparatus does not translate."
  ],
  "filed": "2022-03-29",
  "granted": "2025-09-16",
  "expires": "2042-03-29",
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Ossur Iceland ehf",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/ossur-iceland-ehf",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Sigurdur Asgeirsson",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/sigurdur-asgeirsson"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jiri DLAB",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/jiri-dlab"
    },
    {
      "name": "Larus Sigfusson",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/larus-sigfusson"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 0,
  "tags": [
    "biotech",
    "mechanical",
    "materials",
    "software"
  ],
  "abstract": "A system for additive manufacturing a medical device, the system comprising a first dispensing system, a second dispensing system, a deposition apparatus, and a deposition substrate on a surface of which the deposition apparatus is configured to deposit at least one elastomeric material into a filament. The deposition apparatus receives the at least one elastomeric material from the first and second dispensing systems in proportions effecting a desired property in the medical device. The deposition apparatus may comprise heating and/or cooling elements, a sonic vibration module, and/or a pneumatic suck-back valve. The deposition substrate may have a configuration corresponding to a desired shape of the medical device and is configured to rotate and/or translate relative to the deposition apparatus. The system comprises a controller configured to control the deposition.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12415312/additive-manufacturing-system-method-and-corresponding-components-for-making-ela",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/12415312/additive-manufacturing-system-method-and-corresponding-components-for-making-ela/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US12415312",
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}