Object printed by a 3d printer and a method for determining the temperature of the object

Abstract

An apparatus includes one or more layers of material printed by a three-dimensional (3D) printer. The one or more layers cool and solidify to form an object after being printed by the 3D printer. At least one of the one or more layers includes greater than 50% metal. The apparatus also includes a first temperature sensor in contact with the object. The first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material while the object is being printed by the 3D printer, after the object has been printed by the 3D printer, or both.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 one or more layers of material printed by a three-dimensional (3D) printer, wherein the one or more layers cool and solidify to form an object after being printed by the 3D printer, and wherein at least one of the one or more layers comprises greater than 50% metal; and   a first temperature sensor in contact with the object, wherein the first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material while the object is being printed by the 3D printer, after the object has been printed by the 3D printer, or both.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material while the object is being printed by the 3D printer. 
     
     
         3 . The object of  claim 1 , wherein the first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material after apparatus object has been printed by the 3D printer. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material while the object is being printed by the 3D printer and again after the object has been printed by the 3D printer. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein a recess is formed in the object by the 3D printer, and where the first temperature sensor is introduced at least partially within the recess while the object is being printed by the 3D printer such that the first temperature sensor is at least partially embedded within the object. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , further comprising a second temperature sensor configured to measure the temperature of the material while the object is being printed by the 3D printer and again after the object has been printed by the 3D printer, wherein the first and second temperature sensors are embedded at least partially within the object while the object is being printed by the 3D printer. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the first temperature sensor is embedded at least partially within a first portion of the object, wherein the second temperature sensor is embedded at least partially within a second portion of the object, and wherein the first portion is larger than the second portion such that the first portion heats, cools, or both at a slower rate than the second portion. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is part of a vehicle. 
     
     
         9 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a plurality of layers of material printed by a three-dimensional (3D) printer, wherein at least one of the layers comprises greater than 50% metal, and wherein the layers bond together to form an object as the layers cool and solidify after being printed by the 3D printer; and   a temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the material while the layers are being printed, after the layers cool and solidify to form the object, or both, wherein the temperature sensor is in contact with one or more of the layers when the layers are being printed by the 3D printer, and wherein the temperature sensor remains in contact with the object after the layers cool and solidify to form the object.   
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material while the layers are being printed. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material after the layers cool and solidify to form the object. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensor measures the temperature of the material while the layers are being printed and again after the layers cool and solidify to form the object. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the layers comprise:
 a first layer of material;   a second layer of material positioned on the first layer of material, wherein a recess is formed in the second layer of material by the 3D printer; and   a third layer of material positioned on the second layer of material, wherein the temperature sensor is positioned at least partially in the recess before the third layer of material is positioned on the second layer of material.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the temperature sensor comprises a thermocouple comprising two electrical conductors that are made of different materials. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the each of the layers consists of 100% metal. 
     
     
         16 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a first layer of material printed using the 3D printer;   a second layer of material printed on the first layer of material using the 3D printer, wherein a recess is formed in the second layer of material by the 3D printer;   a third layer of material printed on the second layer of material using the 3D printer, wherein the first, second, and third layers of material each comprise greater than 50% metal, and wherein the first, second, and third layers of material cool and solidify to form an object after being printed by the 3D printer; and   a first temperature sensor that measures a temperature of the material before and after the first, second, and third layers cool and solidify to form the object, wherein the first temperature sensor is positioned at least partially within the recess, and wherein the first temperature sensor remains positioned at least partially within the recess after the first, second, and third layers cool and solidify to form the object.   
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the first, second, and third layers of material consist of aluminum. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the object is part of a vehicle. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 16 , wherein the object also comprises additional layers of material that have a different size than the first layer of material, the second layer of material, the third layer of material, or a combination thereof, and further comprising a second temperature sensor positioned at least partially within the additional layers of material and configured to measure the temperature of the additional layers of material before and after the additional layers cool and solidify to form the object, and wherein the second temperature sensor remains positioned at least partially within the additional layers after the additional layers of material cool and solidify to form the object. 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus of  claim 19 , wherein the first and second temperature sensors are configured to measure different temperatures due to the additional layers having the different size.