Extrusion device for three-dimensional drawing

• US 10,040,235 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2014
• Issued: 08/07/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WobbleWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: WobbleWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Bogue, Maxwell, Walker, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta, Yogendra N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luk, Emmanuel S
• Application Number:
  US14/586,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20160185028A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92076 Position, e.g. linear or angular
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/9258 Velocity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/926 Flow or feed rate
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/02 Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2552 provided in the feeding, melting, plasticising or pumping zone, e.g. screw, barrel, gear-pump or ram
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/865 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/87 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/209 Heads; Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/253 Preform
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2827/18 PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluorethene, e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluorethene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2905/00 Use of metals, their alloys or their compounds, as mould material
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

An extrusion device includes a filament-engaging mechanism that urges a filament, received by the device, through a heater and a nozzle. A moveable control member can be manipulated by a user during operation of the device to alter a rate of extrusion. The extrusion device can have a continuous flow mode of operation. The extrusion device can be configured to operate with low electrical power consumption.

Claims

1. A handheld extrusion device comprising:

a three-dimensional (3D) pen configured to fit in a user'"'"'s hand and shaped to allow manipulation thereof like a pen, the 3D pen comprising a housing, a control member, a filament-engaging mechanism, a heat sink, a heater, and a tube;

the housing having an aperture disposed at a proximal end portion thereof for introducing a filament into the device, an outlet disposed at a distal end portion thereof wherefrom the filament is extruded, and a filament pathway extending between the aperture and the outlet, the filament pathway having a proximal portion adjacent to the aperture and a distal portion adjacent to the outlet, the filament pathway sloping from the proximal portion to the distal portion to redirect the filament passing therethrough;

the filament-engaging mechanism comprising a helical screw thread, the screw thread disposed along the filament pathway for engaging and urging the filament toward the outlet;

the control member coupled relative to the housing and extending inwardly within an inner volume of the housing to define a portion of the filament pathway, the control member comprising an upper portion and a ramp portion, the control member being disposed longitudinally opposite the filament-engaging mechanism with the upper portion having a length at least about equal to a longitudinal extent of the screw thread for facilitating cooperative engagement of the filament between the filament-engaging mechanism and the control member;

the heat sink having a passage there through;

the heater having a passage there through;

and the tube having a first portion coupled with the heat sink and aligned with the filament pathway, and a second portion coupled with the heater such that the heat sink is spaced from the heater along the tube.

2. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the tube comprises PTFE or a material having a PTFE-based formula.

3. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the heater comprises a heater mass and a heating element, and wherein at least a portion of the heater mass is disposed between the heating element and the tube.

4. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the tube comprises a flared portion at a location opposite the second portion relative to the first portion, and that flares away from the first portion.

5. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the distal portion of the filament pathway extends parallel relative to the proximal portion of the filament pathway.

6. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the filament pathway slopes from the proximal portion toward the filament-engaging mechanism.

7. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, further comprising a routing rail positioned along the proximal portion of the filament pathway, between the aperture and the filament-engaging mechanism, the routing rail comprising a flat portion and a slope portion.

8. The handheld extrusion device of claim 7, wherein the slope portion of the routing rail extends between the flat portion of the routing rail and the filament-engaging mechanism.

9. The handheld extrusion device of claim 7, wherein a portion of the filament pathway is defined between the flat portion of the routing rail and the housing.

10. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the filament pathway is formed at least in part by the housing.

11. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the proximal portion of the filament pathway extends adjacent to the housing.

12. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the distal portion of the filament pathway is spaced apart from the housing.

13. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the tube extends along the distal portion of the filament pathway between the filament-engaging mechanism and the outlet.

14. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the control member comprises a ramp portion and a flat portion, the ramp portion extending transversely relative to a longitudinal axis of the 3D pen.

15. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein a plane extending normal to a longitudinal axis of the 3D pen extends through both the upper portion and the filament-engaging mechanism.

16. The handheld extrusion device of claim 1, wherein the control member is configured to move relative to the housing.

17. An extrusion device comprising:

a three-dimensional (3D) pen configured to fit in a user'"'"'s hand and shaped to allow manipulation thereof like a pen, the 3D pen comprising a housing, a control member, a filament-engaging mechanism, a heat sink, and a heater;

the housing having an aperture disposed at a proximal end portion thereof for inserting a filament into the housing, an outlet disposed at a distal end portion thereof wherefrom the filament is extruded, and a filament pathway extending between the aperture and the outlet, the filament pathway having a proximal portion adjacent to the aperture and a distal portion adjacent to the outlet, the filament pathway curving from the proximal portion to the distal portion to redirect the filament passing therethrough;

the filament-engaging mechanism comprising a helical screw thread, the screw thread positioned along the filament pathway and configured to engage and move the filament along the filament pathway;

the control member coupled relative to the housing and comprising an upper portion and a ramp portion extending inwardly within an inner volume of the housing to define a portion of the filament pathway, the control member being disposed longitudinally opposite the filament-engaging mechanism with the upper portion extending along a longitudinal extent of the screw thread for facilitating cooperative engagement of the filament between the filament-engaging mechanism and the control member;

the heater disposed along the filament pathway;

and the heat sink disposed along the filament pathway intermediate the filament engaging mechanism and the heater.

18. The extrusion device of claim 17, wherein the distal portion of the filament pathway extends parallel relative to the proximal portion of the filament pathway.

19. The extrusion device of claim 17, wherein the sloped portion of the filament pathway slopes from the proximal portion toward the filament-engaging mechanism.

20. The extrusion device of claim 17, wherein the filament pathway is formed at least in part by the housing.

21. The extrusion device of claim 17, wherein the proximal portion of the filament pathway extends adjacent to the housing.

22. The extrusion device of claim 17, wherein the distal portion of the filament pathway is spaced apart from the housing.

23. The extrusion device of claim 17, comprising a routing rail positioned along the proximal portion of the filament pathway, and between the aperture and the filament-engaging mechanism, wherein a portion of the filament pathway is defined between the routing rail and the housing.