Hand-held three-dimensional drawing device

• US 10,046,498 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2017
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WobbleWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: WobbleWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Dilworth, Peter, Bogue, Maxwell
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hohenbrink, Jr., Lawrence D.
• Application Number:
  US15/638,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20170297245A1
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 425375, 425 87, 264308
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/00 Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces casings or accessories for storing or handling solid or pasty toilet or cosmetic substances A45D40/00; brushes A46B; shoe polish applicators A47L23/05; surgical glue applicators A61B17/00491; absorbent pads, e.g. swabs, for applying media to the human body A61F13/15; hand-held applicators for applying or spreading media, e.g. remedies, on the human body A61M35/003; implements for writing or drawing B43K; hand-held desk devices for applying liquid, e.g. adhesive, by contact to surfaces B43M11/06; implements or apparatus for removing dry paint from surfaces B44D3/16 ; container closures with pads or like contents-applying means B65D47/42
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/005 for discharging material from a reservoir or container located in or on the hand tool through an outlet orifice by pressure without using surface contacting members like pads or brushes
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/00523 provided with means to heat the material
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/00526 the material being supplied to the apparatus in a solid state, e.g. rod, and melted before application B05C17/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/0053 the driving means for the material being manual, mechanical or electrical
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/9258 Velocity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92704 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/02 Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/05 Filamentary, e.g. strands
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2526 Direct drives or gear boxes
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2528 Drive or actuation means for non-plasticising purposes, e.g. dosing unit
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/37 Gear pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/802 Heating
• 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 64/00 Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/10 Processes of additive manufacturing
• 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 64/20 : Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 : Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 : Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 21/165 : for finishing joints, e.g. implements for raking or filling joints, jointers bricklayers' tools E04G21/16; repairing, e.g. filling cracks, E04G23/02 ; wallpaper scrapers or the like B44C7/02; implements for cleaning joints A47L13/10
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 21/16 : Tools or apparatus devices for erecting fences E04H17/26
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 23/02 : Repairing, e.g. filling cracks; Restoring; Altering; Enlarging compositions of filling material C04B; strengthening, widening, repairing of bridges E01D22/00; drying damp layers by temporary mechanical ventilation E04B1/7092

Abstract

A three-dimensional drawing device can include a housing configured for to be held in user'"'"'s hand, shaped to allow manipulation of the housing like a pen, and configured to accept a strand of thermoplastic material. The drawing device has a nozzle assembly with an exit nozzle and a motor connected to a gear train that engages the strand such that rotation of the motor causes the feed stock to be extruded out of the exit nozzle to form a three-dimensional object. The motor can be controlled using a variable speed control mechanism or first and second actuators, thereby controlling movement of the strand, for example, to advance or retract the strand relative to the nozzle assembly.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional (3D) drawing device comprising:

a housing configured to fit in a user'"'"'s hand and shaped to allow manipulation of the housing like a pen, the housing having a first end and a second end and being configured for introduction of a strand of feed stock through the second end and into an internal volume of the housing;

a nozzle assembly at the first end of the housing and at least partially disposed within the housing and having an exit nozzle;

a motor disposed within the housing;

a gear train disposed within the housing and operatively coupled between the motor and the strand;

first and second buttons disposed on an outer surface of the housing between the first end and the second end;

a circuit assembly operatively connected to the motor and to the first and second buttons, the motor configured to run in a first direction in response to a signal from the circuit assembly when the first or second button is pressed, and the motor configured to temporarily run in a second direction, opposite the first direction, upon release of the first or second button in response to another signal from the circuit assembly; and

a variable speed control mechanism operatively connected to the motor and any of the first and second buttons to adjust a rate of extrusion of the strand out of the exit nozzle.

2. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the circuit assembly is configured to control the motor to rotate in the first direction at a first rate in response to operation of the first button such that the gear train urges the strand out of the exit nozzle at a first rate, and the circuit assembly is configured to control the motor to rotate in the first direction at a second rate in response to operation of the second button such that the gear train urges the strand out of the exit nozzle at a second rate.

3. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the circuit assembly is configured to control the motor to rotate in the second direction in response to simultaneous actuation of the first and second buttons.

4. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the first button and the second button are axially aligned.

5. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the first button or the second button is configured to selectably cause the motor to rotate in at least the first direction that causes the strand to be extruded out of the exit nozzle.

6. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the first button or the second button is configured to selectably cause the motor to rotate in the second direction.

7. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein, when the motor runs in the first direction, the strand is advanced toward the nozzle assembly, and when the motor runs in the second direction, the strand is retracted from the nozzle assembly for severing a portion of the strand that has been melted from a portion of the strand that has been extruded.

8. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the nozzle assembly further comprises an extruder and a guide tube extending between the gear train and the extruder, a first end of the guide tube positioned to receive the strand from the gear train, a second end of the guide tube aligned with a chamber of the extruder such that the strand is directed into the chamber, the extruder being disposed between the guide tube and the exit nozzle.

9. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises first and second portions, at least one of the first or second portions comprising a cooling port.

10. The 3D drawing device of claim 9, wherein each of the first and second portions comprises the cooling port.

11. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, further comprising a fan disposed within the housing and configured to provide a flow of cooling air toward the exit nozzle.

12. A three-dimensional (3D) drawing device comprising:

a housing configured to fit in a user'"'"'s hand and shaped to allow manipulation of the housing like a pen, the housing having an internal volume and a port that permits insertion of a strand of material into the internal volume;

a gear train disposed within the internal volume to receive and move the strand when engaged with the gear train;

a motor, disposed within the internal volume, operatively coupled with the gear train to drive motion of the strand;

a nozzle assembly disposed at a distal end of the housing for melting and extruding the strand out of an exit nozzle; and

a circuit assembly operatively connected to the motor and to first and second buttons, the first and second buttons coupled to the housing to actuate the motor to control a movement of the strand, the first and second buttons being configured to advance or retract the strand relative to the nozzle assembly,

the motor configured to run in a first direction in response to a signal from the circuit assembly when the first or second button is pressed, and the motor configured to temporarily run in a second direction, opposite the first direction, upon release of the first or second button in response to another signal from the circuit assembly.

13. The 3D drawing device of claim 12, further comprising a guide tube disposed within the housing and extending between the gear train and the exit nozzle, a first end of the guide tube positioned to receive the strand from the gear train, a second end of the guide tube aligned with a chamber of the extruder such that the strand is directed into the chamber.

14. The 3D drawing device of claim 12, wherein the housing comprises at least one cooling port.

15. The 3D drawing device of claim 12, wherein the housing comprises first and second portions, at least one of the first or second portions comprising a cooling port.

16. The 3D drawing device of claim 12, wherein the circuit assembly is configured to control the motor to rotate at a first rate in response to operation of the first button such that the gear train urges the strand out of the exit nozzle at a first rate, and the circuit assembly is configured to control the motor to rotate at a second rate in response to operation of the second button such that the gear train urges the strand out of the exit nozzle at a second rate.

17. The 3D drawing device of claim 12, wherein actuation of the first button causes the motor to rotate in the first direction at a first motor rate to extrude the strand of material out of the exit nozzle at a first extrusion rate, and actuation of the second button causes the motor to rotate in the first direction at a second motor rate to extrude the strand out of the exit nozzle at a second extrusion rate that is different than the first extrusion rate.

18. The 3D drawing device of claim 17, wherein simultaneous actuation of the first and second buttons causes the motor to rotate in the second direction.

19. The 3D drawing device of claim 12, wherein, when the motor runs in the first direction, the strand is advanced toward the nozzle assembly, and when the motor runs in the second direction, the strand is retracted from the nozzle assembly for severing a portion of the strand that has been melted from a portion of the strand that has been extruded.