COLOR SWITCHING FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING

• US 20140070461A1
• Filed: 09/06/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Original Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Inventors: Pax, Charles E.
• Granted Patent: US 9,168,699 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 264/401
• 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 64/321 Feeding
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/12 Thermoplastic materials
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/00 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

By reversing the direction of a first build material fed into an extruder, the first build material can be wholly or partially evacuated from the extruder before a second material is introduced. This approach mitigates transition artifacts and permits faster, more complete changes from one build material to another.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a three-dimensional printer having an extruder with a first input port, a second input port, an extrusion port, and a chamber coupling the first input port, the second input port, and the extrusion port in fluid communication;

driving a first build material through the first input port until the first build material extrudes through the extrusion port;

withdrawing the first build material through the first input port a predetermined amount; and

driving a second build material through the second input port until the second build material extrudes through the extrusion port.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising heating the chamber to liquefy at least one of the first build material and the second build material.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first build material is a different color than the second build material.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the first build material is of a different type than the second build material.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the first build material is a plastic.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first build material is one or more of ABS, PLA, and PCL.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount is at least enough to move a material transition region between the first build material and the second build material out of the chamber.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount includes an amount of the first build material displacing at least one half the volume of the chamber.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the predetermined amount includes an amount of the first build material displacing at least the volume of the chamber.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising withdrawing the first build material concurrently with driving the second build material.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising withdrawing the second build material through the second input port by a second predetermined amount and driving the first build material through the first input port until the first build material extrudes through the extrusion port.

12. A computer program product for switching filaments in a three-dimensional printer, the computer program product comprising non-transitory computer executable code embodied in a memory of a three-dimensional printer having an extruder with a first input port, a second input port, an extrusion port, and a chamber coupling the first input port, the second input port, and the extrusion port in fluid communication, wherein the computer executable code, when executing on a controller of the three-dimensional printer, performs the steps of:

driving a first build material through the first input port until the first build material extrudes through the extrusion port;

withdrawing the first build material through the first input port a predetermined amount; and

driving a second build material through the second input port until the second build material extrudes through the extrusion port.

13. A three-dimensional printer comprising:

an extruder having a first input port, a second input port, an extrusion port, and a chamber coupling the first input port, the second input port, and the extrusion port in fluid communication; and

a controller configured to switch the extrusion port from a first build material passing through the first input port, the chamber, and the extrusion port to a second build material supplied at the second input port by performing the steps of withdrawing the first build material through the first input port a predetermined amount, and driving the second build material through the second input port until the second build material extrudes through the extrusion port.

14. The three-dimensional printer of claim 13 further comprising a heating element coupled to the controller and configured to heat the chamber to liquefy at least one of the first build material and the second build material.

15. The three-dimensional printer of claim 13 wherein the first build material is a different color than the second build material.

16. The three-dimensional printer of claim 13 wherein the predetermined amount is at least enough to move a material transition region between the first build material and the second build material out of the chamber.

17. The three-dimensional printer of claim 13 wherein the predetermined amount includes an amount of the first build material displacing at least one half a volume of the chamber.

18. The three-dimensional printer of claim 13 wherein the predetermined amount includes an amount of the first build material displacing at least a volume of the chamber.

19. The three-dimensional printer of claim 13 wherein the controller is further configured to withdraw the first build material concurrently with driving the second build material.

20. The three-dimensional printer of claim 13 wherein the controller is further configured to switch from the second build material to the first build material by withdrawing the second build material through the second input port by a second predetermined amount and driving the first build material through the first input port until the first build material extrudes through the extrusion port.