THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTER TOOL SYSTEMS
First Claim
1. A system comprising:
- a number of tools;
a tool crib including a number of bins to receive the number of tools;
a sensor system to detect a presence of the tools in the bins;
an active element to manipulate one of the tools in one of the bins;
a robotic system to pick and place the number of tools in the number of bins; and
a controller configured to control operation of the sensor system, the active element, and the robotic system.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
38 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system comprising:
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a number of tools; a tool crib including a number of bins to receive the number of tools; a sensor system to detect a presence of the tools in the bins; an active element to manipulate one of the tools in one of the bins; a robotic system to pick and place the number of tools in the number of bins; and a controller configured to control operation of the sensor system, the active element, and the robotic system. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification