PRINTING HEAD ASSEMBLY

• US 20160185042A1
• Filed: 01/22/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Inventors: Toh, Wei-De, Tang, Yi-Chin
• Granted Patent: US 9,808,986 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 64/336 of two or more materials
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

A printing head assembly including a fixing member, two nozzle heads, two driving units, two position-limiting members, and two position-restoring members is provided. Each nozzle head has a filament connection tube and a material extrusion port respectively penetrating through the fixing member, wherein the filament connection tube has a position-limiting portion. The driving units drive the corresponding filaments to feed into the corresponding nozzle heads. The position-limiting members are respectively disposed between the corresponding driving unit and the fixing member, and are connected to the corresponding filament connection tubes. The position-restoring members are respectively disposed between the corresponding position-limiting member and the fixing member. Each of the filament connection tubes respectively leans against the fixing member through the corresponding position-limiting portion or the corresponding position-limiting member, so as to limit the material extrusion port of each nozzle head to move between a first height level and a second height level.

Claims

1. A printing head assembly, adapted to drive at least two filaments to form on a base layer-by-layer to construct a three-dimensional object, the printing head assembly comprising:

a fixing member, having an inlet side and an outlet side opposite to each other;

at least two nozzle heads, respectively disposed at the outlet side of the fixing member, and each of the nozzle heads having a filament connection tube and a material extrusion port respectively penetrating through the fixing member, wherein the filament connection tube has a position-limiting portion;

at least two driving units, respectively disposed at the inlet side of the fixing member, and respectively driving the corresponding filament to feed into the material extrusion port of the corresponding nozzle head from the corresponding filament connection tube through the fixing member;

at least two position-limiting members, respectively disposed between the corresponding driving unit and the fixing member, and connected to the corresponding filament connection tubes; and

at least two position-restoring members, respectively disposed between the corresponding position-limiting member and the fixing member, and located on the corresponding filament connection tube, wherein each of the filament connection tubes respectively leans against the fixing member through the corresponding position-limiting portion or the corresponding position-limiting member, so as to limit the material extrusion port of each of the nozzle heads to move between a first height level and a second height level through the corresponding driving unit and the corresponding position-restoring member.

2. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the corresponding filament is driven by the corresponding driving unit to move into the corresponding nozzle head, the filament pushes the nozzle head to move until the corresponding filament connection tube leans against the fixing member through the corresponding position-limiting member, so as to limit the material extrusion port of the nozzle head to correspond to the second height level.

3. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the corresponding filament stops moving into the corresponding nozzle head, the corresponding driving unit drives the filament to move oppositely, so as to drive the nozzle head to move oppositely relative to the fixing member until the corresponding filament connection tube leans against the fixing member through the corresponding position-limiting portion, such that the material extrusion port corresponds to the first height level.

4. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein when the corresponding filament stops moving into the corresponding nozzle head, the corresponding position-restoring member releases a position-restoring force to drive the nozzle head to move oppositely relative to the fixing member until the corresponding filament connection tube leans against the fixing member through the corresponding position-limiting portion, such that the material extrusion port corresponds to the first height level.

5. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the driving units comprises:

a motor;

a driving wheel, connected to the motor; and

a passive wheel, disposed at a side of the driving wheel, and the corresponding filament is clamped between the driving wheel and the passive wheel, when the motor drives the driving wheel to rotate along a clock direction, the driving wheel drives the passive wheel to rotate opposite to the clock direction, such that the driving wheel and the passive wheel drive the filament to move into the corresponding nozzle head.

6. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the nozzle heads comprises a heating portion, the heating portion and the filament connection tube are connected to each other, and are respectively located at two opposite sides of the fixing member, the corresponding filament moves into the nozzle head from the filament connection tube, and is squeezed out from the material extrusion port after being heated into a molten state at the heating portion.

7. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 6, wherein the fixing member comprises a cooling assembly, so as to avoid heat generated by the heating portion from transmitting to the filament connection tube.

8. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the position-limiting portion of each of the filament connection tubes and the corresponding position-limiting member are respectively located at two opposite sides of the fixing member, after the corresponding filament is moved into the nozzle head, the nozzle head is moved relative to the fixing member until the corresponding filament connection tube leans against the fixing member through the position-limiting member, such that the material extrusion port corresponds to the second height level, and the at least two nozzle heads have a height difference therebetween, and when the corresponding filament stops moving into the corresponding nozzle head, the nozzle head is moved oppositely relative to the fixing member until the corresponding filament connection tube leans against the fixing member through the position-limiting portion, such that the material extrusion port corresponds to the first height level.

9. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second height level is lower than the first height level, and the printing head assembly conducts printing by using the corresponding filament and the nozzle head with the material extrusion port corresponding to the second height level.

10. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the position-limiting members has a containing space, the position-limiting member is fixed to the corresponding filament connection tube in a manner that the containing space faces the fixing member, and the corresponding position-restoring member is disposed in the corresponding containing space and is located on the corresponding filament connection tube.

11. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle heads are arranged in parallel to each other along a horizontal direction, and the driving units, the position-limiting members and the position-restoring members are respectively disposed corresponding to the nozzle heads.

12. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the nozzle heads are configured surrounding a vertical direction serving as an axis, and the driving units, the position-limiting members and the position-restoring members are respectively configured corresponding to the nozzle heads.

13. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein the fixing member comprises at least two fixing portions separated from each other, wherein the fixing portions are located on a same horizontal reference plane, and respectively correspond to the nozzle heads.

14. The printing head assembly as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the position-restoring members comprises a spring.