3D Printer

• US 20170008230A1
• Filed: 02/25/2015
• Published: 01/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiichi Yuyama
• Original Assignee: Seiichi Yuyama
• Inventors: YUYAMA, Seiichi
• Granted Patent: US 10,583,604 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 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2055/02 ABS polymers, i.e. acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene polymers
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/046 PLA, i.e. polylactic acid or polylactide
• 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: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

Provided is a 3D printer which can use pellets of various materials and produce a large molded object without requiring an inactive gas. The printer is equipped with: an extrusion apparatus, having a nozzle provided on a lower end side of a cylinder, a screw arranged in the cylinder and controllably rotated by a screw motor, a gear pump provided on a tip side of the screw and controllably rotated by a gear pump motor, a heater for heating an inside of the cylinder, and a hopper for supplying a resin material into the cylinder; a table apparatus positioned facing the nozzle of the extrusion apparatus; and a control apparatus for controlling discharge of a resin from the nozzle of the extrusion apparatus, and for controlling a movement of the extrusion apparatus and/or the table apparatus in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions with respect to a reference plane. The extrusion apparatus and/or the table apparatus has a structure moved through position control in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions by the control apparatus.

Claims

1-5. -5. (canceled)

6. A three-dimensional printer which is equipped with:

an extrusion apparatus having a cylinder, a screw, a gear pump and a nozzle, in which a resin material supplied into the inside of the cylinder is fused by a heater provided in the cylinder, the rotation of the screw arranged in the cylinder is controlled by a screw motor, the gear pump is provided on a tip side of the screw, the rotation of the gear pump is controlled by a gear pump motor, and the amount of a fused resin discharged from the tip of the nozzle can be controlled by the rotation of the screw and the rotation of the gear pump;

a table apparatus positioned facing the nozzle of the extrusion apparatus; and

a control apparatus for controlling discharge of a resin from the nozzle of the extrusion apparatus, and for controlling a movement of the extrusion apparatus and/or the table apparatus in X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions with respect to a reference plane;

and wherein the extrusion apparatus and/or the table apparatus has a structure moved through position control in the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis directions by the control apparatus.

7. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 6, in which a first pressure gauge for measuring resin pressure at a tip position of the screw is provided on the tip side of the screw;

a second pressure gauge for measuring resin pressure in the nozzle is provided on a discharge side of the gear pump; and

the discharge of the resin from the nozzle is controlled by the control apparatus based on the resin pressures measured with the first and second pressure gauges.

8. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 6, in which a pressure control apparatus for controlling pressure in the nozzle is provided in the nozzle, and the volume of an internal space of the nozzle can be changed by the pressure control apparatus.

9. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 8, in which the pressure control apparatus includes a piston member capable of moving forward and backward in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the nozzle, and the pressure control apparatus controls a movement of the piston member to change the volume of the internal space of the nozzle.

10. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 6, in which the extrusion apparatus is attached to an XY positioning apparatus controllably moved in the X-axis and Y-axis directions by the control apparatus;

and the table apparatus is a Z table apparatus controllably moved in the Z-axis direction by the control apparatus.