MULTI-FILAMENT THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING

• US 20170190109A1
• Filed: 12/30/2016
• Published: 07/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Original Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Inventors: Holland, Samuel, Waller, Mark, Arreola, Carlos Fernandez, Palmer, Mark, Goodman, Taylor S., Rand, Kevin C.
• Application Number:
  US15/395,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20170190109A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/0067 Melt
• 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

An extruder of a three-dimensional printer may be coupled with one or more filament tubes, each filament tube having its own supply of filament. The extruder may include a drive gear rotatable in a first direction to advance a filament from a filament tube toward at least one extrusion opening defined by the extruder and rotatable in a second direction, opposite the first direction, to advance another filament from a different filament tube toward the at least one extrusion opening defined by the extruder. Also, as one filament is advanced by the drive gear, another filament may be retracted by the drive gear to improve the switching of filaments in a three-dimensional printing process. The extruder may work in conjunction with a filament supply-side drive system that feeds filament into one or more filament tubes, reducing a pull force exerted by the drive gear of the extruder.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first tube defining a first interior channel;

a second tube defining a second interior channel;

a first drive system including a first drive gear positioned to drive a first filament of material into the first interior channel at a first input end of the first tube;

a second drive system including a second drive gear positioned to drive a second filament of material into the second interior channel at a second input end of the second tube; and

an extruder coupled to a first output end of the first tube and to a second output end of the second tube, the extruder including a rotary drive gear, the extruder defining at least one extrusion opening, the rotary drive gear rotatable in a first direction to advance the first filament toward the at least one extrusion opening, and the rotary drive gear rotatable in a second direction opposite the first direction to advance the second filament toward the at least one extrusion opening.

2. The device of claim 1, further comprising a Y-connector, wherein the at least one extrusion opening is a single extrusion port, and the first interior channel of the first tube and the second interior channel of the second tube feed into the single extrusion port through the Y-connector.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the extruder further includes a heating element for liquefying a filament of material.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising an x-y-z positioning system coupled to the extruder, the x-y-z positioning system movable to position the extruder within a volume of a three-dimensional printer.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the extruder further includes a nozzle including a spring biasing the nozzle in a direction opposing a feed path of filament through the nozzle, and the at least one extrusion opening is defined by the nozzle.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein a biasing force applied by the spring is less than a driving force provided by the rotary drive gear advancing filament through the nozzle such that the nozzle is extended a predetermined amount in a direction of the feed path as filament is advanced through the nozzle during a three-dimensional printing process.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the spring maintains the nozzle in a retracted position when filament is not being advanced through the nozzle.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the extruder further includes a nozzle defining the at least one opening, the nozzle including one or more mechanical elements securing the nozzle in an extended position when filament is advanced through the nozzle during a three-dimensional printing process and securing the nozzle in a retracted position when filament is retracted in the extruder.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the one or more mechanical elements apply a first force to secure the nozzle in the extended position, the first force being less than a retraction force applied to the filament by the rotary drive gear to allow movement of the nozzle from the extended position to the retracted position when filament is retracted in the extruder.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the one or more mechanical elements apply a second force to secure the nozzle in the retracted position, the second force being less than an advancement force applied to the filament by the rotary drive gear to allow movement of the nozzle from the retracted position to the extended position when filament is advanced through the nozzle.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first drive system and the second drive system includes a guide that applies a force to the filament, the force directed against the drive gear.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the guide includes a roller and the force is provided by a spring arm that that permits the roller to adapt to filaments of varying size while maintaining the force.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the roller includes an encoder to in communication with a controller of a three-dimensional printer.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first drive system and the second drive system operates independently of the rotary drive gear.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first drive gear and the second drive gear operate in coordination with the rotary drive gear included in the extruder.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first drive system and the second drive system automatically activates upon placement of filament in the respective drive system.

17. The device of claim 1, wherein the extruder includes a turret coupled to one or more of the first tube and the second tube, the turret rotatable to place one or more of the first output end and the second output end into alignment with the rotary drive gear.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the extruder is releasably coupled to the first output end of the first tube and releasably coupled to the second output end of the second tube.

19. The device of claim 1, further comprising a locking mechanism to couple one or more of the first output end of the first tube and the second output end of the second tube to the extruder when one or more of the first output end of the first tube and the second output end of the second tube are aligned for coupling with the extruder.

20. The device of claim 1, further comprising a first supply of the first filament and a second supply of the second filament, wherein the first filament and the second filament are one or more of different colors and different materials.