THREE-DIMENSIONAL PRINTING NOZZLE STRUCTURE

• US 20180272623A1
• Filed: 04/25/2017
• Published: 09/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2017
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Kinpo Electronics Incorporated (Cal-Comp Electronics Public Company Limited), XYZprinting, Inc.
• Inventors: Ho, Kwan, Wu, Chi-Chieh, Wu, Chung-Hsuan
• Application Number:
  US15/495,986
• Publication Number:
  US 20180272623A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/02 Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/05 Filamentary, e.g. strands
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/06 Rod-shaped
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2552 provided in the feeding, melting, plasticising or pumping zone, e.g. screw, barrel, gear-pump or ram
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/865 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• 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: B29K 2821/00 Use of unspecified rubbers as mould material
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2827/18 PTFE, i.e. polytetrafluorethene, e.g. ePTFE, i.e. expanded polytetrafluorethene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2905/12 Iron
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

A three-dimensional printing nozzle structure including a heater, a nozzle, a feed tube and a baffle member is provided. The heater has a first through hole. The nozzle is connected to the heater and has a second through hole. The feed tube passes through the first through hole and has a feed channel. The first through hole, the second through hole and the feed channel are aligned with each other. A filament moves along the feed channel to pass through the heater. The heater heats and melts the filament, and the filament that has been melted moves from the feed channel into the second through hole to be extruded. The baffle member is disposed inside the first through hole and located between the feed channel and the second through hole. The baffle member is configured to adjust a degree of communication between the feed channel and the second through hole.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing nozzle structure, comprising:

a heater, having a first through hole;

a nozzle, connected to the heater, wherein the nozzle has a second through hole, and the first through hole and the second through hole are aligned with each other;

a feed tube, passing through the first through hole, wherein the feed tube has a feed channel, the second through hole and the feed channel are aligned with each other, a filament moves along the feed channel to pass through the heater, the heater heats and melts the filament, and the filament that has been melted moves from the feed channel into the second through hole to be extruded; and

a baffle member, disposed inside the first through hole and located between the feed channel and the second through hole, wherein the baffle member is configured to adjust a degree of communication between the feed channel and the second through hole.

2. The three-dimensional printing nozzle structure as recited in claim 1, wherein the feed tube comprises an inner tube and an outer tube, the inner tube passes through the outer tube, and the outer tube is fixed to the first through hole.

3. The three-dimensional printing nozzle structure as recited in claim 2, wherein a material of the inner tube is Teflon and a material of the outer tube is stainless steel.

4. The three-dimensional printing nozzle structure as recited in claim 1, wherein a material of the baffle member is rubber.

5. The three-dimensional printing nozzle structure as recited in claim 1, wherein the baffle member comprises a fixation portion and a flexible portion, the fixation portion is fixed between the feed channel and the second through hole, and the flexible portion is connected to the fixation portion.

6. The three-dimensional printing nozzle structure as recited in claim 5, wherein the feed channel and the second through hole delimit a moving path of the filament, and the baffle member is configured to block at least a portion of the moving path of the filament.

7. The three-dimensional printing nozzle structure as recited in claim 5, wherein the flexible portion and the fixation portion delimit a variable opening, the variable opening has a first opening area when the flexible portion is pressed by the filament, the variable opening has a second opening area when the filament is drawn back to the feed channel, and the second opening area is smaller than the first opening area.

8. The three-dimensional printing nozzle structure as recited in claim 5, wherein the fixation portion is a ring-shaped structure, the flexible portion has at least one baffle body, and the at least one baffle body is connected to an inner wall surface of the fixation portion.