Liquefier assembly having inlet liner for use in additive manufacturing system
First Claim
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1. A method for printing a three-dimensional object in a layer-by-layer manner with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
- providing a liquefier assembly of the additive manufacturing system, the liquefier assembly having a liquefier tube, a sleeve secured to the inlet end of the liquefier tube, a hollow liner disposed within the sleeve at an inlet end of the liquefier tube, and an extrusion tip disposed at an outlet end of the liquefier tube, wherein the hollow liner includes an inner surface having a lower surface energy compared to an inner surface of the liquefier tube, and wherein the hollow liner comprises a plurality of flanges folded over an inlet end of the sleeve to retain the hollow liner to the sleeve;
blowing air from a blowing unit toward the inlet end of the liquefier tube;
heating the liquefier tube;
feeding a filament of a thermoplastic material through the hollow liner and into the liquefier tube while blowing the air and while heating the liquefier tube, wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a first copolymer derived from monomer units comprising a carboxylic acid and an alkyl (meth)acrylate;
melting the thermoplastic material of the fed filament in the heated liquefier tube to provide a molten material; and
extruding the molten material from the extrusion tip to form a series of roads for printing each layer of the three-dimensional object.
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Abstract
A liquefier assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system, the liquefier assembly comprising a liquefier tube, a rigid sleeve secured to an inlet end of the liquefier tube, an extrusion tip secured to an outlet end of the liquefier tube, and a hollow liner disposed at least partially within the rigid sleeve such that inner surfaces of the liquefier tube and the hollow liner are substantially flush, and where the inner surface of the hollow liner has a low surface energy.
88 Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method for printing a three-dimensional object in a layer-by-layer manner with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
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providing a liquefier assembly of the additive manufacturing system, the liquefier assembly having a liquefier tube, a sleeve secured to the inlet end of the liquefier tube, a hollow liner disposed within the sleeve at an inlet end of the liquefier tube, and an extrusion tip disposed at an outlet end of the liquefier tube, wherein the hollow liner includes an inner surface having a lower surface energy compared to an inner surface of the liquefier tube, and wherein the hollow liner comprises a plurality of flanges folded over an inlet end of the sleeve to retain the hollow liner to the sleeve; blowing air from a blowing unit toward the inlet end of the liquefier tube; heating the liquefier tube; feeding a filament of a thermoplastic material through the hollow liner and into the liquefier tube while blowing the air and while heating the liquefier tube, wherein the thermoplastic material comprises a first copolymer derived from monomer units comprising a carboxylic acid and an alkyl (meth)acrylate; melting the thermoplastic material of the fed filament in the heated liquefier tube to provide a molten material; and extruding the molten material from the extrusion tip to form a series of roads for printing each layer of the three-dimensional object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A method for printing a support structure in a layer-by-layer manner with an additive manufacturing system, the method comprising:
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blowing air toward an inlet end of a liquefier tube, wherein the inlet end of the liquefier tube is secured to a rigid hollow sleeve that retains a hollow liner, wherein the hollow liner compositionally comprises a fluorinated polymer, and further comprising a plurality of flanges folded over the rigid hollow sleeve to retain the hollow liner to the sleeve; heating the liquefier tube; feeding a filament through the hollow liner and into the liquefier tube while blowing the air and while heating the portion of the liquefier tube, wherein the filament comprises a thermoplastic support material that is soluble in an alkaline water solution; melting the thermoplastic support material of the fed filament in the heated liquefier tube to provide a molten material; and extruding the molten material from an extrusion tip located at an outlet end of the liquefier tube to form a series of roads for printing each layer of the support structure. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification