Three-dimensional printing apparatus

• US 9,162,395 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2013
• 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: Lee, Yang-Teh, Tang, Yi-Chin
• Primary Examiner(s): KENNEDY, TIMOTHY J
• Application Number:
  US14/217,489
• Publication Number:
  US 20150165694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 581 Days
• Field of Search: 425/225, 425/226, 425/227, 425/228, 425/229, 425/230, 425/231, 425/232, 264/39
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/05 Filamentary, e.g. strands
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/266 Means for allowing relative movements between the apparatus parts, e.g. for twisting the extruded article or for moving the die along a surface to be coated
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/286 Raw material dosing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2888 in band or in strip form, e.g. rubber strips
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/35 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2067/046 PLA, i.e. polylactic acid or polylactide
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2101/00 Use of unspecified macromolecular compounds as moulding material use of unspecified rubbers B29K2021/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Abstract

A 3-D printing apparatus is configured to make a modeling material form a 3-D object layer by layer. The 3-D printing apparatus includes a printing assembly and a cleaning unit. The printing assembly includes a feeding tube, a nozzle and a driving wheel set disposed between the feeding tube and the nozzle to drive the modeling material transferred to the nozzle from the feeding tube and then exiting from the printing assembly via the nozzle so as to form a 3-D object layer by layer. The cleaning unit has a brush, in which the brush leans against on the driving wheel set to clean out the residual modeling material while the driving wheel set rotates relatively to the cleaning unit.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing apparatus, configured to form a three-dimensional object layer by layer with a modeling material and comprising:

a printing assembly, comprising a feeding tube, a driving wheel set and a nozzle, wherein the driving wheel set is disposed between the feeding tube and the nozzle to drive the modeling material transferred to the nozzle from the feeding tube and exit from the printing assembly via the nozzle so as to form the three-dimensional object layer by layer; and

a cleaning unit, having a brush, wherein the brush leans against and contact with the driving wheel set so as to clean out the residual modeling material while the driving wheel set rotates relatively to the cleaning unit.

2. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving wheel set comprises:

a first power source;

an active wheel, connected to the first power source; and

a passive wheel, coupled to the active wheel, wherein the first power source drives the active wheel for rotation, so that the active wheel drives the passive wheel for rotation and transfers the modelling material to the nozzle from the feeding tube.

3. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a rotation direction of the active wheel is opposite to a rotation direction of the passive wheel.

4. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cleaning unit is disposed beside the passive wheel and the brush leans against and contact with the passive wheel.

5. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cleaning unit comprises:

a worm gear, freely coupled to the active wheel or the passive wheel, wherein the brush is disposed on a surface of the worm gear or in a helical tooth groove of the worm gear, and the brush leans against and contact with the active wheel or the passive wheel to clean out the residual modelling material on the active wheel or the passive wheel.

6. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein a rotation axis of the worm gear is orthogonal to a rotation axis of the active wheel or a rotation axis of the passive wheel.

7. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cleaning unit comprises:

a second power source; and

a worm gear, connected to the second power source, wherein the worm gear is coupled to the active wheel or the passive wheel, the brush is disposed on a surface of the worm gear or in a helical tooth groove of the won'"'"'t gear, when the first power source is not active, the second power source drives the worm gear for rotation to further drive the active wheel or the passive wheel and the brush cleans out the residual modeling material on the active wheel or the passive wheel.

8. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 7, wherein a rotation axis of the worm gear is orthogonal to a rotation axis of the active wheel or a rotation axis of the passive wheel.

9. The three-dimensional printing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a heating unit, thermally coupled to the feeding tube to fuse or soften the modeling material in the feeding tube.