Spool assembly with locking mechanism for additive manufacturing system, and methods of use thereof
First Claim
1. A spool assembly comprising:
- a housing structure having an interior region;
a spool rotatably retained in the interior region of the housing structure, the spool configured to receive a supply of filament;
a sealed sheath encasing the housing structure to define a barrier for the encased housing structure, the spool, and the supply of filament; and
a locking arm disposed outside of the sealed sheath and configured to operably engage the spool through the sealed sheath and through the housing structure in a manner that does not penetrate the sealed sheath, wherein the locking arm prevents the spool from rotating relative to the housing mechanism when operably engaged with the spool wherein the locking arm comprises;
a collarbone member that is moveable relative to the housing structure;
a pair of opposing appendages each extending at an angle from the collarbone member; and
a pair of contact tips extending from the appendages, the pair of contact tips being the portions of the locking arm that operably engage with the spool.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A spool assembly comprising a housing structure, a spool rotatably retained in an interior region of the housing structure, and a sealed sheath encasing the housing structure to define a barrier for the encased housing structure and the rotatably retained spool. The spool assembly further comprises a locking arm disposed outside of the sealed sheath and configured to operably engage the spool through the sealed sheath and through the housing structure in a manner that does not penetrate the sealed sheath, where the locking arm prevents the spool from rotating relative to the housing mechanism when operably engaged with the spool. The locking arm may disengage from the spool in a hands-free manner when the spool assembly is loaded into a bay of an additive manufacturing system.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A spool assembly comprising:
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a housing structure having an interior region; a spool rotatably retained in the interior region of the housing structure, the spool configured to receive a supply of filament; a sealed sheath encasing the housing structure to define a barrier for the encased housing structure, the spool, and the supply of filament; and a locking arm disposed outside of the sealed sheath and configured to operably engage the spool through the sealed sheath and through the housing structure in a manner that does not penetrate the sealed sheath, wherein the locking arm prevents the spool from rotating relative to the housing mechanism when operably engaged with the spool wherein the locking arm comprises; a collarbone member that is moveable relative to the housing structure;
a pair of opposing appendages each extending at an angle from the collarbone member; and
a pair of contact tips extending from the appendages, the pair of contact tips being the portions of the locking arm that operably engage with the spool. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A spool assembly for use with an additive manufacturing system, the spool assembly comprising:
- a housing structure having an interior region;
a spool configured to retain a supply of a filament for use in the additive manufacturing system; a sealed sheath encasing the spool and the housing structure; a locking arm disposed outside of the sealed sheath, wherein the locking arm is configured to operably engage the spool through the sealed sheath in a non-penetrating manner while in an engaged state to prevent the spool from rotating in the sealed sheath, and wherein the locking arm is further configured to be disengaged from the spool while in a disengaged state to allow the spool to rotate within the sealed sheath; wherein the spool assembly is configured to be inserted into a bay of the additive manufacturing system; and wherein the locking arm is configured to actuate from the engaged state to the disengaged state when the spool assembly is inserted into the bay wherein the locking arm comprises; a collarbone member that is moveable relative to the housing structure;
a pair of opposing appendages each extending at an angle from the collarbone member; and
a pair of contact tips extending from the appendages, the pair of contact tips being the portions of the locking arm that operably engage with the spool. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12)
- a housing structure having an interior region;
Specification