Three-dimensional printer tool systems

• US 9,469,072 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2014
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratasys Incorporated
• Original Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC (Ultimaker BV)
• Inventors: Schmehl, Peter Joseph, Kemperle, Aljosa, Schmehl, Stewart
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thukhanh T
• Application Number:
  US14/580,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20150137402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 665 Days
• Field of Search: 264/129, 264/176.1, 264/40.1, 264/40.7, 264/308, 425/145, 425/150, 425/375, 425/112, 425/113, 700/118, 700/119, 700/120, 226/8, 226/24, 226/26, 226/42, 226/43, 226/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/02 Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders
• 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 48/2888 in band or in strip form, e.g. rubber strips
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/832 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/112 using individual droplets, e.g. from jetting heads
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/295 Heating elements
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/30 Auxiliary operations or equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/35 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2009/00 Layered products
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling

Abstract

An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.

Claims

1. A method for operating a tool crib holding a number of tools in cooperation with a three-dimensional printer, the method comprising:

receiving a first tool from the three-dimensional printer, the first tool including an extruder received by the tool crib after being used in a three-dimensional printing process, the tool crib disposed in an operating envelope of an x-y-z positioning system within a build chamber of the three-dimensional printer;

cleaning the first tool with a first active element within the tool crib;

receiving a request from the three-dimensional printer for a second tool; and

preheating the second tool with a second active element including a heating element for use in an extrusion process.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting the second tool to the three-dimensional printer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the second tool to the three-dimensional printer includes moving the second tool into a build volume of the three-dimensional printer with a robotic system of the tool crib.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting the second tool to the three-dimensional printer includes releasing the second tool from a locked state within the tool crib for retrieval by the x-y-z positioning system of the three-dimensional printer.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein cleaning the first tool includes extruding build material from the first tool using the first active element.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the first tool from the three-dimensional printer includes retrieving the first tool from a build volume of the three-dimensional printer with a robotic system of the tool crib.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the robotic system is the x-y-z positioning system of the three-dimensional printer.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein cleaning the first tool includes displacing a build material in the first tool under pressure.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein cleaning the first tool includes sterilizing the first tool.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein cleaning the first tool includes heating the first tool to a high temperature.