Hand-held three-dimensional drawing device

• US 9,731,444 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WobbleWorks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: WobbleWorks, Inc.
• Inventors: Dilworth, Peter, Bogue, Maxwell
• Primary Examiner(s): Daniels, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hohenbrink, Jr., Lawrence D
• Application Number:
  US14/821,399
• Publication Number:
  US 20160031141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 4253761, 425375, 425 87, 425458, 425 722, 4253782, 156498, 156368
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/00 Hand tools or apparatus using hand held tools, for applying liquids or other fluent materials to, for spreading applied liquids or other fluent materials on, or for partially removing applied liquids or other fluent materials from, surfaces casings or accessories for storing or handling solid or pasty toilet or cosmetic substances A45D40/00; brushes A46B; shoe polish applicators A47L23/05; surgical glue applicators A61B17/00491; absorbent pads, e.g. swabs, for applying media to the human body A61F13/15; hand-held applicators for applying or spreading media, e.g. remedies, on the human body A61M35/003; implements for writing or drawing B43K; hand-held desk devices for applying liquid, e.g. adhesive, by contact to surfaces B43M11/06; implements or apparatus for removing dry paint from surfaces B44D3/16 ; container closures with pads or like contents-applying means B65D47/42
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/005 for discharging material from a reservoir or container located in or on the hand tool through an outlet orifice by pressure without using surface contacting members like pads or brushes
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/00523 provided with means to heat the material
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/00526 the material being supplied to the apparatus in a solid state, e.g. rod, and melted before application B05C17/0054 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B05C 17/0053 the driving means for the material being manual, mechanical or electrical
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/9258 Velocity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92704 Temperature
• 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 48/2526 Direct drives or gear boxes
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2528 Drive or actuation means for non-plasticising purposes, e.g. dosing unit
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/37 Gear pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/802 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/865 Heating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/87 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/00 Additive manufacturing, i.e. manufacturing of three-dimensional [3D] objects by additive deposition, additive agglomeration or additive layering, e.g. by 3D printing, stereolithography or selective laser sintering
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/10 Processes of additive manufacturing
• 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 64/20 : Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• 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: E04F 21/165 : for finishing joints, e.g. implements for raking or filling joints, jointers bricklayers' tools E04G21/16; repairing, e.g. filling cracks, E04G23/02 ; wallpaper scrapers or the like B44C7/02; implements for cleaning joints A47L13/10
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 21/16 : Tools or apparatus devices for erecting fences E04H17/26
• CPC Class Codes: E04G 23/02 : Repairing, e.g. filling cracks; Restoring; Altering; Enlarging compositions of filling material C04B; strengthening, widening, repairing of bridges E01D22/00; drying damp layers by temporary mechanical ventilation E04B1/7092

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3D) drawing device having a housing configured for manipulation by a user'"'"'s hand and to accept a feed stock that is, in certain embodiments, a strand of thermoplastic. The drawing device has a nozzle assembly with an exit nozzle and a motor connected to a gear train that engages the strand of thermoplastic feed stock such that rotation of the motor causes the feed stock to be extruded out of the exit nozzle to form a three-dimensional object.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional (3D) drawing device comprising:

a housing configured to fit in a user'"'"'s hand and shaped to allow manipulation of the housing like a pen, the housing having a first end, a second end, and a port configured for introduction of a strand of feed stock into an internal volume of the housing, the housing having at least one cooling port extending between the internal volume and an ambient atmosphere;

a first actuator and a second actuator each coupled to the housing and positioned to be actuated by the user'"'"'s hand while holding the housing;

a motor disposed within the internal volume and controlled in response to operation of the first actuator and the second actuator;

a gear train operatively coupled with the motor to drive the gear train, disposed within the internal volume to receive the strand of feed stock, and configured to move the strand of feed stock when engaged with the gear train; and

a nozzle assembly disposed at the first end of the housing and at least partially within the housing, the nozzle assembly comprising an extruder, an exit nozzle, and a guide tube, the extruder having a heating element surrounded by an insulator, the guide tube extending between the gear train and the extruder, a first end of the guide tube positioned to receive the strand of feed stock from the gear train, a second end of the guide tube aligned with a chamber of the extruder such that the strand of feed stock is directed into the chamber, the extruder being disposed between the guide tube and the exit nozzle such that rotation of the motor causes the strand to be extruded out of the exit nozzle for permitting the user to draw in free space to form a three-dimensional object.

2. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, further comprising a mounting tube having a first end and a second end, and wherein the second end of the guide tube extends into the first end of the mounting tube, and an end of the extruder opposite the nozzle extends into the second end of the mounting tube, the mounting tube holding the second end of the guide tube in alignment with the end of the extruder opposite the nozzle.

3. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises an upper housing and a lower housing, at least one of the upper housing and the lower housing comprising a cooling port of the at least one cooling port proximate to the nozzle.

4. The 3D drawing device of claim 3, wherein each of the upper housing and the lower housing comprises the cooling port.

5. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the first actuator and the second actuator are axially aligned and disposed on an outer surface of the housing between the first end and the second end.

6. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein actuation of the first actuator causes the motor to rotate in a first direction at a first motor rate to extrude the strand of feed stock out of the exit nozzle at a first extrusion rate, and actuation of the second actuator causes the motor to rotate in the first direction at a second motor rate to extrude the strand of feed stock out of the exit nozzle at a second extrusion rate that is greater than the first extrusion rate.

7. The 3D drawing device of claim 6, wherein simultaneous actuation of the first and second actuators causes the motor to rotate in a second direction.

8. The 3D drawing device of claim 6, further comprising a variable speed control mechanism to adjust one or more of the first extrusion rate and the second extrusion rate.

9. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the heating element is positioned adjacent to the exit nozzle and configured to melt the strand of feed stock prior to extrusion through the exit nozzle.

10. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises at least one cooling port proximate to the exit nozzle, the cooling port in fluid communication with the internal volume.

11. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the wherein the first actuator or the second actuator is configured to selectably cause the motor to rotate in at least a first direction that causes the strand of feed stock to be extruded out of the exit nozzle.

12. The 3D drawing device of claim 11, wherein the first actuator or the second actuator is configured to selectably cause the motor to rotate in a second direction that is opposite the first direction.

13. The 3D drawing device of claim 12, wherein the first and second actuators each comprise at least one button.

14. The 3D drawing device of claim 13, the first actuator comprises a first button that causes the motor to rotate in the first direction at a first speed such that the strand of feed stock is extruded out of the exit nozzle at a first extrusion rate;

and wherein the second actuator comprises a second button that that causes the motor to rotate in the first direction at a second speed such that the strand of feed stock is extruded out of the exit nozzle at a second extrusion rate that is greater than the first rate, wherein simultaneous actuation of the first and second buttons causes the motor to rotate in the second direction.

15. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein:

the gear train comprises a final gear having teeth that engage the strand of feed stock such that rotation of the final gear causes the strand of feed stock to linearly move.

16. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, further comprising a fan configured to provide a flow cooling air at the exit nozzle.

17. The 3D drawing device of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a length between the first end and the second end, the length being greater than a maximum transverse extent of the housing.

18. A three-dimensional (3D) drawing device comprising:

an elongate housing having an internal volume and a port that permits insertion of a strand of material into the internal volume;

a gear train disposed within the internal volume to receive and move the strand when engaged with the gear train;

a motor, disposed within the internal volume, operatively coupled with the gear train to drive motion of the strand;

at least one actuator coupled to the housing to actuate the motor to control a movement of the strand; and

a nozzle assembly disposed at a distal end of the housing and comprising an extruder and an exit nozzle, the extruder having a heating element for melting the strand, the extruder being disposed between the gear train and the exit nozzle such that rotation of the motor causes the strand to be melted and extruded out of the exit nozzle to permit the user to draw in free space to form a three-dimensional object.

19. The 3D drawing device of claim 18, further comprising a guide tube disposed within the housing and extending between the gear train and the extruder, a first end of the guide tube positioned to receive the strand from the gear train, a second end of the guide tube aligned with a chamber of the extruder such that the strand is directed into the chamber.

20. The 3D drawing device of claim 18, wherein the housing comprises at least one cooling port extending between the internal volume and an ambient atmosphere.