Interdependent drive system

• US 9,993,955 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: JuggerBot 3D LLC
• Original Assignee: JuggerBot 3D LLC
• Inventors: DiVencenzo, Zachary, D'Andrea, Jr., Jim, Fernback, Jr., Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Sanders, James
• Application Number:
  US15/048,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20160250793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/9258 Velocity
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/926 Flow or feed rate
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/02 Small extruding apparatus, e.g. handheld, toy or laboratory extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2528 Drive or actuation means for non-plasticising purposes, e.g. dosing unit
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/2552 provided in the feeding, melting, plasticising or pumping zone, e.g. screw, barrel, gear-pump or ram
• 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 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• 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: B29K 2025/04 Polymers of styrene
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2029/04 PVOH, i.e. polyvinyl alcohol B29K2031/04 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2033/04 Polymers of esters
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/731 Filamentary material, i.e. comprised of a single element, e.g. filaments, strands, threads, fibres cables B29L2031/707
• 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

Abstract

An interdependent dual driver system for advancing and extruding thermoplastic material to be used in 3-dimensional printing applications. The system and process uses a two-driver system where one driver pushes the material through the device while the second driver pulls the material. The material is advanced through a nozzle designed to heat and extrude thermoplastic materials.

Claims

1. An interdependent dual drive extrusion system comprising:

a static filament driver having a proximal end for receiving an associated thermoplastic filament and a distal end from which the associated thermoplastic filament is advanced, wherein the proximal end includes a first filament gate and the distal end includes a second filament gate;

a dynamic filament driver having a proximal end for receiving the associated thermoplastic filament advanced from the static filament driver and a distal end from which the thermoplastic filament is advanced; and

and an extruder;

wherein the proximal end of the dynamic filament driver is connected to the distal end of the static driver through a flexible tubing having a passageway for transmitting the associated thermoplastic filament, and the distal end of the dynamic filament driver is attachable to a filament extrusion head including the extruder; and

wherein the static filament driver and dynamic filament driver cooperate to advance the associated thermoplastic filament at a steady rate regardless of movement or position of the dynamic filament driver relative to the static filament driver; and

the static filament driver and the dynamic filament driver are connected to a controller which operates them in unison to prevent any slippage of the thermoplastic filament; and

wherein the interdependent dual drive extrusion system further comprises a gantry system, a heated build platform and a heated filament extrusion end; and

the gantry system serves to transport the dynamic filament drive assembly, the filament extrusion hot end and a filament extrusion nozzle in the x, y, and z directions.

2. The drive system of claim 1 wherein a first filament gate at the proximal end of the static filament driver is a filament entry gate and a second filament gate disposed at the distal end of the static driver is a filament exit gate, wherein the filament entrance and exit gates are adapted to guide the associated filament into and out of the static filament driver.

3. The drive system of claim 1 wherein the static filament driver further comprises a drive roll driven by an electric motor.

4. The drive system of claim 1 wherein the static driver is connected to a flexible tubing through a detachable primary push connector.

5. The drive system of claim 1 further comprising a filament material holder, the filament material holder adapted to support a spool of thermoplastic filament.

6. The drive system of claim 4 wherein the thermoplastic filament material is selected from the group comprising acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), high impact polystyrene (HIPS), or poly vinyl alcohol.

7. The drive system of claim 1 wherein the proximal end of the dynamic driver includes a detachable secondary push connector that connects the dynamic driver to a flexible tubing.

8. The drive system of claim 1 wherein the flexible tubing is made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE).

9. A method for advancing a thermoplastic filament to be used in additive manufacturing application comprising:

providing a thermoplastic filament; and

advancing the thermoplastic filament with an interdependent dual drive extrusion system according to claim 1 having a static filament driver with a proximal end and a distal end, wherein a filament entry gate is disposed at the proximal end and a filament exit gate is disposed at the distal end, a dynamic and synergic filament driver having a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end is connected to the static drive system through a flexible element and the distal end is attachable to a filament extrusion nozzle.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the thickness of the thermoplastic filament ranges from about 1.75 mm to about 3 mm.