Three-dimensional printer tool systems

• US 10,214,004 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• 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, Thu Khanh T
• Application Number:
  US15/337,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20170043536A1
• Time in Patent Office: 851 Days
• Field of Search: 425145, 425150, 425375, 425112, 425113, 700118, 700119, 700120
• 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 system comprising:

a three-dimensional printer;

a number of tools including an extruder;

a tool crib including a number of bins to receive the number of tools;

a sensor system to detect a presence of the tools in the bins;

an active element to manipulate one of the tools in one of the bins, the active element including a heating element;

a robotic system to pick and place the number of tools in the number of bins, the robotic system including an x-y-z positioning system having an operating envelope that provides a shared workspace for the tool crib and the three-dimensional printer; and

a controller configured to control operation of the sensor system, the active element, and the robotic system, wherein the controller is configured to preheat the extruder with the heating element prior to use in a three-dimensional printing process, and wherein the controller is configured to clean the extruder within the tool crib.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of tools includes a camera.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of tools includes a milling tool.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of tools includes two or more extruders having different extrusion diameters.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of tools includes two or more extruders having different input diameters.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the number of tools includes two or more extruders having different extrusion shapes.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor system is configured to identify a type of tool in each of the bins.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the active element includes a tool cleaner.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the tool cleaner includes a wiper to remove excess build material from the extruder.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the tool cleaner is configured to extrude remaining filament from the extruder.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a purge bin to receive extruded filament from the extruder.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional printer is configured to detect a failure of an extruder and to replace the extruder with a second extruder from the tool crib.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a controller of the three-dimensional printer.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller includes an interface for communicating with the three-dimensional printer to perform one or more of:

providing diagnostic information through the interface, providing status information through the interface, and receiving instructions for operation of the tool crib through the interface.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the robotic system includes one or more magnetic couplings for handling the number of tools.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the number of tools includes one or more magnets for handling by the robotic system.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to clean the extruder by displacing a build material in the extruder under pressure.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to clean the extruder by sterilizing the extruder.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to clean the extruder by heating the extruder to a high temperature.

20. A system comprising:

a three-dimensional printer;

a number of tools including an extruder;

a tool crib including a number of bins to receive the number of tools;

a sensor system to detect a presence of the tools in the bins;

an active element to manipulate one of the tools in one of the bins, the active element including a heating element;

a robotic system to pick and place the number of tools in the number of bins, the robotic system including an x-y-z positioning system of the three-dimensional printer, wherein the tool crib and the three-dimensional printer are positioned within a shared workspace accessible by the x-y-z positioning system; and

a controller configured to control operation of the sensor system, the active element, and the robotic system, wherein the controller is configured to preheat the extruder with the heating element prior to use in a three-dimensional printing process, and wherein the controller is configured to clean the extruder within the tool crib.