CN223821092U - 3D printer consumables and 3D printers - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to a consumable assembly of a 3D printer and a 3D printer, wherein the consumable assembly (12) of the 3D printer (10) comprises a spool (200) carrying a winding filament (202). The spool is configured to be mounted into a spool cabinet (52) to maintain the filaments in a controlled environment. A filament key fob (204) carrying a spool chip (306) for identification data programming of consumable components is tethered to the spool. The filament key fob is configured to be received in a base (68) of the 3D printer outside of the controlled environment of the chamber (54) of the spool box while remaining tethered to a spool mounted in the chamber of the spool box.

Description

Consumable component of 3D printer and 3D printer

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to additive manufacturing systems for 3D printed parts by material extrusion techniques. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a consumable assembly of a 3D printer and a 3D printer having a spool of consumable filaments with an electronic identification device (sometimes referred to as a spool chip) carried in a filament key fob tethered to the spool and configured to communicate with the printer. All references disclosed herein are incorporated by reference.

Background

Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is typically a process of building a three-dimensional (3D) part by adding material to form the 3D part rather than subtracting the material as in conventional machining. Using one or more additive manufacturing techniques, three-dimensional solid parts of almost any shape can be printed from a digital model of the part by an additive manufacturing system (commonly referred to as a 3D printer). A typical additive manufacturing workflow includes cutting a three-dimensional computer model into thin cross-sections defining a series of layers, converting the results into two-dimensional positional data, and transmitting the data to a 3D printer that manufactures a three-dimensional structure in an additive build manner. Additive manufacturing involves many different manufacturing methods including material extrusion, inkjet, powder bed melting, adhesive jetting, direct energy deposition, electrophotographic imaging, and reductive photopolymerization (including digital photo-curing and stereolithography processes).

In a typical extrusion-based additive manufacturing system (e.g., the fused deposition modeling system developed by Stratasys, inc., EDENPRAIRIE, MN), 3D parts can be printed from a digital representation of the printed parts by extruding viscous, flowable thermoplastic material or filled thermoplastic material from a printhead along a cutter path at a controlled extrusion rate. The extruded material stream is deposited on the substrate in a series of paths, merging with previously deposited material on the substrate and solidifying as the temperature drops. The printhead includes a liquefier that receives a supply of thermoplastic material in the form of a flexible filament, and a nozzle tip for dispensing molten material. The filament drive mechanism engages the filament with, for example, a drive wheel and bearing surface or a pair of gears and feeds the filament into a liquefier where the filament is heated to a melt pool. The unmelted portion of the filament substantially fills the diameter of the liquefier tube, providing a plug-flow pumping action to extrude molten filament material from the tip downstream of the liquefier to print the part, thereby forming a continuous flow or knife path of resin material. The extrusion rate is not limited, but depends only on the feed rate of the filaments into the liquefier, and the filaments are advanced at a calculated feed rate to achieve a target extrusion rate, such as that disclosed in combus patent 6,547,995.

In addition to depositing thermoplastic resin in fused deposition modeling, the filament supply may also contain chopped particles or continuous fibers in the form of a filament material. The material may be deposited with or on top of the deposited thermoplastic resin layer or as a composite filament consisting of continuous fibers in a core, coated with thermoplastic resin shell portions. The continuous fibers may also be deposited in an uncoated state on top of or with the molten resin. The filament material is fed in a similar manner to a resin-only filament material using a similar filament driving mechanism.

In systems where the material is deposited generally in the form of planar layers, after each layer is formed, the position of the printhead relative to the substrate is incremented along an axis (perpendicular to the build plane) and the process is repeated to form a printed component similar to a digital representation. In the manufacture of printing components by depositing a layer of component material, a support layer or structure is typically built under overhanging portions or in the chambers of the printing component being built, which portions are not supported by the component material itself. The support structure may be constructed using the same deposition techniques as the deposition of the component materials. The host computer generates additional geometry as a support structure for the overhanging or free-space portions of the printing component being formed. The support material is then deposited according to the geometry generated during printing. The support material adheres to the component material during the manufacturing process and is removable from the finished printed component after the printing process is completed.

A multi-axis additive manufacturing system may be used to print 3D parts using fused deposition modeling techniques. The multi-axis system may include a robotic arm movable in multiple degrees of freedom. The multi-axis system may also include a build platform movable in two or more degrees of freedom and independent of the robotic arm movement to position the 3D part being built to counteract gravitational effects based on the part geometry. The extruder may be mounted at the end of the robotic arm and may be configured to extrude material at a plurality of flow rates, wherein movement of the robotic arm and build platform is synchronized with the flow rate of extruded material to build the 3D part. Multiple axes of motion may print 3D parts with complex tool paths, including a single continuous 3D tool path for the entire part, or multiple 3D tool paths configured to build a single part. The use of a 3D tool path may reduce problems with conventional planar tool path 3D printing, such as stair stepping (layer aliasing), seams, support requirements, etc. The geometry of the part features can be used to determine the print direction without printing the layers of the 3D part on a single build plane.

Regardless of the printing system architecture used, fused deposition modeling printing operations rely on extruding build material from a printhead at predictable extrusion rates and target extrusion rates, which in turn rely on reliable methods of delivering consumable feedstock material to the printhead. In the case of moisture sensitive filament materials, the filaments are preferably provided to the print head in a dry state (e.g., less than 300ppm by weight of water) to prevent moisture from adversely affecting the extrusion process. Thus, moisture barriers and/or drying systems may be provided for the filaments during transport, storage, and use in the printer, and desiccant materials may be included in the consumable assembly to assist in drying the filaments and to remain dry during storage, transport, and use of the printer. There is a need for improved methods and apparatus for filament feedstock delivery in 3D printing systems.

Disclosure of utility model

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a consumable assembly of a 3D printer, the consumable assembly comprising:

A spool carrying wound filaments, the spool configured to be mounted into a spool cabinet configured to hold the spool in a controlled environment and to provide filaments to a printhead of the 3D printer via a filament path;

A filament key fob comprising a spool chip retained in a spool chip housing, and

A tether separate from the filament path, the tether coupling the filament key fob to the spool and configured to allow the filament key fob to reach a base of the 3D printer located outside of the spool cabinet when the spool is installed in the spool cabinet and the tether remains coupled to the spool and the filament key fob.

In an embodiment, the consumable assembly further comprises a filament guide for attachment to the filament key fob during transport and storage.

In an embodiment, the spool chip housing is configured to be removably attached to the spool for shipping and storage.

In one embodiment, the spool chip includes an identification device for the consumable component.

In an embodiment, the spool chip is configured to be received in the cradle of the 3D printer to position the identification device near a corresponding spool chip interface of the 3D printer.

In one embodiment, the tether couples the spool chip housing to the spool shaft.

In an embodiment, the filament key fob further serves as a handle configured to be removably attached to the spool to allow the spool to be carried by the filament key fob for installation into the spool cabinet of the 3D printer.

In an embodiment, the spool chip housing is configured to be removably attached to edges of spaced apart walls of the spool.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a 3D printer, the 3D printer including:

a print head configured to receive a filament material;

A spool cabinet having a chamber configured to have a filament spool positioned therein and to provide a controlled environment for filaments on the filament spool, and

A base is located outside of the chamber of the spool cabinet and is configured to receive a spool chip housing for a spool chip of the filament spool to retain the spool chip outside of the controlled environment of the chamber.

In one embodiment, the spool cabinet includes a door that covers both the chamber and the base when the door is in a closed position.

In an embodiment, the spool chip housing is coupled to the filament spool by a tether, wherein the spool cabinet includes a door covering the chamber, the door including a gasket sealed to a frame of the spool cabinet, and wherein a portion of the tether extends between the gasket and the frame when the filament spool is within the spool cabinet and the spool chip housing is in the base.

In an embodiment, the base includes a recess positioned to allow the tether to be guided out of the spool chip housing when the spool chip housing is positioned in the base.

In an embodiment, the cradle includes a spool chip interface in the cradle configured to read data from, write data to, or otherwise interact with the spool chip.

In an embodiment, the spool chip and the spool chip housing include a filament spool hanger, and wherein the mount is configured to receive the filament spool hanger.

In an embodiment, the filament spool hanger comprises a detachable handle of the filament spool, and wherein the base is configured to receive the detachable handle of the filament spool.

One aspect of the present disclosure includes a consumable component of a 3D printer. The consumable assembly includes a spool carrying wound filaments, wherein the spool is configured to be mounted into a chamber of a spool cabinet to maintain the spool in a controlled environment, such as a heated or humidity controlled environment. A filament key fob carrying a spool chip programmed with identification data for consumable components is tethered to the spool. The filament key fob is configured to be received in a base of the 3D printer outside of the chamber and its controlled environment while remaining tethered to a spool mounted in the chamber of the spool box. The filament key fob of the consumable component carries a spool chip containing identification data of the consumable component and is tethered to the spool chip. The spool chip is configured to be received in a cradle of the 3D printer outside the chamber and to communicate with the 3D printer in the cradle. The tether of the consumable assembly couples the filament key fob to the spool and continues to couple the filament key fob to the spool when the filament key fob is received in the base of the exterior of the chamber of the spool cabinet. In another aspect of certain embodiments, the tether is connected to the shaft of the spool.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the spool chip includes an E-PROM chip, RFID tag, or other electronic identification device. In another aspect, the filament key fob is configured to be received in a base of a 3D printer to position the identification device near a corresponding spool chip interface of the 3D printer.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, the filament key fob is held in a housing configured to be attached to and detached from a spool. In another aspect, the housing is configured to function as a handle for carrying the spool when attached to the spool and is configured to be received in a base of the 3D printer when detached from the spool. The handle allows an operator to carry the consumable assembly to install and remove the spool in the spool box of the 3D printer while residing outside the heated environment of the spool box to keep the touch cool when the spool is installed in the spool box.

In another aspect, a handle formed by a filament key fob housing is configured to be removably attached to the edges of two spaced apart spool walls. The handle may include first and second snap-fit channels configured to snap-fit to edges of the spaced apart spool walls. The handle may also include a latch release mechanism configured to be manipulated to release the handle from the edge of the spaced apart spool walls. In another aspect, the latch release mechanism of the handle is further configured to act as a release mechanism for securing the handle in the base and releasing the handle from the base.

Another aspect of the disclosure includes a 3D printer configured to use a consumable assembly. The consumable assembly includes a spool carrying wound filaments, wherein the spool is configured to be mounted into a spool cabinet to maintain the spool in a controlled environment, such as a heated or humidity controlled environment. The spool chip of the consumable component contains identification data of the consumable component and can be tethered to the spool. The spool chip is configured to be received in a cradle of the 3D printer that is external to the spool cabinet and to communicate with the 3D printer while in the cradle. The tether of the consumable assembly couples the housing of the spool chip to the spool and continues to couple the spool chip housing to the spool when the spool chip is received in the mount external to the spool cabinet.

In another aspect of the disclosure, a 3D printer includes a printhead configured to receive filament material from a consumable assembly. The spool box of the 3D printer provides a chamber configured to have a filament spool positioned therein and to provide a controlled environment for filaments on the filament spool. The 3D printer includes a mount located outside the chamber configured to receive a spool chip housing for a spool chip of a filament spool to maintain the spool chip outside of the controlled environment of the chamber.

In another aspect of the disclosure, the spool cabinet includes a door that covers the chamber and the base when the door is in a closed position. The gasket of the door seals to the frame of the spool box. In embodiments where the spool chip housing of the spool chip is coupled to the filament spool by a tether, a portion of the tether extends between the gasket and the frame. In another aspect, the base of the 3D printer includes a recess positioned to allow the tether to be guided out of the spool chip housing when the spool chip housing is in the base.

In another aspect, the base of the 3D printer includes a spool chip interface therein configured to read data from, write data to, or otherwise interact with the spool chip. The 3D printer includes a controller configured to control a printing operation of the 3D printer, wherein the controller communicates with the spool chip through the spool chip interface.

In another aspect of some embodiments, the base is configured to receive a detachable handle of a filament spool that includes a spool chip housing. The base may include a latch receiving structure configured to receive a latch insertion member of the detachable handle to releasably secure the handle within the base.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a 3D printer configured to print 3D parts and support structures using one or more consumable components of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a front diagrammatic view of the 3D printer shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a front view of a spool cabinet of the 3D printer shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a consumable assembly of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4A is a perspective view of the consumable assembly shown in fig. 4, with a filament guide snapped into a filament key fob according to some embodiments.

Fig. 5-7 are exploded and perspective views of a removable filament key fob of the consumable assembly shown in fig. 4, optionally in the form of a handle.

Fig. 7A is a perspective view of the filament key fob shown in fig. 7 with a filament guide snapped into the filament key fob.

Fig. 8 to 10 are views of the spool cabinet of fig. 3, illustrating a process of installing consumable components.

Fig. 11 is a flow chart of a representative method according to the process shown in fig. 8-10.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure relates to consumable components for 3D printers, for example, wherein the consumable components include a spool configured to retain a supply of consumable filament material and a data tag including information about the filament. The consumable component includes a spool chip tethered to the spool or an electronic spool identification component, such as an E-PROM chip or RFID tag, retained within the housing. The spool chip of the consumable component contains identification data and/or other data of the consumable component. The spool is configured to be mounted into a spool box of a 3D printer, and a housing of a filament data key or filament keyfob is configured to be received in a chassis of the 3D printer external to the spool box and to communicate with the 3D printer in the chassis. Typically, the spool cabinet has a controlled (e.g., heated and/or dehumidified) environment within the printer, and the spool chip is sensitive to heat. The tether of the consumable assembly couples the filament data key to the spool and continues to couple the device to the spool as the spool chip is received in the cradle external to the spool cabinet. The geometry of the filament key fob retains it in the base.

In some embodiments, the housing of the filament data key is configured to be separately attached to the spool before and/or after use. In these embodiments, the spool chip housing may be removed from the spool after the spool is installed into the chamber of the spool cabinet, but still coupled to the spool by the tether. After the spool is installed into the cabinet, the spool chip is inserted into the chassis of the 3D printer located outside the chamber to keep the spool chip outside of the controlled (e.g., heated) environment within the chamber.

In some embodiments, the spool chip is held in a housing that is attached to and detached from the spool while being held separately from the spool by a tether. Attaching the spool chip housing to the spool reduces the likelihood of tether entanglement and device jamming during installation and removal of the spool. The housing may be configured to additionally function as a handle for the spool. For example, the spool chip housing is configured to attach to a sidewall or flange of the spool to provide a surface for grasping and manipulating the spool to a position within or near the 3D printer, and once the spool is installed in the 3D printer, to be detachable from the spool, allowing the spool to be rotated to dispense filaments to print the 3D part or related support material. The spool chip housing configured to act as a handle may be reattached to the spool after use so that the tactile hot spool may be removed from the machine using a tactile cool handle.

The spool chip may include and transmit information to the printer regarding the type of material, the filament diameter, and/or the remaining length of the filament on the spool, such as described in, by way of non-limiting example, stoneley (Stratasys) U.S. patent No. 6,022,207 and wheat button baud (MakerBot) U.S. patent No. 9,233,504, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The spool chip may be any electronically readable device, such as an electronically readable and writable circuit board or an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) device. The spool chip may be configured to store and update data, specifications, and other information about filaments wound on the spool. The spool chip acts as a data tag and may include a variety of functions. For example, the characteristic data stored on the spool chip may include at least one of a material identification number, a build material type, a build material diameter, an extruder temperature requirement, a build material melt temperature, a build material color lot number, a build material unit cost, a build material density, a build material tensile strength, a build material viscosity, a build material recovery code, a build material expiration date, or other characteristic information suitable for use in a three-dimensional printer. The spool chip can also be used to track the linear feet of filaments on the spool. The data may include non-executable code that contains information such as the length of filament remaining on the spool, the type of material, the average outer diameter of the filament, lot number, the number of times the spool is loaded into the 3D printer, the storage conditions required to keep the filament spool in the cabinet, and the like. The 3D printer may query the spool chip to verify spool material information and OEM validation, track the length or volume of material drawn from the spool during printing, or verify or monitor other data related to the material on the spool. As the filaments are advanced to the extruder, the printer tracks the amount of material paid out from the spool or commands the amount of material to be extruded and subtracts the amount from the total amount on the device. The 3D printer may then write back to the hub chip to update the stored information. In another aspect, the spool chip may encode a unique identifier of the consumable component that may be used by the printer, for example in conjunction with a remote network resource, to determine properties of the build material, and thereby further determine operating parameters of a manufacturing process in which the build material is used. The printer may use the material type information to configure machine parameters suitable for manufacturing parts from that particular material.

Various types of consumable components may be used in embodiments of the present disclosure to supply coiled filaments. The term used herein to describe the container of consumable filament material includes bobbins, containers, cans, cartridges, and the like. Unless a different meaning is explicitly provided or clear from the context, all such terms are intended to refer to a container or the like that typically holds and winds filament material and provides such material as consumable printing material to a 3D printer.

Consumables for 3D printing have previously included electronics (sometimes referred to as "spool chips" or "spool labels") to maintain and provide filament data for 3D printers in a variety of ways. The spool chip may be any device or combination of devices suitable for storing data related to the filament material. For example, this may include Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags (e.g., active or passive RFID tags), optically identifiable tags (e.g., bar codes, quick-read (QR) codes, etc.), magnetically identifiable tags (e.g., magnetic strips), or any other tag that can be automatically detected and correlated by a controller to identify material information on a spool. The sensor reading the data from the spool chip can automatically identify the filament material and provide data to the controller regarding the type of build material, etc. For example, as disclosed in U.S. patent No. 7,063,285, the spool may be contained within the consumable component and the spool chip mounted to the consumable component. For example, as disclosed in U.S. patent No. 9,073,263, the spool may be assembled in a consumable assembly and further packaged with an associated printhead including a spool chip. Once the consumable is installed into the printer, a sensor or reader on the 3D printer automatically reads the spool. In other prior consumable assemblies, as disclosed in U.S. patent No. 7,938,351, a filament spool is provided with a separate assembly containing a spool chip through which the wire is initially fed. The user passes the wire through the assembly, then disposes the spool and assembly into the material container, and loads the material container into the 3D printer for operation. Since the components containing the spool chip may all look the same and different wire materials may have different usage specifications stored on the spool chip, loss of an unattached chip component or unexpected mismatch of the chip component with the material on the spool may result in part errors and/or inoperability of the consumable component. The present disclosure prevents this potential problem by connecting the spool and removable spool chips together, optionally forming a handle from the spool chip housing, and a tether.

While the exemplary embodiments are described with reference to a tethered spool chip housing or a filament key fob (which may also be used as a handle), it is not required that the spool chip housing also be used as a handle nor that the spool chip housing be attached or secured to the spool independent of the tethered connection. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the handle is tethered to the spool, but it is not required that the handle include a spool chip.

The filament material may include, for example, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ("ABS"), polycarbonate, nylon, composites, fillers, support materials, or any other suitable plastic, thermoplastic, or other material that may be effectively extruded to print an object. In some embodiments, the environment that holds the spool and filaments is at an elevated temperature, which can damage or destroy the spool chip (e.g., memory chip). For example, the types of materials contained on the spool may include thermoplastic resin materials (e.g., nylon 12, PC, ASA and Ultem9085, PES, PPSU, PEKK and PEI), continuous carbon fibers, or core/shell combinations of fibers and resins. These materials may be maintained at temperatures above 100 ℃ to ensure that the filaments do not absorb moisture during storage or printing. Because the spool chip is retained within the spool chip housing, optionally in the disclosed embodiments, the spool chip housing is configured as a handle that is removable from the spool, the removed housing or handle may be retained in a position outside of the optional heating environment to protect the chip while allowing the 3D printer to read and use the information. However, the handle need not include a spool chip or other electronic device in all embodiments, but rather, in embodiments including a spool chip, the spool chip housing need not form a handle in all embodiments. In embodiments with tethered handles, whether the handle includes a spool chip or not, storing the handle in a location outside of the heated environment allows the operator to retrieve the handle that remains at ambient conditions or at a "touch safe" temperature below 60 ℃ and use the handle to remove the heated spool without waiting for the spool to cool to a temperature that can be tolerated by the operator's hand. If the spool cabinet 52 is not maintained at an elevated temperature, the handle will still provide a convenient and beneficial method of removing the spool after use because the material spool is typically very heavy and the spool can be recessed into the spool compartment, making removal difficult, especially at elevated temperatures. The spool chip and housing are also referred to herein as a filament key fob.

The handle or filament key fob is configured to be snapped and released, for example, attached to both sidewall peripheral edges (also referred to as flanges) of the spool as a convenient way of picking up the spool. When the handle is held, the spool is stationary relative to the handle, which allows the spool to be loaded into a cradle in the 3D printer or positioned near the 3D printer. After loading the spool into the cradle, the handle is removed to allow the spool to rotate about the shaft to dispense the filaments. In embodiments where the handle includes a spool chip, the handle is then loaded into a socket or port in the cradle outside of any heating environment, the socket or port configured to read information on the memory and send a signal to the controller to provide information contained in the memory. In some embodiments, if the handle is not located in the port, the 3D printer will not be able to identify the loaded spool and will not allow the 3D printer to use the spool in a printing operation. In other embodiments, the 3D printer may identify the spool chip, such as an RFID chip using near field communication, even if the spool chip is not located in the port.

The present disclosure may be used with any suitable extrusion-based 3D printer. For example, fig. 1 and 2 show front and front schematic views of a 3D printer 10 having a generally horizontal print plane, wherein when components are printed in a layer-by-layer manner using two printheads 18, the printed components are indexed in a generally vertical direction. The illustrated 3D printer 10 uses one or more consumable components 12, wherein each consumable component 12 is an easily loadable, removable, and replaceable spool that retains a supply of consumable filaments for printing using the 3D printer 10. Typically, one of the consumable components 12 contains filaments of part material, while the other consumable component 12 contains filaments of support material, each of which supplies material to one of the printheads 18. The structure of the two consumable components 12 may be identical.

Each printhead 18 is an easily loadable, removable and replaceable device that includes a housing that houses a liquefier assembly 20 having a nozzle tip 14. Each printhead 18 is configured to receive consumable material, melt the material in liquefier assembly 20 to produce molten material, and deposit the molten material from nozzle tip 14 of liquefier assembly 20. Examples of liquefier assemblies suitable for printhead 18 include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,004,124 to Swanson et al, U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,470 to LaBossiere et al, U.S. Pat. No. 7,625,200 to Leavitt, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,439,665 to Batchelder et al. Other suitable liquefier assemblies include those disclosed in U.S. patent No. 9,327,447 and U.S. patent No. 10,131,131, and those disclosed in PCT publication No. WO2016014543 a.

Conduit 16 interconnects consumable assembly 12 and printhead 18, wherein a drive mechanism of printhead 18 (or 3D printer 10) pulls a continuous segment of consumable filaments from consumable assembly 12, through conduit 16, to liquefier assembly 20 of printhead 18. In this embodiment, the conduit 16 may be a component of the 3D printer 10, rather than a sub-component of the consumable component 12. In other embodiments, the conduit 16 is a sub-assembly of the consumable components 12 and is interchangeable with each consumable component 12 to the 3D printer 10 and from the 3D printer 10. During the build operation, successive segments of consumable filaments driven into printhead 18 are heated and melted in liquefier assembly 20. The melted material is extruded through the nozzle tip 14 in a layered pattern to create the printed component.

The 3D printer 10 prints 3D parts or models and corresponding support structures (e.g., 3D parts 22 and support structures 24) from the parts and support material filaments, respectively, of the consumable assembly 12 using layer-based additive manufacturing techniques. The exemplary 3D printer 10 prints components or models and corresponding support structures from filaments provided by the consumable assembly 12 by extruding a molten material path along a cutter path. During the build operation, successive segments of consumable filaments are driven into the appropriate printheads using filament drives, wherein the filaments are heated and melted in a printhead liquefier. The melted material is extruded through the printhead nozzle tips in a layered pattern to create a printed component. In some embodiments, the print head moves in a plane and the build platen moves along the print axis to print the part and support structure. In other embodiments, a three-dimensional tool path may be utilized. In some embodiments, the robot moves with five or more degrees of freedom to print the parts. Typically, the printer will print the part material and the support material, and each consumable assembly will supply part material filaments or support material filaments to a printhead designed for printing the part material or support material, respectively. Suitable 3D printers for 3D printer 10 include extrusion-based systems developed by the company stetazicar (trade mark "FDM") in the meadow, EDENPRAIRIE, MN, minnesota.

As shown, the 3D printer 10 includes a system housing 26, a chamber 28, a platen 30, a platen gantry 32, a head carriage 34, and a head gantry 36. The system housing 26 is a structural component of the 3D printer 10 and may include a plurality of structural sub-components, such as a support frame, housing walls, and the like. In some embodiments, the system housing 26 may include a spool cabinet 52 configured to receive the consumable assembly 12. The consumable assembly is loaded into a container carrier or spool cabinet 52 in which spools and filaments can be preheated and/or dried. Although two particular spool pieces are labeled in fig. 1 and 2, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to any particular number of spool pieces or locations of spool pieces. The chamber 28 is a closed environment containing a platen 30 for printing the 3D part 22 and the support structure 24. The chamber 28 may be heated (e.g., with circulated heated air) to reduce the cure rate of the components and support material after extrusion and deposition (e.g., to reduce warpage and curl).

The platen 30 is a platform upon which the 3D part 22 and support structure 24 are printed in a layer-by-layer manner and supported by a platen gantry 32. In some embodiments, the platen 30 may engage and support a build substrate, which may be a tray substrate as disclosed in U.S. patent No. 7,127,309 to Dunn et al, made of plastic, corrugated board, or other suitable material, and may also include a flexible polymer film or liner, painted cloth tape, polyimide tape, or other disposable article for adhering the deposited material to the platen 30 or build substrate. Platen gantry 32 is a gantry assembly configured to move platen 30 along (or substantially along) a vertical z-axis.

The head carriage 34 is a unit configured to receive and hold one or both printheads 18 and is supported by a head gantry 36. The head carriage 34 preferably holds each printhead 18 in a manner that prevents or limits movement of the printhead 18 relative to the head carriage 34 such that the nozzle tips 14 remain in the x-y build plane, but allows the nozzle tips 14 of the printheads 18 to be controllably moved out of the x-y build plane by movement (e.g., servo, switching, or pivotally switching) of at least a portion of the head carriage 34 relative to the x-y build plane.

In the illustrated embodiment, the head gantry 36 is a robotic mechanism configured to move the head carriage 34 (and the held printheads 18) in a horizontal x-y plane (or generally in a horizontal x-y plane) above the platen 30. Examples of gantry assemblies suitable for the head gantry 36 include those disclosed in U.S. patent No. 6,722,872 to Swanson et al and U.S. publication No. 2013/0078073 to Comb et al, wherein the head gantry 36 may also support a deformable baffle (not shown) that defines the ceiling of the chamber 28. The head gantry 36 may utilize any suitable bridge gantry or robotic mechanism to move the head carriage 34 (and retained printheads 18), such as with one or more motors (e.g., stepper motors and coded dc motors), winches, pulleys, belts, screws, robotic arms, and the like.

In alternative embodiments, platen 30 may be configured to move in a horizontal x-y plane within chamber 28, and head carriage 34 (and printhead 18) may be configured to move along the z-axis. Other similar arrangements may also be used such that one or both of platen 30 and printhead 18 are movable relative to each other. Platen 30 and head carriage 34 (and printhead 18) may also be oriented along different axes. For example, platen 30 may be oriented vertically, while printhead 18 may print 3D part 22 and support structure 24 along the x-axis or the y-axis.

The system 10 also includes a controller component 38, which may include one or more control circuits (e.g., a controller 40) and/or one or more host computers (e.g., a computer 42), configured to monitor and operate components of the 3D printer 10. For example, one or more control functions performed by the controller component 38 (e.g., performing mobile compiler functions) may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, etc., or a combination thereof, and may include computer-based hardware, such as data storage devices, processors, memory modules, etc., which may be external and/or internal features of the 3D printer 10.

The controller assembly 38 may be in communication with the printhead 18, the chamber 28 (e.g., a heating unit of the chamber 28), the head carriage 34, the platen gantry 32, and the motors of the head gantry 36, as well as various sensors, calibration devices, display devices, and/or user input devices via communication lines 44. In some embodiments, the controller assembly 38 may also be in communication with one or more of the platen 30, the platen gantry 32, the head gantry 36, and any other suitable components of the 3D printer 10. Although a single signal line is shown, communication line 44 may include one or more electrical, optical, and/or wireless signal lines, which may be external and/or internal features of 3D printer 10, allowing controller assembly 38 to communicate with various components of 3D printer 10.

During operation, the controller assembly 38 may direct the platen gantry 32 to move the platen 30 to a predetermined height within the chamber 28. The controller assembly 38 may then direct the head gantry 36 to move the head carriage 34 (and the held printheads 18) in a horizontal x-y plane above the chamber 28. The controller assembly 38 may also direct the printhead 18 to selectively pull successive segments of consumable filaments from the consumable assembly 12 and the conduit 16, respectively.

Although fig. 1 illustrates a 3D printer 10 in which the build plane is located in a generally horizontal x-y plane and the platen 30 moves in a z-direction generally perpendicular to the generally horizontal x-y build plane, the present disclosure is not limited to 3D printers 10 as illustrated in fig. 1. Rather, the consumable assembly of the present disclosure may be used with any 3D printer, including, but not limited to printing on a generally perpendicular print plane and moving the platen in a direction generally normal to the generally perpendicular print plane. Regardless of which 3D printer is used, embodiments of the disclosed consumable assembly may be used in filament-based 3D printing systems.

Referring now to fig. 3, a single spool box 52 from the system housing 26 is shown, with heating or drying being optional. The spool cabinet 52 includes a chamber 54 formed within a cabinet frame 56, and a cabinet door 58 coupled to the cabinet frame 56 by a hinge 60 such that the door can be opened and closed to allow insertion or removal of the consumable assembly 12. Since the chamber 54 may be heated to preheat the consumable assembly to aid in the 3D printing process, the door 58 includes a gasket 62 configured to seal against the cabinet 56 to help contain thermal energy within the chamber. Certain types of filaments can absorb moisture from the air, resulting in unacceptable print quality. The spool cabinet 52 may also include a shaft channel 64 configured to receive a shaft of a consumable assembly spool when positioned within the chamber 54. Other consumable component mounting mechanisms may be included in addition to the shaft channel 64, or in lieu of the shaft channel 64. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the spool cabinet 52 also includes a filament guide socket 66 into which a filament guide (as shown in fig. 9-10) may be inserted to help guide filaments from the spool into the drive of the 3D printer. In some embodiments, the filament guide may include a consumable component.

In some exemplary embodiments, the spool cabinet 52 further includes a base 68 configured to receive a filament key fob containing a spool chip or spool identification assembly. The base 68 may include a recess 74 configured to allow routing of the tether 206 from the spool chip housing. As described with reference to fig. 4-7, a filament key fob may be inserted into the base 68 with the latch receiving structure 70 interacting with the corresponding components of the device. The base 68 may also include an electronic spool chip interface 72, such as a memory chip interface, configured to read data from, write data to, or otherwise interact with the spool chip of the filament key fob. The base 68 is located outside of the heated chamber 54 such that when the door 58 is closed to form a seal between the gasket 62 and the cabinet 56, the equipment located in the base 68 will remain at a lower temperature (relative to the temperature of the chamber 54) when heated, even though the equipment is coupled to the spool by the tether 206. This allows the filament key fob to be maintained at a temperature that an operator can touch and also protects any electronics from high temperatures within the chamber 54. For example, some chip designs cannot be exposed to temperatures above 60 ℃, but typical spool cabinet temperatures for heating filaments far exceed this temperature. In some embodiments, the base 68 is positioned such that the base and electronics are covered by the door 58 when closed to heat the chamber 54. However, in other embodiments, if the printing operation is performed at a temperature below 60 ℃, the base 68 may be located elsewhere and not covered by the door 58. The present disclosure encompasses one or more spool cabinets and one or more consumable components.

Referring now to fig. 4 and 4A, an exemplary embodiment of a consumable assembly 12 having a spool 200 on which a consumable filament 202 is wound and a filament key fob 204 including a spool chip 306 held in a housing and connected to the spool by a tether 206 is shown. The tether 206 couples the filament key fob 204 to the spool and is separate from any device that provides a filament path between the spool and the printer. As an example of the spool chip including structure, a filament key fob 204 is provided that in the illustrated embodiment is configured as a detachable handle for the spool 200. Although the exemplary embodiment is described with reference to a filament key fob 204 as a handle, the device 204 may be any spool chip or electronic device that is held in a housing but does not function as a handle. Also included in the embodiment shown in fig. 4A is a filament guide 350 that may be attached to the spool 200 by a snap fit with the housing of the filament key fob 204.

Spool 200 includes a pair of spaced spool walls or flanges 208 and 210, a hub 214, a central passage 220 extending longitudinally through the hub, and a shaft 212 retained within the central passage of the hub. In an exemplary embodiment, the consumable assembly 12 may include a self-aligning feature that prevents the spool from being mounted back or in another misaligned manner. By way of example, the consumable assembly 12 may include features that allow the shaft 212 to be placed into the central channel 220 of the hub 214 in only one direction. To prevent the shaft from being inserted into the spool by mistake, the geometry of the central passage 220 and shaft 212 may be such that attempts to insert the shaft into the central passage from the spool wall 210 will not succeed. An example of such a geometry and feature is disclosed in U.S. patent No. 10,422,179 to Koop et al. The spool wall and hub define a filament winding area 218 for storing the wound filaments 202. The tether 206 is connected between the shaft 212 and the housing of the filament key fob 204 such that the spool wall and hub can remain tethered together when rotated about the shaft and the handle is located in the base 68. The tether 206 is thin enough so that when the door of the spool cabinet 52 is closed, the gasket 62 of the door seals against the tether and the frame. In some embodiments, flanges 208 and 210 include notches 216 configured to receive end pieces of filaments 202 to prevent the filaments from unraveling during storage or transport.

The exemplary filament key fob 204 is configured for dual use as a handle for a 3D printer operator to carry the spool 200 to or from a 3D printer and to load and unload the spool from the spool cabinet 52. Fig. 5-7A further illustrate a filament key fob 204 in an example embodiment. As best shown in the exploded perspective view of fig. 5, the filament key fob 204 includes a housing, which in the illustrated embodiment includes first and second housing members 302 and 304, which in an exemplary embodiment may be molded plastic members. A spool chip 306 (an electronic device such as a memory chip) is located in a receptacle 308 of the first housing member 302, the receptacle 308 being positioned adjacent to the electronic device interface 72 of the base 68 when the handle is inserted into the base. A tether attachment mechanism 310 is also included in one or both of the first and second housing pieces 302 and 304, with the tether 206 attached to the mechanism 310. For ease of illustration, only a portion of tether 206 is shown in fig. 5. The tether 206 must be of sufficient length to allow the filament key fob 204 to be inserted into the base 68 while maintaining attachment to the shaft 212 within the spool box.

The filament key fob 204 of the illustrated embodiment is configured as a snap-fit handle configured to snap-fit onto the peripheral edges of the spool walls 208 and 210 of the spool 200 or onto structures within the base 68. The first and second snap-fit channels 320 and 322 of the filament key fob 204 are best shown in fig. 7 and 7A. A channel 322 is formed between the latch insert member 312 having the rear tab 314 and a second channel member 324. The latch insertion member 312 includes a tab 326, the tab 326 locking the filament key fob 204 in place after insertion of the member 312 into the latch receiving structure 70 of the base 68 or after receiving the outer peripheral portion of the spool wall 208 into the channel 322. The rear tab 314 extends through a tab receiving aperture 316 of the second handle member 304 to provide a latch release mechanism 318. Deflecting tab 314, such as by an operator's thumb, moves tab 326 to allow release from receiving structure 70 of base 68, or release spool wall 208 from channel 322. Fig. 7A illustrates an optional feature of the filament guide 350 that snaps into the housing of the filament key fob 204.

Fig. 8-10 illustrate a process of installing the consumable assembly 12 into the spool cabinet 52 of the 3D printer 10 in preparation for printing. The spool 200, which contains the consumable components of the filaments 202, is transported into a spool cabinet. For example, although any method may be used to transport spool 200, it is preferred that the spool be carried by a filament key fob 204 that is releasably secured to spool walls 208 and 210. With the door 58 in the open position, the spool is loaded into the chamber 54 with the shaft 212 positioned in the shaft passage 64. Fig. 8 shows this spool position, where the filament key fob 204 is still attached to spool walls 208 and 210, and the handle is coupled to the shaft 212 (or other location on the spool 200) by the tether 206.

Referring now more particularly to fig. 9, when the spool is loaded into the chamber 54 of the spool box, a filament guide 350 (which may accompany the spool 200 in the consumable assembly 12 in some embodiments) is inserted into the receptacle 66 to guide the filament from the spool to the conduit 16 (as shown in fig. 2). Filament guides 350 in the socket 66 provide a filament path from near the spool 200 through the guide tube 16 to an extruder (e.g., print head 18) or to a drive mechanism for the print head 18. The filament key fob 204 is separated from the spool wall, for example, by unlocking the filament key fob handle using a latch release mechanism 318. The filament key fob 204 remains connected to the spool 200 by the tether 206 after separation from the bearing position on the spool wall. The filaments 202 are then removed from the recess 216 in one of the spool walls and fed into the guide 350. The filaments may then be fed into the 3D printer by advancing the filaments from the spool along a closed filament feed path created by the filament guide 350 and the filament guide tube. Next, as best shown in fig. 10, the filament key fob 204 is inserted into the base 68 and the latch insertion member 312 is received in the latch receiving structure 70 to secure the filament key fob handle in place. After the filament key fob 204 is inserted into the base 68, the connection point of the tether 206 is located near the notch 74, which allows the tether 206 to extend from the base and up to its connection with the spool 200. Inserting the filament key fob 204 into the base 68 allows for storage of the filament key fob handle in a position that is not affected by the high temperatures of the chamber 54 of the spool box 52. When closed, door 58, gasket 62, and cabinet 56 contain heat from chamber 54, keeping filament key fob 204 relatively cool. This allows the operator to safely remove the filament key fob handle by hand when the spool 200 is to be removed from the spool cabinet. It also provides an unheated point of contact for the operator to grasp the spool in the spool box. In embodiments with a memory chip or other electronic device in the handle, this may also protect the device from damage due to exposure to high temperatures.

After inserting the filament key fob 204 into the base 68, the base interface 72 is used to read data from the spool chip 306 to identify information such as material type, quantity, required spool cabinet temperature, etc. In some 3D printers, the controller assembly 38 will not allow use of the filaments from the spool until the data from the chip is read.

After printing is complete, the filaments are clamped and the end piece is inserted into a recess 216 in one of the spool walls 208 and 210 for convenient storage. The filament key fob 204 is removed from the base 68 by manipulation of the latch release mechanism 318 and then reattached to the periphery of the spool wall, preferably on the filament ends located in the notches 216 which secure the filament ends in place. Using the filament key fob handle, the spool 200 can be removed from the spool cabinet 52 and carried away for storage.

The above embodiments illustrate a method of treating a fused deposition modeling filament spool 200. One such exemplary method embodiment is shown in flow chart 400 in fig. 11. As discussed, the spool is transported with the spool chip or with a filament key fob coupled to the spool by a tether. This is indicated in block 402. For example, in some embodiments, the filament spool 200 is carried by a filament key fob 204 configured as a handle and secured to spaced spool walls 208, 210. As discussed, in exemplary embodiments, the handle is also coupled to the spool by a tether and may include a spool chip or spool identification assembly electrical device. As shown in block 404, the spool is located in the chamber 54 of the spool cabinet 52. In some embodiments including a handle, the handle is used to position the spool in the chamber 54 of the spool box 52, which may optionally be of a type that provides heating or other controlled environment to dry the filaments wound on the spool. When the spool is in the chamber, the housing (e.g., handle) of the filament key fob is removed from the spool but still coupled to the spool by the tether. This is represented in block 406 in fig. 11. As shown in block 408, the tethered spool chip housing is located in a mount outside of the controlled environment of the chamber. In some exemplary method embodiments, steps 402-408 represent the scope of the method. However, in other embodiments, further steps 410-416 are included.

As shown in block 409 of fig. 11, in an embodiment including a filament guide 350 with spool 200, the user removes the filament guide 350 from the filament key fob 204 and inserts it into the receptacle 66 of the printer, and then feeds the loose end of the filament into the filament guide 350 to begin delivering the filament to the print head. Depending on the design, the filament guide is typically removed prior to positioning the filament key fob in the base, but this is not the case in all embodiments. As shown in block 410 of fig. 11, in some embodiments, when the spool is positioned in the chamber and the handle or other filament key fob is positioned in the base, the spool and filament are heated or otherwise exposed to a controlled environment while the handle is maintained at a lower temperature or in a different environment. This may be accomplished, for example, by closing a door of a spool cabinet and heating the spool and filaments, with the tether extending between the door or door seal and the cabinet frame, so that the handle or other spool chip housing may remain outside of the heated environment. In an exemplary embodiment, the spool and filament are heated to a temperature above 50 degrees celsius, and typically to a temperature above 100 degrees celsius, to ensure that the filament does not absorb moisture, but the handle or spool chip housing remains at a temperature below 50 degrees celsius.

When it is desired to remove the spool from the heated environment of the cabinet chamber, the door is opened and the filament key fob or handle is removed from the base, as shown in block 412 of fig. 11. As shown in block 414, in the example of a handle, the lower temperature handle is secured to the spool wall, for example using the snap fit connection discussed above. In some advantageous embodiments, since the plurality of filament securing notches 216 are located around the peripheral edges of the spool walls 208 and 210, the handle is secured to a portion of the spool wall proximate one of the notches to help manage the cut ends of the filaments. Further, in embodiments using a handle, the spool is then removed from the cabinet using the handle, as shown in block 416. In addition, the filament guide 350 may be reattached to the handle or filament key fob if desired.

Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Claims (15)

1. A consumable assembly of a 3D printer, the consumable assembly comprising:

A spool carrying wound filaments, the spool configured to be mounted into a spool cabinet configured to hold the spool in a controlled environment and provide filaments to a printhead of the 3D printer via a filament path;

a filament key fob comprising a spool chip retained in a spool chip housing, and

A tether separate from the filament path, the tether coupling the filament key fob to the spool and configured to allow the filament key fob to reach a base of the 3D printer located outside of the spool cabinet when the spool is installed in the spool cabinet and the tether remains coupled to the spool and the filament key fob.

2. The consumable assembly of claim 1, further comprising a filament guide for attachment to the filament key fob during transportation and storage.

3. The consumable assembly of claim 1, wherein the spool chip housing is configured to be removably attached to the spool for shipping and storage.

4. A consumable assembly according to claim 3, wherein the spool chip comprises identification means for the consumable assembly.

5. The consumable assembly of claim 4, wherein the spool chip is configured to be received in the cradle of the 3D printer to position the identification device near a corresponding spool chip interface of the 3D printer.

6. The consumable assembly of claim 2, wherein the tether couples the spool chip housing to a shaft of the spool.

7. The consumable assembly of claim 2, wherein the filament key fob is further used as a handle configured to be removably attached to the spool to allow the spool to be carried by the filament key fob for installation into the spool cabinet of the 3D printer.

8. The consumable assembly of claim 2, wherein the spool chip housing is configured to be removably attached to edges of spaced apart walls of the spool.

9. A 3D printer, comprising:

A print head configured to receive a filament material;

a spool cabinet having a chamber configured to have a filament spool positioned in the chamber and to provide a controlled environment for filaments on the filament spool, and

A base located outside of the chamber of the spool cabinet and configured to receive a spool chip housing for a spool chip of the filament spool to retain the spool chip outside of the controlled environment of the chamber.

10. The 3D printer of claim 9, wherein the spool cabinet includes a door that covers both the chamber and the base when the door is in a closed position.

11. The 3D printer of claim 9, wherein the spool chip housing is coupled to the filament spool by a tether, wherein the spool cabinet includes a door covering the chamber, the door including a gasket sealed to a frame of the spool cabinet, and wherein a portion of the tether extends between the gasket and the frame when the filament spool is within the spool cabinet and the spool chip housing is in the base.

12. The 3D printer of claim 11, wherein the base includes a recess positioned to allow the tether to be guided out of the spool chip housing when the spool chip housing is in the base.

13. The 3D printer of claim 9, wherein the base includes a spool chip interface in the base configured to read data from or write data to the spool chip.

14. The 3D printer of claim 9, wherein the spool chip and the spool chip housing comprise filament spool pendants, and wherein the base is configured to receive the filament spool pendants.

15. The 3D printer of claim 9, wherein the filament spool hanger comprises a detachable handle of the filament spool, and wherein the base is configured to receive the detachable handle of the filament spool.