FILAMENT HEATERS CONFIGURED TO FACILITATE THERMAL TREATMENT OF FILAMENTS FOR EXTRUDER HEADS IN THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT PRINTERS

• Main Authors: REDDING GARY D, DAVID A MANTELL, CELLURA MARK A, CHRISTOPHER G LYNN, MA JUN, NYSTROM PETER J
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 10.05.2018
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TRANSPORTING; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide extruders used in three-dimensional object printers and, more specifically, heaters that melt filaments for extrusion in three-dimensional object printers.SOLUTION: An additive manufacturing system 100' includes a heater 208 for converting a filament 220 of extrusion material into thermoplastic material. The heater has a channel 232 configured to change the cross-sectional shape of the filament to a cross-sectional shape that has a greater surface area than the surface area of the filament before the heater receives the filament. The channel of the heater can also be configured to drive the center portion of the filament toward the heated walls of the channel and to mix the thermoplastic material in the channel while exposing the center portion of the filament to the heated wall of the channel.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】３次元物体プリンタにおいて使用される押出機、より具体的には、３次元物体プリンタにおける押出のためにフィラメントを溶融するヒータの提供。【解決手段】積層造形システム１００'は、押出材料のフィラメント２２０を熱可塑性材料に変換するためのヒータ２０８を含む。ヒータは、ヒータがフィラメントを受ける前にフィラメントの断面形状をフィラメントの表面積よりも大きい表面積を有する断面形状に変化させるように構成されたチャネル２３２を有する。ヒータのチャネルはまた、フィラメントの中央部をチャネルの加熱された壁に向かって駆動し、フィラメントの中央部をチャネルの加熱された壁に曝露させながらチャネル内の熱可塑性材料を混合するように構成されることもできる。【選択図】図１