Multi-nozzle extruder for use in three-dimensional object printers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11034074-B2
Application number	US-201916405206-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2019
Priority date	Dec 8, 2015
Publication date	Jun 15, 2021
Grant date	Jun 15, 2021

Abstract

A controller operates a first actuator to produce relative movement between a multi-nozzle extrusion printhead and a support member along a predetermined path for one layer of a three-dimensional printed object. The multi-nozzle extrusion printhead includes a housing with a chamber, a valve assembly having a plurality of passageways, and a planar member having a plurality of nozzles. The passageways of the valve assembly and the nozzles of the planar member are connected to one another in a one-to-one correspondence and valve members of the valve assembly are operated to open and close melted extruded material flow to the nozzles selectively and independently.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A three-dimensional (3D) object printer comprising:
a support member;
a printhead having:
a housing in which a chamber is configured for storage of melted extrusion material and a plurality of passageways, each passageway in the plurality of passageways having a first end and a second end, the first end of each passageway is fluidically connected to the chamber so melted extrusion material flows from the chamber in the housing into the passageways and out of the housing at the second ends of each passageway;
a valve assembly having a plurality of passageways, each passageway in the valve assembly is transverse to the plurality of passageways in the housing so the passageways in the plurality of passageways in the valve assembly intersect the plurality of passageways in the housing between the first and the second ends of the passageways in the housing in a one-to-one correspondence, each passageway in the valve assembly includes a valve member configured to move bidirectionally in the passageway in which the valve member is located so the valve member extends across and retracts from the corresponding passageway in the housing to open and close the corresponding passageway in the housing selectively and independently of the other passageways in the valve assembly;
a planar member having a plurality of nozzles, each nozzle having a first end and a second end with a passageway that extends from the first end of the nozzle to the second end of the nozzle, the first end of each nozzle being flush with a first planar surface of the planar member that abuts a surface of the housing in which the second ends of the plurality of passageways in the housing are located and the second ends of the nozzles are flush with a second planar surface of the planar member that is on a side of the planar member that is opposite the first planar surface of the planar member, the first ends of the plurality of nozzles being fluidically connected to the second ends of the passageways in the plurality of passageways in the housing in a one-to-one correspondence so movement of the valve members in the passageways of the valve assembly selectively and independently opens and closes melted extrusion material flow into the nozzles in the planar member; and
at least one actuator configured to generate relative movement between the printhead and the support member.

2. The 3D object printer of claim 1 , the housing of the printhead further comprising:
a heater configured to melt extrusion in the chamber to form melted extrusion material.

3. The 3D object printer of claim 2 wherein the valve members are metal pins.

4. The 3D object printer of claim 3 , the planar member further comprising:
a coating of a low surface energy material.

5. The 3D object printer of claim 4 further comprising:
a memory configured to store image data corresponding to a plurality of layers for a three-dimensional object to be printed; and
a controller operatively connected to the valve assembly of the printhead, the at least one actuator, and the memory, the controller being configured to:
operate the at least one actuator using the image data in the memory to generate relative movement between the printhead and the support member along a first path;
operate at least one valve member in the valve assembly in the printhead to move the at least one valve member in the at least one passageway in the valve assembly in which the at least one valve member is positioned to open the corresponding passageway in the housing so melted extrusion material flows out of the corresponding passageway in the housing into the corresponding nozzle in the planar member as the relative movement between the printhead and the support member along the first path occurs to form a first swath;
operate the at least one actuator to generate relative movement between the printhead and the support member along a second path that is different than the first path; and
operate another valve member in the valve assembly that is different than the at least one valve member to move the other valve member in the passageway in which the other valve member is positioned to open the other corresponding passageway in the housing so melted extrusion material flows out of the other corresponding passageway into the nozzle in the planar member as the relative movement between the printhead and the support member along the second path occurs to form a second swath.

6. The 3D object printer of claim 5 , the controller being further configured to:
identify at least one nozzle in the plurality of nozzles that is not within a perimeter formed by the first swath; and
operate a valve member in the valve assembly that moves across the passageway in the housing to which the at least one identified nozzle is connected to close the passageway in the housing that is fluidically connected to the at least one identified nozzle to stop flow of the melted extrusion material from the at least one identified nozzle.

7. The 3D object printer of claim 6 , the controller being further configured to:
operate the at least one actuator to generate relative movement between the printhead and the support member along additional paths that are within the perimeter formed by the first swath;
identify one or more nozzles that extrude melted extrusion material within the perimeter formed by the first swath as the relative movement between the printhead and the support member occurs along the additional paths; and
operate valve members in the valve assembly to move the valve members across the passageways in the housing that are fluidically connected to the identified one or more nozzles to open the passageways in the housing that are fluidically connected to the identified one or more nozzles so melted extrusion material flows into the identified one or more nozzles and the melted extrusion material extruded from the identified one or more nozzles form a plurality of swaths within the perimeter formed by the first swath as the relative movement along the additional paths occurs.

8. The 3D object printer of claim 7 wherein the first path is a straight-line path.

9. The 3D object printer of claim 7 wherein the first path is a curved path.

10. The 3D object printer of claim 9 further comprising:
a second actuator configured to rotate the printhead about an axis perpendicular to the support member that extends between the printhead and the support member; and
the controller being further configured to:
identify a curved path for relative movement between the printhead and the support member that is within the perimeter formed by the first swath;
operate the at least one actuator so the relative movement between the printhead and the support member moves along the identified curved path within the perimeter formed by the first swath;
operate a valve member to move the valve member across the corresponding passageway in the housing that is fluidically connected to a nozzle that is within the perimeter formed by the first swath so melted extrusion material flows from the corresponding passageway in the housing that is fluidically connected to the nozzle within the perimeter formed by the first swath and is extruded by the nozzle that is within the perimeter formed by the first swath; and
operate the second actuator to oscillate the printhead about the axis during the relative movement along the identified curved path as the melted extrusion material is extruded from the nozzle that is within the perimeter formed by the first swath to form a swath with an oscillating pattern.

11. The 3D object printer of claim 10 , the controller being further configured to:
identify a frequency and

Assignees

• Xerox Corp

Inventors

• Mandel Barry P
• Mantell David A
• Nystrom Peter J

Classifications

• B29C48/92 Primary

  Measuring, controlling or regulating · CPC title

• B29C64/118

  using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM] · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C2948/92571

  Position, e.g. linear or angular · CPC title

• B29C2948/92904

  Die; Nozzle zone · CPC title