Plasticizing device and three dimensional modeling apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11230059-B2
Application number	US-201916596872-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2019
Priority date	Oct 10, 2018
Publication date	Jan 25, 2022
Grant date	Jan 25, 2022

Abstract

A plasticizing device includes a rotor having a rotation shaft and a groove-formed surface that includes a groove formed in the rotation direction and that inclined from the rotation shaft in a radial direction with respect to a radial direction orthogonal to the center axis, a facing unit having a facing surface inclined so as to face the groove-formed surface in the radial direction, a heater heating a material to be supplied between the facing surface and the rotor, and a communication hole through which the material plasticized by heat of the heater flows, a drive motor generating rotational driving force, a connection unit fitting to the rotor in a direction along a rotation shaft of the drive motor, connecting the rotation shaft of the drive motor and the rotor to each other, and transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor to the rotor, and an elastic member disposed between the rotor and the connection unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasticizing device comprising:
a rotor having:
a rotation shaft and
a groove-formed surface that includes a groove formed in a rotation direction and that is inclined from the rotation shaft in a radial direction;
a facing unit having a facing surface circumferentially inclined so as to face the groove-formed surface in the radial direction, a heater heating a material to be supplied between the facing surface and the groove, and a communication hole through which the material plasticized by heat of the heater flows;
a drive motor generating rotational driving force;
a connection unit fitting to the rotor in a direction along a rotation shaft of the drive motor, connecting the rotation shaft of the drive motor and the rotor to each other, and transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor to the rotor; and
an elastic member disposed between the rotor and the connection unit,
wherein one of the connection unit and the rotor has a fitting protrusion portion projecting in a direction along the rotation shaft of the drive motor,
the other of the connection unit and the rotor has a fitting recess portion info which the fitting protrusion portion is inserted in the direction along the rotation shaft of the drive motor,
the elastic member is disposed inside the fitting recess portion, and
the elastic member is disposed along an outer circumference of the rotor.

2. The plasticizing device according to claim 1 , wherein
at least a part of the elastic member is disposed at a position closer to outer circumference end of the rotor than to a center thereof.

3. The plasticizing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the elastic member is an annular member surrounding a center axis of the rotor.

4. The plasticizing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the connection unit has, on a surface facing the rotor, a connection unit side recess portion which accommodates the elastic member and to which the elastic member is fixed.

5. The plasticizing device according to claim 1 , wherein
the rotor has a rotor side recess portion which accommodates the elastic member and to which the elastic member is fixed.

6. The plasticizing device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between the groove-formed surface and the facing surface decreases from an outer circumference end of the rotor toward a center axis.

7. A three-dimensional modeling apparatus comprising:
a plasticizing device according to claim 1 ;
an ejection unit ejecting a molding material plasticized by the plasticizing device; and
a molding stage on which the molding material ejected from the ejection unit is accumulated.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Hideshima Yasutoshi

Classifications

• B22F12/52

  Hoppers · CPC title

• B22F12/226

  for rotary motion · CPC title

• B22F12/53

  Nozzles · CPC title

• B29C64/314 Primary

  Preparation · CPC title

• B29C64/209 Primary

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title