Plasticizing apparatus, injection molding apparatus, and three-dimensional shaping apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11731331-B2
Application number	US-202117455940-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2021
Priority date	Nov 24, 2020
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

A plasticizing apparatus that plasticizes a material includes: a drive motor; a screw rotated by the drive motor and having a groove forming surface in which a groove is formed; and a barrel having a facing surface that faces the groove forming surface and provided with a heater and a communication hole. The barrel includes a first member, and a second member having thermal conductivity different from that of the first member, and the second member is provided closer to the communication hole than the first member.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A plasticizing apparatus plasticizing a material, the plasticizing apparatus comprising:
a drive motor;
a screw rotated about a rotation axis by the drive motor and having a groove forming surface in which a first groove is formed, the screw having a shape in which a length of the screw in a direction along the rotation axis is less than a length of the screw in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis; and
a barrel having a facing surface that faces the groove forming surface in the direction along the rotation axis and provided with a heater and a communication hole, wherein
the barrel includes
a first member different from the heater, and
a second member having thermal conductivity higher than that of the first member, and
the second member is provided closer to the communication hole than the first member, wherein the facing surface formed by the second member is provided with a second groove, and the facing surface formed by the first member is not provided with the second groove,
at least a part of the facing surface is formed by the first member and the second member.

2. The plasticizing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the first member and the second member have a shape surrounding the communication hole.

3. The plasticizing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one of the first member and the second member is formed by subjecting the facing surface to a surface treatment.

4. The plasticizing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a surface roughness of an inner surface of the groove is larger in an outer peripheral portion of the screw than in a central portion of the screw.

5. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus comprising:
a plasticizing apparatus plasticizing a material into a molten material; and
a nozzle discharging the molten material supplied from the plasticizing apparatus toward a stage, wherein
the plasticizing apparatus includes
a drive motor,
a screw rotated about a rotation axis by the drive motor and having a groove forming surface in which a groove is formed, the screw having a shape in which a length of the screw in a direction along the rotation axis is less than a length of the screw in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis, and
a barrel having a facing surface that faces the groove forming surface in the direction along the rotation axis and provided with a heater and a communication hole,
the barrel includes
a first member different from the heater, and
a second member having thermal conductivity higher than that of the first member, and
the second member is provided closer to the communication hole than the first member, wherein the facing surface formed by the second member is provided with a second groove, and the facing surface formed by the first member is not provided with the second groove,
at least part of the facing surface is formed by the first member and the second member.

6. The plasticizing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heater is disposed within the barrel.

7. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the heater is disposed within the barrel.

8. The plasticizing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the communication hole is formed in the second member.

9. The plasticizing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first groove in the outer peripheral portion is greater than 1.0 μm, and the surface roughness of the inner surface of the first groove in the central portion is smaller than 0.5 μm.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Sasagawa Kakeru
• Anegawa Kenta

Classifications

• B29C45/74 Primary

  of the injection unit · CPC title

• B29C45/62 Primary

  Barrels or cylinders · CPC title

• B29C64/209

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B29C64/295

  Heating elements · CPC title

• B33Y30/00 Primary

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title