Shaping material supply device and three-dimensional shaping apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11787111-B2
Application number	US-202117207816-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 22, 2021
Priority date	Aug 24, 2017
Publication date	Oct 17, 2023
Grant date	Oct 17, 2023

Abstract

Provided is a three-dimensional shaping apparatus comprising a nozzle having a discharge port through which a shaping material is discharged, and a flow rate regulation mechanism that includes a butterfly valve provided in a flow path upstream of the discharge port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus comprising:
a nozzle having a discharge port, that is configured to discharge a shaping material from the discharge port; and
a flow rate regulation mechanism that includes a valve, a drive shaft, and a valve driver, the valve being provided in a flow path upstream of the discharge port, the valve driver being configured to rotate the drive shaft,
wherein the valve is rotated by the rotation of the drive shaft,
when the valve is at a first position, the valve prevents the shaping material from being discharged from the discharge port, and
when the valve is at a second position different from the first position, the shaping material is discharged from the discharge port via the valve, and further comprising
a shaping material production member that is configured to plasticize at least a part of a material to produce the shaping material,
wherein the shaping material production member includes:
a facing member that has a heater and a communication hole communicating with the nozzle; and
a flat screw that faces the facing member, is rotated to send the material to the communication hole while plasticizing at least a part of the material to produce the shaping material, and includes a groove supplying the shaping material to the communication hole, and

at least a part of the material supplied between the flat screw and the facing member is plasticized due to rotation of the flat screw and heating by the heater, and the shaping material is produced.

2. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first cross section area of a first part of the flow path and a second cross section area of a second part of the flow path along a plane perpendicular to a flow direction of the shaping material in the flow path are different from each other, and the first cross section area is larger than the second cross section area, and
the valve is disposed in the first part of the flow path.

3. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a suction member that is configured to suck the shaping material into a branched flow path connected to the flow path.

4. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein a length of the flat screw in a direction along a rotation axis of the flat screw is smaller than a length of the flat screw in a direction perpendicular to the rotation axis.

5. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the flat screw has a plurality of the grooves supplying the shaping material to the communication hole.

6. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the groove has a first groove and a second groove located to a center of the flat screw than the first groove, the first groove communicate with the second groove, and a depth of the first groove greater than a depth of the second groove.

7. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store a program; and
a processor configured to execute the program so as to:
continue rotating the flat screw when discharging of the shaping material from the discharge port is stopped by controlling the valve.

8. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store a program; and
a processor configured to execute the program so as to:
adjust a discharge amount of the shaping material from the discharge port by adjusting a rotation angle of the valve; and
adjust the rotation angle of the valve according to a relative moving speed of the nozzle with respect to a table.

9. The three-dimensional shaping apparatus according to claim 8 ,
wherein the processor configured to execute the program so as to:
when the relative moving speed of the nozzle with respect to the table is a first speed, adjusting the rotation angle of the valve to a first degree to discharge a first discharge amount of the shaping material from the discharge port; and
when the relative moving speed of the nozzle with respect to the table is a second speed, adjusting the rotation angle of the valve to a second degree to discharge a second discharge amount of the shaping material from the discharge port;

wherein the second speed is slower than the first speed, and the second discharge amount is smaller than the first discharge amount.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Saito Koichi
• YUWAKI Kohei
• Mizukami Shunsuke
• Nakamura Kazuhide

Classifications

• B29C64/209 Primary

  Heads; Nozzles · CPC title

• B22F10/18

  by mixing binder with metal in filament form, e.g. fused filament fabrication [FFF] · CPC title

• B22F12/53

  Nozzles · CPC title

• B22F12/57

  Metering means · CPC title

• B28B1/001

  Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material (selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00) · CPC title