Filament swapping in three-dimensional printing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017190108-A1
Application number	US-201615395230-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 30, 2016
Priority date	Dec 30, 2015
Publication date	Jul 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

An extruder is fitted with a connector for coupling and decoupling with a filament feed source, such as a filament tube. When connected, the extruder and filament tube are aligned to define a feed path for a filament. A tool rack includes a plurality of filament tubes secured within respective openings. The tool rack may facilitate coupling and decoupling operations between the extruder and filament sources. For example, the tool rack may define an insertion path that engages a filament tube during insertion, and that secures the filament tube against an excursion from the insertion path. The extruder may disengage the coupling by initiating a motion along the insertion path and then moving off of the insertion path to decouple the filament tube and the extruder. In this manner, filaments may be swapped through engaging and disengaging the extruder with different filament tubes on the tool rack.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A device comprising:
an extruder including a first fixture with a first connector, a drive gear to advance a filament through the extruder, a heat source arranged to melt the filament into a melted state in the extruder, the extruder defining an extrusion port through which the filament in the melted state is extrudable; a robot coupled to the extruder, the robot movable to position the extruder vertically and horizontally in a three-dimensional printing process; a filament tube having a second fixture with a second connector, the second connector engageable with the first connector to form a coupling securing the filament tube in a predetermined alignment with the extruder to define a feed path for the filament through the filament tube and the extruder; and a tool rack defining an opening and an insertion path, the second fixture positionable in the opening along the insertion path, wherein, when the second fixture is positioned in the opening, the tool rack secures the second fixture against an excursion by the robot from the insertion path to disengage the coupling between the first connector and the second connector to separate the filament tube from the extruder.

2 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the first connector includes a first magnet, the second connector includes a second magnet, and the coupling includes a magnetic coupling between the first magnet and the second magnet.

3 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the insertion path is a horizontal insertion path at a predetermined height.

4 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the excursion of the robot includes a horizontal departure from the insertion path.

5 . The device of claim 3 , wherein the excursion of the robot includes a vertical departure from the insertion path.

6 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the tool rack defines a plurality of openings, each opening sized to hold a respective filament tube of a plurality of filament tubes.

7 . The device of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of filament tubes includes a different color filament than another one of the plurality of filament tubes.

8 . The device of claim 6 , wherein at least one of the plurality of filament tubes includes a filament having a different material than a filament included in another one of the plurality of filament tubes.

9 . The device of claim 6 , further comprising a processor configured to determine one or more properties of one or more filaments included in the plurality of filament tubes, and to create tool instructions for fabricating an object using the one or more filaments based on the one or more properties.

10 . The device of claim 9 , further comprising a tag on one or more of a filament spool or a filament tube, the processor configured to determine the one or more properties of the one or more filaments included in the plurality of filament tubes based on the tag.

11 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the robot is configured to position the extruder to receive and secure the second fixture from a predetermined position beneath the opening in the tool rack and to move the extruder along a first axis parallel to the insertion path such that the extruder exits the tool rack with the extruder coupled with the filament tube.

12 . The device of claim 11 , wherein the robot is configured to position the extruder along the insertion path to position the second fixture in the opening and to move the extruder away from the insertion path for an excursion to decouple the filament tube from the extruder.

13 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the excursion includes movement along a second axis intersecting the first axis.

14 . The device of claim 13 , wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis.

15 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the tool rack includes a heating element arranged to preheat a plurality of filament tubes secured in the tool rack.

16 . The device of claim 1 , wherein the robot includes an x-y-z positioning system of a three-dimensional printer, and wherein the tool rack is within an operating envelope of the x-y-z positioning system.

17 . The device of claim 1 , further comprising a sensor, where a presence of one or more filament tubes in the tool rack is detectable by the sensor.

18 . A method comprising:
securing a filament tube within an opening of a tool rack, the filament tube securable in a predetermined alignment with an extruder through a coupling between a first connector of the extruder and a second connector of the filament tube, the predetermined alignment of the filament tube and the extruder defining a feed path for a filament through the filament tube and the extruder; positioning the extruder at a predetermined distance beneath the opening defined by the tool rack, where, at the predetermined distance, the first connector of the extruder is secured to the second connector of the filament tube such that the filament tube is coupled in the predetermined alignment with the extruder; moving the extruder, coupled with the filament tube, along an insertion path for exiting the tool rack while maintaining the coupling of the extruder and the filament tube; advancing the filament through the extruder and melting the filament for extrusion through an extrusion port defined by the extruder; retracting the filament from the extruder; positioning the extruder, coupled with the filament tube, along the insertion path and into the opening defined by the tool rack such that a fixture of the filament tube is in the opening; and moving the extruder, in a direction opposing the insertion path, to decouple the filament tube from the extruder.

19 . The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
positioning the extruder the predetermined distance beneath a second opening defined by the tool rack to secure the first connector of the extruder with a third connector of a second filament tube such that the second filament tube is coupled with the extruder; moving the extruder, coupled with the second filament tube, along a second insertion path for exiting the tool rack while maintaining the coupling of the extruder and second filament tube; and advancing a second filament through the extruder and melting the second filament for extrusion through the extrusion port.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the direction opposing the insertion path includes one or more of a horizontal departure from the insertion path and a vertical departure from the insertion path.

Assignees

• Makerbot Ind Llc

Inventors

• Holland Samuel
• Waller Mark
• Arreola Carlos Fernandez
• Anantha Vishnu

Classifications

• B33Y30/00

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

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29K2105/0067

  Melt · CPC title

• B29C67/0088

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic