Three-dimensional printing apparatus and nozzle temperature adjustment method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9630364-B2
Application number	US-201414180328-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 13, 2014
Priority date	Dec 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

A three-dimensional (3-D) printing apparatus and a nozzle temperature adjustment method thereof are provided, and the nozzle temperature adjustment method includes the following. A first melting point temperature of a first feed material and a second melting point temperature of a second feed material are read when a feed material switch procedure is executed. The first melting point temperature and the second melting point temperature are compared, and the higher one is selected to serve as an initial conversion temperature. After executing a slag processing procedure according to the initial conversion temperature, the initial conversion temperature is adjusted to the second melting point temperature.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A three-dimensional printing apparatus, comprising:
a melting nozzle;
a feeding roller set feeding a first feed material or a second feed material to the melting nozzle;
a temperature sensor coupled to the melting nozzle for sensing an initial conversion temperature of the melting nozzle; and
a controller coupled to the melting nozzle, the feeding roller set, and the temperature sensor for comparing a first melting point temperature of the first feed material and a second melting point temperature of the second feed material when switching a status from feeding the first feed material to the melting nozzle to feeding the second feed material to the melting nozzle, and selecting a higher melting point temperature from the first melting point temperature and the second melting point temperature as the initial conversion temperature,
wherein after executing a slag processing procedure according to the initial conversion temperature, the controller controls the initial conversion temperature to recover from the first melting point temperature to the second melting point temperature if the first melting point temperature is the higher melting point temperature,
wherein after executing the slag processing procedure according to the initial conversion temperature, the controller controls the initial conversion temperature to maintain at the second melting point temperature if the second melting point temperature is the higher melting point temperature.

2. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a cooling module coupled to the controller and performing a cooling procedure on the melting nozzle to lower the initial conversion temperature.

3. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a feeding speed adjustment module coupled to the controller and the feeding roller set for controlling a feeding speed of the feeding roller set to be an acceleration state, a deceleration state, or a normal state.

4. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a heating module coupled to the controller and the melting nozzle and performing a heating procedure on the melting nozzle to raise the initial conversion temperature.

Assignees

• Xyzprinting Inc
• Kinpo Elect Inc
• Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Ltd

Inventors

• Ho Kwan
• Huang Chien-Ying

Classifications

• B29C64/118

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

• B29C67/0088 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B29C67/0055

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B29C64/106

  using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material · CPC title

• B29C64/393 Primary

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title