# US 10,245,783 B2 · Printer for three dimensional printing > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,245,783 B2 - Document ID: US10245783B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/160,796 - Filed: 2016-05-20 - Published: 2016-11-24 - Granted: 2019-04-02 - Earliest claimed: 2015-05-21 - Applicants: Kenneth Fuller - Inventors: Kenneth Fuller - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10245783B2 ## CPC - B29C 64/118: using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM] - B29C 64/106: using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material - B29C 64/209: Heads; Nozzles - B33Y 30/00: Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor - B29C: SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING (making preforms B29B11/00; making laminated products by combining previously unconnected layers which become one product whose layers will remain together B32B37/00 - B32B41/00) - B33Y: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING ## Abstract The present invention discloses and describes 3D printers that print 3D objects with acceptable precision and accuracy. Such 3D printers may comprise one or more of: an extrusion core with particularized temperature controls; an extrusion core with particularized filament pathway geometry; an extrusion core with a nozzle that is integral with a heating block; an extrusion core with nozzles of variable orifice-openings; a filament feeding system using smooth-faced-rollers; a build plate with an adhesion-layer for wetting between the extrudate and the adhesion-layer; an alignment-plane for anchoring axis positioning systems to a common plane to minimize tolerance stacking problems; and a single z-axis guide, a mono-rail, for guiding movement of a build plate in the z-axis direction; which may permit use of minimal mechanical fit tolerances between the mono-rail and a complimentary receiving sleeve. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A printer for three dimensional printing comprising one or more extrusion cores; wherein each such extrusion core comprises structures surrounding a filament-pathway; wherein the filament-pathway removably receives a filament; wherein the filament enters one-end of the filament-pathway as a solid and leaves a distal-end of the filament-pathway as a liquid; wherein said structures comprise: a hot-end that begins at the distal-end; wherein the hot-end comprises a first-temperature-controlled-block surrounding a portion of the filament-pathway; wherein this portion of the filament-pathway comprises a melt-chamber; a transition-section that begins where the hot-end ends; wherein the transition-section is disposed between the one-end and the distal-end; wherein the transition-section comprises a first-insulator and a second-temperature-controlled-block for heating the filament; wherein the transition-section surrounds a different portion of the filament-pathway, wherein the different portion of the filament-pathway located within the transition-section comprises a diverging-converging-chamber; wherein with respect to a direction of flow of the filament through the filament-pathway from the one-end to the distal-end, the diverging-converging-chamber begins within the second-temperature-controlled-block and ends within the first-insulator; wherein the diverging-converging-chamber minimizes interruptions in the direction of flow of the filament along the filament-pathway; a cool-end that begins where the transition-section ends and wherein the cool-end ends at the start of the filament-pathway at the one-end; wherein the cool-end comprises a second-insulator surrounding yet another different portion of the filament-pathway; wherein the first-temperature-controlled-block liquefies portions of the filament passing through the hot-end such that the distal-end discharges liquefied filament. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein the hot-end comprises a nozzle located at the distal-end. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle is integral with the first-temperature-controlled-block. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 2, wherein the nozzle comprises an orifice-opening at the distal-end; wherein this orifice-opening is of a predetermined size. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein the melt-chamber is an elongated-melt-chamber with a longitudinal length of at least one inch. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The printer for three-dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein the melt-chamber is an elongated-melt-chamber that is longer in length compared to a length of the transition-section. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein the first-insulator is in communication with the first-temperature-controlled-block and wherein the first-insulator is also in communication with the second-temperature-controlled-block. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein a cross-section of the diverging-converging-chamber begins with a first-cross-section-size; wherein the cross-section then progresses by increasing in size until a maximum-cross-section is reached; wherein the cross-section then decreases in size until terminating at a second-cross-section-size; wherein the cross-section is substantially perpendicular to a longitude of the filament-pathway. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 8, wherein the first-cross-section-size and the second-cross-section-size are substantially a same size. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 8, wherein the maximum-cross-section of the diverging-converging-chamber is located at an interface between the second-temperature-controlled-block and the first-insulator. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein interior surfaces of the filament-pathway are substantially smooth substantially free from burs and hard angles. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein the first-temperature-controlled-block and the second-temperature-controlled-block are each substantially constructed of aluminum. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein a portion of the diverging-converging-chamber is located closer to the distal-end is formed within the first-insulator. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 13, wherein the portion of the diverging-converging-chamber that is within the first-insulator is in a portion of the first-insulator that is closest to the one-end. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein temperature in the filament pathway of the transition-section is controlled by way of the second-temperature-controlled-block such that viscosity of the different portion of the filament within the transition-section is high keeping the different portion of the filament within the transition-section in a semi-liquid to a liquid state such that the different portion of the filament within the transition-section acts as its own seal against new and hardened filament entering the transition-section. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 1, wherein the transition-section prevents or minimizes jamming of hardened filament in the filament-pathway by increasing a viscosity of the different portion of the filament within the transition-section to a liquid to a semi-liquid which creates a beneficial seal out of the different portion of the filament material itself. ### Claim 17 A printer for three dimensional printing comprising one or more extrusion cores; wherein each such extrusion core comprises structures surrounding an elongate-volume; wherein the elongate-volume removably receives a filament; wherein this elongate-volume defines and substantially bounds a filament-pathway, wherein the filament enters one-end of the elongate-volume as a solid and leaves a distal-end of the elongate-volume as a liquid; wherein said structures comprise: a hot-end that begins at the distal-end; wherein the hot-end comprises a first-temperature-controlled-block surrounding a portion of the elongate-volume; wherein this portion of the elongate-volume is a melt-chamber; a transition-section that begins where the hot-end ends; wherein the transition-section is disposed between the one-end and the distal-end; wherein the transition-section comprises a first-insulator and a second-temperature-controlled-block for heating the filament; wherein the transition-section surrounds a different portion of the elongate-volume; wherein the different portion of the elongate-volume comprises a diverging-converging-chamber that first diverges and then converges with respect to a direction from the one-end to the distal-end, wherein a widest portion of the diverging-converging-chamber is located at an interface between the first-insulator and the second-temperature-controlled-block; a cool-end that begins where the transition-section ends and wherein the cool-end ends at the one-end; wherein the cool-end comprises a second-insulator surrounding yet another different portion of the elongate-volume; wherein the first-temperature-controlled-block liquefies portions of the filament passing through the hot-end such that the distal-end discharges liquefied filament. ### Claim 18 A printer for three dimensional printing comprising one or more extrusion cores; wherein each such extrusion core comprises structures surrounding a filament-pathway; wherein the filament-pathway removably receives a filament; wherein the filament enters one-end of the filament-pathway as a solid and leaves a distal-end of the filament-pathway as a liquid; wherein the filament-pathway comprises a diverging-converging-chamber; wherein with respect to a direction of flow of the filament through the filament-pathway from the one-end towards the distal-end, the diverging-converging-chamber begins at a first-cross-section-size of diverging-converging-chamber; wherein a cross-section of diverging-converging-chamber then progresses by increasing in size until a maximum-cross-section is reached; wherein the cross-section then decreases in size until terminating at a second-cross-section-size; wherein these cross-sections are substantially perpendicular to a longitude of the filament-pathway; wherein a portion of the diverging-converging-chamber is heated by a temperature-control-block and another different portion of the diverging-converging-chamber is not heated; wherein the diverging-converging-chamber minimizes interruptions in the direction of flow of the filament along the filament-pathway. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 18, wherein the first-cross-section-size and the second-cross-section-size are substantially a same size. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The printer for three dimensional printing according to claim 18, wherein the structures comprise one or more of: a first-temperature-controlled-block; a first-insulator; a second-temperature-controlled-block, wherein the temperature-controlled-block is the second-temperature-controlled-block; or a second-insulator.