Three dimensional printer and cartridge
AssigneeFunFare, LLC
InventorsCharles Albert, David G. Capper, Andrew S. Filo, Jason G. Heller
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In one aspect of the present invention, a cartridge for use in a three dimensional (3-D) printer is described. Another aspect of the invention relates to a 3-D printer that is arranged to engage the cartridge. Various embodiments relate to devices, methods, software and systems related to the above cartridge and/or printer.
Claims25
A replaceable deposition material cartridge configured to be inserted into a three dimensional (3-D) printer as a single unit to provide deposition material to the 3-D printer without being permanently attached to the 3-D printer, the cartridge comprising:
- a housing;
- a store of deposition material;
- a storage compartment in the housing that is arranged to store the store of deposition material;
- a nozzle assembly that is positioned at least partially within the housing and is arranged to receive the deposition material from the storage compartment, the nozzle assembly further comprising:
- (i) a heater receiver that is configured to internally receive and engage a heating element from a three-dimensional (3-D) printer wherein the heater receiver is arranged to help heat a portion of the deposition material, wherein the heating element is not a part of the cartridge;
- and
- (ii) a nozzle that is coupled with the heater receiver and is fixedly attached with the housing, wherein the nozzle is configured to extrude or dispense deposition material to facilitate 3-D printing and the heater receiver is configured to heat the deposition material to facilitate the extrusion or dispensing of the deposition material;
- and
- an engagement mechanism that cooperates with a cartridge interface on the printer to guide the cartridge to a seated position in the printer during insertion of the cartridge into the 3-D printer, wherein the engagement mechanism is arranged such that, as the cartridge is guided into the 3-D printer via the engagement mechanism, the heater receiver moves over the heating element of the 3-D printer such that the heater receiver receives and engages the heating element when the cartridge is in the seated position in the printer;
- and
- wherein the cartridge is configured to be replaceable as a single, self-contained unit.
A replaceable deposition material cartridge configured to be inserted a three dimensional (3-D) printer as a single unit to provide deposition material to the 3-D printer without being permanently attached to the 3-D printer, the cartridge comprising:
- a housing;
- a storage compartment in the housing that is arranged to store deposition material;
- a nozzle assembly that is positioned at least partially within the housing and is arranged to receive the deposition material from the storage compartment, the nozzle assembly comprising a nozzle that is fixedly attached with the housing;
- a heater receiver configured to internally receive a heating element from a 3-D printer, wherein the heater receiver is configured to help heat a portion of the deposition material, the heater receiver receiving element being configured such the cartridge is guided into the 3-D printer via an engagement mechanism, the heater receiver moves over the heating element of the 3-D printer to thereby receive the heating element, the heating element being a component of the 3-D printer and not a component of the cartridge;
- and
- a feed gear that is engaged with the deposition material and that is positioned within the housing wherein the feed gear is arranged such that, when the cartridge is engaged with the 3-D printer, a gear of the 3-D printer engages the feed gear of the cartridge to help move the deposition material through the nozzle assembly.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.