X-arm carriage assembly

An X-arm carriage assembly for an additive manufacturing machine, comprising:

• a vertically oriented magnet frame;
• a frame plate oriented vertically, parallel to and spaced from a second side of the magnet frame and including a plurality of openings formed therein;
• a top plate extending horizontally between the magnet frame and the frame plate, adjacent a top edge of the frame plate;
• a bottom plate extending horizontally between the magnet frame and the frame plate, adjacent a bottom edge of the frame plate, parallel to and spaced from the top plate, the magnet frame, the top plate, the frame plate and a bottom plate defining a rectangular shaped tube structure;
• a first support bracket attached to a first distal end of the rectangular shaped tube structure and a second support bracket attached to a second distal end of the rectangular shaped tube structure, the first and second support bracket adapted to support the X-arm carriage assembly within an additive manufacturing machine for movement within the additive manufacturing machine along an x-axis;
• an encoder strip mounted onto a first side of the magnet frame adjacent a top edge of the magnet frame and extending longitudinally along the magnet frame;
• a top linear rail mounted onto the first side of the magnet frame adjacent the encoder strip and extending longitudinally along the magnet frame, and a bottom linear rail mounted onto the first side of the magnet frame adjacent a bottom edge of the magnet frame, the top linear rail and the bottom linear rail adapted to moveably support a print head carriage on the X-arm carriage assembly along a y-axis;
• a longitudinal slot formed within the magnet frame between the top linear rail and the bottom linear rail;
• and
• a linear motor magnet track mounted onto the second side of the magnet frame in alignment with the longitudinal slot and extending longitudinally along the magnet frame, the linear motor magnet track including one of a single magnet and a plurality of magnets mounted adjacent one another.

An X-arm carriage assembly for an additive manufacturing machine, comprising:

• a vertically oriented magnet frame;
• a frame plate oriented vertically, parallel to and spaced from a second side of the magnet frame and including a plurality of openings formed therein;
• a top plate extending horizontally between the magnet frame and the frame plate, adjacent a top edge of the frame plate;
• a bottom plate extending horizontally between the magnet frame and the frame plate, adjacent a bottom edge of the frame plate, parallel to and spaced from the top plate, the magnet frame, the top plate, the frame plate and the bottom plate defining a rectangular shaped tube structure;
• a reinforcement insert positioned within the rectangular shaped tube structure;
• a first support bracket attached to a first distal end of the rectangular shaped tube structure and a second support bracket attached to a second distal end of the rectangular shaped tube structure, the first and second support bracket adapted to support the X-arm carriage assembly within an additive manufacturing machine for movement within the additive manufacturing machine along an x-axis;
• an encoder strip mounted onto a first side of the magnet frame adjacent a top edge of the magnet frame and extending longitudinally along the magnet frame, the encoder strip adapted to read an encoder on a print head carriage to detect the position of the print head carriage on the X-arm carriage assembly;
• a top linear rail mounted onto the first side of the magnet frame adjacent the encoder strip and extending longitudinally along the magnet frame, and a bottom linear rail mounted onto the first side of the magnet frame adjacent a bottom edge of the magnet frame, the top linear rail and the bottom linear rail adapted to moveably support the print head carriage on the X-arm carriage along a y-axis;
• a longitudinal slot formed within the magnet frame between the top linear rail and the bottom linear rail;
• and
• a linear motor magnet track mounted onto the second side of the magnet frame in alignment with the longitudinal slot and extending longitudinally along the magnet frame, the linear motor magnet track is adapted to operationally engage a single sided linear motor of a print head carriage supported on the top and bottom linear rails.