KR101645250B1 - Apparatus for feeding/discharging filament for 3D printer - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for supplying/discharging filaments for a 3D printer. The apparatus comprises: a filament supplying unit winding a filament having a wire shape, and supplying the wound filament; a filament output unit outputting a 3D printout by fusing and discharging the filament supplied from the filament supplying unit; and a driving unit automatically supplying the filament to the filament output unit, and automatically discharging the filament from the filament output unit to the filament supplying unit. A filament can be accurately supplied to an extruder, and a fixed filament can be easily discharged from the extruder.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a filament supply /

The present invention relates to a filament replenishing / discharging apparatus for a three-dimensional printer, and more particularly, to a filament replenishing / discharging apparatus for a three-dimensional printer. More particularly, the present invention relates to a filament replenishing / / ≪ / RTI >

In general, in order to produce a prototype having a three-dimensional solid shape, a method of making a cooperative work by hand and a production method by CNC milling are widely known depending on the drawing.

However, since the method of making the woodwork is by hand, elaborate numerical control is difficult and time consuming, and CNC milling can produce precise numerical control, but there are many shapes that are difficult to process due to tool interference.

In recent years, a product designer has created 3D modeling data using CAD or CAM, and has developed a so-called three-dimensional printing method for producing prototypes of three-dimensional shapes using the generated data. Industry, life, medicine and so on.

A 3D printer is a manufacturing apparatus for producing objects by outputting successive layers of materials as a two-dimensional printer and stacking them. 3D printers can be used to create prototypes quickly because they can be quickly created based on digitized drawing information.

The product molding method of the 3D printer includes a method of molding a light-scraped material with a laser beam to form a light-shaded portion, an extrusion molding method, and a method of melting and laminating a thermoplastic filament (FDM) have.

Among such methods, 3D printers using filaments in a molten state are less expensive than other types of 3D printers, and therefore, 3D printers using filaments are becoming popular for home and industrial use.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2014-0121034 discloses a method for producing a filament, which comprises a flexible shaft connected to a power motor to transmit power, a feeder roller connected to a flexible shaft and rotatable, a filament fed by rotation of a feeder roller, Disclosed is a three-dimensional printer apparatus including a hot-end nozzle configured to melt and spray and to feed the filament uniformly, stably, and at a high speed to a hot-end nozzle.

In the three-dimensional printer device disclosed in the above prior art document, the user must directly insert the filament into the hot end nozzle through the extruder, that is, the feeder roller. Such a manual refill method of the filament is problematic I am holding you.

First, the insertion port of the extruder into which the filament is inserted is very narrow, and since the filament is normally wound and has a warped shape, it is not easy to accurately insert the filament into the nozzle via the feeder roller.

Further, in the case where the filament is made of ABS plastic containing harmful components, the user may be exposed to harmful components, and the filament may also be contaminated by contact with the user.

And, the filament inserted in the extruder may stick to the extruder after printing and cause clogging. In this case, it was very difficult to discharge the filament fixed in the extruder.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Problem [8] Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer capable of accurately inserting filaments into an extruder and easily discharging filaments fixed in the extruder .

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a filament feeding device comprising: a filament supply part for winding a filament in a wire form and supplying a filament wound; A filament output unit for outputting the three-dimensional printed matter by melting and discharging filaments supplied from the filament supply unit; And a driving unit for automatically supplying filaments from the filament supply unit to the filament output unit and automatically discharging filaments from the filament output unit toward the filament supply unit.

Preferably, the driving unit includes: a forward roller that is driven in a forward direction so that filaments wound on the filament supply unit are supplied to the filament output unit; A reverse gear which is driven in a reverse direction so that the filament of the filament output portion is discharged in the filament supply portion direction; A drive motor for driving the forward roller and the reverse gear; And a clutch that allows only the forward roller to be driven when the drive motor is forwardly driven and the reverse gear to be driven when the drive motor is driven in the reverse direction.

More preferably, the filament supply portion includes a case; A winding roller rotatably installed inside the case and winding the filament; And a gear plate provided on a bottom surface of the winding roller, the gear plate having a diameter larger than that of the winding roller and having a gear tooth engaged with the reverse gear at the outer periphery.

Here, the case of the filament supply unit is provided in a form of a cartridge detachably in a three-dimensional printer, and the forward roller and the reverse gear of the driving unit are installed inside the case.

The case is engaged with the gear plate so as not to rotate the take-up roller when the three-dimensional printer is not mounted, and is separated from the gear plate so that the take- And a stopper member.

Preferably, the stopper member includes: a switch which is exposed to the outside of the case when the case is not mounted on the three-dimensional printer; A stopper gear which is urged by the elastic member in the direction of the gear plate to mesh with the gear teeth of the gear plate when the case is not mounted on the three-dimensional printer; And a lever connected to the switch and the stopper gear at both ends of the lever so as to be rotatable about a pivot shaft provided at the center, wherein when the case is mounted on the three-dimensional printer, And the stopper gear is spaced from the gear plate by rotating the lever by pushing the switch.

The forward roller may include: a first roller driven by the driving motor; And a second roller having a diameter smaller than that of the first roller and having a radius overlapping a part of the radius of the first roller so that a part of the first roller is deformed by being pressed.

A funnel-shaped guide member for guiding a filament fed to the filament output part by driving the forward roller is provided downstream of the forward roller.

Preferably, the filament is inserted between the guide member and the filament output part, and the tube is transported.

Preferably, the filament output portion is an extruder including an inlet for introducing the filament fed from the filament supply portion, a heating means for melting the filament introduced into the inlet, and an outlet for discharging the melted filament, And a sensor for detecting the presence of the filament is installed between the discharge ports.

More preferably, when the reverse gear is operated, the driving motor is driven so that the reverse gear is operated only for a predetermined time from the time when the filament is not sensed by the sensor, and the filament, which is discharged in the reverse direction, Thereby preventing the liquid droplet from completely entering into the inside.

According to the present invention, the filaments can be accurately supplied to the extruder, and the adhered filaments can be easily discharged from the extruder.

Further, according to the present invention, the filament can be simply supplied to the extruder by simply mounting the filament cartridge in the 3D printer.

1 is a perspective view showing a 3D printer in which a filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention is incorporated,
2 is a perspective view showing a filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention,
FIG. 3 is a front view showing a filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a filament cartridge of a filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a filament cartridge of a filament replenishment / discharge device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention, which is cut away. FIG.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of a filament replenishment / discharge device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the technical scope of the present invention. Will be.

1 to 3, a filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention includes a filament loading / unloading device for a three-dimensional printer, which is built in a main body 11 of a 3D printer 10 to melt and laminate filaments of a thermoplastic plastic material (FDM type) And outputs a three-dimensional printed matter.

The 3D printer 10 includes a cover 12 that can be opened and closed on the front surface of the main body 11 and includes an operation panel 13 on the upper surface of the main body 11, Diffusion / ejection device is built in.

A filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer to be installed in the main body 11 of the 3D printer 10 includes a filament supplying part 100, a filament output part 200 and a driving part 300.

The filament supply unit 100 takes up a filament made of a thermoplastic plastic material in the form of a wire and supplies the filament wound to the filament output unit 200.

Specifically, the filament supply unit 100 includes a box-shaped case 110, a filament retraction roller 120, and a gear plate 130. The winding roller 120 is rotatably installed inside the case 110 to wind a wire-shaped filament. The gear plate 130 is integrally formed with the take-up roller 120 on the bottom surface of the take-up roller 120 and is rotated together by the rotation of the take-up roller 120. The gear plate 130 has a larger diameter than the take-up roller 120 and has a gear teeth 131 that engage with the reverse gear 320 of the drive unit 300 described later.

The filament output unit 200 melts and discharges filaments supplied from the filament supply unit 100, thereby outputting the three-dimensional printed matter.

Specifically, the filament output unit 200 includes an inlet 210 through which the filament fed from the filament supply unit 100 flows, a heating means (not shown) for melting the filament introduced into the inlet 210, and a melted filament And an outlet 220 for discharging the gas. A guide roller 230 for guiding the filament is provided between the inlet 210 and the outlet 220.

The driving unit 300 automatically feeds the filament from the filament supply unit 100 to the filament output unit 200 and automatically discharges the filament from the filament output unit 200 toward the filament supply unit 100. In other words, the driving unit 300 is arranged in the forward direction for the three-dimensional printing (the direction from the filament supply unit 100 toward the filament output unit 200) and the reverse direction for discharging the fixed filament (the filament supply unit 200 100) in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the filament.

Specifically, the driving unit 300 includes a forward roller 310, a reverse gear 320, a driving motor 330, and a clutch 340. The forward roller 310 is driven in a forward direction so that the filament wound on the winding roller 120 of the filament supply part 100 is fed in the direction of the filament output part 200. The filaments wound on the winding roller 120 are sandwiched between a pair of normal rollers 310 and conveyed toward the filament output portion 200 by driving of the normal roller 310. The reverse gear 320 is driven in a reverse direction so that the filament of the filament output portion 200 is discharged in the filament supply portion 100 direction. The reverse gear 320 meshes with the gear teeth 131 of the gear plate 130 and is driven in the reverse direction to rotate the gear plate 130 in the opposite direction so that the filament on the side of the filament output portion 200 is returned to the filament supply portion 100) direction. The drive motor 330 drives the forward roller 310 and the reverse gear 320 described above. The clutch 340 releases the power connection between the reverse gear 320 and the drive motor 330 so that only the forward roller 310 is driven when the drive motor 330 is forwardly driven. The clutch 340 allows the reverse gear 320 and the drive motor 330 to be power-coupled when the reverse drive of the drive motor 330 is performed so that the reverse gear 320 is driven in the reverse direction. Here, the clutch 340 may be a one-way clutch or an electromagnetic clutch that transmits power only in one direction by a mechanical shape. The power of the driving motor 330 is transmitted between the driving motor 330 and the forward roller 310 and between the driving motor 330 and the reverse gear 320 to the forward roller 310 and the reverse roller 320 A plurality of power transmitting gears may be provided.

With this configuration, in the filament replenishing / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention, when the forward roller 310 is driven and the filament wound on the winding roller 120 is driven by the filament output The reverse gear 320 is driven to rotate the winding roller 120 while the driving motor 330 is driven in the reverse direction so that the filament output portion 200, that is, the extruder side The filament may be fed to the filament feeding part 100. [ Accordingly, the filament can be accurately transferred to the inlet 210 of the extruder, and the filament can be smoothly discharged when the filament is fixed in the extruder.

4 and 5, the case 110 of the filament supply part 100 is provided in the form of a cartridge detachably attachable to the main body 11 of the 3D printer 10. The forward roller 310 and the reverse gear 320 of the driving unit 300 described above are installed inside the case 110. That is, a winding roller 120, a gear plate 130, a forward roller 310, and a reverse gear 320 are installed inside the case 110.

As described above, the case 110 is provided in the form of a detachable cartridge, so that the user can supply the filament to the 3D printer without having to directly touch the filament. Therefore, the user is not exposed to harmful components, and the filament is also prevented from being contaminated.

Preferably, the stopper member 140 is provided in the case 110 so that when the case 110 of the cartridge type is not mounted on the main body 11 of the 3D printer 10, the winding roller 120 rotates Can be prevented. The stopper member 140 is engaged with the gear plate 130 so that the winding roller 120 does not rotate when the case 110 is not mounted on the 3D printer 10, The take-up roller 120 is separated from the gear plate 130 so as to be rotatable.

Specifically, the stopper member 140 includes a switch 141, a stopper gear 142, and a lever 143. The switch 141 is a part protruding to the outside of the case 110 and exposed when the case 110 is not mounted on the 3D printer. The switch 110 is configured to be movable into the case 110 when the case 110 is mounted on the 3D printer in contact with a pressing protrusion (not shown) fixed inside the main body 11 of the 3D printer . The stopper gear 142 is urged toward the gear plate 130 by the elastic member 144 and meshed with the gear teeth 131 of the gear plate 130 when the case 110 is not mounted on the 3D printer . The lever 143 is installed on the case 110 so as to be rotatable about a pivot 143a provided at the center and both ends are connected to the switch 141 and the stopper gear 142, respectively.

According to the structure of the stopper member 140, when the case 110 is mounted on the 3D printer, the pushing protrusion provided on the 3D printer pushes the switch 141 into the case 110 to rotate the lever 143 , So that the stopper gear 142 is separated from the gear plate 130. On the other hand, when the case 110 is not mounted on the 3D printer, the stopper gear 142 is engaged with the gear teeth 131 of the gear plate 130 by the elastic force of the elastic member 144, Do not rotate.

Therefore, the winding roller 120 is rotatable only when the case 110 of the cartridge type is mounted on the 3D printer, so that the filament can be supplied, and when the case 110 is not mounted on the 3D printer, The roller 120 is not rotatable. Thus, when the case 110 is not mounted on the 3D printer, the user can inadvertently touch the reverse gear 320, for example, to prevent the end portion of the filament from completely entering the case 110.

Referring to FIG. 3, the forward roller 310 described above includes a first roller 311 and a second roller 312 that mesh with each other. The first roller 311 is a driving roller connected to the driving motor 330 to transmit power. The second roller 312 is an idler roller that is not interlocked with the drive motor 330 but is engaged with the first roller 311 and rotates by driving the first roller 311. The second roller 312 is smaller in diameter than the first roller 311 Respectively. Here, the first roller 311 and the second roller 312 are engaged with each other such that their radii are partially overlapped. That is, the first roller 311 and the second roller 312 are engaged and arranged such that a part of the first roller 311 is pressed and deformed. At this time, it is preferable that the first roller 311 is formed of a material that is smoother than the second roller 312 so that only the first roller 311 is deformed.

3, the first roller 311 and the second roller 312 are disposed so that the radius of the first roller 311 and a part of the radius of the second roller 312 overlap with each other, A part of the radius of the roller 311 is deformed. The filaments conveyed between the first roller 311 and the second roller 312 can be separated from the curvature at the time when the first roller 311 and the second roller 312 are fed into the forward roller 310 And then exits from the forward roller 310. As shown in FIG. Therefore, the filament wound around the winding roller 120 and curved in a certain direction can be more accurately supplied to the filament output section 200 because the warping state is relaxed to some extent as it passes through the normal direction roller 310.

A guide member 150 in the form of a funnel is provided downstream of the forward roller 310 along the feeding direction of the filament from the filament feeder 100 toward the filament output portion 200. The guide member 150 serves to guide the filament fed to the filament output unit 200 in the correct direction by driving the forward roller 310.

A Teflon tube 160 is installed between the guide member 150 and the inlet 210 of the filament output unit 200. The tube 160 is a passage through which the filament passing through the guide member 150 is inserted and transported by the driving of the forward roller 310. The filament fed from the filament feeding part 100 is fed to the inlet of the filament output part 200, (Not shown).

A sensor 240 for detecting the presence of filaments is installed between the inlet 210 and the outlet 220 of the extruder, i.e., the filament output unit 200. The sensor 240 senses whether a filament is supplied between the inlet 210 and the outlet 220 and outputs a signal to the controller (not shown).

When the reverse gear 320 is operated to discharge the filament fixed to the expander, the control unit controls the operation time of the reverse gear 320 so that the filament discharged in the reverse direction completely enters the case 110 .

Specifically, when the reverse gear 320 is operated, the control unit controls the driving time of the driving motor 330 so that the reverse gear 320 is operated only for a predetermined time from the time when the filament is not sensed by the sensor 240 . In other words, the control unit controls the length of the filament in the reverse direction by setting the distance between the forward roller 310 and the sensor 240 and the speed of the filament conveyed in the reverse direction by the reverse gear 320, The driving motor 330 is driven within a predetermined time (for example, the time taken from the time when the driving motor 330 is driven to the forward direction to the forward roller 310) to prevent the filament discharged in the reverse direction from completely entering the case 110.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted according to the claims. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims. It should be interpreted that it is included in the scope of right.

10: 3D printer 11:
12: Front cover 13: Operation panel
100: filament supply part 110: case
120: take-up roller 130: gear plate
131: gear teeth 140: stopper member
141: Switch 142: Stopper gear
143: lever 143a:
144: elastic member 150: guide member
160: tube 200: filament output section
210: inlet 220: outlet
230: guide roller 240: sensor
300: driving part 310: forward roller
3211: first roller 312: second roller
320: reverse gear 330: drive motor
340: clutch

Claims (11)

A filament supply unit for winding a filament in a wire form and supplying the filament wound;
A filament output unit for outputting the three-dimensional printed matter by melting and discharging filaments supplied from the filament supply unit; And
And a driving unit for automatically supplying a filament from the filament supply unit to the filament output unit and automatically discharging the filament from the filament output unit toward the filament supply unit,
The driving unit includes:
A forward roller which is driven in a forward direction so that filaments wound on the filament supply portion are supplied to the filament output portion;
A reverse gear which is driven in a reverse direction so that the filament of the filament output portion is discharged in the filament supply portion direction;
A drive motor for driving the forward roller and the reverse gear; And
And a clutch for driving only the forward roller when the forward driving of the driving motor is performed and for driving the reverse gear during reverse driving of the driving motor,
The filament supply unit includes:
case;
A winding roller rotatably installed inside the case and winding the filament;
And a gear plate provided on a bottom surface of the winding roller and having a diameter larger than that of the winding roller and having a gear tooth engaging with the reverse gear at an outer periphery of the filament replenishing / discharging device.
delete delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the case of the filament supplying part is provided in a form of a cartridge detachably in a three-dimensional printer, and the forward roller and the reverse gear of the driving part are installed inside the case.
The method according to claim 1,
The case is engaged with the gear plate so as not to rotate the take-up roller in the case where the take-up roller is not mounted on the three-dimensional printer, and the stopper member And a filament supplying / discharging device for a three-dimensional printer.
6. The method of claim 5,
The stopper member
A switch which is exposed to the outside of the case when the case is not mounted on the three-dimensional printer;
A stopper gear which is urged by the elastic member in the direction of the gear plate to mesh with the gear teeth of the gear plate when the case is not mounted on the three-dimensional printer; And
And a lever rotatable about a pivot shaft provided at the center and having both ends connected to the switch and the stopper gear,
Wherein when the case is mounted on the three-dimensional printer, the pressing projection provided on the three-dimensional printer pushes the switch, and the lever is rotated so that the stopper gear is separated from the gear plate. Device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the forward roller
A first roller driven by the drive motor; And
And a second roller having a diameter smaller than that of the first roller and having a radius overlapping a part of the radius of the first roller so that a part of the first roller is deformed by being pressed. ejector.
The method according to claim 1,
And a guide member in the form of a funnel for guiding the filament fed to the filament output part by driving the forward roller is provided on the downstream side of the normal direction roller.
9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein a filament is inserted and transported between the guide member and the filament output unit.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the filament output portion is an extruder including an inlet through which the filament fed from the filament supply portion flows, a heating means for melting the filament fed into the inlet, and an outlet for discharging the melted filament, Wherein a sensor for detecting the presence of the filament is installed.
11. The method of claim 10,
When the reverse gear is operated, the driving motor is driven to operate the reverse gear only for a predetermined time from the time when the filament is not sensed by the sensor, and the filament discharged in the reverse direction completely enters the case The filament supply / discharge device for a three-dimensional printer.

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