KR102102318B1 - Filament connector - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a filament connector capable of continuously supplying filament without cutting the filament used as the material of a 3D printer. The filament connector comprises: a lower base; a heating part which is installed on the front upper portion of the lower base and generates heat; a first receiving groove which is formed on the upper surface of the heating part and receives filament; an upper base which is rotatably coupled to the rear of the lower base; a spring which is installed on the rear of the lower base and the upper base and is provided to allow the upper base to maintain a constant angle from the lower base; a blocking block which is installed on the front lower portion of the upper base and is in close contact with the heating part; a close contact part which is formed on both lower end sides of the blocking block to face each other and brings the filament received in the first receiving groove closer from both sides to the central portion; and a second receiving groove which is formed to face the first receiving groove on the lower surface of the close contact part.

Description

Filament connector

The present invention relates to a filament connector, and more particularly, to a filament connector that can be continuously supplied without breaking the filament used as the material of the 3D printer.

In general, the most commonly used FDM (Fused deposition) and FFF (Fused Filament Fabrication) methods among various operation methods of a 3D printer are methods of producing output while melting and stacking the ends of filaments used as materials. When using this type of 3D printer, especially when working with large sculptures, the filament cannot be continuously supplied, so the existing filaments must be replaced with new filaments.

In this regard, Korean Registered Patent No. 10-13467074 and Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1430583 suggest related technologies.

However, since the remaining amount of the filament wound on the roller is unknown, there is a disadvantage in that the work time is delayed and the efficiency is deteriorated because the process needs to be replaced with a new filament.

In addition, even if the remaining amount of the filament can be known, if the remaining amount is insufficient to finish a new work, there is a problem that the remaining filament cannot be used and discarded for continuity of work.

In order to solve this problem, in the registered patent application No. 10-1859368 "filament connector" filed by the same applicant, the filaments are inserted into grooves 210 and 212, and a device is connected to each other through overlapping and pressing of filaments. Has been proposed.

Since the above-described conventional filament connector can be used without discarding the short-length filament, it is possible to prevent the waste of the filament, but the outer surface is not neat due to the occurrence of extra filaments at the connection part of the filament during the pressing process between different filaments. When supplied to the furnace 3D printer, there was a problem in that the completeness of the product was poor due to problems such as poor adhesion during the filament melting process.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1859368 "Filament connector" (Registration date: 2018.05.14.)

The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, so that each end of each of the different filaments is heated to connect with one filament, and facing different filaments so that the filaments used in the 3D printer can be continuously supplied. The main purpose is to provide a filament connector that can neatly connect the outer surface.

Filament connector according to the present invention is installed on the lower base, the front upper portion of the lower base, a heating unit for generating heat, a first receiving groove formed on the upper surface of the heating unit and receiving the filament, the lower base The upper base is rotatably coupled to the rear, and is installed on the rear of the lower base and the upper base, the upper base is provided to maintain a constant angle from the lower base, and is installed on the lower front of the upper base, The blocking block in close contact with the heating part, and formed on opposite sides of the lower side of the blocking block, the first receiving portion on the lower surface of the contact portion and the contact portion that closely adheres the filament accommodated in the first receiving groove from both sides to the central portion. It characterized in that it comprises a second receiving groove formed symmetrically with the groove.

In addition, it is formed on the rear of the upper base, when the front of the upper base and the front of the lower base is rotated in the direction of contact, further includes a cutting portion for cutting the tip of the filament inserted between the upper and lower base It is characterized by.

In addition, the heating portion is compression-molded with artificial graphite, a release agent coating layer is formed on the upper surface, and an anti-oxidation coating layer is formed on the side surface.

In addition, the heating portion is characterized in that the downward slope is formed to be inclined downward toward the side from the center of the upper surface, and the blocking block is formed to have an upward inclined surface that is inclined upward toward the side from the center of the lower surface.

The filament connector according to the present invention accommodates two filaments in receiving grooves (first receiving grooves and second receiving grooves) extending to the left and right so that different filaments are accommodated, so that the cross-sections of the facing filaments abut each, Since the filaments are connected while heating through the heating part at the abutting position and pushed from the left and right through the contact part, it provides the effect of connecting the filaments to have a clean outer surface without remaining filaments projecting to the outer surface.

In addition, since a plurality of receiving grooves having different sizes of diameters are formed to accommodate various types of filaments, a plurality of filaments are connected at the same time, thereby providing an effect of reducing work time.

In addition, the filament connector according to the present invention is heated and compressed in a state where the ends of different filaments are in contact with each other, so that the ends of the filaments are cut into shapes corresponding to each other through the cutting portions, thereby improving connection efficiency between the filaments and connecting time. It provides a reduction effect.

In addition, the heating part of the present invention is made of carbon rods compression-molded with artificial graphite, so that the distance from which the pressing force from the outside of the carbon rod must reach the inside of the carbon rod is shortened and the opposite pressure from the inner core acts on the carbon rod. Since the pressure gradient of is not large, the internal structure of the carbon rod becomes uniform during compression molding, and thus, there is an effect of preventing the problem of the carbon rod becoming vulnerable due to non-uniformity of the internal structure.

1 is a perspective view showing a filament connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing a lower base according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front cross-sectional view of a filament connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the filament connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing a filament connector having a downward slope and an upward slope.

Hereinafter, the technical spirit of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings are only examples shown in order to describe the technical spirit of the present invention in more detail, so the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited to the form of the accompanying drawings.

However, in describing the present invention, descriptions of already known functions or configurations will be omitted to clarify the gist of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view showing a filament connector according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in Figure 1, the filament connector 1000 of the present invention is the lower base 100, the heating unit 200, the first receiving groove 300, the upper base 400, spring (not shown), blocking It includes a block 500, a close contact portion 600, a second receiving groove 700 and the cutting portion 800.

In addition, the filament connector 1000 of the present invention is formed in a shape similar to the shape of a typical stapler by the lower base 100 and the upper base 400 being rotatably coupled, and the user applies the upper base 400 to the lower base. By pressing in the (100) direction, it is possible to connect two different filaments 10.

First, the lower base 100 is made of a flat plate shape to have a predetermined thickness, a groove in which the heating unit 200 is accommodated is formed in the front, and an accommodation space is formed in the central portion, so that the battery 110 is built in. , In the rear, the rotation unit 120 is coupled so that the upper base 400 is rotatably coupled.

Next, the heating unit 200 is installed on the front upper portion of the lower base 100, for example an electric heater that generates heat by using the exothermic action of electric current, filaments (polycarbonate, PLA, ABS, etc.) of thermoplastic materials ) May be provided in other forms capable of providing a temperature to melt.

In addition, the heating unit 200 has a predetermined thickness, is inserted into the groove formed in the front of the lower base 100, and generates heat through the electric power applied from the battery 110.

At this time, the heating unit 200 is provided with a contact sensor (not shown), the contact sensor detects that the lower base 100 and the upper base 400 are in contact, and the detected signal is the lower base 100 By transmitting to a control unit (not shown) built in, the control unit may control to apply power from the battery 110 to the heating unit 200 when the lower base 100 and the upper base 200 are in contact. .

In addition, the heating unit 200 is heated only in the central portion of the heating unit 200 so that heat is applied only to the point where the ends of the two filaments 11 and 12 accommodated in the first receiving groove 300 to be described later are contacted. It is generated, it is preferable that a blocking wall for blocking heat is formed on the edge.

Here, the heating part 200 is compression molded with artificial graphite, a release agent coating layer 210 is formed on the upper surface, and an antioxidant coating layer 220 is formed on a side surface with a predetermined thickness.

By the release agent coating layer 210 formed on the upper surface of the heating part 200, the filaments 11 and 12 accommodated in the first receiving groove 300 do not stick, and the anti-oxidation coating layer 220 formed on the side surface Even if the temperature of the heating unit 200 is heated for a long time in a state that does not exceed 600 ° C, the heating unit 200 is not oxidized and provides an effect of maintaining the original state.

In addition, since the heating part 200 is compression molded with graphite, the heating part 200 can generate heat instantaneously by resistance due to electric power applied from the battery 110.

Next, the first accommodating groove 300 is recessed so as to extend to the left and right on the upper surface of the heating part 200, and is accommodated in close contact with the lower surface of the outer circumferential surface of the filament 10.

At this time, the first accommodating groove 300 is accommodated in different filaments 11 and 12 on the left and right sides, respectively, and the ends of the accommodated filaments 11 and 12 are placed to contact each other.

Here, a plurality of the first receiving grooves 300 are formed on the upper surface of the heating part 200, and the first receiving grooves 300 formed of the plurality of holes are formed to have different diameters.

As the first accommodating grooves 300 are formed in plural, various types of filaments 10 used for 3D printing can be accommodated at the same time, and the upper base 400 and the lower base 100 are in close contact with each other. It is possible to connect several types of filaments 10 at the same time.

On the other hand, since the filaments 11 and 12 to be connected are used in the 3D printer and are the remaining filaments 11 and 12, as the ends are formed in a non-linear structure, it is possible to cut through the cutting unit 800 so that the contact surfaces correspond. .

Next, the upper base 400 is rotatably coupled by the rotation unit 120 to the rear of the lower base 100, the temperature control unit 410 is coupled to the upper portion of the heating unit 200 A display unit 420 for displaying the temperature is installed.

The temperature control unit 410 serves to sense the temperature of the heating unit 200, and the temperature control unit 410 is an external heating type or self heating type PTC-thermistor whose resistance value rapidly increases in a narrow region of a specific temperature range. (Positive Temperature Coefficient-thermisor) is preferably provided.

In addition, although not shown in the drawing, the temperature control unit 410 can wirelessly communicate with an alarm function and a control unit and a display unit 420 that can notify a user when a dangerous situation in which the heating unit 200 is overheated occurs. The communication function can be provided.

Next, the spring is installed at the rear of the lower base 100 and the upper base 400, the upper base 400 is provided to maintain a constant angle from the lower base 100.

As described above, the filament connector 1000 of the present invention has a structure similar to that of a conventional stem plug, and the upper base 400 is compressed in the direction of the lower base 100 to connect the filaments 11 and 12 to be connected. The upper base 400 is spaced apart from the lower base 100 at regular intervals by the elastic force of the spring in a state in which no force is applied to the upper base 400.

Therefore, when the lower base 100 and the upper base 400 are in contact, it is determined whether the contact is made through the contact sensor and generates heat in the heating unit 200 with the power applied through the battery 110 to generate the heat. Electric power applied from the battery 110 to the heating part 200 when the ends of the filaments 11 and 12 accommodated in the receiving groove 300 are heated and the lower base 100 and the upper base 400 are spaced apart. To prevent fire.

Next, the blocking block 500 is installed in the front lower portion of the upper base 400, is formed to be in close contact with the upper surface of the heating unit 200.

At this time, the blocking block 500 serves to block heat generated from the heating part 200 from being transmitted to the upper base 400. Therefore, the blocking block 500 has a variety of insulating materials (eg, low thermal conductivity). , Synthetic resin, etc.).

Here, the close contact portion 600 is formed as a pair facing the opposite sides of the lower end of the blocking block 500, and the filaments 11 and 12 accommodated in the first receiving groove 300 while the close contact portion 600 is moved It is brought into close contact with the central part from both sides.

In detail, as shown in FIG. 2, a second receiving groove 700 corresponding to the first receiving groove 300 is formed on the lower surface of the contact portion 600.

At this time, the adhesion part 600 is moved in the longitudinal direction of the filament 10, the adhesion part 600 formed on the left side presses the filament 11 put on the left side to the right, and the adhesion part 600 formed on the right side ) Presses the filament 12 put on the right to the left so that the ends of the filaments 11 and 12 are in close contact.

Here, a pair of contact portions 600 moving to the left and right are in contact with each other, and the ends of each of the filaments 11 and 12 are wrapped around the inner circumferential surfaces of the first receiving groove 300 and the second receiving groove 700. do.

That is, as the ends of the filaments 11 and 12 are heated by the heat of the heating part 200, the filaments 11 and 12 are brought into close contact with each other by the contact part 600, and the first receiving groove 300 is in the process of being in close contact. ) And the outer circumferential surface of the filament 10 is formed in the same manner as the shape of the inner circumferential surface of the second accommodating groove 700, so that it is possible to prevent problems such as partially protruding to the outer circumferential surface of the filament 10 or inconsistent thickness. .

Next, as shown in FIG. 1, the cutting part 800 is formed at the rear of the upper base 400, and the upper base in a direction in which the front of the upper base 400 and the front of the lower base 100 contact. When the 400 is rotated, it is provided to cut the tip of the filament 10 inserted between the lower base 100 and the upper base 400.

The cutting part 800 is formed on both sides of the upper base 400, and is recessed in the lower side of the upper base 400 so as to correspond to the outer circumferential surface of the filament 10, so that the filament 10 is disposed behind the lower base 100. It is possible to cut the tip of the filament 10 in the process of moving the upper base 400 in the direction of the lower base 100 in close contact.

That is, the cutting unit 800 may cut the ends of the filaments 11 and 12 to be connected to each other so that the filaments 11 and 12 in the heating unit 200 first receiving groove 300 It serves to cut the ends of the filaments 11 and 12 before being accommodated in them.

Hereinafter, the operation of the filament connector 1000 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

First, since the filaments 11 and 12 must be laid flat, each of the filaments 11 and 12 to be connected is seated in the longitudinal direction in the first receiving groove 300 formed on the heating part 200.

Here, the ends of each of the filaments 11 and 12 are placed so as to abut, and it is preferable that the filaments 11 and 12 are not placed so as to overlap each other. This prevents each filament (11, 12) from being overlapped, and a part of the filament (11, 12) protrudes to the outside in the process of being connected to the outside, or is wider than the width of the other outer circumferential surface. It is to do.

Subsequently, when the user presses the upper base 400 in the direction in which the upper base 400 is in contact with the lower base 100, the upper surface of the heating part 200 and the lower surface of the contact part 600 come into contact, and the heating The filaments 11 and 12 are fixed by the first receiving groove 300 formed on the upper surface of the portion 200 and the second receiving groove 700 formed on the lower surface of the contact portion 600.

And by heating the heating unit 200 to a heating temperature corresponding to the melting point of the filaments 11 and 12, the ends of the filaments 11 and 12 are melted, and a pair of contact portions 600 are respectively filament 11, The first accommodating groove 300 and the second accommodating groove 700 are wrapped around the outer circumferential surfaces of the filaments 11 and 12 that are melted while the filaments 11 and 12 are contacted by pressing 12) toward the end.

At this time, the filaments 11 and 12 wrapped in the first receiving groove 300 and the second receiving groove 700 are melted by the heating part 200, and thus the first receiving groove 300 and the second receiving groove 700 ) While being made the same as the shape of the inner circumferential surface and cooling, the filament 10 is connected.

Next, in order to easily connect the filaments 11 and 12 by using the filament connector 1000 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 5, the side from the central or central location of the heating unit 200 from a nearby location A downward inclined surface 201 is formed to be inclined downward toward the direction, and an upward inclined surface 510 is formed to be inclined upward toward the side from the central or central nearby position of the blocking block 500.

As described above, on the left side, the upper surface of the heating part 200 and the lower surface of the blocking block 500 are formed in a flat shape, so that the heating part 200 and the blocking block 500 are in a state in which the first filament 11 is accommodated. ), The first filament 11 is fixed by the close contact, and the second filament 12 is from the right side of the heating unit 200 and the blocking block 500 on which the downward slope 201 and the upward slope 501 are respectively formed. Will be accepted.

At this time, the end of the first filament 11 and the end of the second filament 12 are melted and connected by heat generated from the heating unit 200 in a state where power is applied to the heating unit 200.

That is, as the downward inclined surface 201 and the upward inclined surface 501 are respectively formed on the heating part 200 and the blocking block 500, the heating part 200 and the blocking block 500 are in close contact (one To provide the effect of connecting the filaments 11 and 12 by inserting the second filament 12 to be connected into the first accommodating groove 300 and the second accommodating groove 700 while the filament of the filament is fixed) do.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and the scope of application is various, of course, and various modifications can be implemented without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims.

1000: Filament connector 10: Filament
11: first filament
12: second filament
100: lower base
110: battery
120: rotating unit
200: heating part
210: release agent coating layer
220: antioxidant film layer
300: first receiving home
400: upper base
410: temperature control unit
420: display unit
500: blocking block
501 upward slope
600: close contact
700: second receiving home
800: cutting part

Claims (4)

Lower base;
It is installed on the front upper portion of the lower base, a heating unit for generating heat;
A first accommodating groove formed on an upper surface of the heating part and accommodating a filament;
An upper base rotatably coupled to a rear side of the lower base;
A spring provided at the rear of the lower base and the upper base, the upper base being provided to maintain a constant angle from the lower base;
A blocking block installed in the lower front portion of the upper base and in close contact with the heating portion;
Formed on opposite sides of the lower end of the blocking block, and adhered to the filaments accommodated in the first receiving groove from both sides to the central portion; And
Includes a second receiving groove formed on the lower surface of the contact portion symmetrically with the first receiving groove;
The heating unit,
It is compression molded with artificial graphite, a release agent coating layer is formed on the upper surface, and an anti-oxidation coating layer is formed on the side surface.
According to claim 1,
It is formed on the rear of the upper base, when the front of the upper base and the front of the lower base is rotated in a contacting direction, a cutting portion for cutting the tip of the filament inserted between the upper and lower base; Filament coupler, characterized in that.
delete According to claim 1,
The heating unit,
A downward inclined surface is formed to be inclined downward toward the side from the center of the upper surface,
The blocking block,
Filament connector, characterized in that an upward inclined surface is formed to be inclined upward from the center to the side.

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