Stratasys, Inc.

Hewlett-packard Development Company, L.P.

Datacard Corporation

Peter David Schuller

Shawn Michael Koop

Jordan Paul Nadeau

Thomas G Lindblom

Joel Ordell Ostby

Lyle Cecil Bungert

Jerry L Steinbach

Paul J Leavitt

David Evert Wickstrom

Aaron Gerald Barclay

James Flannigan

Mark James Sobania

Logan R Kiene

David Alvig

Bryan D B Hoeve

Samuel Ogrodnik

Patrick Charles Cronin

Bryan Hoeve

An additive manufacturing system includes a substantially moisture-impermeable barrier comprising a guide tube assembly for supplying filament from a filament supply to a print head in an extrusion-based additive manufacturing system, where the print head melts the filament and extrudes the melted filament to form a 3D part. The guide tube assembly includes an inner tube permeable to moisture and an outer tube that s substantially moisture impermeable. The inner tube has an interior passageway configured to receive the filament, and has a relatively low coefficient of friction to minimize drag force as the filament travels through it. The outer tube surrounds the inner tube and provides a substantially moisture-impermeable barrier around the inner tube.

Protective filament guide tube for additive manufacturing system

An apparatus and a method using the apparatus provides heated air in an additive manufacturing process for building a three-dimensional part. The method comprises providing a stream of flowable part material at an initial build level, the initial build level being positioned in and defining a horizontal plane wherein the stream of flowable material is being initially disposed on previously deposited part material. Heated air is provided at a selected temperature corresponding to the temperature of the stream of flowable part material such that the stream of flowable part material deposits on previously deposited part material in an adhering fashion thereby forming the three-dimensional part wherein the heated air is provided in the horizontal plane of the initial build level.

Heated air system for 3D printer

An 3D printer has a gantry configured to move in a plane substantially parallel to a build plane. The system includes a platen configured to support a part being built in a layer by layer process, wherein the platen is configured to move in a direction substantially normal to the build plane. The system includes a head carriage carried by the gantry wherein the head carriage includes a first support member supporting a retaining mechanism. The retaining mechanism includes at least one member extending from the support member and a camming member rotatably attached to the support member and movable about an axis of rotation. The camming member has arcuate camming surface with an increasing radial distance from the axis of rotation. The system includes at least one print head having a housing with a first side surface configured to engage the at least one member and a second side surface configured to engage the arcuate camming surface. The camming member is positionable between a first, non-engaging position where the at least one print head is removable from the support member and a second, engaging position wherein the camming member engages the second side of the print head and the first side of the print head engages the at least one member and causes a frictional engagement therebetween.

3D printer with coupling for attaching print head to head carriage

A platen assembly for use in a 3D printer includes a frame and a platen supported by the frame. The platen is configured to receive a removable build tray. A lever release mechanism of the platen assembly is coupled to the frame and is configured to both secure the build tray to the platen for printing of the part, and to eject the build tray from the platen after printing of the part.

Lever tray release

A 3D printer includes at least one consumable loading bay configured to supply filament from a consumable supply assembly to a print head and at least one drive assembly that is configured to advance filament to the print head from the consumable supply. Each drive assembly includes a follower wheel rotatable about a follower axis and a drive wheel spaced apart from the follower wheel. The drive wheel is rotatable about a drive axis and is located on an opposing side of a filament path from the follower wheel such that the follower axis and the drive axis are substantially parallel. The drive wheel further includes an outer surface extending between two ends and has at least one engaging portion that is configured to engage with the filament and at least one disengaging portion that is configured to disengage from the filament.

Filament loading drive in a 3D printer

A 3D printer has a gantry configured to move in a plane substantially parallel to a build plane, and a platen configured to support a part being built. The platen is configured to move in a direction substantially normal to the build plane. A head carriage is carried by the gantry, and a print head is carried by and retained in the head carriage. A material container has a material container body and a material container cover configured to allow loading of a spool containing a supply of a consumable filament for printing with the 3D printer, the spool mounted on an axle containing a spool chip and electrical contacts. The material container body includes a first and second axle channels configured to accept first and second ends of the axle. The first axle channel has a number of electrical contacts and is tapered to orient the axle to align the axle contacts with the first axle channel contacts. A material well has first and second well edge landings at a first radius from the central longitudinal axis, the well edge landings extending toward each other from inner edges of the material well inwardly toward a center of the material well. An extension well extends laterally from the first and second well edge landings to a second radius larger than the first radius.

3D printer with spool and material container

A filament drive mechanism for use with an additive manufacturing system, the filament drive mechanism comprising first and second drive shafts engaged with each other and configured to rotate in opposing rotational directions around substantially parallel and fixed axes, where the first and second drive shafts include engagement surfaces substantially aligned with each other for engaging a filament therebetween.

Filament drive mechanism for use in additive manufacturing system

Filament spool

A desktop card print having an improved automatic card feed hopper that employs a card picking mechanism that includes an automatic gate mechanism in combination with a card edge assist picker while providing a card exception slot for manual feeding of a card, a removable ribbon cassette that employs a magnetic encoder mechanism for tracking the motion of a ribbon mounted on the ribbon cassette, a scanning station that is configured and arranged to capture an image of one or more surfaces of the card as it passes the scanner, and a power take-off (PTO) gear adjacent the rear end of the printer for use in driving an additional processing mechanism to be mounted at the rear of the printer.

Desktop card printer

An indent printing apparatus that is capable of indent printing on both sides of a document. A desktop card printer that uses the indent printing apparatus, a method of personalizing a document in the printer, and a ribbon cartridge used with the indent printing apparatus are also disclosed. The indent printing apparatus has first and second indenting mechanisms and uses first and second indent printing ribbon cartridges to enable indent printing on both side surfaces of the document.

Desktop card printer with indent printing apparatus and method of printing

A card reorienting mechanism and an input hopper of plastic card processing equipment, for example a desktop plastic card printer. The card reorienting mechanism is a modular unit that permits the entire mechanism to be inserted or removed as a single unit from the printer. In addition, the input hopper is designed as an interchangeable system that permits alteration in the card capacity of the hopper.

Plastic card reorienting mechanism and interchangeable input hopper

The invention is directed to a print media registration device. More particularly, and by way of example and not limitation, the invention is directed to a printed media registration arm that sweeps an arc while carrying a document output to a tray or other receptacle to move the document into the corner of the receptacle.

Print media registration device and method

In one embodiment of the invention, a print media output device includes a frame, a rail integral to each side of the frame, an output receptacle extending between and mounted to the rails for movement thereon, and a quick release fastener connected to the frame. In another embodiment of the invention, a print media output device includes a rectangular frame, a horizontally oriented output receptacle extending between sides of the frame, and quick release fasteners connected to the top and bottom of the frame. In one embodiment, the quick release fasteners include key hole plugs and a quarter turn fastener.

Mounting a print media output device

A rail support for a print media output receptacle, such as a paper tray, and a drive system for moving a print media output receptacle. In one embodiment, a frame for supporting a print media output receptacle includes a top, a bottom opposite the top and parallel side rails extending between the top and the bottom. The rails are configured to guide movement of the media output receptacle. In another embodiment, a print media output device includes a frame, a pair of vertically oriented rails disposed parallel to and opposite one another, each rail defining one side of the frame, a reversing motor supported by the frame, and a horizontally oriented output receptacle operatively coupled to the motor. The receptacle extends between and is mounted to the rails for movement thereon up and down at the urging of the motor.

Growing community of inventors

Elko, MN, United States of America

Peter David Schuller