Stratasys, Inc.

Rimage Corporation

Datacard Corporation

Lasermaster Corporation

Robert L Skubic

William J Swanson

James W Comb

Michael D Bosveld

Paul J Leavitt

John Samuel Batchelder

John S Lee

Benjamin L Braton

Robert E Styer

William R Priedeman, Jr

Patrick W Turley

Martin G Zalusky

Joseph Edward LaBossiere

Timothy J Flitsch

James E Orrock

David M Kozlak

Thomas J McDonough

Benjamin N Dunn

James Flannigan

Jerome W Goetzke

Joel Ordell Ostby

Logan R Kiene

Ronald L Sattler

Randall R Shay

Terence J Schmidt

Bryan L Smith

Joel E Farley

Peter J Karwoski

Claudia Mosher

Jerome Kent Grudem, Jr

Paul R Erickson

John A Bushey

David J Rother

Patrick Williams Anderson

Chad E Beery

Steven Lee Lidke

Bryan Migliori

Donald Hollerich

Timothy P Fitzgerald

David C Burns

Colin Adam Schiel

Jeff Lee Chapman

Gerry A Lee

Josh Durand

David C Duncan

Mark C Albu

Eric Laveen

Brian W Kleve

Robert Schaffer

Steven M Brose

Jr Jerome K Grudem

A platen assembly for use with an extrusion-based 3D printer includes a grid assembly comprising at least a 4×2 framework of interlocked perpendicular x direction beams and y direction beams, providing a substantially planar upper surface and a bottom surface. The platen assembly includes a platen comprising a thin metal sheet supported on the upper surface of the grid assembly and secured to the grid assembly such that the top surface provides a substantially flat build surface. The x direction beams, the y direction beams and the platen are constructed of substantially a same thermal expansion properties, and wherein the build surface of the platen has a build surface area of at least 400 square inches and maintains its flatness to within a flatness tolerance of 0.020 inches over a temperature range of at least 20 C-300 C.

Platen with grid assembly for 3D printing

Method for printing a three-dimensional part layerwise with an additive manufacturing system includes printing layers by depositing material from a print head onto a print foundation, incrementing a position of the print head relative to the print foundation after each layer is printed, and indexing the print foundation carrying the printed layers away from the print head along the printing axis after a number of layers are printed. Printing is performed with driven and fixed rails clamped against movement of the print foundation. Moving the print foundation includes moving the driven rails with respect to the fixed rails in a direction substantially perpendicular to the build plane. Additive manufacturing system includes a drive mechanism to index the print foundation on the printing axis using fixed and driven rails, the driven rails engaging the print foundation for moving the print foundation.

Print foundation positioning and printing methods for additive manufacturing system

Material hopper

A purge station assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system, which includes a purge station having a base bracket, a slide mount slidably engaged with the base bracket, and a contact head configured to clean a nozzle tip of a print head. The purge station assembly also includes a mechanism, such as a cable line, operably attached to the slide mount that allows an operator to mechanically move the slide mount relative to the base bracket from a location that is remote from the purge station.

Remotely-adjustable purge station for use in additive manufacturing systems

An automated support cleaning system comprising a tank disposed within a housing and configured to circulate an aqueous cleaning solution to remove a support structure from a three-dimensional model.

Support cleaning system

A platform assembly for use in a digital manufacturing system, where the platform assembly comprises a deformable platform having a surface configured to operably receive a deposited material from a deposition head, and at least one mechanism configured to adjust at least a portion of the first surface to compensate for at least one vertical deviation from at least one horizontal axis that the deposition head is directed to move in.

Adjustable platform assembly for digital manufacturing system

A pump system comprising a delivery assembly configured to feed a solid material under operational power of a first drive motor, and a screw pump comprising a housing that at least partially defines a barrel of the screw pump, an extrusion tip secured to the housing at a first end of the barrel, a liquefier secured to the housing and intersecting with the barrel, and an impeller extending at least partially through the barrel. The liquefier is configured to receive the solid material fed from the delivery assembly, to at least partially melt the received solid material, and to direct the at least partially melted material to the barrel, and the impeller is configured to drive the at least partially melted material that is directed to the barrel toward the extrusion tip under operational power of a second drive motor.

Viscosity pump for extrusion-based deposition systems

A method for three-dimensional modeling builds up three-dimensional objects in a heated build chamber by dispensing modeling material from a dispensing head onto a base in a predetermined pattern. Physical and thermal separation are maintained between the heated build chamber and motion control components that control the motion of the dispensing head and the base. Thermal isolation of the motion control components from the build chamber allows the chamber to be maintained at a high temperature, and has other practical advantages as well.

High-temperature modeling method

Disclosed is a modeling filament for use as feedstock in a fused deposition modeling liquifier, and a method for manufacturing the filament. The diameter and standard deviation of the filament are controlled to meet various tolerance requirements of jam resistance, slip resistance, model strength, liquifier overflow prevention and hysteresis-free transient response. Standard deviation of the filament diameter is matched to a filament target diameter. The resulting filament is used to form high-quality models.

High-precision modeling filament

Disclosed is a three-dimensional modeling apparatus ( ) that builds up three-dimensional objects in a heated build chamber ( ) by dispensing modeling material from a dispensing head ( ) onto a base ( ) in a pattern determined by control signals from a controller ( ). The motion control components ( ) of the apparatus ( ) are external to and thermally isolated from the build chamber ( ). A deformable thermal insulator ( ) forms a ceiling of the building chamber, allowing motion control of the dispensing head ( ) in an x, y plane by an x-y gantry ( ) located outside of and insulated from the build chamber ( ). In the preferred embodiment, a material dispensing outlet ( ) of the dispensing head is inside the chamber. Thermal isolation of the motion control components from the build chamber allows the chamber to be maintained at a high temperature.

High temperature modeling apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Chanhassen, MN, United States of America

Robert L Skubic