Stratasys, Inc.

Ross Michalkiewicz

Dang Yang

Brett Ryan Johnson

Shawn Michael Koop

Patrick Williams Anderson

Christopher Herbst

Cody Smith

Jordan Paul Nadeau

A consumable assembly for a 3D printer includes a spool carrying wound filament. A 3D printer includes a print head configured to receive filament material and a spool cabinet configured to have a filament spool positioned therein to provide a controlled environment for filament on the filament spool. A dock of the 3D printer is located outside of a chamber of the spool cabinet and is configured to receive a filament key fob, including a spool chip, of the filament spool to maintain the spool chip outside of the controlled environment of the chamber.

3D printer providing spool chip dock outside of spool cabinet environment and methods of use thereof

Extruder drive for a print head

Extruder portion of a print head

Print head

A consumable assembly for a 3D printer includes a spool carrying wound filament. The spool is configured to be installed into a spool cabinet to maintain the filament in a controlled environment. A filament key fob that carries a spool chip programmed with identification data for the consumable assembly is tethered to the spool. The filament key fob is configured to be received in a dock of the 3D printer outside of a controlled environment of a chamber of the spool cabinet while remaining tethered to the spool installed in the chamber of the spool cabinet.

Tethered spool assembly and methods of use thereof

A low pull force system for feeding a filament along a feed path from a source to a liquefier in a 3D printer includes a low compressive force loading drive for advancing filament from the source, a feed drive for advancing filament into the liquefier, and an in-line accumulator comprising a telescoping joint positioned in the feed path between the loading drive and the feed drive. When the telescoping joint is in a contracted position, the loading drive activates to feed filament into the feed path at a rate faster than a rate at which the feed drive advances filament into the liquefier, causing the telescoping joint to expand and accrue a slack of filament in the feed path. When the telescoping joint reaches an extended position, the loading drive deactivates while the feed drive continues to advance filament into the liquefier, and the slack of filament is consumed.

Low pull force filament delivery system

Growing community of inventors

Golden Valley, MN, United States of America

Ross Michalkiewicz