Filament spool auto-change in a modeling machine

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

United States of America Patent

PATENT NO 7172715
SERIAL NO

10858122

Stats

ATTORNEY / AGENT: (SPONSORED)

Importance

Loading Importance Indicators... loading....

Abstract

See full text

A filament cassette and a filament loading assembly supply modeling filament to a liquifier in a three-dimensional deposition modeling machine. Two or more cassettes containing spooled filament are inserted into the machine. A strand of filament from a first one of the cassettes is fed to the liquifier for extrusion. Without operator intervention, the filament strand from the first cassette is withdrawn from the liquifier, and a filament strand from a second one of the cassettes is fed to the liquifier. The switching of filament feed sources is triggered by an event, such as an identification that the filament from the first cassette has reached a predetermined minimum length. In this manner, a used primary filament cassette is automatically replaced with a standby filament cassette, so that the machine need not experience downtime waiting for an operator to change the cassettes.

Loading the Abstract Image... loading....

First Claim

See full text

Family

Loading Family data... loading....

Patent Owner(s)

  • STRATASYS, INC.

International Classification(s)

  • [Classification Symbol]
  • [Patents Count]

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Brose, Steve Belle Plaine, MN 6 614
Hopkins, Paul E Savage, MN 16 1361
Popa, Mihnea A Roseville, MN 8 202
Swanson, William J St. Paul, MN 128 9638
Turley, Patrick W Eden Prairie, MN 23 1773

Cited Art Landscape

Load Citation

Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cite Landscape

Load Citation