3D Printer Platform Assembly With Adjustable Posts for Filament Bridging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional FDM 3D printing faces challenges in printing flowable filament material between elevated structures due to its fluid-like properties, necessitating manual creation and placement of supporting structures, which increases complexity, cost, and time.
Innovation Solution
A 3D printer with a build platform featuring adjustable posts that can be raised to support flowable filament across gaps between elevated structures, eliminating the need for manual supporting structures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual supporting structures are created and placed to support flowable filament between elevated structures, then the filament can be successfully deposited, but the manufacturing complexity, cost, and time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The build platform automatically generates and positions supporting structures without manual intervention. The system uses sensors to detect the need for support and autonomously deposits material to create temporary supporting structures, eliminating the need for manual creation and placement of support materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The build platform预先 deposits supporting structures before the actual filament deposition is needed. By anticipating where support will be required and preparing these structures in advance, the system ensures smooth filament deposition while reducing the complexity of on-the-fly support creation.
2Reliability
If manual supporting structures are created and placed to support flowable filament between elevated structures, then the filament can be successfully deposited, but the manufacturing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The build platform continuously monitors the printing process and dynamically adjusts supporting structure deposition without interrupting the overall manufacturing flow. By maintaining continuous operation and avoiding manual intervention stops, the system reduces total manufacturing time while ensuring successful filament deposition.
Solution Approach 2:
Supporting structures are deposited in advance during non-critical phases of the printing process, allowing the main filament deposition to proceed without delays. This preliminary preparation eliminates time losses that would occur if support structures were created manually during production.
3Shape
If flowable filament material is discharged horizontally in mid-air between elevated structures, then the structures can be connected, but the filament cannot support its own weight due to fluid-like properties
Solution Approach 1:
The build platform introduces temporary supporting structures as intermediary elements between the elevated structures. These supporting structures act as mediators that provide the necessary mechanical strength to hold the flowable filament in place during deposition, enabling the filament to bridge gaps it could not span on its own.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of attempting to make the filament itself strong enough to span the gap horizontally, the solution adds a vertical dimension by introducing supporting structures that rise from below to meet the filament mid-span. This dimensional approach allows the filament to be deposited at a lower, more stable position while still achieving the desired connection between elevated structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A three-dimensional (3D) printer includes a platform assembly on which a 3D object can be built, an extruder, a filament feeding assembly feeding a filament to the extruder, a movable nozzle receiving heated filament from the extruder in a flowable form and directing the flowable filament material on the platform assembly to create the 3D object, and a controlling circuit for controlling an operation of the 3D printer. The platform assembly may include first and second plates separated from one another, a plurality of elongated structures connecting the first and second plates to one another, and a plurality of post assemblies disposed between the first and second plates. The post assemblies may include posts that can be selectively raised and lowered to protrude over the plate, from among the first and second plates, on which the 3D object will be built to assist with the building process.