US 12,390,984 B1
3D printer
Adam Steinmark, Flanders, NJ (US); and Ralph Tillinghast, Hardwick, NJ (US)
Assigned to The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by U.S. Gov. as Rep'd by the Secretary of the Army, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ (US)
Filed on Mar. 6, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/179,082.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/317,350, filed on Mar. 7, 2022.
Int. Cl. B29C 64/232 (2017.01); B29C 64/118 (2017.01); B29C 64/236 (2017.01); B29C 64/329 (2017.01); B33Y 10/00 (2015.01); B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B33Y 70/00 (2020.01)
CPC B29C 64/118 (2017.08) [B29C 64/232 (2017.08); B29C 64/236 (2017.08); B29C 64/329 (2017.08); B33Y 10/00 (2014.12); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 70/00 (2014.12)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A 3D printer system comprising:
a hotend print head, which may be moved in an x and y axes using a pair of motors;
a gearless passive z-axis alignment system, wherein said passive z-axis alignment system converts motion in the x and y axes of said hotend print head into a motion in a z-axis wherein said gearless passive z-axis alignment system is comprised of:
a z-frame body structure which has a top;
a buildplate which is attached, slidably in the z-axis, to the z-frame body structure;
a screw mount which is provided proximate the top of the z-frame body structure and which screw mount has a screw mount hole in the direction of the z-axis;
a z-screw which is a threaded lead screw, oriented in the z-axis and which is attached, rotatably about the z-axis and fixed translatably in the z-axis, to the z-frame body structure, at the screw mount, through the screw mount hole;
wherein said buildplate has a threaded hole through which the z-screw is threaded;
a z-cam which is a substantially circular cam with a plurality of cam slots about its circumference, and which z-cam is fixedly attached co-axially at the top of the z-screw;
a z-actuator which is a substantially cylindrical pin fixedly attached to the hotend print head and which z-actuator is axially oriented in the z-axis;
wherein by movement of the hotend print head in the x and y axes, said z-actuator may enter one of said cam slots;
wherein as the hotend print head and fixedly attached the z-actuator is moved in a circular path via motion in the x and y axes, such that the z-actuator traces a circular path about the z-screw z-axis, the z-screw may be rotated about its z-axis;
wherein said rotation of the z-screw causes the buildplate to translate in the z-axis via the threaded hole.