United States Patent im
Batchelder et al.
US005764521A [ii] Patent Number: [45] Date of Patent:
[54] METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SOLID PROTOTYPING
[75] Inventors: John Samuel Batchelder. Somers;
Robert R. Jackson. Millbrook. both of
N.Y.
[73] Assignee: Stratasys Inc., Eden Prairie, Minn.
[21] Appl. No.: 556,583
[22] Filed: Nov. 13,1995
[51] Int. CI.6 G06F 19/00; B29C 47/38
[52] U.S. CI 364/475.01; 364/468.26;
364/468.25; 364/474.24; 364/473.01; 364/475.02; 364/475.08; 156/312; 156/350; 156/244.21; 264/40.7; 264/171.11; 264/171.18; 264/211.21; 264/211.23; 264/328.13; 425/145; 425/149;
425/375
[58] Field of Search 364/475.01. 468.25.
364/468.26. 468.24. 474.24. 472.02^72.03. 473.01. 475.02. 475.08; 264/13. 171.11. 171.17-171.18, 176.1, 211.21, 211.23. 255. 308. 328.13, 510, 514, 540. 40.5. 40.7; 156/314. 311-312. 350. 358. 367. 379.8, 242. 244.21; 425/145, 149, 375.
378.1
[56] References Cited
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Primary Examiner—Emanuel T. Voeltz
Assistant Examiner—Than Q. Dam
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Ohlandt, Greeley, Ruggiero &
Perle
[57] ABSTRACT
An improved extrusion-based manufacturing system includes one or more extruders, with each extruder containing at least two stages of increasing pressurization. In a preferred embodiment, a first stage of pressurization is created by the motion of a solid wafer of thermoplastic through an orifice into a heater chamber. In another preferred embodiment, the wafers are stored in removable, electronically tagged, cassettes and are removed therefrom by a stapler mechanism which feeds the wafers from the cassette to a tractor feed mechanism on demand. In each embodiment, a second stage of pressurization is provided by a pump, with the first stage pressurization maintaining a flow of thermoplastic to the pump under all expected pump rates.
16 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
