Patents by Inventor Aljosa Kemperle

Aljosa Kemperle has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 12049038
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2023
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2024
    Assignee: Stratays, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 11780156
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 10, 2023
    Assignee: Stratasys, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Publication number: 20230264413
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 28, 2023
    Publication date: August 24, 2023
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Publication number: 20220193975
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2022
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 11285649
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2022
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 10994462
    Abstract: A technique for planarizing build surfaces in three-dimensional printing includes the use of a three-dimensional printer having an extruder with a sensor mechanically coupled thereto, where the sensor is operable to sense a contact force between the extruder and a separate structure. In particular, the sensor may be used to measure the contact force at a plurality of locations across a build surface of the separate structure, so that a difference between the measured contact force at two or more locations can be identified. In response to the difference between the measured contact force at these locations, a control signal may be created to reduce the difference for planarizing the build surface, e.g., by fabricating a layer on the build surface that mitigates irregularities therein, by gap filling on the build surface, or by adjusting a parameter of the three-dimensional printer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 4, 2021
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Aljosa Kemperle, Filipp Gelman, Peter Joseph Schmehl
  • Publication number: 20200346451
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Publication date: November 5, 2020
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Publication number: 20200171743
    Abstract: A technique for planarizing build surfaces in three-dimensional printing includes the use of a three-dimensional printer having an extruder with a sensor mechanically coupled thereto, where the sensor is operable to sense a contact force between the extruder and a separate structure. In particular, the sensor may be used to measure the contact force at a plurality of locations across a build surface of the separate structure, so that a difference between the measured contact force at two or more locations can be identified. In response to the difference between the measured contact force at these locations, a control signal may be created to reduce the difference for planarizing the build surface, e.g., by fabricating a layer on the build surface that mitigates irregularities therein, by gap filling on the build surface, or by adjusting a parameter of the three-dimensional printer.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2020
    Publication date: June 4, 2020
    Inventors: Aljosa Kemperle, Filipp Gelman, Peter Joseph Schmehl
  • Patent number: 10556381
    Abstract: An extruder or other tool head of a three-dimensional printer is instrumented to detect contact force against the extruder, such as by a build platform or an object being fabricated. The tool head may also be instrumented to detect deflection forces and the like acting on the tool that might indicate an operating error. The resulting feedback data can be used in a variety of ways to control operation of the three-dimensional printer during fabrication or diagnostics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Aljosa Kemperle, Filipp Gelman, Peter Joseph Schmehl
  • Patent number: 10525692
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 10525691
    Abstract: An extrusion head or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extrusion head may be spring-biased forward along a feedpath to rest in a downward position, or the extrusion head may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 10481586
    Abstract: A hot end associated with an extruder for a Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) three dimensional (3D) printer includes, in at least one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification: a heater; a temperature sensor coupled with the heater; an FFF material delivery channel; a heat sink coupled with the FFF material delivery channel; a nozzle coupled with the FFF material delivery channel and with the heater, the nozzle having a total included angle of less than or equal to sixty degrees and greater than or equal to ten degrees, with respect to a nozzle target point; and a cooling delivery system for at least the heat sink; where the heat sink, the heater, the temperature sensor, the FFF material delivery channel, the nozzle, and the cooling delivery system are all contained within a volume defined by the total included angle with respect to the nozzle target point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2019
    Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
    Inventors: James Sherwood Page, Peter J. Schmehl, Cory Mark Bloome, Aljosa Kemperle
  • Publication number: 20190061335
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Publication number: 20190061334
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 24, 2018
    Publication date: February 28, 2019
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 10214004
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Publication number: 20170072632
    Abstract: A hot end associated with an extruder for a Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) three dimensional (3D) printer includes, in at least one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification: a heater; a temperature sensor coupled with the heater; an FFF material delivery channel; a heat sink coupled with the FFF material delivery channel; a nozzle coupled with the FFF material delivery channel and with the heater, the nozzle having a total included angle of less than or equal to sixty degrees and greater than or equal to ten degrees, with respect to a nozzle target point; and a cooling delivery system for at least the heat sink; where the heat sink, the heater, the temperature sensor, the FFF material delivery channel, the nozzle, and the cooling delivery system are all contained within a volume defined by the total included angle with respect to the nozzle target point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Inventors: James Sherwood Page, Peter J. Schmehl, Cory Mark Bloome, Aljosa Kemperle
  • Publication number: 20170043536
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 9555585
    Abstract: A three-dimensional printer uses its extruder and build platform to properly orient the build platform within a working volume. In a multi-point leveling operation, the extruder is moved to the z-axis origin at a number of x-y positions within the plane of the build platform, and the height of the build platform is adjusted to meet the extruder at the origin. If the build platform is a meltable material such as a plastic, then this leveling process must be performed while the extruder is cool. A homing operation may be performed periodically after leveling in order to realign the z-axis positions of the build platform and extruder. A non-meltable contact point may be usefully provided so that homing can be performed while the extruder is hot, such as immediately before a build or between a number of builds.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2017
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Taylor S. Goodman, Mark Waller, Aljosa Kemperle
  • Patent number: 9481132
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl
  • Patent number: 9469072
    Abstract: An extruder or other similar tool head of a three-dimensional printer is slidably mounted along a feedpath of build material so that the extruder can move into and out of contact with a build surface according to whether build material is being extruded. The extruder may be spring-biased against the forward feedpath so that the extruder remains above the build surface in the absence of applied forces, and then moves downward into a position for extrusion when build material is fed into the extruder. In another aspect, modular tool heads are disclosed that can be automatically coupled to and removed from the three-dimensional printer by a suitable robotics system. A tool crib may be provided to store multiple tool heads while not in use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2016
    Assignee: MakerBot Industries, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Joseph Schmehl, Aljosa Kemperle, Stewart Schmehl