IP Library Granted Patent US 12,617,151
Granted Patent B1
US 12,617,151 · App. 19/271,743 · Granted May 5, 2026

Print head assembly and modeling apparatus

Inventors: Bin Liu (Shenzhen, CN); Jigeng Shang (Shenzhen, CN)
Assignee: AtomForm Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.
B29C64/209B29C64/236B33Y30/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,617,151
App. No.
19/271,743
Granted
May 5, 2026
Kind
B1
Abstract

Disclosed is a print head assembly and a modeling apparatus, where the print head assembly is applied to the modeling apparatus, and the modeling apparatus includes a drive unit and a working platform; the print head assembly is connected to the drive unit and is configured to, when driven by the drive unit, generate a relative displacement with respect to the working platform; the print head assembly includes a mounting portion and an expansion module, where the mounting portion includes a first guide member extending along a first direction, the expansion module includes a second guide member extending along the first direction, and the first guide member and the second guide member are capable of being engaged with each other; and the print head assembly further includes a locking mechanism. The present application can improve installation firmness of the expansion module on the print head assembly in the modeling apparatus.

Claims (20)

1 . A print head assembly applied to a modeling apparatus, wherein the modeling apparatus comprises a drive unit and a working platform;

the print head assembly is connected to the drive unit and is configured to, when driven by the drive unit, generate a relative displacement with respect to the working platform;

the print head assembly comprises a mounting portion and an expansion module, wherein the mounting portion comprises at least one first guide member extending along a first direction, the expansion module comprises at least one second guide member extending along the first direction, and the first guide member and the second guide member are capable of being engaged with each other along the first direction;

the print head assembly further comprises a locking mechanism comprising at least one eccentric wheel handle assembly, wherein the eccentric wheel handle assembly comprises an eccentric wheel rotatably connected to the expansion module and a handle fixedly connected to the eccentric wheel; when the handle is rotated, an outer periphery of the eccentric wheel approaches or moves away from a surface of the mounting portion; when the eccentric wheel approaches, the eccentric wheel exerts a thrust force on the expansion module to move the expansion module away from the mounting portion, thereby enabling the first guide member and the second guide member to be locked in a second direction, perpendicular to the first direction, by eliminating sliding gaps between the first and the second guide members; and when the eccentric wheel moves away from the surface of the mounting portion, the locking between the first guide member and the second guide member is released; and

the eccentric wheel handle assembly further includes a bearing, and the expansion module is provided with a shaft protruding therefrom, where an inner ring of the bearing is sleeved on the shaft, and a bearing hole of the eccentric wheel is sleeved on an outer ring of the bearing.

2 . The print head assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion further comprises a positioning unit, wherein the positioning unit comprises a first stop member and/or at least one snap-fit structure, wherein

the first stop member comprises a blocking plate disposed at an end of the mounting portion along the first direction; and

the snap-fit structure comprises a first snap formed on the mounting portion and a second snap formed on the expansion module, wherein when the expansion module slides along the first direction to the end of the mounting portion under a constraint of the first guide member and the second guide member, the first snap and the second snap are engaged with each other, thereby achieving positioning of the expansion module while producing a force variation that enables users to perceive that the expansion module has been installed in place.

3 . The print head assembly of claim 2 , wherein when the expansion module slides along the first direction under the constraint of the first guide member and the second guide member until the first snap and the second snap are engaged with each other, the locking mechanism is used to lock the expansion module with the mounting portion.

4 . The print head assembly of claim 2 , wherein the first snap is a female snap and the second snap is a male snap.

5 . The print head assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first direction is a Z-axis direction of the modeling apparatus.

6 . The print head assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting portion is provided with the first guide member in a quantity of two arranged at intervals along an X-axis direction, and the expansion module is provided with the second guide member in a quantity of two arranged at intervals along the X-axis direction; or

the mounting portion is provided with the first guide member in a quantity of two arranged at intervals along a Y-axis direction, and the expansion module is provided with the second guide member in a quantity of two arranged at intervals along the Y-axis direction.

7 . The print head assembly of claim 1 , wherein the print head assembly further comprises two or more extrusion heads connected to the drive unit, and the mounting portion is arranged on the extrusion heads.

8 . The print head assembly of claim 7 , wherein the two extrusion heads comprise a first extrusion head and a second extrusion head, wherein the first extrusion head and the second extrusion head have different nozzle diameters, and/or the first extrusion head and the second extrusion head are configured to print different filaments, wherein the different filaments comprise filaments of different colors and/or filaments of different materials.

9 . The print head assembly of claim 7 , wherein the two extrusion heads comprise a first extrusion head and a second extrusion head, and the print head assembly further comprises a main frame, wherein the first extrusion head is fixedly connected to the main frame, and the second extrusion head is movably connected to the main frame along Z-axis direction.

10 . The print head assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second extrusion head moves along the Z-axis direction to cause a nozzle height of the second extrusion head to be greater than a nozzle height of the first extrusion head, so as to enable printing using the first extrusion head.

11 . The print head assembly of claim 9 , wherein the second extrusion head moves along the Z-axis direction to cause a nozzle height of the second extrusion head to be less than a nozzle height of the first extrusion head, so as to enable printing using the second extrusion head.

12 . The print head assembly of claim 1 , wherein the drive unit comprises a motor and a synchronous belt, wherein the motor is configured to drive movement of the synchronous belt arranged along different directions, thereby driving the print head assembly to generate the relative displacement with respect to the working platform.

13 . The print head assembly of claim 1 , wherein the outer periphery of the eccentric wheel is covered with an elastically deformable material, to prevent rebound or reverse rotation of the eccentric wheel.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 17, 2025
From: LIU, BIN; SHANG, JIGENG
To: ATOMFORM TECHNOLOGY (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 071735/0277 →
Priority Claims (2)
CN 202510277062.5 · Mar 7, 2025 · national
CN 202521279566.2 · Jun 20, 2025 · national
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