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JP-2026075435-A - Manufacturing apparatus for 3D printer filaments and method for manufacturing 3D printer filaments

JP2026075435AJP 2026075435 AJP2026075435 AJP 2026075435AJP-2026075435-A

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a manufacturing apparatus for 3D printer filaments and a method for manufacturing 3D printer filaments that can produce 3D printer filaments using only wood powder and resin as raw materials, without the use of additives. [Solution] A manufacturing apparatus 1 for 3D printer filaments comprises a hollow cylindrical heating cylinder 3 for heating the contents, and a rod-shaped screw 4 rotatably mounted inside the heating cylinder 3, with a spiral thread 42 formed along its outer circumference, for pressurizing the heated contents in the extrusion direction within the heating cylinder 3, wherein the distance between the inner circumference of the heating cylinder 3 and the upper end of the thread 42 of the screw 4 gradually increases as the direction of extrusion increases. [Selection Diagram] Figure 1

Inventors

  • ▲高▼橋 武彦

Assignees

  • 公立大学法人秋田県立大学

Dates

Publication Date
20260508
Application Date
20241022

Claims (10)

  1. A hollow cylindrical heating cylinder for heating the contents, A rod-shaped screw is rotatably mounted within the heating cylinder, has a spiral thread formed along its outer surface, and pressurizes the heated contents in the extrusion direction within the heating cylinder. Equipped with, A manufacturing apparatus for a 3D printer filament, characterized in that the distance between the inner circumferential surface of the heating cylinder and the upper end of the screw threads of the screw gradually increases as the direction of extrusion increases.
  2. The manufacturing apparatus for a 3D printer filament according to claim 1, characterized in that the heating cylinder is hollow cylindrical, and the height of the screw threads of the screw gradually decreases as it moves in the extrusion direction.
  3. A method for manufacturing a filament for a 3D printer using the filament manufacturing apparatus for 3D printers described in claim 1, A feeding step of putting resin and wood powder as contents into the heating cylinder, A mixing and pumping step in which the heating cylinder is heated while the screw is rotated, and the heated contents are pumped in the extrusion direction while being kneaded, A method for manufacturing a filament for a 3D printer, characterized by including the following:
  4. The method for manufacturing a 3D printer filament according to claim 3, characterized in that the resin is ABS resin.
  5. The method for manufacturing a 3D printer filament according to claim 3, characterized in that the wood powder has a moisture content of 2% or less.
  6. The method for manufacturing a 3D printer filament according to claim 3, characterized in that the wood powder has a particle size of 250 μm or less.
  7. The method for manufacturing a 3D printer filament according to claim 3, characterized in that the proportion of wood powder in the contents is 15% by weight or more and 35% by weight or less.
  8. The method for manufacturing a 3D printer filament according to claim 3, characterized in that the wood powder is cedar wood powder.
  9. The method for manufacturing a 3D printer filament according to claim 3, characterized in that the contents are heated to 180°C or higher during the mixing and pumping step.
  10. The method for manufacturing a filament for a 3D printer according to claim 3, characterized in that the rotation speed of the screw is 4 times/minute or more and 5 times/minute or less.

Description

This invention relates to a manufacturing apparatus for 3D printer filaments containing wood powder and resin, and to a method for manufacturing 3D printer filaments. In recent years, 3D printers, which create three-dimensional replicas of objects based on digital data representing those objects, have become widely used. These 3D printers create replicas by dividing the three-dimensional object into layers of two-dimensional data of a certain thickness, and then performing additive manufacturing on each layer. Furthermore, various additive manufacturing methods are used for 3D printers, including Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Stereolithography Apparatus (SLA), inkjet additive manufacturing, and binder jetting. Among these, FDM 3D printers are relatively inexpensive, widely used, and even in ordinary households. FDM (Fiber Deposition Modeling) 3D printers melt filament-like thermoplastic resin, extrude the molten resin through a nozzle that can move forward, backward, left, right, up, and down, and harden it on the printing surface. This process is repeated to form layered structures, ultimately creating the three-dimensional shape of the desired replica. Incidentally, in recent years, efforts have been made to reduce the amount of synthetic resin materials used in order to address various problems caused by synthetic resins, such as environmental pollution from the disposal of synthetic resin materials and the generation of greenhouse gases during combustion. As part of these efforts, the use of bioplastics is being promoted. Bioplastics are resins that use plant-derived materials, such as wood powder made from waste wood or thinned timber. By using such materials as a substitute for resin materials, or by mixing them with resin materials, it becomes possible to reduce the amount of synthetic resin materials used. These efforts to use bioplastics are also being undertaken in the field of injection molding, and injection-molded mixed materials made by mixing wood powder and resin have been developed (see Patent Document 1). Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-148935 This is a perspective view showing a manufacturing apparatus for 3D printer filaments according to an embodiment of the present invention, with region A shown enlarged as a cross-sectional perspective view.Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the screw used in the manufacturing apparatus for 3D printer filaments, with region B shown in a magnified view.Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the relationship between the screw's rotation direction and the extrusion direction.This is a schematic diagram showing how molten resin flows in a heating cylinder in a manufacturing apparatus for 3D printer filaments according to an embodiment of the present invention.This is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a 3D printer filament according to an embodiment of the present invention, using the 3D printer filament manufacturing apparatus shown in Figure 1.The graph shows the tensile strength of a 3D printer filament manufactured by a method for manufacturing 3D printer filaments according to an embodiment of the present invention, where (A) is the tensile strength when 15% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of less than 100 μm is mixed into the raw material, (B) is the tensile strength when 25% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of less than 100 μm is mixed into the raw material, and (C) is the stress-strain diagram showing the tensile strength when 35% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of less than 100 μm is mixed into the raw material.This graph shows the tensile strength of a 3D printer filament manufactured by a method for manufacturing 3D printer filaments according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) is the tensile strength when 15% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of 100 μm or more and 250 μm or less is mixed into the raw material. (B) is the tensile strength when 25% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of 100 μm or more and 250 μm or less is mixed into the raw material. (C) is a stress-strain diagram showing the tensile strength when 35% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of 100 μm or more and 250 μm or less is mixed into the raw material.The images show the appearance of a 3D printer filament manufactured by a method for manufacturing 3D printer filaments according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) shows the filament when 15% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of less than 100 μm is mixed into the raw material, 25% by weight, and 35% by weight, respectively. (B) shows the filament when 15% by weight of cedar wood powder with a particle size of 100 μm or more and 250 μm or less is mixed into the raw material, 25% by weight, and 35% by weight, respectively.The images show the appearance of three-dimensional objects created using three-dimensional printer filaments manufactured by a method for