Patent ID: 11865752
Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
Field: Other special machines (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 14:
15. A three-dimensional shaping apparatus that shapes a three-dimensional shaped article, comprising:
a plasticizing device configured to plasticize a material to form a molten material; and
a nozzle configured to eject the molten material supplied from the plasticizing device to a stage, wherein
the plasticizing device includes:
a passage defining frame that is coupled to a hopper which stores the material and that defines a supply passage to which the material is supplied from the hopper, the supply passage being elongated in an axial direction;
a plasticizing assembly that includes a screw with an introduction portion, the introduction portion communicating with the supply passage, the plasticizing assembly being configured to plasticize the material supplied from the supply passage by rotation of the screw around a rotation axis to form the molten material; and
a sensor configured to sense in a direction along the rotation axis to detect a presence or absence of the material in the supply passage,

a hole communicating with the supply passage is formed in the passage defining frame, and the sensor is disposed in the hole, and
the screw and the sensor are laterally shifted from each other when viewed along the rotation axis.