Patent ID: 9233506
Filing Date: 2016-01-12
CPC Classification: B29B,B29C,B33Y,F16L,H05B

Claim Text:
1. A liquefier assembly for use in an additive manufacturing system, the liquefier assembly comprising: a liquefier tube compositionally comprising a first metallic material, and having an inlet end and outlet end offset along a longitudinal axis, and a channel extending between the inlet end and the outlet end; a nozzle secured to the outlet end of the liquefier tube; a heating element extending at least partially around the liquefier tube, wherein the heating element is configured to generate a hot zone in the liquefier tube; at least one hollow spacer compositionally comprising a second metallic material, the at least one hollow spacer being disposed in the channel and having a first end adjacent to the nozzle and a second end that defines a shoulder that is upstream along the longitudinal axis from the hot zone when generated by the heating element; and a hollow liner compositionally comprising a fluoropolymer, the hollow liner being disposed in the channel and having a first end abutting against the shoulder of the at least one hollow spacer.