1. A cross-connect assembly comprising:
a plurality of jacks each including a separate jack body, each separate jack body being formed of a dielectric material, the dielectric material of each jack body defining a plurality of bores sized to receive standard tip-and-ring plugs having tip and ring contacts, each jack including a plurality of electrically conductive tip and ring springs, the tip springs being adapted to make electrical contact with the tip contacts of the plugs when the plugs are inserted within the bores, and the ring springs being adapted to make electrical contact with the ring contacts of the plugs when the plugs are inserted within the bores, each jack including a plurality of normal contacts adapted to normally make electrical contact with the tip and ring springs; and
adjacent jack bodies having different port positioning such that the bores defined by the adjacent jack bodies are vertically staggered relative to one another.
2. The cross-connect assembly of claim 1, wherein each jack body includes an integrally formed spacers that separate the normal contacts.
3. The cross-connect assembly of claim 1, wherein the tip springs, the ring spring and the normal contacts extend through slots defined by the jack bodies.
4. The cross-connect assembly of claim 1, wherein each of the jacks includes a grounding strip that has electrical contacts corresponding to each of the bores, the electrical contacts being configured to engage a sleeve of a plug inserted within the bores, and wherein each of the jacks includes a ground spring electrically connected to the grounding strip.
5. The cross-connect assembly of claim 1, wherein the jacks include odd and even jacks, wherein the bores of each jack include a monitor bore, an in bore and an out bore, wherein the tip and ring springs are in general alignment with the in bore, the out bore and the monitor bore, and wherein the normal contacts are adapted to normally make electrical contact with the tip and ring springs in general alignment with the in and out bores.
6. The cross-connect assembly of claim 5, wherein the bores of the odd jacks are arranged in a different pattern than the bores of the even jacks.
7. The cross-connect assembly of claim 5, wherein each jack body includes an integrally formed spacer that separates the normal contacts that are adapted to normally make electrical contact with the tip and ring springs in general alignment with in bore and an integrally formed spacer that separates the normal contacts that are adapted to normally make electrical contact with the tip and ring springs in general alignment with the out bore.
8. The cross-connect assembly of claim 5, wherein each jack body includes an integrally formed spacer that separates the tip and ring springs in general alignment with the monitor bore.
9. The cross-connect assembly of claim 5, wherein the tip springs, the ring spring and the normal contacts extend through slots defined by the jack bodies.
10. The cross-connect assembly of claim 5, wherein the odd jacks have different spacings between the bores than the even jacks.
11. The cross-connect assembly of claim 5, wherein each of the jacks includes a grounding strip that has electrical contacts corresponding to each of the bores, the electrical contacts being configured to engage a sleeve of a plug inserted within the bores, and wherein each of the jacks includes a ground spring electrically connected to the grounding strip.
12. The cross-connect assembly of claim 5 wherein each jack body defines a monitor chamber in which the tip and ring springs in general alignment with the monitor port are located, wherein each jack body defines an in chamber in which the tip and ring springs in general alignment with the in port and their corresponding normal contacts are located, and wherein each jack body defines an out chamber in which the tip and ring springs in general alignment with the out port and their corresponding normal contacts are located.
13. The cross-connector assembly of claims 12, wherein the monitor bore includes an out monitor bore.
14. The cross-connector assembly of claims 12, wherein the monitor bore includes an in monitor bore.
15. The cross-connect assembly of claims 12, wherein each jack body defines an in monitor bore and an out monitor bore, and wherein pairs of the tip and ring springs are in general alignment with the in monitor bore and with the out monitor bore.
16. The cross-connect assembly of claims 15, wherein each jack includes an LED.
17. The cross-connect assembly of claims 16, wherein each jack includes a resilient retaining member.
18. The cross-connect assembly of claim 17, wherein the resilient retaining member includes a cantilevered locking member.
19. The cross-connect assembly of claim 17, wherein the resilient retaining members are provided at bottom sides of the odd jacks and at top sides of the even jacks.
20. The cross-connect assembly of claim 18, wherein each jack body includes a transverse wall that forms a base end of the cantilevered locking member, wherein each jack body includes a guide member that extends from a back side of the jack body to the transverse wall, wherein the guide member tapers laterally outward as it extends from the back side toward the transverse wall, and wherein each jack body includes alignment members that project outward from opposite sides of the guide member, that are connected to the transverse wall, and that at least partially define alignment notches.
21. The cross-connect assembly of claim 18, wherein each jack body includes a guide member that extends between a front side and a back side of the jack body, the guide member tapering laterally outward as it extends from the back side toward the front side of the jack body, wherein each jack body also includes guide surfaces positioned at opposite sides of the guide member, the guide surfaces including substantially parallel front and rear portions interconnected by a ramp portion.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A three-dimensional printer comprising:
a print head, said print head positioned over an operational area;
a plurality of nozzles attached to said print head, a material extruded therefrom employed to form an object; and
a processor, said processor controlling the position of said print head over said operational area during the formation of said object, and controlling the respective nozzles and the flow of said material therethrough,
wherein at least two of said nozzles, at the command of said processor, extrude material together in the formation of said object.
2. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, wherein said nozzles have a diameter within the range selected from the group consisting of about 5-10 \u03bcm, about 15-25 \u03bcm, about 20-40 \u03bcm, about 40-60 \u03bcm, about 50-100 \u03bcm, and combinations thereof.
3. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, wherein the number of said plurality of nozzles on said print head is within the range selected from the group consisting of about 100-10,000, about 50-5,000, about 30-3,000, about 20-2,000 and about 10-1,000.
4. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of nozzles on said print head are arranged in row.
5. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 4, wherein said plurality of nozzles on said print head are arranged linearly in at least two rows.
6. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of nozzles on said print head are arranged offset.
7. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, wherein said material extruded from said nozzles is selected from the group consisting of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PLA), high density polyethylene (HDPE), PCABS, polyphenylsulfone (PPSU), high impact polystyrene (HIPS) and combinations thereof.
8. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, wherein said operational area has substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head having a length substantially equivalent to one of said dimensions, said plurality of nozzles configured on said print head across said one dimension, said print head moving across said operational area in one pass for one layer.
9. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 8, wherein said print head length is less than said one dimension, said print head moving across said operational area in multiple passes.
10. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 9, wherein said print head length is an integer fraction of said one dimension.
11. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 8, wherein said print head has a length and width substantially equal to the dimensions for said operational area, said plurality of nozzles arranged in an array across said print head and, at the command of said processor, a plurality of said nozzles extruding material together in the formation of one layer of said object.
12. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, wherein said print head is interchangeable with a second print head, said second print head having a different configuration of said plurality of nozzles.
13. A print head for a three-dimensional printer comprising:
a body;
a plurality of nozzles attached to said body, a material extruded therefrom employed to form an object;
said print head configured, at the command of a processor, to extrude material from at least two of said nozzles together to form said object.
14. The print head according to claim 13, wherein said nozzles have a diameter within the range selected from the group consisting of about 5-10 \u03bcm, about 15-25 \u03bcm, about 20-40 \u03bcm, about 40-60 \u03bcm, about 50-100 \u03bcm, and combinations thereof.
15. The print head according to claim 13, wherein the number of said plurality of nozzles on said print head is within the range selected from the group consisting of about 100-10,000, about 50-5,000, about 30-3,000, about 20-2,000 and about 10-1,000.
16. The print head according to claim 13, wherein said plurality of nozzles on said print head are arranged in a row.
17. The print head according to claim 16, wherein said plurality of nozzles on said print head are arranged linearly in at least two rows.
18. The print head according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of nozzles on said print head are arranged offset.
19. The print head according to claim 1, wherein said print head, in operation, is positioned over an operational area, said operational area having substantially rectilinear dimensions, said print head having a length substantially equivalent to one of said dimensions, said plurality of nozzles configured across said print head across said one dimension, said print head moving across said operational area in one pass for one layer.
20. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 19, wherein said print head length is less than said one dimension.
21. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 20, wherein said print head length is an integer fraction of said one dimension.
22. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 19, wherein said print head has a length and width substantially equal to the dimensions for said operational area, said plurality of nozzles arranged in an array across said print head, and, at the command of said processor, a plurality of said nozzles extruding material together in the formation of one layer of said object.
23. A methodology for creating an object from a three-dimensional printer comprising:
moving a print head over an operational area during the construction of an object, said print head having a plurality of nozzles attached thereto;
extruding material from at least two of said plurality of nozzles together during one pass of said print head over said operational area, said material extruded therefrom employed to form said object.
24. A three-dimensional printer comprising:
an energy dispersion head;
a plurality of energy dispersion components within said energy dispersion head, respective beams of energy emitted therefrom onto an operational area employed to form an object;
a processor, said processor controlling the position of said respective beams of energy over said operational area during the formation of said object, wherein at least two of said beams of energy, at the command of said processor, operate together in the formation of said object.
25. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 24, wherein said respective beams of energy are from respective lasers.
26. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 24, wherein said respective beams of energy are split from a laser beam.
27. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 24, wherein said respective beams of energy have different wavelengths.
28. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 24, wherein at least one beam of energy is ultraviolet.
29. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 24, wherein said processor controls said printer pursuant to a model selected from the group consisting of fused deposition modeling, material jetting, powder bed fusion, direct metal laser sintering, electron beam melting, selective heat sintering, selective laser melting, selective laser sintering, sheet lamination, laminated object manufacturing, ultrasonic additive manufacturing and combinations thereof.
30. An energy dispersion head for a three-dimensional printer comprising:
a body;
a plurality of energy dispersion components attached to said body, respective beams of energy emitted therefrom across an operational area and employed to form an object;
said energy dispersion head configured, at the command of a processor, to emit at least two of said beams of energy together to form said object during a pass over said operational area.
31. A methodology for creating an object from a three-dimensional printer comprising:
moving at least two energy beams, during a pass, over an operational area during the construction of an object;
curing material within said operational area, said material being cured, after said movement in said pass, in at least two separate positions within said operational area.