http://www.freepatentsonline.com/y2014/0042657.html Is this not what the Makibox does with it's hot-end PCB?

3D Printing
,
1

#makerbot #patents

Is this not what the Makibox does with it’s hot-end PCB? @Jonathan_Buford

An extruder for a three-dimension printer uses a printed circuit board (PCB) heating element with leads having temperature-sensitive resistance. The resulting circuit can be driven at high power to heat an extruder, or at a low power with a known current to measure a resistance from which temperature can be inferred. Thus a single circuit on a printed circuit board can be driven alternately in two modes to heat and sense temperature of an extruder.

2

Oddly enough, this is part of what we did, and we did consider doing the temperature sensing as described, but ended not going that way due to the sensing would potentially drive the temperature.

3

how the hell can this even be patented? there are millions of PCB designs with temp sensing … patents offices are bribed or what?
every modern soldering station has it … WTH >facepalm<

4

!!! are they kidding ???