Three-dimensional printing equipment and three-dimensional printing method

Abstract

The invention provides three-dimensional printing equipment and a three-dimensional printing method. The three-dimensional printing equipment comprises a light-permeable material containing mechanism and a printing mechanism, wherein the light-permeable material containing mechanism is provided with a bearing area configured to bear a printing material; a feeding mechanism including a first channel configured to supply a first material and a second channel configured to supply a second material different from the first material; the driving mechanism is configured to move at least one of the material containing mechanism and the material supply mechanism; an optical mechanism configured to project light to the bearing area based on the pattern to cure the first material and the second material; the forming platform mechanism is configured to adhere to the curing layer and can carry the adhered curing layer to be separated from the material containing mechanism, and the curing layer comprises at least one of a part formed by the first material, a part formed by the second material and a part formed by the mixture.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention application with the application date of January 10, 2023, application number 202310038195.8, and invention name “Three-dimensional printing device and three-dimensional printing method”. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of three-dimensional molding equipment, and in particular to a three-dimensional printing device and a three-dimensional printing method. Background Art

[0003] 3D printing technology uses 3D printing equipment to create three-dimensional solids layer by layer based on a 3D model of an object. 3D printing can overcome structural obstacles currently unattainable with traditional machining, enabling the simplified production of arbitrarily complex components. Existing stereolithography technologies include laser stereolithography (SLA), DLP (projector-based surface light curing), and LCD (liquid crystal surface light curing).

[0004] Currently, the application areas of photocuring 3D printing technology are becoming increasingly broad. Photocuring technology, in particular, is widely used in the fields of molds, customized products, medical fixtures, dentistry, figurines, prostheses, etc. due to its high molding precision. When manufacturing models with photocuring 3D printing technology, it is usually printed layer by layer in a layered slicing process. The photocuring material between the printing reference surface and the model is cured to form a patterned solidified layer. The above steps are repeated to form a printed structure accumulated by the patterned solidified layers on the component platform. Most photocuring printers in related technologies can only print parts with a single printing material. There are very few photocuring machines that can print parts with multiple printing materials.

[0005] Existing color 3D printing technologies, both domestically and internationally, mostly utilize inkjet sinking, indiscriminate light-curing technology. This involves ejecting the printing material through a linear nozzle, followed by a light source that indiscriminately exposes and cures all ejected resin on the build platform / carrier. For example, some related technologies employ multiple nozzles on one side of a material tank to spray different colored resins into the tank, enabling the printing of color models. However, this printing method simply injects different colored resins into the tank from one side through nozzles. Due to the high viscosity of the resin, ensuring resin leveling within the tank is difficult. Printing accuracy is heavily dependent on the nozzle's spray accuracy, impacting print quality. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this application includes providing a three-dimensional printing device and a three-dimensional printing method, so as to be able to print parts with multiple printing materials.

[0007] The embodiments of the present application can be implemented as follows:

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a three-dimensional printing device, which includes a material holding mechanism, a feeding mechanism, a driving mechanism, an optical mechanism and a forming platform mechanism, wherein the material holding mechanism is light-transmissive and has a carrying area configured to carry printing materials; the feeding mechanism has a feeding component configured to quantitatively supply multiple types of printing materials; the driving mechanism is configured to achieve relative movement between the carrying area and the feeding component, so that the feeding mechanism quantitatively supplies a preset type of printing material at a preset position of the material holding mechanism; the optical mechanism is configured to project and expose the printing material in the carrying area, so that the printing material undergoes a photocuring reaction to form a printed model; the forming platform mechanism is configured to adhere the solidified layer formed by the curing of the printing material layer by layer and separate the solidified layer from the carrying area of ​​the material holding mechanism.

[0009] In a second aspect, the present application provides a three-dimensional printing method, which is applied to the above-mentioned three-dimensional printing device. The three-dimensional printing method includes: obtaining a three-dimensional model, dividing the three-dimensional model into multiple slice layers, and generating a corresponding printing strategy for each slice layer, the printing strategy including at least one of the relative movement information between the carrying area and the feeding component, the material type of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism, and the projection information of the optical mechanism; according to the printing strategy, supplying the printing material to the carrying area of ​​the material holding mechanism, wherein at least some of the slice layers correspond to two or more material types; the printing material is exposed and cured by the optical mechanism according to the projection information to form a solidified layer; and controlling the forming platform mechanism to separate the solidified layer.

[0010] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application include:

[0011] The three-dimensional printing device provided by the present application, under the action of the driving mechanism, can generate relative movement between the feeding component of the feeding mechanism and the bearing area of ​​the forming platform, so that the feeding component can be located at any position in the bearing area, so as to realize the supply of printing materials at any position in the bearing area. The feeding mechanism can supply various types of printing materials to the bearing area through the feeding component, so that the required types of printing materials can be supplied to different positions in the bearing area as needed, realizing single-layer printing of multiple materials and avoiding the risk of mixing materials, realizing color printing without the need for post-coloring, and realizing printing with different material performance requirements; and it can avoid the situation where the residual materials generated during the printing process, such as the uncured resin or residue in the upper layer, affect the printing of the next layer, and the printing quality is better. The three-dimensional printing device provided by the present application can also realize the above-mentioned three-dimensional printing method, and therefore also has the beneficial effects of improving operation efficiency and reducing labor costs.

[0012] The 3D printing method provided by this application enables single-layer printing of multiple materials without the risk of material mixing. It can achieve color printing without the need for post-coloring and can also achieve printing with different material performance requirements. Using projection-based light-curing technology, the edge of the print is directly cured using the projected contour of the projection surface. Therefore, the edge accuracy of the print depends on the accuracy of the optical projection mechanism, resulting in higher printing accuracy compared to inkjet printing. Furthermore, compared to top-projection printing, bottom-projection printing is preferred. Bottom-projection lifting printing requires less support than top-projection sinking printing, saving more materials. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.

[0014] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0015] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of a leveling roller assembly in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the working principle of a leveling roller assembly in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of a scraper assembly as a leveling component in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the working principle of a scraper assembly as a leveling assembly in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a scraper assembly in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 7 A schematic structural diagram of a wiping component in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 8 A schematic structural diagram of a material holding mechanism in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of a 3D printing device with an RGB color system according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 10 A schematic structural diagram of a three-dimensional printing device for a CMYK color system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 11 A schematic structural diagram of a material holding mechanism in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 12 A schematic structural diagram of a material holding mechanism in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 13 A schematic structural diagram of a material holding mechanism in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 14 A schematic structural diagram of a material holding mechanism in a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0029] Figure 15 A schematic structural diagram of a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 16 A schematic structural diagram of a three-dimensional printing device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 17 A schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 18 A schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing model provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 19 Another schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing model provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 20 Another schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing model provided in an embodiment of the present application; and

[0035] Figure 21 A schematic diagram of the crystallization of slice layers of a 3D printing model provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0036] 100, material holding mechanism; 101, transparent film; 102, upper film frame; 103, lower film frame; 104, upper transparent plate; 105, lower transparent plate; 106, second cavity; 107, air supply assembly; 108, bearing area; 109, micropores; 110, dielectric layer;

[0037] 200, feeding mechanism; 201, feeding assembly; 202, pipeline; 203, storage assembly;

[0038] 300, driving mechanism; 301, first driving assembly; 3011, second lifting assembly; 3012, translation assembly;

[0039] 400, optical mechanism;

[0040] 500, forming platform mechanism; 501, first lifting assembly; 502, forming platform; 5021, forming surface;

[0041] 600, cleaning mechanism; 601, waste receiving device; 602, wiping assembly; 6021, fixed part; 6022, elastic member; 6023, movable part; 6024, incoming material roller; 6025, receiving material roller; 6026, dust-free cloth.

[0042] 700, leveling mechanism; 701, leveling assembly;

[0043] 800, scraper assembly; 801, scraper holder; 802, scraper mounting frame; 803, scraper body;

[0044] 900, printed part; 901, solid structure; 9011, outline; 9012, filling part; 9013, outer layer; 9014, inner layer; 902, sacrificial structure; 9021, bottom plate; 9022, support part; 904, sub-region; 905, gap;

[0045] 1000. Printing materials. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0047] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined or explained in subsequent drawings.

[0048] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0049] 3D printing technology uses 3D printing equipment to create three-dimensional solids layer by layer based on the 3D model data of an object. 3D printing technology can overcome special structural obstacles that cannot be achieved through traditional mechanical processing, enabling the simplified production of arbitrarily complex structural components. Existing 3D printing technologies include stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), liquid crystal display (LCD), fused deposition modeling (FDM), polymer jet molding (PolyJet), multi-nozzle printing (MJP), multi-jet fusion (MJF), and selective laser sintering (SLS).

[0050] In some related technologies, a nozzle sprays a layer of liquid photopolymer onto a build tray, then irradiates the entire build tray with ultraviolet light to solidify the liquid photopolymer layer sprayed on the tray. The build tray then descends by one build layer thickness, and the nozzle continues to spray liquid photopolymer to print and solidify the next layer, repeating this process to complete the 3D printing of the model. This printing method uses a linear nozzle to eject the printing material, and then a light source closely follows the nozzle to indiscriminately expose, polymerize, and solidify the liquid photopolymer layer on the build tray. Its printing accuracy and quality depend on the dimensional accuracy of the nozzle. The smaller the nozzle size, the less printing material it can accommodate, resulting in low printing accuracy, poor print quality, and a limited selection of printing materials.

[0051] In some related technologies, after a light-curing 3D printer prints a single-color structure, the model is colored by a later coloring method. This printing method is very simple and the steps are cumbersome. In addition, the residual materials generated during the printing process, such as the uncured resin or residue in the upper layer, will affect the printing of the next layer, resulting in poor printing quality and poor effect.

[0052] Some related technologies utilize multiple material loading mechanisms and a Z-axis translation mechanism that drives the print platform, moving the print platform between different loading mechanisms. This allows for printing multiple materials on a single part. However, this method results in each layer being a single color, preventing single-layer multi-color printing. Furthermore, there is a risk of contamination from mixed materials during the printing process.

[0053] Some related technologies employ a lattice grid placed on a release film, then equipped with a resin dispenser. A computer controls which lattice grid in each layer of projection requires which color of resin, controlling the dispenser to inject resin into the corresponding lattice area. The resin is then exposed and cured to form a single layer. The lattice grid is then cleaned and dried by a cleaning unit, and the next layer is printed. This process is repeated to complete color printing. However, this technology requires post-processing after each layer to stabilize the color of the printed layer, resulting in complex processes and low printing efficiency.

[0054] In some related technologies, the three-dimensional model printed by the three-dimensional printing equipment has a support part, which supports the main part during the printing process. After the three-dimensional model is printed, the support part needs to be removed. However, in the related technologies, the support part and the main part are made of the same printing material. The process of removing the support part is relatively laborious and difficult to remove cleanly.

[0055] To address at least one of the deficiencies in the aforementioned related art, the present invention provides a 3D printing device and method that can supply two or more printing materials during single-layer printing, configuring different printing materials in different areas of a 3D model to meet production needs, thereby improving efficiency and reducing labor costs. To facilitate understanding of the 3D printing method provided in the present invention, the following first introduces the 3D printing device provided in the present invention.

[0056] like Figure 1 As shown, the main structure of the 3D printing device of the embodiment of the present application includes a material holding mechanism 100, a feeding mechanism 200, a driving mechanism 300, an optical mechanism 400, and a forming platform mechanism 500. The material holding mechanism 100 is light-transmissive and has a carrying area 108 configured to hold printing materials; the feeding mechanism 200 has a feeding assembly 201 configured to quantitatively supply multiple types of printing materials; the driving mechanism 300 is configured to achieve relative movement between the carrying area 108 and the feeding assembly 201, so that the feeding mechanism 200 quantitatively supplies a preset type of printing material at a preset position of the material holding mechanism 100; the optical mechanism 400 is configured to project and expose the printing material in the carrying area 108, causing the printing material to undergo a photocuring reaction to form a printed model; and the forming platform mechanism 500 is configured to adhere the cured printing material layer by layer and solidify the layers from the carrying area of ​​the material holding mechanism.

[0057] Specifically, the forming platform mechanism 500 includes a first lifting assembly 501 and a forming platform 502. The forming platform 502 has a forming surface 5021, which is used for the printed part to be attached. The forming platform 502 moves back and forth on a path close to or away from the material holding mechanism 100. The first lifting assembly 501 is used to drive the forming platform 502 to rise and fall so that it approaches or moves away from the material holding mechanism 100. The forming surface 5021 of the forming platform 502 is generally the surface of the forming platform 502 facing the material holding mechanism 100, so as to be opposite to the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100. During the printing process, the printed part can be solidified layer by layer on the forming surface 5021, and as the printed part is formed layer by layer, the forming platform 502 gradually rises, thereby realizing the layer-by-layer separation and stacking of the printed layers, and finally completing the printing of the printed model.

[0058] Specifically, the material containing mechanism 100 is made of transparent material, the bearing area 108 of the material containing mechanism 100 is used to bear the printing material, the optical mechanism 400 can be arranged below or above the material containing mechanism 100 corresponding to the bearing area 108, preferably arranged below the bearing area 108; the bearing area 108 and the forming platform 502 are correspondingly located above or below the optical structure, preferably above the optical mechanism; the optical mechanism 400 can emit light beams, the light beams pass through the transparent area of the material containing mechanism 100 to the bearing area 108, which can make the printing material in the bearing area 108 solidify. When 3D printing is performed, the forming platform 502 is gradually close to the bearing area 108 of the material containing mechanism 100 under the driving of the first lifting assembly 501, and the forming surface 5021 is attached to the upper surface of the printing material in the bearing area 108, the light of the optical mechanism 400 passes through the light-transmitting area and irradiates into the printing material in the bearing area 108, so that the printing material between the material containing mechanism 100 and the forming surface 5021 solidifies and is solidified on the forming surface 5021 of the forming platform 502, or solidified on the previous layer of printing material which has been solidified on the forming surface 5021, and is stacked layer by layer, thereby realizing the printing of the model.

[0059] It should be noted that the solidification mode of the printing material by the optical mechanism 400 can be applied to various light solidification principles in the prior art, the optical system of the optical mechanism 400 includes but is not limited to any one of DLP projection system, Micro-LED display system, LCOS optical system, LCD display system and laser galvanometer scanning system, and those skilled in the art can reasonably select according to the needs.

[0060] In the above embodiment, under the action of the drive mechanism 300, the feed assembly 201 of the feed mechanism 200 and the support area 108 of the build platform 502 can move relative to each other, allowing the feed assembly 201 to be positioned at any location within the support area 108, thereby enabling the supply of printing material to any location within the support area 108. The feed mechanism 200 can supply multiple types of printing material to the support area 108 via the feed assembly 201, thereby enabling the supply of the required type of printing material to different locations within the support area 108 as needed. In other words, the feed assembly 201 can supply at least two different types of printing material, enabling color printing and printing with different performance requirements. For example, when color printing is required, the color of the printing material supplied at different locations can be adjusted using a color control scheme to achieve color printing. The three-dimensional printing device of the above embodiment of the present application can supply printing materials with the required color at the corresponding position of the supporting area 108 according to the color requirements of the product during the printing process, and directly obtain the required printed parts after printing is completed. Compared with the technical solution of the related art that a light-curing 3D printer prints a single-color structure and then colors the model through a later coloring method, the function of direct color printing is realized, and the steps are simple, the printing quality is better, and the colors are more realistic.

[0061] Compared with the technical solution of setting up multiple material holding mechanisms and moving the printing platform between different material holding mechanisms in the related art to realize that one print can print multiple materials, the three-dimensional printing device of the above embodiment of the present application can realize single-layer printing of multiple materials, and the risk of mixed material contamination can be reduced during the printing process. In addition, the light curing technology of the projection method is adopted, and the projection contour of the projection surface is directly used to cure the edge of the print, so the edge accuracy of the print depends on the accuracy of the projection of the optical mechanism, and the printing accuracy is higher than that of inkjet printing. Because the printing accuracy does not depend on the nozzle size accuracy of the nozzle, the nozzle size requirements of the nozzle do not need to be too high, as long as it can spray a certain amount of printing material according to the technical solution. In other words, the size of the nozzle can be larger than the nozzle of the inkjet printing nozzle to adapt to more printing materials with different viscosities, thereby realizing printing with more colors or performance requirements. In addition, compared with upper projection printing, lower projection printing is preferred, and lower projection lifting printing requires less support than upper projection sinking printing, which saves more materials. Let's go further

[0062] In some embodiments, the 3D printing apparatus further includes a leveling mechanism 700, which is configured to maintain the thickness of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism 200 onto the material holding mechanism 100 within a preset range. The leveling mechanism 700 can ensure that the printing material supplied by the feeding assembly 201 onto the supporting area 108 maintains a uniform thickness, thereby maintaining a refined and precise printing process and improving printing accuracy. It should be noted that if the printing material supplied by the feeding assembly 201 onto the supporting area is sufficiently uniform and quantitative, leveling by the leveling mechanism 700 is not necessary.

[0063] It should be noted that the relative position of the leveling mechanism 700 and the material holding mechanism 100 in the vertical direction needs to change with the relative position between the feeding assembly 201 and the material holding mechanism 100 to prevent interference between the leveling mechanism 700 and the feeding assembly 201. Therefore, the relative position relationship between the leveling mechanism 700 and the bearing area of ​​the material holding mechanism 100 can also be adjusted by the driving mechanism 300, so that the leveling mechanism 700 and the feeding assembly 201 can simultaneously move relative to the material holding mechanism 100 in the vertical and horizontal directions. Of course, an independent driving structure can also be selected to control the relative movement between the leveling mechanism 700 and the bearing area 108. However, from the perspective of overall structural simplification and space utilization, it is preferred to adjust the relative movement between the leveling mechanism 700 and the bearing area 108 through the aforementioned driving mechanism 300.

[0064] Optionally, the leveling mechanism 700 includes a leveling assembly 701, which is mainly used to maintain the thickness of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism 200 to the material holding mechanism 100 within a preset range. The leveling assembly 701 includes but is not limited to any one of a scraper assembly 800, a leveling roller assembly, a drum assembly and a push rod assembly, and of course it can also be any other device that can achieve leveling.

[0065] In some embodiments, as Figure 2 and 3 As shown, the leveling assembly 701 may include at least one leveling roller assembly, which is used to level the uncured printing material supplied to the carrying area on the material holding mechanism 100 to ensure the dimensional accuracy of the material layer in the vertical direction. Specifically, the leveling roller assembly can be a cylindrical component that can rotate around its installation axis, or a conical component that can rotate around its installation axis. The leveling roller assembly rotates at high speed during the leveling process and contacts the uncured printing material 1000 on the material holding mechanism 100, thereby removing the printing material on the uncured material layer that is higher than a preset thickness to ensure the dimensional accuracy of the material layer in the vertical direction. Figure 3In the figure, the leveling roller assembly moves from right to left relative to the transparent film 101. After the leveling process of the leveling roller assembly, the printed material 1000 on the rear side of the leveling roller assembly is leveled to the same thickness. Those skilled in the art can adjust the removal effect of the printed material by the characteristics of the leveling roller assembly itself and the movement parameters of the leveling roller assembly. For example, the surface polarity or roughness of the leveling roller assembly can be increased to increase the adsorption effect on the printed material, which can better carry the printed material. For example, by increasing the rotation speed of the leveling roller assembly to improve the suction effect of the leveling roller assembly on the printed material, the printed material exceeding the preset thickness can be taken away by the leveling roller assembly, reducing the possibility of pushing the printed material exceeding the preset thickness to other areas and causing mixing. For example, a material coating that can carry away residual material can be configured on the leveling roller assembly to quickly absorb and remove residual material.

[0066] In some embodiments, the leveling roller is designed as a conical structure, which is suitable for situations where the feeding component 201 remains stationary during rotary printing, and the relative linear speed varies depending on the radial position of the printing material landing point. In this case, the leveling belt material capacity requirements of the leveling component 701 are also different, and the variable diameter effect of the conical structure of the leveling roller can achieve linear belt material capacity to match the linear speed changes during rotary printing.

[0067] In some embodiments, as Figure 4 and 5 As shown, the leveling assembly 701 may include at least one scraper assembly 800. Figure 6 As shown, the scraper assembly 800 includes a scraper holder 801, a scraper mounting frame 802 and a scraper body 803. An elastic connection component for connection and buffering is provided between the scraper holder 801 and the scraper mounting frame 802. The scraper body 803 is provided on the scraper holder 801, and the scraper mounting frame 802 can be connected to the driving mechanism 300; the scraper assembly 800 moves relative to the corresponding position of the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 through the driving mechanism 300, and the movement direction of the relative movement is parallel to the surface of the material holding mechanism 100, that is, during the relative movement, the distance between the bottom end of the scraper body 803 and the surface of the printing material remains almost unchanged. The direction of the relative movement may include relative translation along the length direction of the material holding mechanism 100, or relative translation along the width direction of the material holding mechanism 100. The purpose of the above relative movement is to solve the problem of uneven distribution of printing materials supplied by the feeding assembly 201 to the material holding mechanism 100 due to poor fluidity of the printing materials, thereby affecting the printing quality. Figure 5In the figure, the scraper assembly moves from right to left relative to the transparent film 101. After the scraper assembly 800 performs the leveling process, the printing material 1000 behind the scraper assembly 800 is leveled to a uniform thickness. The scraper assembly 800 can overcome the poor fluidity of the printing material 1000, ensuring that the printing material fills the supporting area 108 of the material receiving mechanism 100, thereby leveling the thickness of the printing material for a single printed layer.

[0068] During the production process, it was discovered that the leveling assembly 701 may carry printed material from one area into another area during operation, which may cause mixing in the latter area, resulting in contamination of the printed material and affecting the accuracy and effect of printing. Taking the leveling assembly 701 as an example of the scraper assembly 800, when the feeding assembly 201 feeds material from right to left, assuming that the printed material in the supporting area 108 is divided into multiple color zones, when the scraper body 803 of the scraper assembly 800 passes through the first color zone and scrapes away the excess waste material, it will push the waste material from the first color zone into the second color zone, resulting in mixing and color bleeding. Based on this, in addition to the leveling assembly 701, the leveling mechanism 700 also includes a waste collection assembly, wherein the waste collection assembly is configured to collect waste removed by the leveling assembly 701 during operation to ensure that no waste re-enters the material holding mechanism 100.

[0069] Continuing to use the leveling component 701 as an example of the scraper component 800, when the feeding component 201 feeds from right to left, it is assumed that the printed material in the carrying area 108 is divided into multiple color zones. When the scraper body 803 of the scraper component 800 passes through the first color zone and scrapes away the excess waste, the material scraped off by the scraper body 803 is collected as waste by the waste collection component to prevent the waste from entering other color zones and affecting the color accuracy of other color zones.

[0070] The specific forms of the waste collection component include but are not limited to a negative pressure suction structure and a wiping structure. Any waste that can be removed by the leveling component 701 can be collected in a timely manner. The faster the waste collection component responds, the less mixing and color bleeding between different areas can be reduced.

[0071] In some embodiments, the leveling mechanism 700 can be set at any position of the material holding mechanism 100, as long as it can level the printing material to a preset thickness. The leveling mechanism 700 can be set to multiple, and multiple leveling mechanisms 700 can work simultaneously to improve work efficiency.

[0072] In some embodiments, as Figure 1As shown, the three-dimensional printing device further comprises a cleaning mechanism 600, which is configured to remove the printing material remaining on the material containing mechanism 100 after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer, and in particular, to remove the printing material remaining on the bearing area 108 after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer. The removal mechanism can remove the remaining printing material after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer each time, or can remove the printing material after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer at specific times. For example, when printing the sacrificial mechanism and the bottom structure, the remaining printing material can not be removed because it does not affect the printing quality of the solid part, thereby improving the printing efficiency. When printing the same color or performance material, the remaining printing material can not be removed to avoid color mixing and affect the printing quality. The specific settings can be reasonably set according to the needs of the technical solutions in the art. In this embodiment, the mechanisms of the three-dimensional printing device cooperate with each other to form the printing material into the required printed part 900. The cleaning mechanism 600 can avoid the situation that the remaining material such as the upper layer of the uncured resin or residue generated during the printing process affects the printing of the next layer.

[0073] In some embodiments, the cleaning mechanism 600 can be a scraper assembly 800, a high-pressure air gun, a wiping assembly 602, or any structure that can achieve the cleaning of the material containing mechanism 100.

[0074] In some embodiments, the cleaning mechanism 600 can be an independent control system, or can share a control system with the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism. It can move independently, or can move together with the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism. For example, after the nozzle assembly sprays the printing material and the leveling mechanism levels the printing material, the cleaning mechanism moves together with the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism to clean and return to the original position. Alternatively, the cleaning mechanism first cleans the remaining resin on the bearing area, and then the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism sprays and levels the printing material.

[0075] Optionally, the cleaning mechanism 600 is a high-pressure air gun, which can blow away the uncured printing material or residue on the material containing mechanism 100 after each solidification. Correspondingly, the side of the material containing mechanism 100 where the high-pressure air gun is arranged is provided with a blowout port, and the outlet of the high-pressure air gun is opposite to the blowout port, for blowing away the uncured printing material or residue.

[0076] Optionally, the cleaning mechanism 600 is a scraper assembly 800. The scraper assembly 800 can be driven by the drive mechanism 300 to move relative to the support area 108, thereby scraping excess printed material and residue from the material receiving mechanism 100 after the printed material solidifies. The specific structure of the scraper assembly 800 is similar to the description of the scraper assembly 800 in the leveling assembly 701, and will not be repeated here. The structures and operating principles of the two are the same, with the only difference being that when the scraper assembly 800 functions as the leveling assembly 701, it is used to scrape off the portion of the printed material that exceeds a predetermined thickness, while when the scraper assembly 800 functions as the cleaning mechanism 600, it is used to scrape off all uncured printed material and residue from the material receiving mechanism 100.

[0077] Alternatively, as Figure 7 As shown, the cleaning mechanism 600 is a wiping assembly 602, which is located above the material receiving mechanism 100. The wiping assembly 602 includes a fixed portion 6021, an elastic member 6022, a movable portion 6023, a feed roller 6024, and a receiving roller 6025. The elastic member 6022 ensures that the movable portion 6023 always tends to move toward the material receiving mechanism 100. The feed roller 6024 and the receiving roller 6025 are located on either side of the movable portion 6023 and are both used to wrap a dust-free cloth 6026. During operation, the dust-free cloth 6026 passes around the lower end of the movable portion. The drive mechanism can achieve relative movement between the wiping assembly 602 and the material receiving mechanism 100, so that the supporting area 108 is directly below the movable portion 6023. The dust-free cloth 6026 on the movable portion 6023 contacts the residual material on the supporting area 108, and the dust-free cloth 6026 completes the absorption and wiping of the residual material. Under the elastic force of the elastic member 6022, the movable portion 6023 will press against the material holding mechanism 100. The elastic member 6022 provides elastic force to ensure close contact between the dust-free cloth 6026 and the material holding mechanism 100. At the same time, the elastic member 6022 can retain space for further deformation to achieve flexible wiping. On the basis of completing the wiping, the bearing area 108 is protected to avoid being crushed during wiping. In addition, the preferred dust-free cloth can be a disposable consumable, which can reduce the cleaning and maintenance of the cleaning mechanism and improve printing efficiency. Furthermore, the incoming material roller 6024 is used to wind the incoming material of the dust-free cloth 6026, and the receiving material roller 6025 is used to collect the dust-free cloth 6026 after wiping. The receiving material roller 6025 is used to provide driving force to drive the movement of the dust-free cloth 6026. The dust-free cloth 6026 in the incoming material roller 6024 is recovered by the receiving material roller 6025 after passing through the movable portion 6023. Further, as Figure 8As shown, the cleaning mechanism 600 further comprises a turnover assembly for overturning the bearing area 108 of the material containing mechanism 100, so as to overturn the state of the printing material above the bearing area 108 to the state of the printing material below the bearing area 108, so as to make the unsolidified printing material and residues naturally fall under the action of gravity, and further assist the scraping action of the scraper assembly 800 or the blowing action of the high-pressure air gun, so as to more easily remove the unsolidified printing material and residues.

[0078] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1 As shown, the cleaning mechanism 600 further comprises a waste collecting device 601 for collecting the unsolidified printing material or residues removed from the material containing mechanism 100 by the cleaning mechanism 600. The waste collecting device 601 can be various containers that can be used for collection.

[0079] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 9 and 10 As shown, the feeding mechanism 200 is used to replenish the supply of printing material to the bearing area 108 of the material containing mechanism 100, and the feeding mechanism 200 at least comprises a storage assembly 203, a pump body, a pipeline 202 and a feeding assembly 201. The storage assembly 203 is used to store printing material, and the storage assembly 203 comprises a plurality of storage portions for respectively storing different types of printing material; the pump body is used to provide driving force to pump the printing material in the storage assembly 203 to the feeding assembly 201 through the pipeline 202, and in addition, the pump body can be used to control the supply amount of the printing material; and the feeding assembly 201 is used to supply the printing material to a designated position of the material containing mechanism 100. The feeding assembly 201 is preferably a nozzle assembly, which can comprise one or several nozzles, and the nozzle holes of the nozzles are connected to the storage portions through the pipeline, so that the nozzle assembly can be used to supply multiple types of printing material. Specifically, one nozzle can correspond to one or more feeding channels. For example, one nozzle can be designed with only one feeding channel, and can be used to supply one type of printing material; for another example, one nozzle can be provided with two, four or eight feeding channels, each of which can be used to supply one type of printing material, and of course, one type of printing material can be supplied through multiple feeding channels.

[0080] For example, multiple feeding channels provided by the nozzle assembly can be used to spray different colors of printing material to the bearing area 108 of the material containing mechanism 100, so as to print a colored model, thereby reducing the post-printing dyeing process. Different colors of printing material are stored in different storage portions of the storage assembly, different feeding channels are in communication with the storage portions storing different colors of printing material, and the pump body is used to spray different colors of printing material through different feeding channels of the nozzle assembly, so as to spray the printing material on the bearing area 108 of the material containing mechanism 100 during the printing process.

[0081] For specific color management, software can be used to control the supply of different types of printing materials, and the printing materials can be mixed into any color, so that the color can be changed at any time during the printing process, realizing gradient color printing, pattern color alternation printing, or transparent and semi-transparent color alternation printing, which can better meet the diverse needs of the market. Optionally, the printing material color control method can be generated by digitally combining other color model materials for use with the printer. For example, cyan, magenta and yellow (CMY) printing materials can be used as a combination, or by using Figure 9 The RGB color system shown and the conversion of the RGB color system into Figure 10 The CMYK color system shown above stores printing materials corresponding to the base colors of each color system in separate storage units. Printing materials corresponding to each base color are supplied and combined through the nozzle assembly to produce various colors within the color spectrum corresponding to each color system. Color management can also be achieved by varying the color components, droplet size of the printing material, color order of the printing materials, and stacking method of the printing materials. These options are flexibly selected by those skilled in the art and will not be further elaborated here.

[0082] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional printing device also includes a calibration system, which includes a camera device, a calibration device and a calibration plate. The calibration system is used to calibrate at least one of the optical mechanism 400 and the feeding assembly 201, thereby improving the accuracy of the printing process.

[0083] Before printing, the optical mechanism 400 can be optically calibrated. Specifically, the calibration plate of the calibration system is used to be placed on the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 of the three-dimensional printing device, and calibration points distributed at preset distances are formed on the calibration plate; the optical machine of the optical mechanism 400 is arranged below the material holding mechanism 100, and is used to project actual projection points distributed at preset distances to the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100; the camera device is used to shoot the calibration points on the calibration plate and the actual projection points on the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100; the calibration device is communicatively connected to the camera device, and the calibration device generates correction information based on the offset between the calibration point and the actual projection point, which is used to guide the optical mechanism 400 to perform position correction until the obtained calibration point and the actual projection point maintain a consistent relative position, and the relative position is preferably overlapped, of course, the relative position may also not overlap. Among them, the preset distance distribution can be a matrix distribution, a linear distribution, a star array distribution, or any other distribution method that can realize the coordinate position information, and can determine the positional relationship between the calibration plate, the projection point and the photographed point.

[0084] Before printing, after completing the calibration of the optical mechanism 400, the feed assembly 201 can be calibrated to calibrate the relative position of the projection of the optical mechanism 400 and the movement of the feed assembly. In this embodiment, the feed assembly is taken as an example to illustrate. Specifically, the nozzle of the nozzle assembly is first controlled to spray the printing material to the bearing area 108 to form a droplet point. The position of the droplet point is formed in the projection area formed after the optical projection of the optical mechanism 400. Then, the coordinates of the droplet point are captured by the camera device, and compared with the coordinates of the calibration point after the position correction of the optical mechanism 400, the position of the nozzle is adjusted for calibration. A nozzle assembly can usually include multiple rows of nozzles. The relative positions of the multiple rows of nozzles are fixed, so a nozzle assembly only needs to be calibrated once. If there are multiple nozzles, calibrate one of the nozzles first, and the other nozzles are adjusted based on the calibrated nozzle, and kept parallel and fixed to it.

[0085] In some embodiments, the material receiving mechanism 100 includes at least one transparent film 101, with a support area 108 formed thereon for receiving the printing material. To reduce the adhesion between the solidified layer and the material receiving mechanism 100 and facilitate separation, the transparent film 101 is preferably a release film. Release films include, but are not limited to, any one of fluoropolymer films, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films, and polymethylpentene (PMP) films; fluoropolymer films include, but are not limited to, at least one of FEP films, nFEP films, PTFE films, ETFE films, PFA films, PVDF films, PVF films, and PCTFE films. In another embodiment, the transparent film 101 can also be selected as a composite release film formed by laminating a base layer and a plastic layer, wherein examples of the plastic layer material include but are not limited to: polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutadiene formal (PBT), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyamide or nylon (PA), polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), polybutylene (PB), polyoxymethylene (POM), polycarbonate (PC), polysulfone (PSU), polyphenylene ether (PPO), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyacrylonitrile styrene (AS), polyacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), fluororesin (FR), or a combination of one or more of two or more polymers thereof or monomers thereof to form a blended polymer, a block polymer, or an interpenetrating network polymer.

[0086] In some embodiments, in order to achieve the fixation of the transparent film 101, a lamination method or a stretching method can be selected for fixation.

[0087] Alternatively, as Figure 12As shown in FIG. 1 , as one implementation of a lamination method, the material holding mechanism includes a transparent film 101, a dielectric layer 110, and an upper transparent plate 104. The transparent film 101 is attached to the upper transparent plate 104 via the dielectric layer 110. Specifically, the transparent film 101 can be attached to the upper transparent plate 104 by electrostatic adsorption or adhesion of the dielectric layer 110. The dielectric layer 110 is typically a silicone layer, glue, adhesive, etc. The upper transparent plate 104 is typically made of quartz, fused silica, water-clear glass, or any other hard material that is substantially transparent to the wavelength of use and has generally good optical quality, and supports the transparent film 101 while being light-transmitting.

[0088] Alternatively, as Figure 11 As shown in the figure, as an implementation of the film stretching method, the material holding mechanism 100 includes a transparent film 101 and a film frame, and the film frame includes an upper film frame 102 and a lower film frame 103. The transparent film 101 is tightly fixed between the upper film frame 102 and the lower film frame 103. As shown in the figure, the upper film frame 102 and the lower film frame 103 are detachably connected, and the transparent film 101 is fixed between the upper film frame 102 and the lower film frame 103. The transparent film 101 can be tightened by the upper film frame 102 and the lower film frame 103. When the transparent film 101 needs to be replaced, it can be directly replaced by simply disassembling the upper film frame 102 and the lower film frame 103, removing the transparent film 101, and then directly replacing it.

[0089] Alternatively, as an implementation of the film stretching method, the material holding mechanism 100 includes a transparent film 101 and a film frame, wherein the film frame only includes an upper film frame 102, and the transparent film 101 is stretched on the upper film frame. Specifically, after the transparent film 101 is stretched, its edge is fixed to the upper film frame 102. The transparent film 101 can be fixed to the upper film frame 102 by gluing or heat pressing.

[0090] In the above-mentioned embodiment of the stretch film form, the transparent film 101 is easily deformed by force during the operation of the leveling mechanism 700 or the cleaning mechanism 600. In order to enhance the support effect of the transparent film 101, as shown in FIG. Figure 13 and 14 As shown, the material holding mechanism 100 further includes an upper transparent plate 104, which is disposed below the transparent film 101. The upper transparent plate 104 is typically made of quartz, fused quartz, water-white glass, or any other hard material that is substantially transparent to the wavelength used and has substantially good optical quality, and supports the transparent film 101 while being light-transmitting.

[0091] Preferably, a first cavity is formed between the upper transparent plate 104 and the transparent film 101, and a fluid is injected into the first cavity to inhibit polymerization and reduce separation forces during the curing process of the printed material on the transparent film 101. The fluid includes, but is not limited to, at least one of an oxygen-rich liquid, an inert liquid, oxygen, air, and an oxygen-rich gas. Specifically, the gas is preferably oxygen, air, or an oxygen-rich gas. The liquid is preferably an oxygen-rich liquid that is impermeable to the transparent film 101, and the polymerization inhibitor is preferably any one of o-nitrophenol, hydroquinone, p-hydroxyanisole, p-phenylenediamine, p-tert-butylcatechol, and phenothiazine, or a random combination thereof.

[0092] In some embodiments, textures and micropores may be provided on the transparent film 101, and micropores 109 may be provided on the upper transparent plate 104 to increase the permeability of the fluid, thereby reducing separation force and improving printing efficiency. Specifically, for a film-coated material receiving mechanism, micropores 109 are preferably provided on the upper transparent plate 104 to allow the fluid below the upper transparent plate 104 to pass through the upper transparent plate 104 and contact the transparent film 101.

[0093] In some embodiments, the surface of the support area 108 of the transparent film 101 is coated with a polymerization inhibitor or inert liquid, including but not limited to liquid perfluorocarbons and fluorinated oils. During operation of the 3D printing device, a layer of polymerization inhibitor or inert liquid can be applied to the support area of ​​the transparent film before the printing material is applied. This polymerization inhibitor or inert liquid can shift the separation of the cured layer during the photocuring printing process from solid-solid separation to solid-liquid separation, effectively reducing the pull-off force during the release process and increasing printing speed and print area. Furthermore, the liquid printing interface allows for timely heat dissipation during high-speed printing to ensure material stability.

[0094] In some embodiments, as Figure 13 and 14As shown, the material holding mechanism 100 includes a transparent film 101, an air supply assembly 107, an upper transparent plate 104, and a lower transparent plate 105. The upper transparent plate 104 is located below the transparent film 101, and the lower transparent plate 105 is located below the upper transparent plate 104. A second cavity 106 is formed between the lower transparent plate 105 and the transparent film 101. The air supply assembly 107 is configured to inject gas into the second cavity 106. The transparent film 101 can be fixed using the aforementioned stretching method or laminating method. The upper transparent plate 104 is located below the transparent film 101 to support the transparent film 101 and prevent deformation due to force. The lower transparent plate 105 of the material holding mechanism 100 is used to form the second cavity 106 between it and the upper transparent plate 104. The second cavity 106 is used to be filled with air to reduce separation force and improve printing efficiency. Furthermore, textures and micropores may be provided on the transparent film 101, and textures and micropores 109 may be provided on the upper transparent plate 104 to increase the transmittance of the fluid, thereby reducing separation force and improving printing efficiency.

[0095] In addition, for the film-coated material holding mechanism 100, it is possible to consider forming microchannels on the surface of the transparent film 101 using a photolithography process and forming a microporous structure on the upper transparent plate 104 to increase the transmittance of the fluid and thus reduce the separation force.

[0096] In the present application, the drive mechanism 300 can realize the relative movement between the feeding assembly 201 and the bearing area 108 of the forming platform mechanism 500 in the following three forms.

[0097] In some embodiments, as Figure 2 and 4As shown, the driving mechanism 300 comprises a first driving assembly 301 configured to drive the supply assembly 201 to move in space while the bearing area 108 of the holding mechanism 100 remains stationary in space. In this context, the initial position of the supply assembly 201 is on one side of the holding mechanism 100, and the leveling mechanism 700 is preferably mounted on the first driving assembly 301. Specifically, during the operation, the supply assembly 201 on one side of the holding mechanism 100 is moved above the bearing area 108 of the holding mechanism 100 under the action of the first driving assembly 301 to supply different types of printing materials to the bearing area 108 of the holding mechanism 100, and then the leveling mechanism 700 is driven by the first driving assembly 301 to level the printing materials to the thickness of a single layer of printing layer. The supply assembly can also be back staggered to supply under the action of the first driving assembly 301. After the leveling mechanism 700 levels the printing materials to the thickness of a single layer, the supply assembly 201 and the leveling assembly 701 can be returned to the initial position under the action of the first driving assembly 301 to wait for the next supply and leveling operation of the printing layer. Specifically, the first driving assembly 301 can comprise a second lifting assembly 3011 and a translation assembly 3012, wherein the second lifting assembly 3011 is used to realize the lifting movement in the vertical direction, and the translation assembly 3012 is used to realize the two-dimensional movement in the horizontal direction. The movement in space can be realized by the second lifting assembly 3011 and the translation assembly 3012, and a rotation assembly can be added to increase a rotation degree of freedom and improve the flexibility of the movement in space if necessary. The driving mechanism 300 can be a push rod, a slide rail, a linear module, or a combination thereof.

[0098] In some embodiments, as Figure 15 and 16As shown, the drive mechanism 300 includes a second drive assembly configured to drive the load-bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 to move in space. The material feeding assembly 201 preferably remains stationary in space, and the leveling mechanism 700 and the cleaning mechanism 600 also preferably remain stationary in space. In this scenario, the leveling mechanism 700 and the material feeding assembly 201 are located on one side of the build platform 502, and the cleaning mechanism 600 is located on the other side of the build platform 502. Specifically, during the working process, the bearing area 108 is guided to the bottom of the feeding assembly 201 under the action of the first driving assembly 301. The feeding assembly 201 supplies different types of printing materials to the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100. Then, driven by the first driving assembly 301, the bearing area 108 and the leveling mechanism 700 move relative to each other. The leveling mechanism 700 will level the printing material to the thickness of a single printing layer. The bearing area 108 can also reciprocate under the drive of the second driving assembly to realize the back and forth staggered feeding of the supply assembly. The leveling mechanism 700 will After the printing material is leveled to a single layer thickness, the bearing area 108 can be moved to the bottom of the forming platform 502 under the action of the second drive assembly; then, the forming platform 502 drops to the layer thickness position of the printing material and fits with the printing material. The optical mechanism 400 projects the printing pattern from below to solidify the printing material. After the solidification is completed, the forming platform 502 rises and separates and takes away the solidified printing layer; the bearing area 108 continues to move to the bottom of the cleaning mechanism 600 under the action of the second drive assembly, and the uncured printing material and residue on the material holding mechanism 100 are removed by the cleaning mechanism 600. Thereafter, the second drive assembly continues to drive the bearing area 108 to move to the bottom of the feeding assembly 201, and so on and so forth to print the formed printed parts. In this embodiment, the specific movement mode of the bearing area 108 under the action of the second drive assembly can be a reciprocating planar movement, or it can be as follows Figure 15 and 16 The rolling cyclic movement shown is that the transparent film 101 forming the carrying area 108 is cyclically rotated in the manner of a conveyor belt.

[0099] Alternatively, as Figure 15 As shown, the feeding mechanism 200 is located on the right side of the forming platform mechanism 500, and the movement direction of the upper transparent film is from right to left. The feeding mechanism on the right first supplies the printing material 1000 on the transparent film, and then the transparent film drives the printing material 1000 to move to the bottom of the forming platform mechanism 500 to complete the separation of the photocuring and curing layers. Then, the cleaning mechanism 600 located on the upper left side of the material holding mechanism 100 is activated to clean the remaining printing material into the waste receiving device 601.

[0100] Alternatively, as Figure 16As shown, the feeding mechanism 200 is located to the right of the forming platform mechanism 500. The upper transparent film moves in a circular motion around the optical mechanism. The right feeding mechanism first supplies printing material 1000 onto the transparent film. The transparent film then drives the printing material 1000 to move directly below the forming platform mechanism 500, completing the photocuring and separation of the cured layer. The cleaning mechanism 600, located to the left of the material holding mechanism 100, then operates to remove the remaining printing material into the waste material storage device 601. In this embodiment, the transparent film circulates around the optical mechanism to avoid blocking the optical path of the optical mechanism.

[0101] Generally speaking, the movement path of the transparent film can be appropriately configured based on the technical solution or user needs, and is not limited to left-right reciprocating motion or circulation around the optical mechanism. It only needs to avoid blocking the optical path of the optical mechanism. The location of the cleaning mechanism 600 is not limited to the left, right, top, or bottom of the material receiving mechanism, as long as it can remove residual printed material from the support area. Preferably, it is located below the material receiving mechanism 100 to avoid overcrowding the space above the material receiving mechanism 100 and to fully utilize the gravity of the residual material to fall, improving the cleaning effect.

[0102] In some embodiments, the driving mechanism 300 includes a first driving component 301 and a second driving component. The first driving component 301 is configured to drive the feeding component 201 to move in space, and the second driving component is configured to drive the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 to move in space, so that both the feeding component 201 and the bearing area 108 can move in space, and the superposition of the two movements achieves the result of relative movement of the feeding component 201 and the bearing area 108. This embodiment is a combination of the first two embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0103] In the above embodiment, the height to which the molding platform 502 is lifted no longer needs to be higher than the feeding assembly 201 , which can save a lot of movement time.

[0104] In some embodiments, the feeding mechanism 200 further includes a heating component, which is configured to heat the feeding component 201 so that the temperature of the feeding component 201 is between 20°C and 100°C. The heating component can specifically be a sheet-shaped, filament-shaped or other heating structure, and the heating principle can be electric heating, infrared heating, microwave heating, etc., which are not limited here. Due to the influence of ambient temperature on the molding quality of the printed material during printing, and the fact that the printed material has a higher viscosity at low temperatures, when used in some conditions with lower ambient temperatures, the printed material can be heated by the heating component to ensure normal printing. In this embodiment, by providing a heating component, the printing material in the feeding component 201 can be heated.

[0105] The present application also provides a three-dimensional printing method that can be used in the three-dimensional printing device provided in the present application. The method of the present embodiment manufactures a three-dimensional object in a layered manner based on computer object data. The layered manufacturing of the three-dimensional object is performed by forming multiple layers that are presented in a configured pattern corresponding to the shape of the object. The computer object data can be presented in any known form, including but not limited to: Standard Tessellation Language (STL) or Stereoscopic Contour (SLC) format, Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML), Additive Manufacturing File (AMF) format, Drawing Exchange Format (DXF), Polygon File Format (PLY), or any other format suitable for computer-aided design (CAD).

[0106] like Figure 17 As shown, the three-dimensional printing method includes:

[0107] Step 100: Obtain a three-dimensional model, divide the three-dimensional model into multiple slice layers, and generate a corresponding printing strategy for each slice layer.

[0108] In this step, the product to be printed is formed into a 3D model, which is then divided into multiple horizontal layers, known as slice layers. A corresponding printing strategy is then generated for each slice layer. This printing strategy provides instructions to the 3D printing device's feed mechanism 200, optical mechanism 400, drive mechanism 300, and build platform mechanism 500, ensuring coordinated operation to form the corresponding horizontal solidified layer.

[0109] The printing strategy includes at least one of the relative movement information between the carrying area and the feeding assembly, the material type of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism, and the projection information of the optical mechanism.

[0110] For the feeding mechanism 200, the printing strategy at least defines the feeding channel of the feeding component 201 for supplying printing materials, the diameter of the feeding channel, the relative movement path of the supply component, the type of printing materials and the supply amount of printing materials, etc., so as to form the required pattern of the slice layer.

[0111] For the optical mechanism 400, the projection information of the optical mechanism in the printing strategy at least defines the projection pattern, light-transmitting area, exposure light intensity, time and uniformity, etc., so as to achieve more accurate exposure of the printing material pattern.

[0112] The projected pattern aligns with the contours of the sliced ​​layer. Using projection-based light-curing technology, the shape of the sliced ​​layer is projected onto the support area of ​​the material holding mechanism via an optical mechanism. This is then light-cured and formed, allowing the entire layer to be cured at once, allowing each layer to cure quickly. This printing method directly uses the projected contour of the projection surface to cure the edges of the print. The edge accuracy of the print depends on the accuracy of the optical projection mechanism. Compared to inkjet printing, which ejects printing material through a linear nozzle, the light source closely follows the nozzle to indiscriminately expose and cure the liquid photopolymer layer on the build tray, resulting in higher printing precision.

[0113] For the driving mechanism 300 , the relative movement information between the carrying area and the supply assembly in the printing strategy at least defines the control instructions for realizing the relative movement between the supply assembly and the carrying area 108 along the relative movement path.

[0114] Step 200: supplying printing material to the carrying area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 according to the printing strategy, wherein at least part of the slice layers correspond to two or more types of materials.

[0115] In this step, the driving mechanism 300 is activated, and relative movement occurs between the feeding component 201 of the feeding mechanism 200 and the supporting area 108 of the forming platform 502, so that the feeding component 201 can be located at any position of the supporting area 108, thereby realizing the supply of printing material at any position of the supporting area 108.

[0116] The feeding mechanism 200 can supply multiple types of printing materials to the bearing area 108 through the feeding assembly 201, so that the required types of printing materials can be supplied to different positions of the bearing area 108 as needed. Specifically, different types of printing materials are stored in different storage parts of the storage assembly, and different feeding channels are connected to the storage parts storing different types of printing materials. The different types of printing materials are ejected through the different feeding channels of the nozzle assembly by a pump body, so that the printing materials are sprayed onto the bearing area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 during the printing process. The feeding assembly 201 can supply at least two different types of printing materials, which can realize color printing and printing with different required performance. Preferably, one nozzle can correspond to four feeding channels, and each feeding channel can supply one type of printing material.

[0117] Step 300: The printed material is exposed and cured by an optical structure according to the projection information to form a cured layer.

[0118] In this step, the forming platform 502 is driven by the first lifting assembly 501 to gradually approach the supporting area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100, and the forming surface 5021 is attached to the upper surface of the printing material in the supporting area 108. The light of the optical mechanism 400 passes through the light-transmitting area and irradiates the printing material in the supporting area 108, so that the printing material located between the material holding mechanism 100 and the forming surface 5021 is solidified and solidified on the forming surface 5021 of the forming platform 502, or solidified on the previous layer of printing material that has been solidified on the forming surface 5021.

[0119] Step 400: Control the build platform mechanism to separate the solidified layer. Clean any remaining print residue from the material container 100. In this step, the build platform 502, driven by the first lifting assembly 501, gradually moves away from the support area 108 of the material container 100, separating the solidified slice layer from the material container 100.

[0120] In some implementations, after step 400, the method further includes:

[0121] Step 500: Clean the remaining printing material on the hopper 100. Specifically, after the solidified slice layer is separated from the hopper 100, the cleaning mechanism 600 operates to remove the remaining printing material on the hopper 100. The remaining printing material includes uncured printing material and residue remaining on the hopper 100.

[0122] In some embodiments, step 210 is further included after step 200 , that is, after the step of supplying corresponding types of printing materials at different positions of the carrying area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 , step 210 is further included: leveling the printing material in the carrying area 108 to a preset thickness.

[0123] In this step, the leveling mechanism 700 operates to maintain the thickness of the printing material supplied by the feeding component 201 in the supporting area 108 in step 200 within a preset range, so that the thickness of the printing material is the thickness required for a single layer. In addition, the leveling mechanism 700 can maintain a uniform thickness of the printing material supplied by the feeding component 201 on the supporting area 108, so that the printing process remains refined and precise, thereby improving printing accuracy.

[0124] In some embodiments, step 200 specifically includes steps 201 to 203, that is, supplying printing material to the carrying area 108 of the material holding mechanism 100 according to the printing strategy includes:

[0125] Step 201: Generate feeding data information corresponding to each feeding position in the supporting area 108 according to the printing strategy, and the feeding data information includes at least the path information of the relative movement between the feeding component 201 and the supporting area 108 and the type information of the printing material; wherein the type information of the printing material includes but is not limited to color information and material performance information.

[0126] Step 202: The driving mechanism 300 is activated, and the feeding assembly 201 and the carrying area 108 move relative to each other according to the path information, so that the position of the feeding assembly 201 corresponds to the feeding position;

[0127] Step 203 : The feeding mechanism 200 is activated, and the feeding component 201 quantitatively supplies the printing material corresponding to the type information at the feeding position.

[0128] Through steps 201 - 203 , the supply of printing material to various positions on the carrying area 108 can be refined according to the printing strategy, and finally an image of the slice layer that needs to be cured is formed.

[0129] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional model includes a first portion and a second portion. A printing material having a first color is supplied at a feed position corresponding to the first portion, and a printing material having a second color is supplied at a feed position corresponding to the second portion. The first color can be a single color or multiple colors, and the second color can be a single color or multiple colors. This embodiment enables color printing of the three-dimensional model, and different color settings can be implemented in different areas. It should be noted that the first color can be a single color or a combination of multiple colors, and the second color can be a single color or a combination of multiple colors.

[0130] In the case where the type information of the printed material is color information, such as Figure 18 and 19 As shown in FIG. 1 , as an optional implementation scenario, the first part of the three-dimensional model includes an outline 9011 of the three-dimensional model, and the second part includes a filling portion 9012 and / or a sacrificial structure 902 of the three-dimensional model, wherein the solid structure 901 of the three-dimensional model may be the outline 9011 and / or the filling portion 9012, and the sacrificial structure 902 may be a base plate 9021 and / or a support portion 9022 of the three-dimensional model, as shown in FIG. Figure 19As shown, base plate 9021 is connected to the build platform 502 and is located at the bottom layer. Above base plate 9021 is support portion 9022, and solid structure 901 is located above support portion 9022. The base plate 9021 and support portion 9022 of the 3D model can be components of the 3D model that provide overall strength support, or they can be discarded after the 3D model is printed. There are no specific color requirements. During the formation of each slice layer, the feed position corresponding to the 3D model's outline 9011 supplies printing material corresponding to the color required for the 3D model's outline 9011, i.e., supplies printing material corresponding to the first color category. The feed positions corresponding to the 3D model's filler portion 9012 and sacrificial structure 902 supply a single color printing material, i.e., supplies printing material corresponding to the second color category. This allows the 3D model's outline 9011 to be directly printed in the desired color. The first color category is the color or a range of colors required for the 3D model's outline 9011, while the second color category can simply be a single solid color.

[0131] In the case where the type information of the printed material is color information, such as Figure 18 and 19 As shown in FIG. 1 , as another optional implementation scenario, the first part of the three-dimensional model includes a filling portion 9012 of the three-dimensional model, and the second part includes an outline 9011 and / or a sacrificial structure 902 of the three-dimensional model. In this usage scenario, the color of the outline 9011 can be set to a transparent color, and then the filling portion 9012 can be set to a color. In this way, the color of the filling portion can be used as the color of the appearance of the solid structure 901. The base plate 9021 and the support portion 9022 of the three-dimensional model can be partial structures that provide overall strength support in the three-dimensional model, or they can be structures discarded after the three-dimensional model is printed. The structure has no specific color requirements. During the creation of each slice layer, the feed position corresponding to the 3D model's outline 9011 supplies printing material corresponding to a transparent color, while the feed position corresponding to the sacrificial structure 902 supplies printing material corresponding to a solid color. The transparent color of the outline 9011 and the solid color of the sacrificial structure 902 together constitute the second type of color. The feed position corresponding to the 3D model's filling portion 9012 supplies printing material corresponding to the desired appearance color, that is, supplies printing material corresponding to the first type of color. This allows the filling portion 9012 of the 3D model to be directly printed in the desired color. The first type of color refers to the color or colors required for the filling portion 9012 of the 3D model.

[0132] In the case where the type information of the printed material is color information, such as Figure 20As shown, as an optional implementation scenario, the thickness of the outline 9011 of the three-dimensional module is relatively large, and it is not economical to print the entire outline 9011 in color. At this time, the following optimization can be made: the first part of the three-dimensional model includes the outer layer 9013 of the solid structure 901 of the three-dimensional model, specifically the outer layer 9013 of the outline 9011, and the second part includes other areas of the solid structure 901 of the three-dimensional model (for example, the inner layer 9014 of the solid structure 901) and the sacrificial structure 902, wherein the sacrificial structure 902 can be the base plate 9021 and / or the support part 9022 of the three-dimensional model. The base plate 9021 and support portion 9022 of the 3D model can be parts of the structure that provide overall strength support for the 3D model, or they can be structures that need to be discarded after the 3D model is printed. They have no specific color requirements. The inner layer 9014 of the solid structure 901 is not part of the product appearance and also has no specific color requirements. During the formation of each slice layer, the feed position corresponding to the outer layer 9013 of the 3D model solid structure 901 supplies printing material corresponding to the color required for the outer surface of the 3D model solid structure 901, that is, supplies printing material corresponding to the first type of color. The feed positions corresponding to the filling portion 9012, support portion 9022, and other areas of the solid structure 901 of the 3D model supply a single color of printing material, that is, supplies printing material corresponding to the second type of color. This allows the solid structure 901 of the 3D model to be directly printed with the outer layer 9013 having the desired color. The first type of color is the one or a series of colors required for the outer layer 9013 of the 3D model solid structure 901. The second type of color can be a single solid color.

[0133] In some embodiments, a 3D model includes a first portion and a second portion. A printing material with a first type of properties is supplied to a feed position corresponding to the first portion, while a printing material with a second type of properties is supplied to a feed position corresponding to the second portion. This embodiment enables printing of a combination of materials with different properties on a 3D model, and allows for different material property settings in different regions.

[0134] As an optional implementation scenario, Figure 18 and 19As shown, the first portion of the 3D model is the 3D model's outline 9011, and the second portion of the 3D model is the 3D model's filling portion 9012 and / or sacrificial structure 902, where the sacrificial structure 902 can be the 3D model's base plate 9021 and / or support portion 9022. During the formation of each slice layer, the feed position corresponding to the 3D model's outline 9011 is supplied with a printing material having higher strength properties, while the feed positions corresponding to the 3D model's filling portion 9012 and sacrificial structure 902 are supplied with a printing material having relatively lower structural strength. This allows for direct printing of a 3D model having different material properties for the outline 9011 and the sacrificial structure 902.

[0135] For example, the first part of the three-dimensional model is the outline 9011 of the three-dimensional model, and the second part of the three-dimensional model is the support portion 9022 of the three-dimensional model. During the formation of each slice layer, the feed position corresponding to the outline 9011 of the three-dimensional model supplies the main printing material corresponding to the outline 9011, and the feed position corresponding to the support portion 9022 of the three-dimensional model can supply a specific solvent-soluble material as the printing material. The support portion 9022 formed by solidifying the specific solvent-soluble material can be directly dissolved by the corresponding solvent to be removed. For example, the specific solvent-soluble material used can be a water-soluble material, and other resin materials (non-water-soluble) are used as the main printing material when printing the three-dimensional model. After the three-dimensional model is printed, the support portion 9022 can be easily removed by directly dissolving it in water. In addition, when the support portion 9022 formed by the water-soluble material is dissolved in water, the external force of mechanical removal (such as scraping or breaking off) can be reduced, which can improve the surface quality of the printed model. The water-soluble material may be a water-soluble polymer, and the monomer used may be acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, acrylamide, dimethylacrylamide, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, vinylpyrrolidone, etc. Of course, in addition to water-soluble materials, other materials that can be dissolved in specific solvents may also be selected, such as oil-soluble materials, alcohol-soluble materials, etc., as long as they can be distinguished from the main material of the three-dimensional model outline 9011.

[0136] As an optional implementation scenario, the first portion of the 3D model is the first main structure, and the second portion is the second main structure. During the formation of each slice layer, the feed position corresponding to the first main structure of the 3D model supplies printing material with mechanical properties in the first range, while the feed position corresponding to the second main structure of the 3D model supplies printing material with structural mechanical properties in the second range. The first range and the second range are different, thereby directly printing a 3D model with different material properties for the first and second main structures.

[0137] In some implementations, step 100 of segmenting the model into a plurality of slice layers may further include:

[0138] Step 101, generating a series of slice layers from the three-dimensional model;

[0139] Step 102: Segment at least a portion of the slice layer into a plurality of sub-regions, wherein at least some of the adjacent sub-regions have gaps between them. Figure 21 As shown, dividing at least a portion of the slice layer into several sub-regions 904 is equivalent to performing a lattice-based process on at least a portion of the slice layer, with gaps 905 between adjacent lattices. This ensures that when the build platform descends and presses down on the lattice-based printed material, the printed material within the lattice is squeezed and overflows to fill the gaps 905 between the sub-regions 904, preventing color mixing. The specific shape of each sub-region 904 can be varied, including but not limited to circles, squares, triangles, and polygons. Alternatively, the entire slice layer can be divided into several sub-regions 904 and lattice-based. Alternatively, the area corresponding to the outline of the slice layer can be lattice-based, while the area corresponding to the fill portion can remain unlattice-based. Alternatively, the area corresponding to the fill portion of the slice layer can be lattice-based, while the area corresponding to the outline can remain unlattice-based. The lattice-based process can be configured to meet the technical requirements and can be lattice-based at any location, within a layer, or within a specific region of a layer.

[0140] In some embodiments, the feeding assembly 201 is provided with a heating assembly to heat the printing material when needed, reduce the viscosity of the printing material, and improve the feeding speed and uniformity of the feeding assembly 201. Preferably, the printing material can be heated to 20-100°C.

[0141] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on this application. In addition, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0142] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; mechanical connections or electrical connections; direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal connections between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0143] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "examples," "specific examples," or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing device, characterized in that: include: A light-transmissive material holding mechanism having a carrying area configured to carry printing material; a feeding mechanism comprising a first channel configured to supply a first material and a second channel configured to supply a second material different from the first material, wherein the first material having a first color can be combined with the second material having a second color to form a mixture having a third color; a driving mechanism configured to move at least one of the material holding mechanism and the material feeding mechanism so that the material feeding mechanism supplies at least one of the first material and the second material at a plurality of preset positions in the carrying area; an optical mechanism configured to project light based on the pattern toward the carrier area to cure the first material and the second material; and The forming platform mechanism is configured to adhere a solidified layer and can carry the adhered solidified layer away from the material holding mechanism, wherein the solidified layer includes at least one of the following: a portion formed of the first material, a portion formed of the second material, and a portion formed of the mixture.

2. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following: a leveling mechanism configured to maintain the thickness of the first material and / or the second material supplied by the feeding mechanism within a preset range; or The cleaning mechanism is configured to remove the first material and / or the second material remaining on the carrying area after the solidified layer is separated from the material holding mechanism.

3. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The first material and the second material are materials having basic colors in the CMYK color system, and the first material and the second material can be combined to realize at least one color in the CMYK color system.

4. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1, wherein: The feeding mechanism includes a material storage component, a pump body, a pipeline and a material feeding component. The material feeding component includes the first channel and the second channel. The pump body is configured to control the supply volume.

5. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 4, wherein the feeding assembly comprises at least two feeding channels, each of the at least two feeding channels is used to supply materials of different colors, and wherein the feeding mechanism is configured to supply materials of at least two colors in a predetermined proportion at a preset position of the carrying area to allow the supply of materials of any color.

6. The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1, wherein the optical mechanism comprises any one of a DLP projection system, a Micro-LED display system, an LCOS optical system, an LCD display system, and a laser galvanometer scanning system. 7 . The three-dimensional printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the feeding mechanism further comprises a heating component configured to heat the first material and / or the second material.

8. A three-dimensional printing method, applied to the three-dimensional printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: include: Acquire a plurality of slice layers, the plurality of slice layers including a target layer, the target layer corresponding to at least a first material and a second material; Based on the target layer, the feeding mechanism supplies a first material to the carrier area through a first channel and supplies a second material to the carrier area through a second channel; Move the molding platform mechanism to the layer thickness position of the solidified layer; an optical mechanism that projects light onto the carrier area based on the pattern of the target layer to cure at least the first material and the second material to form a cured layer; and The forming platform mechanism is moved to separate the solidified layer from the material holding mechanism.

9. The 3D printing method according to claim 8, wherein obtaining a plurality of slice layers comprises: At least a portion of at least one tile layer is processed so that the tile layer includes a plurality of sub-regions and gaps between the sub-regions.

10. The three-dimensional printing method according to claim 9, wherein the step of moving the molding platform mechanism to a layer thickness position of the solidified layer further comprises: When the forming platform descends and presses down the lattice-distributed material, the material in the lattice is squeezed and overflows to fill the gaps between the sub-regions.

11. The three-dimensional printing method according to claim 8, wherein: The feeding mechanism supplies at least four materials (CMYK) through at least a first channel and a second channel to allow a printed material having a desired color, which is any one of the CMYK color systems, to be obtained by combination.

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