Multi-material 3D printing equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to multi-material 3D printing equipment which comprises a printing chamber cavity and a powder cylinder fixed in the printing chamber cavity, an integrated mechanism and a high-energy beam emitter are arranged above the powder cylinder, and the integrated mechanism comprises a frame and at least two feeding mechanisms detachably connected with the frame; the feeding mechanism comprises a powder feeding port and a powder suction port arranged on one side of the powder feeding port side by side, the length of the powder feeding port and the length of the powder suction port are consistent with the width of the powder cylinder, and the feeding mechanism further comprises a first powder receiving cylinder set and a second powder receiving cylinder set which are arranged on the two sides of the powder cylinder respectively. The powder feeding port and the powder suction port are further communicated with a powder barrel and a powder collector respectively, and the powder collector is further communicated with a powder collecting barrel and an exhaust outlet. A detachable scraper is further arranged on the frame and located on the other side of the powder feeding opening. According to the multi-material 3D printing equipment, printing of multiple materials can be conveniently achieved on a single part.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of building construction technology, and in particular to a multi-material 3D printing device. Background Art

[0002] Additive Manufacturing (AM) utilizes computer-controlled 3D data to deposit materials layer by layer. It is a highly efficient net-shape technology based on the principle of discrete deposition. Since the 21st century, AM has pioneered a new advanced manufacturing technology in the manufacturing industry with its unique advantages. Existing technologies using a single material for AM have become increasingly mature. However, this single material inevitably results in the production of parts with a single mechanical, physical, and chemical property. This fails to meet the technological demand for highly concentrated functions and performance within a single part, and it is impossible to achieve gradient performance distribution and / or selective integration of functions within the same part. However, some applications require the flexible blending of multiple material components to achieve regional optimization in mechanical properties, electrical and thermal conductivity, magnetic properties, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, and other aspects, or to implement diverse functional structures within the same part, integrating intelligence and integration.

[0003] Multi-material printing, on the other hand, involves mixing multiple materials within a single print, enabling localized control of material properties and functions to meet the requirements of actual use conditions. For example, some areas require load bearing (stress resistance), others require heat transfer, others require electrical conductivity, others require insulation, others require high temperature resistance, others require magnetic conductivity, others require toughness, and still others require wear resistance, among other requirements. Currently, there are few practical applications of multi-material additive manufacturing technology across all dimensions, including equipment, materials, and software. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the shortcomings of the existing technology, this application proposes a multi-material 3D printing device that can print multiple materials on a single part.

[0005] The present application discloses a multi-material 3D printing device comprising a printing chamber cavity and a powder cylinder fixed in the printing chamber cavity, an integrated mechanism and a high-energy beam emitter are provided above the powder cylinder, and a printing lifting mechanism is provided at the bottom of the powder cylinder; the multi-material 3D printing device also includes a vacuum device, a cooling system, and a gas replacement device provided outside the printing chamber cavity;

[0006] The integrated mechanism includes a frame and at least two groups of feeding mechanisms detachably connected to the frame, the feeding mechanism including a powder feeding port and a powder suction port arranged side by side on one side of the powder feeding port, the lengths of the powder feeding port and the powder suction port being consistent with the width of the powder cylinder, the feeding mechanism further including a No. I powder receiving cylinder group and a No. II powder receiving cylinder group respectively arranged on both sides of the powder cylinder; the powder feeding port and the powder suction port are further connected to a powder bucket and a powder collector, respectively, and the powder collector is further connected to a powder collecting bucket and an exhaust port; a detachable scraper is further provided on the frame on the other side of the powder feeding port;

[0007] The frame is a frame that can be driven by a driving mechanism A to make a reciprocating motion; the powder receiving cylinder group I and the powder receiving cylinder group II are powder receiving cylinder groups I and II that can be driven by a driving mechanism C to make a reciprocating motion.

[0008] Furthermore, the driving mechanism A of the multi-material 3D printing device described in the present application includes a stepper motor and a transverse slide rail A fixed on the inner wall of the printing chamber cavity, the stepper motor is coaxially connected to a pulley A, the pulley A is provided with a synchronous belt A fixedly connected to the frame, and the frame is also provided with a transverse slider A that cooperates with the transverse slide rail A.

[0009] Furthermore, the scraper of the multi-material 3D printing device described in the present application is detachably connected to the frame via a chuck.

[0010] Furthermore, the bottoms of the powder receiving cylinder group No. I and the powder receiving cylinder group No. II of the multi-material 3D printing equipment described in the present application are both provided with a fixed base, the driving mechanism C includes a stepper motor and a transverse slide rail C fixed on the inner wall of the printing chamber cavity, the stepper motor is coaxially connected to a pulley C, and the pulley C is provided with a synchronous belt C fixedly connected to the fixed base, and the side walls of the powder receiving cylinder group No. I and the powder receiving cylinder group No. II are also respectively provided with a transverse slider C that cooperates with the transverse slide rail C.

[0011] Furthermore, a spline shaft roller capable of being rotated by a stepper motor is provided in the powder feeding port of the multi-material 3D printing device described in the present application, and a valve is provided on the connecting pipe between the powder feeding port and the powder barrel.

[0012] Furthermore, valves are provided between the powder suction port and the powder collector, between the powder collector and the powder collection bucket, and between the powder collector and the exhaust port of the multi-material 3D printing equipment described in this application; a vacuum negative pressure device and a filter are also provided on the pipe near the exhaust port.

[0013] Furthermore, a platform is provided at the upper edge of the powder cylinder of the multi-material 3D printing device described in the present application and at the height of the bottom of the scraper. Powder receiving hoppers are provided at both ends of the platform. The upper edges of the powder receiving hoppers on both sides are adjacent to the platform, and the bottoms of the powder receiving hoppers correspond to powder receiving cylinder group No. I and powder receiving cylinder group No. II respectively.

[0014] Furthermore, the printing lifting mechanism of the multi-material 3D printing device described in the present application includes a printing base plate matched with the powder cylinder and an automatic lifting device provided at the bottom of the printing base plate.

[0015] Furthermore, an observation window is also provided on the printing chamber cavity of the multi-material 3D printing device described in this application.

[0016] Furthermore, the number of powder receiving cylinders in the No. I powder receiving cylinder group and the No. II powder receiving cylinder group of the multi-material 3D printing device described in the present application is the same as the number of the powder feeding ports.

[0017] Beneficial effects of this application:

[0018] The multi-material 3D printing device of the present application, on the one hand, fully realizes the alternating printing of multiple materials, and is particularly suitable for the situation where multiple materials are integrated on the same part, so as to realize that the same product has multiple different functions, and has great market application prospects. On the other hand, the multi-material 3D printing device described in the present application integrates the functions of powder feeding, powder spreading, powder suction, scanning, etc., and can controllably realize the scanning process of local sintering, pre-sintering, and non-sintering. Through the long strip-shaped powder suction port and powder feeding port arranged side by side, it is possible to realize the function of pre-separating and removing the unsintered loose powder of the previous layer, and realize the function of the pre-sintering area as a support for subsequent printing. In addition, the excess spreading powder can be separately taken, and each type of powder can be reasonably recycled and utilized. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of the multi-material 3D printing device described in Example 1 of the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 This is the schematic diagram described in step 1) in Example 1 of the present application;

[0021] Figure 3 This is the schematic diagram described in step 2) in Example 1 of the present application;

[0022] Figure 4 、 Figure 5 This is the schematic diagram described in step 3) in Example 1 of the present application;

[0023] Figure 6 This is the schematic diagram described in step 4) in Example 1 of the present application;

[0024] Figure 7 This is the schematic diagram described in step 6) in Example 1 of the present application;

[0025] Among them: 1. Print chamber, 2. Powder cylinder, 3. Integrated mechanism, 4. High-energy beam emitter, 5. Print lift mechanism, 6. Vacuum device, 7. Cooling system, 8. Gas replacement device, 9. Scraper, 10. Platform, 11. Powder hopper;

[0026] Frame, 302, powder feeding port, 303, powder suction port, 304, powder receiving cylinder group I, 305, powder receiving cylinder group II, 306, powder bucket, 307, powder collector, 308, powder collecting bucket, 309, exhaust vent, 310, horizontal slide rail A, 311, pulley A, 312, synchronous belt A, 313, fixed base, 314, horizontal slide rail C, 315, pulley C, 316, synchronous belt C;

[0027] 501. Printing substrate. 502. Automatic lifting device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the specific embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the specific embodiments of this application are described clearly and completely below. If no specific conditions are specified in the specific embodiments, conventional conditions or conditions recommended by the manufacturer shall be followed.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. The terms used in this specification are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, a multi-material 3D printing device of the present application includes a printing chamber cavity 1 and a powder cylinder 2 fixed in the printing chamber cavity 1, an integrated mechanism 3 and a high-energy beam emitter 4 are provided above the powder cylinder 2, and a printing lifting mechanism 5 is provided at the bottom of the powder cylinder 2; the multi-material 3D printing device also includes a vacuum device 6, a cooling system 7 and a gas replacement device 8 provided outside the printing chamber cavity 1;

[0031] The integrated mechanism 3 includes a frame 301 and at least two groups of feeding mechanisms detachably connected to the frame 301 .

[0032] In this embodiment 1, the feeding mechanism is composed of three groups, including a powder feeding port 302 and a powder suction port 303 arranged side by side on one side of the powder feeding port 302. The lengths of the powder feeding port 302 and the powder suction port 303 are consistent with the width of the powder cylinder 2. The feeding mechanism also includes a powder receiving cylinder group I 304 and a powder receiving cylinder group II 305 respectively arranged on both sides of the powder cylinder 2; the powder feeding port 302 and the powder suction port 303 are further connected to a powder barrel 306 and a powder collector 307, respectively, and the powder collector 307 is further connected to a powder collecting barrel 308 and an exhaust port 309; the scraper 9 on the other side of the powder feeding port 302 on the frame 301 is also detachably connected;

[0033] The frame 301 is a frame 301 that can be driven by a driving mechanism A to make a reciprocating motion; the powder receiving cylinder group I 304 and the powder receiving cylinder group II 305 are powder receiving cylinder groups I 304 and II 305 that can be driven by a driving mechanism C to make a reciprocating motion.

[0034] In this embodiment 1, the drive mechanism A comprises a stepper motor and a transverse slide rail A310 fixed to the inner wall of the print chamber cavity 1. The stepper motor is coaxially connected to a pulley A311, which is provided with a synchronous belt A312 fixedly connected to the frame 301. The frame 301 is also provided with a transverse slider A that cooperates with the transverse slide rail A310. The integrated mechanism 3 of this application integrates the functions of powder removal, powder conveying, and powder leveling on the same frame 301. The stepper motor drives the synchronous belt A312, driving the frame 301 from left to right and back; multiple functions are completed in one step.

[0035] At the same time, the suction force of the powder should be moderate and adjustable; each type of powder sucked is stored separately in its own powder collection container.

[0036] In this embodiment 1, the scraper 9 is detachably connected to the frame 301 via a clamp.

[0037] In this embodiment 1, the bottom of the powder receiving cylinder group No. I 304 and the powder receiving cylinder group No. II 305 are both provided with a fixed base 313, and the driving mechanism C includes a stepper motor and a transverse slide rail C314 fixed on the inner wall of the printing chamber cavity 1, and the stepper motor is coaxially connected to a pulley C315, and the pulley C315 is provided with a synchronous belt C316 fixedly connected to the fixed base 313, and the side walls of the powder receiving cylinder group No. I 304 and the powder receiving cylinder group No. II 305 are also respectively provided with a transverse slider C that cooperates with the transverse slide rail C314.

[0038] In this embodiment 1, the number of powder receiving cylinders in the No. I powder receiving cylinder group 304 and the No. II powder receiving cylinder group 305 is the same as the number of the powder feeding ports 302 , that is, three.

[0039] In this embodiment 1, a spline roller 317 capable of being rotated by a stepper motor is provided in the powder feeding port 302, and a valve is provided on the communication pipe between the powder feeding port 302 and the powder bucket 306. The stepper motor controls the rotation of the spline roller 317, thereby controlling the amount of powder required.

[0040] In this embodiment 1, valves are provided between the powder suction port 303 and the powder collector 307, between the powder collector 307 and the powder collecting bucket 308, and between the powder collector 307 and the exhaust port 309; a vacuum negative pressure device and a filter are also provided on the pipe near the exhaust port 309.

[0041] In this embodiment 1, a platform 10 is provided at the upper edge of the powder cylinder 2, at the height of the bottom of the scraper 9. A powder receiving hopper 11 is provided at each end of the platform 10. The upper edges of the powder receiving hoppers 11 on both sides are adjacent to the platform 10, and the bottoms of the powder receiving hoppers 11 correspond to the powder receiving cylinder group I 304 and the powder receiving cylinder group II 305, respectively. Synchronous belt C316 is driven by a stepper motor to move left and right, driving the powder receiving cylinder groups I 304 and II 305 to move left and right simultaneously along the transverse slide rail C314. During powder spreading, the PLC program instructs the stepper motor to run according to the type of powder being spread and stops at the corresponding position based on the sensor signal to select the corresponding powder receiving cylinder. Excess powder flows through the powder receiving hopper 11 into the corresponding powder receiving cylinder for recycling.

[0042] The printing and lifting mechanism 5 comprises a printing base plate 501 that mates with the powder cylinder 2 and an automatic lifting device 502 located at the bottom of the printing base plate 501. In this embodiment 1, the chuck can be driven up and down along the vertical slide rails on the frame 1 by a drive mechanism B; the drive mechanism is also a stepper motor. The automatic lifting device 502 includes a hydraulic pump and a pressure gauge. The high-energy beam emitter 4 uses a laser or electron beam as its energy source and can be single or multiple. The printing chamber 1 comprises a frame, a top cover, an observation window, and a door.

[0043] In this embodiment 1, the vacuum device 6 includes a multi-stage vacuum pump, pipelines, interfaces, fasteners, pressure gauges, etc.; the cooling system 7 includes a chiller, pipelines, fasteners, pressure gauges, valves, etc.; the gas replacement device 8 includes an air inlet, an exhaust port, pipelines, fasteners, a pressure gauge, an oxygen sensor, an inert gas container or generator, etc.

[0044] The multi-material 3D printing device of the present application is used in a specific process, and the printing of two materials is used as an example to explain in detail:

[0045] The specific process includes:

[0046] 1) The integrated mechanism 3 moves from the left side to the right side of the platform 10 and then back to the left side to complete the transportation of powder A and the spreading of powder over the entire area and width, and scrapes the excess powder into the corresponding powder receiving cylinders of powder receiving cylinder group No. 1 304 and powder receiving cylinder group No. 2 305. Figure 2 As shown;

[0047] 2) Scan the powder layer, the result is as follows Figure 3 As shown: Area 2 is the sintered area of ​​material A (printing), Area 3 is the unsintered area of ​​material A (loose powder), and Areas 1 and 4 are the pre-sintered areas of material A (support);

[0048] 3) The integrated mechanism 3 moves from the left side to the right side of the platform 10, and then returns to the left side to complete the removal of the A powder in the area 3 (such as Figure 4 As shown), transport powder B to the printing platform and evenly spread it in area 3 (as shown Figure 5 As shown), and scraping the excess powder to the powder receiving cylinders of the No. 1 powder receiving cylinder group 304 and the No. 2 powder receiving cylinder group 305 corresponding to the B powder, etc.; wherein Figure 4 In the figure, area 3 is the blank area after the A powder is removed; Figure 5 In the middle, the pink area 3 is the area where B powder is laid;

[0049] 4) Scan the powder layer, the result is as follows Figure 6 As shown: Area 2 is the sintering area of ​​material A, area 3 is the sintering area of ​​material B, and areas 1 and 4 are the pre-sintering areas (support) of material A;

[0050] 5) The integrated mechanism 3 moves from the left side of the platform 10 to the right side and then back to the left side, completing the action of removing the unsintered powder of material B, and then the printing platform descends;

[0051] 6) Repeat steps 1)-5) until the printing process is completed. Use post-processing methods to remove the pre-sintered (false sintered) area, and perform other corresponding process steps as needed to finally obtain the target product (such as Figure 7 shown).

[0052] The embodiments described above are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. The detailed description of the embodiments of the present application is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A multi-material 3D printing device, characterized in that: The multi-material 3D printing device comprises a printing chamber cavity and a powder cylinder fixed in the printing chamber cavity, an integrated mechanism and a high-energy beam emitter are provided above the powder cylinder, and a printing lifting mechanism is provided at the bottom of the powder cylinder; the multi-material 3D printing device also includes a vacuum device, a cooling system and a gas replacement device provided outside the printing chamber cavity; The integrated mechanism includes a frame and at least two groups of feeding mechanisms detachably connected to the frame, the feeding mechanism including a powder feeding port and a powder suction port arranged side by side on one side of the powder feeding port, the lengths of the powder feeding port and the powder suction port being consistent with the width of the powder cylinder, the feeding mechanism further including a No. I powder receiving cylinder group and a No. II powder receiving cylinder group respectively arranged on both sides of the powder cylinder; the powder feeding port and the powder suction port are further connected to a powder bucket and a powder collector, respectively, and the powder collector is further connected to a powder collecting bucket and an exhaust port; a detachable scraper is further provided on the frame on the other side of the powder feeding port; The frame is a frame that can be driven by a driving mechanism A to make a reciprocating motion; the powder receiving cylinder group I and the powder receiving cylinder group II are powder receiving cylinder groups I and II that can be driven by a driving mechanism C to make a reciprocating motion.

2. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving mechanism A includes a stepper motor and a transverse slide rail A fixed on the inner wall of the printing chamber cavity. The stepper motor is coaxially connected to a pulley A. The pulley A is provided with a synchronous belt A fixedly connected to the frame. The frame is also provided with a transverse slider A that cooperates with the transverse slide rail A.

3. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The scraper is detachably connected to the frame via a clamp.

4. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bottoms of the powder receiving cylinder group No. I and the powder receiving cylinder group No. II are both provided with a fixed base, the driving mechanism C includes a stepper motor and a transverse slide rail C fixed on the inner wall of the printing chamber cavity, the stepper motor is coaxially connected to a pulley C, and the pulley C is provided with a synchronous belt C fixedly connected to the fixed base, and the side walls of the powder receiving cylinder group No. I and the powder receiving cylinder group No. II are also respectively provided with a transverse slider C that cooperates with the transverse slide rail C.

5. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: A spline shaft roller capable of being rotated by a stepping motor is provided in the powder feeding port, and a valve is provided on a communicating pipe between the powder feeding port and the powder barrel.

6. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Valves are provided between the powder suction port and the powder collector, between the powder collector and the powder collecting barrel, and between the powder collector and the exhaust port; a vacuum negative pressure device and a filter are also provided on the pipeline close to the exhaust port.

7. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: A platform is provided at the upper edge of the powder cylinder and at the height of the bottom of the scraper. Powder receiving hoppers are provided at both ends of the platform. The upper edges of the powder receiving hoppers on both sides are adjacent to the platform, and the bottoms of the powder receiving hoppers correspond to powder receiving cylinder group No. I and powder receiving cylinder group No. II respectively.

8. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The printing lifting mechanism includes a printing base plate matched with the powder cylinder and an automatic lifting device arranged at the bottom of the printing base plate.

9. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 8, characterized in that: An observation window is also provided on the printing chamber cavity.

10. The multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The number of powder receiving cylinders in the No. I powder receiving cylinder group and the No. II powder receiving cylinder group is the same as the number of the powder feeding ports.

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