A 3D printer with automatic leveling device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a 3D printer with an automatic leveling device, comprising a printing platform, a molding surface for printing models is provided at the bottom; an adjustment plate extending in the horizontal direction, the printing platform is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate; a leveling mechanism, comprising at least three positioning components and a power assembly arranged on the adjustment plate, the printing platform is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate through at least three positioning components, at least three positioning components are always in point contact with the printing platform, the contact points of the three positioning components with the printing platform are not colinear and define a correction surface parallel to the molding surface, wherein at least one of the three positioning components is configured to be movable in the up-down direction, and the power assembly is configured to drive at least one movable positioning component to move in the up-down direction so that the correction surface is parallel to the horizontal plane. Compared with the prior art, the present case can realize automatic leveling of the molding surface, and the leveling efficiency is higher and the operation is more convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and in particular to a 3D printer capable of automatically leveling a printing platform. Background Art

[0002] 3D printers use lasers to irradiate a certain layer of resin liquid material to solidify and bond it to the printing platform. Then the printing platform rises and then falls under the drive of the lifting mechanism. After the difference between the rise and fall is a layer thickness distance, the printing process of the next layer thickness distance continues, and the layers are stacked until the printing is completed. During the printing process, the printing platform is the bearing part. Before each layer of the model is formed, the printing platform is subject to the downward driving force of the lifting mechanism and the buoyancy of the resin solution in the tank. After each layer of the model is formed, the printing platform is subject to the upward driving force of the lifting mechanism and the pulling force between the molding surface of the printing platform and the bottom plane of the tank. The above factors will cause the relative position between the printing platform and the bottom plane of the resin tank to deviate, so that the printing platform will have a certain inclination relative to the horizontal plane. The platform needs to be leveled frequently before printing can continue. Otherwise, the model will be difficult to form or the angle will be misaligned during the model forming, resulting in defective products.

[0003] When the existing 3D printer performs the leveling operation on the printing platform, the common practice is that it is necessary to manually use the bottom plane of the resin tank as a reference, generally use a screw assembly to adjust the printing platform and fix the printing platform to the adjustment plate. For example, the leveling structure disclosed in the Chinese patent with publication number CN107399079A connects the printing platform to the adjustment plate through a screw assembly, and sets pressure sensors at the bottom of the four corners of the printing platform. It is necessary to manually operate repeatedly and manually level until the measured pressure values ​​of the four pressure sensors are all equal or not much different, and then the leveling of the printing platform is completed. Because there are too many pressure data parameters that need to be leveled, it is necessary to repeat the operation frequently, which is cumbersome to operate, and each leveling is manually leveled, and the parameters are compared one by one, which is labor-intensive and inefficient. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the above technical problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a 3D printer with an automatic leveling device which can automatically level, has higher leveling efficiency and is more convenient to operate.

[0005] In order to achieve the purpose of the above invention, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device, comprising:

[0007] A printing platform, with a molding surface at the bottom for printing the model;

[0008] An adjustment plate extends in a horizontal direction, and the printing platform is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate;

[0009] The leveling mechanism includes at least three positioning components and a power assembly arranged on the adjustment plate, the printing platform is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate through the at least three positioning components, at least three of the positioning components are always in point contact with the printing platform, the contact points of the three positioning components with the printing platform are not colinear and define a correction surface parallel to the molding surface, wherein at least one of the three positioning components is configured to be movable in the up and down direction, and the power assembly is configured to drive at least one movable positioning component to move in the up and down direction so that the correction surface is parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0010] In the above technical solution, preferably, it also includes a control unit, the control unit includes a controller and a detection component for detecting whether the correction surface is horizontal, the controller is signal-connected to the detection component, the controller is control-connected to the power component, and the controller is configured to control the operation of the power component based on the detection result fed back by the detection component.

[0011] In the above technical solution, preferably, the detection component includes an inclination sensor installed on the printing platform, the controller is preset with a standard value of the horizontal plane inclination, and the controller is configured to control the operation of the power component based on the comparison result of the inclination signal fed back by the inclination sensor and the standard value of the horizontal plane inclination.

[0012] In the above technical solution, preferably, the detection component includes at least one pair of pressure sensors, among the three positioning components, one positioning component is fixedly set on the adjustment plate, and the other two positioning components are configured to be movable in the up and down directions, a pair of the pressure sensors are respectively arranged at the contact point positions between the two movable positioning components and the printing platform, a pressure difference standard value is preset in the controller, and the controller is configured to control the operation of the power component based on the comparison result of the difference between the pressure signals fed back by the pair of pressure sensors and the pressure difference standard value.

[0013] In the above technical solution, preferably, the controller is connected to the lifting mechanism control of the 3D printer, a pressure threshold is preset in the controller, and the controller is configured to control the operation of the lifting mechanism based on a comparison result between a pressure signal fed back by at least one pressure sensor and the pressure threshold.

[0014] In the above technical solution, preferably, the lifting mechanism includes a slide rail extending in the up-down direction, a slide seat slidably connected to the slide rail, a lifting motor, and a screw rod transmission-connected between the lifting motor and the slide seat, and the adjustment plate has a fixed portion extending in the up-down direction, and the fixed portion is fixed to the slide seat.

[0015] In the above technical solution, preferably, the adjustment plate has a horizontal center line, one of the positioning components is located on the horizontal center line, and the other two positioning components are symmetrically distributed along both sides of the horizontal center line.

[0016] In the above technical solution, preferably, a floating connection portion with a slot is provided on the top of the printing platform, and a plug-in portion matching the slot is provided on the adjustment plate.

[0017] In the above technical solution, preferably, the power assembly includes a motor, a gear and a leveling and lifting block, the gear is coaxially fixed on the output shaft of the motor, a limiting hole is penetrated on the adjustment plate, the leveling and lifting block slides in the limiting hole, the leveling and lifting block has an arc-shaped rack portion meshing with the gear, one of the positioning components is fixed on the adjustment plate, and the other two positioning components are fixed to the leveling and lifting block.

[0018] In the above technical solution, preferably, the adjustment plate is provided with a screw hole, and the positioning component fixedly provided on the adjustment plate is a top screw threadedly connected in the screw hole.

[0019] The present invention arranges at least three positioning components and a power assembly on an adjustment plate, and the printing platform is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate by at least three positioning components, and at least three positioning components are always in point contact with the printing platform, and the contact points of the three positioning components with the printing platform are not colinear and define a correction surface parallel to the molding surface, wherein at least one of the three positioning components is configured to be movable in the up and down directions, and the power assembly is configured to drive at least one movable positioning component to move in the up and down directions so that the correction surface is parallel to the horizontal plane. Compared with the structure of manually repeating leveling multiple times in the prior art, the present case adjusts at least one of the three positioning components through a power assembly, thereby realizing automatic leveling of the molding surface, and the leveling efficiency is higher and the operation is more convenient. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 The automatic leveling device of the present invention is a three-dimensional Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 2 The automatic leveling device of the present invention is a three-dimensional Figure 2 ;

[0022] Figure 3 is a front perspective view of the automatic leveling device of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 4 is a right perspective view of the automatic leveling device of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 5is a top perspective view of the automatic leveling device of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 6 The three-dimensional structure of the adjustment plate of the automatic leveling device of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0026] Figure 7 The three-dimensional structure of the adjustment plate of the automatic leveling device of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0027] Figure 8 is a front perspective view of an adjustment plate of the automatic leveling device of the present invention;

[0028] Fig. 9 is a right perspective view of an adjustment plate of the automatic leveling device of the present invention;

[0029] Fig.10 is a top perspective view of an adjustment plate of the automatic leveling device of the present invention;

[0030] Wherein: 1. printing platform; 11. molding surface; 12. floating connection part; 121. slot;

[0031] 2. Adjustment plate; 21. Fixing part; 22. Horizontal center line; 23. Connecting part; 24. Limiting hole; 25. Screw hole;

[0032] 3. Leveling mechanism; 31. First positioning component; 32. Second positioning component; 33. Third positioning component; 34. Power assembly; 341. Motor; 342. Gear; 343. Leveling lifting block; 3431. Arc-shaped rack portion;

[0033] 41. A first pressure sensor; 42. A second pressure sensor. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] In order to explain the technical content, structural features, objectives and effects of the invention in detail, the following will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments and accompanying drawings. Figure 1 , Figure 6 The various positional relationships shown in correspondence respectively.

[0035] The automatic leveling device of the present invention is mainly used for 3D printers, and can be specifically used for automatically leveling a printing platform on a DLP type 3D printer, with higher leveling efficiency and easier operation.

[0036] like Figure 1 , Figure 6 As shown, the automatic leveling device includes a printing platform 1, an adjustment plate 2, a leveling mechanism 3 and a control unit (not shown).

[0037] like Figure 2, Figure 7 As shown, the bottom of the printing platform 1 is provided with a molding surface 11 for printing the model. The top of the printing platform 1 is provided with a floating connection portion 12 with a slot 121, and the adjustment plate 2 extends in the front-to-back direction and has a plug-in portion 23 that matches the slot 121. The printing platform 1 is plugged and matched with the adjustment plate 2 through the floating connection portion 12, so as to be floatingly supported on the adjustment plate 2. The adjustment plate 2 is connected to the lifting mechanism of the 3D printer (not shown). Specifically, the lifting mechanism includes a slide rail extending in the up-down direction, a slide seat slidably connected to the slide rail, a lifting motor, and a screw rod transmission-connected between the lifting motor and the slide seat, and the adjustment plate 2 has a fixed portion 21 extending in the up-down direction, and the fixed portion 21 is fixed to the slide seat. Of course, in other embodiments, the floating connection structure between the printing platform and the adjustment plate is not limited to a plug-in structure, and a hanging structure can also be adopted.

[0038] like Figure 3 , Figure 4 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9As shown, the leveling mechanism 3 includes a first positioning component 31, a second positioning component 32, a third positioning component 33 and a power assembly 34 arranged on the adjustment plate 2. The printing platform 1 is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate 2 by three positioning components. The three positioning components are always in point contact with the printing platform 1. The contact points of the three positioning components with the printing platform 1 are not colinear and define a correction surface A parallel to the molding surface 11. One of the positioning components is fixedly arranged on the adjustment plate, and the other two positioning components are configured to be movable in the up and down directions. The power assembly is configured to drive the two movable positioning components to move in the up and down directions so that the correction surface A is parallel to the horizontal plane. Specifically, the power assembly 34 includes a motor 341, a gear 342 and a leveling lifting block 343. The gear 342 is coaxially fixed on the output shaft of the motor 341. The adjustment plate 2 is provided with a limit hole 24. The leveling lifting block 343 slides in the limit hole 24 in the up-down direction. The leveling lifting block 343 has an arc-shaped rack portion 3431 meshing with the gear 342. The first positioning component 31 is fixedly provided on the adjustment plate 2, and the other two positioning components are fixed to the leveling lifting block 343. The adjustment plate 2 is provided with a screw hole 25. The first positioning component 31 fixedly provided on the adjustment plate 2 is a top screw threaded in the screw hole 25. In other embodiments, at least one of the three positioning components is configured to be movable in the up-down direction, and the power assembly is configured to drive at least one movable positioning component to move in the up-down direction so that the correction surface A is parallel to the horizontal plane. In other words, there are several specific leveling schemes as follows. In the first case, one of the positioning components is fixedly set on the adjustment plate, and the contact point of the fixed positioning component and the printing platform forms a fulcrum, and the other two positioning components are movably set on the adjustment plate and are movable in the up and down directions, and the contact points of the two movable positioning components and the printing platform serve as leveling points, and the two positioning components are driven to move by the power component, thereby changing the up and down positions of the two leveling points to adjust the correction surface so that the correction surface is parallel to the horizontal plane. In the second case, two positioning components are fixedly set on the adjustment plate, and the contact points of the two fixed positioning components and the printing platform form two fulcrums, and the remaining one positioning component is movably set on the adjustment plate and is movable in the up and down directions, and the contact point of the movable positioning component and the printing platform serves as a leveling point, and the positioning component is driven to move by the power component, thereby changing the up and down positions of the leveling points to adjust the correction surface so that the correction surface is parallel to the horizontal plane. The third situation is that the three positioning components are movably arranged on the adjustment plate and are movable in the up and down directions, and the contact points of the three positioning components with the printing platform are used as leveling points. The three positioning components are driven to move respectively by the power components, thereby changing the up and down positions of the three leveling points to adjust the correction surface so that the correction surface is parallel to the horizontal plane.In addition, the above-mentioned positioning components are not limited to three, and more positioning components can be provided, so that the correction and leveling process of the printing platform is smoother and more accurate.

[0039] The adjustment plate 2 has a horizontal center line 22 . To facilitate synchronous adjustment of the second positioning component 32 and the third positioning component 33 , the first positioning component 31 is located on the horizontal center line 22 . The second positioning component 32 and the third positioning component 33 are symmetrically distributed on both sides of the horizontal center line 22 .

[0040] The control unit includes a controller and a detection component for detecting whether the correction surface is horizontal. The controller is connected to the detection component by signal, and the controller is connected to the power component 34 by control. The controller is configured to control the power component 34 to work based on the detection result fed back by the detection component. Specifically, the detection component includes a first pressure sensor 41 and a second pressure sensor 42. The first pressure sensor 41 is arranged at the contact point position between the first positioning component 31 and the printing platform 1, and the second pressure sensor 42 is arranged at the contact point position between the second positioning component 32 and the printing platform 1. A pressure difference standard value is preset in the controller, and the controller is configured to control the power component 34 to work based on the comparison result between the difference of the pressure signals fed back by a pair of pressure sensors and the pressure difference standard value. When the difference of the measured pressure values ​​fed back by the two pressure sensors is greater than the pressure difference standard value, the controller controls the power component 34 to start working, thereby driving and adjusting the upper and lower positions of the first positioning component 31 and the second positioning component 32, so that the correction surface tends to be horizontal, until the difference of the measured pressure values ​​fed back by the two pressure sensors is less than or equal to the pressure difference standard value, the controller controls the power component 34 to stop working.

[0041] In other embodiments, the detection component is not limited to the detection structure of the pressure sensor described above, and may also use a tilt sensor known in the prior art. For example, the tilt sensor is installed on the printing platform, either horizontally or vertically. The controller is preset with a standard value of the horizontal plane tilt. The controller is configured to control the operation of the power component based on the comparison result between the tilt signal fed back by the tilt sensor and the standard value of the horizontal plane tilt. Specifically, when the measured tilt value fed back by the tilt sensor is greater than the standard value of the tilt, the controller controls the power component to start working, thereby driving and adjusting the upper and lower positions of the two positioning components to make the correction surface tend to be horizontal, until the measured tilt value fed back by the tilt sensor is less than or equal to the standard value of the tilt, then the controller controls the power component to stop working.

[0042] In order to prevent the printing platform from accidentally hitting a physical object other than the workbench or the liquid tank during the printing process, the controller is connected to the lifting mechanism of the 3D printer, and a pressure threshold is preset in the controller. The controller is configured to control the lifting mechanism based on the comparison result between the pressure signal fed back by at least one pressure sensor and the pressure threshold. Specifically, when the measured pressure value fed back by the first pressure sensor 41 and / or the second pressure sensor 42 is greater than or equal to the pressure threshold, the controller controls the lifting mechanism to stop working.

[0043] The working principle of the automatic leveling device is as follows: the control unit controls the lifting mechanism to work, and the lifting mechanism drives the printing platform 1 to descend, and the printing platform 1 descends until it contacts the inner bottom wall of the liquid tank, so that the control unit can receive the measured pressure value sent by the first pressure sensor 41 and the second pressure sensor 42. The control unit compares the difference between the measured pressure values ​​of the two pressure sensors with the pressure difference standard value preset inside. When the difference between the measured pressure values ​​of the two pressure sensors is greater than the pressure difference standard value, the control unit controls the motor 341 of the leveling mechanism to start working, so that the gear 342 and the arc-shaped rack portion 3431 of the leveling lifting block 343 are meshed and transmitted, and the measured pressure values ​​of the two pressure sensors tend to approach each other, until the difference between the measured pressure values ​​of the two pressure sensors is less than or equal to the pressure difference standard value preset inside the control unit, then the control unit controls the motor 341 to stop, and the gear 342 and the arc-shaped rack portion 3431 remain in a locked state, and the leveling operation of the printing platform can be completed.

[0044] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present invention, and their purpose is to enable people familiar with the technology to understand the content of the present invention and implement it accordingly, and they cannot be used to limit the protection scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device, characterized in that: include: A printing platform (1), the bottom of which is provided with a molding surface (11) for printing a model, and the top of the printing platform (1) is provided with a floating connection portion (12) with a slot (121); An adjustment plate (2) extends in a horizontal direction, the adjustment plate (2) is provided with a plug-in portion (23) that matches the slot (121), the plug-in portion (23) is plugged into the floating connection portion (12), and the printing platform (1) is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate (2); The leveling mechanism (3) comprises at least three positioning components (31; 32; 33) and a power assembly (34) arranged on the adjustment plate (2), wherein the printing platform (1) is floatingly supported on the adjustment plate (2) by the at least three positioning components (31; 32; 33), the lower ends of at least three positioning components (31; 32; 33) are always in point contact with the printing platform (1), the contact points of the three positioning components (31; 32; 33) with the printing platform (1) are not colinear and define a correction surface parallel to the molding surface (11), wherein at least one of the three positioning components (31; 32; 33) is configured to be movable in the up-down direction, the power assembly (34) is configured to drive at least one movable positioning component to move in the up-down direction so that the correction surface is parallel to the horizontal plane, and the adjustment plate (2) has a horizontal center line (22), one of the positioning components is located on the horizontal center line (22), and the other two positioning components are symmetrically distributed along both sides of the horizontal center line (22).

2. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The device also includes a control unit, which includes a controller and a detection component for detecting whether the correction surface is horizontal. The controller is connected to the detection component by signal, and the controller is connected to the power component (34) by control. The controller is configured to control the operation of the power component (34) based on the detection result fed back by the detection component.

3. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The detection component comprises an inclination sensor installed on the printing platform (1), a standard value of horizontal plane inclination is preset in the controller, and the controller is configured to control the operation of the power component (34) based on a comparison result between an inclination signal fed back by the inclination sensor and the standard value of horizontal plane inclination.

4. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The detection component comprises at least one pair of pressure sensors (41; 42); among the three positioning components (31; 32; 33), one positioning component is fixedly arranged on the adjustment plate (2), and the other two positioning components are configured to be movable in the up and down directions; the pair of pressure sensors (41; 42) are respectively arranged at the contact point positions between the two movable positioning components and the printing platform (1); a pressure difference standard value is preset in the controller; and the controller is configured to control the operation of the power component (34) based on the comparison result of the difference between the pressure signals fed back by the pair of pressure sensors (41; 42) and the pressure difference standard value.

5. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device according to claim 4, characterized in that: It also includes a lifting mechanism, the controller is connected to the lifting mechanism, a pressure threshold is preset in the controller, and the controller is configured to control the lifting mechanism based on a comparison result between a pressure signal fed back by at least one pressure sensor and the pressure threshold.

6. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lifting mechanism comprises a slide rail extending in the up-down direction, a slide seat slidably connected to the slide rail, a lifting motor, and a screw rod transmission-connected between the lifting motor and the slide seat, and the adjustment plate (2) has a fixing portion (21) extending in the up-down direction, and the fixing portion (21) is fixed to the slide seat.

7. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device according to claim 1 or 4, characterized in that: The power assembly (34) comprises a motor (341), a gear (342) and a leveling and lifting block (343); the gear (342) is coaxially fixed on the output shaft of the motor (341); a limiting hole (24) is provided through the adjustment plate (2); the leveling and lifting block (343) is slidably fitted in the limiting hole (24) in the up-down direction; the leveling and lifting block (343) has an arc-shaped rack portion (3431) meshing with the gear (342); one of the positioning components is fixedly provided on the adjustment plate (2); and the other two positioning components are fixed to the leveling and lifting block (343).

8. A 3D printer with an automatic leveling device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The adjustment plate (2) is provided with a screw hole (25) extending therethrough, and the positioning component fixedly provided on the adjustment plate (2) is a top screw threadedly connected in the screw hole (25).

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