A 3D printing pen

Abstract

The present invention discloses a 3D printing pen comprising a material conveying assembly, a heating assembly, a drive assembly, and a housing assembly. Compared to existing technologies, the present invention utilizes a gearbox powertrain to drive a worm gear, which meshes with a rack segment. The worm gear drives a rack push rod, which extrudes the material without problems such as jamming, interruptions in the extrusion process, and difficulty controlling the extrusion volume. The present invention can use raw materials in the form of heat-meltable food strips, not just plastics. The entire structure of the present invention is detachable for easy cleaning.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of secondary curing molding, and in particular to a 3D printing pen. Background Art

[0002] At present, 3D printing has been widely used in various fields, and 3D printing pen products have also become tools for children's intellectual development, science and education, as well as people's daily creation, recreation and entertainment. However, there are currently no 3D printing pens on the market that can use food-type materials as consumables.

[0003] The basic principle of existing 3D printing pens is that they rely on a heater and a drive mechanism, using a linear plastic material. When the heater reaches the set temperature, the drive transmits power to the metal gear at the end. The metal gear has sharp teeth. At this point, the plastic wire is supported by a bearing on one side and squeezed against the metal gear on the other side. The metal gear engages the plastic wire and drives it toward the heater. Once the plastic wire enters the heater, it melts and is extruded out of the outlet, where it cools and takes shape.

[0004] However, this type of 3D printing pen has very high requirements for the stability of the wire diameter of the plastic line. When the wire diameter of the plastic line is large at a certain point, the 3D printing pen will get stuck at the metal gear; when the wire diameter of the plastic line is small at a certain point, it will be difficult to push the plastic line to move at the metal gear meshing point because of the small contact area between the metal gear and the plastic line.

[0005] The principle of hot melt glue guns currently widely used in various industries is: after the power is turned on, the heating wire inside the hot melt aluminum barrel heats up and the temperature is controlled by the thermistor. When the temperature reaches the set value, the glue stick enters the hot melt aluminum barrel through the glue stick insertion port. At this time, the temperature of the hot melt aluminum barrel melts the glue stick, and the trigger push device drives the glue stick pushing device sleeve to push the glue stick toward the gun nozzle (glue outlet) and extrude it.

[0006] However, this hot melt glue gun is completely manually controlled, and the amount of molten glue extruded is difficult to control. In addition, when the glue stick is extruded, sometimes the extrusion device cannot hold the glue stick, resulting in extrusion failure. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a 3D printing pen that can solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, such as high requirements for the wire diameter stability of plastic lines and difficulty in controlling the extrusion volume, and realize secondary solidification molding of various materials such as candy, chocolate, and plastic.

[0008] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following solutions:

[0009] The present invention discloses a 3D printing pen, comprising:

[0010] A raw material conveying assembly, comprising a conduit and a ceramic head nozzle, wherein the ceramic head nozzle is connected to one end of the conduit, and a raw material loading port is provided on the conduit;

[0011] A heating assembly, the heating assembly comprising a control circuit board, a high-temperature resistant connector, a thermally conductive copper sleeve, a heating film, and a thermistor, wherein the thermally conductive copper sleeve, the high-temperature resistant connector, and the control circuit board are fixedly connected in sequence, the heating film is fixed to the outside of the thermally conductive copper sleeve, the heating film is electrically connected to the control circuit board, the thermally conductive copper sleeve is sleeved on the outside of the ceramic head nozzle, and the thermistor is electrically connected to the control circuit board and in contact with the thermally conductive copper sleeve;

[0012] A driving assembly, the driving assembly is used to push the tail of the raw material in the conduit to move the raw material toward the nozzle of the ceramic head;

[0013] A shell assembly, the raw material conveying assembly, the heating assembly and the driving assembly are located in the shell assembly, one end of the shell assembly is provided with a nozzle outlet, and the ceramic head nozzle extends out of the nozzle outlet.

[0014] Preferably, the conduit includes a first conduit and a second conduit, the first conduit is detachably connected to the second conduit, the second conduit is threadedly connected to the ceramic head nozzle, and the second conduit is made of high-temperature resistant material.

[0015] Preferably, the drive assembly includes a gearbox power assembly, a worm gear and a rack push rod, the control circuit board supplies power to the gearbox power assembly, the rack push rod includes a light rod segment inserted into the conduit and a rack segment outside the conduit, a rack is axially provided on the rack segment, the gearbox power assembly is used to drive the worm gear to rotate, the worm gear is engaged with the rack segment, and the worm gear is used to drive the rack push rod to move.

[0016] Preferably, a return limit switch and an extrusion limit switch are arranged on the control circuit board, the return limit switch is closer to the ceramic head nozzle than the extrusion limit switch, and a front protrusion and a rear protrusion are arranged on the rack push rod, the return limit switch and the extrusion limit switch are located between the front protrusion and the rear protrusion, and the gear box power assembly stops working after the front protrusion contacts the return limit switch, and the gear box power assembly rotates in the opposite direction after the rear protrusion contacts the extrusion limit switch, driving the rack push rod to return to its position.

[0017] Preferably, the shell assembly includes a pen tip cap, a large shell body and a lower shell, the pen tip cap is detachably connected to one end of the large shell body, the nozzle outlet is arranged on the pen tip cap, and the lower shell is detachably connected to the large shell body.

[0018] Preferably, the gearbox power assembly and the worm gear are mounted on the lower housing.

[0019] Preferably, it also includes a power interface, an interface circuit board and a power supply telescopic pin, wherein the power interface and the power supply telescopic pin are both installed on the interface circuit board, and one end of the power supply telescopic pin is detachably in contact with the corresponding contact on the control circuit board.

[0020] Preferably, the control circuit board has a two-color indicator light, a power button and an extrusion control button. Key slots are provided on the large shell body at positions corresponding to the two-color indicator light, the power button and the extrusion control key. The power button is used to control the current on and off of the heating film, and the extrusion control key is used to control the current on and off of the gearbox powertrain. The two-color indicator light monitors the change in the resistance value of the thermistor through the control circuit to control the color conversion of the two-color indicator light.

[0021] Preferably, the lower shell has a front buckle position and a rear buckle position, the front buckle position is detachably buckled with the buckle position A on the large shell body, and the rear buckle position is detachably buckled with the buckle position B on the large shell body.

[0022] Preferably, a limiting block is provided on the inner wall of the pen tip cap, and a limiting ring is provided on one end of the large shell body close to the pen tip cap, which is discontinuously distributed in the circumferential direction. There is a gap between two adjacent sections of the limiting ring. After the limiting block passes through the gap, the pen tip cap is rotated to achieve rotational engagement between the pen tip cap and the large shell body.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has achieved the following technical effects:

[0024] The gearbox power assembly of the present invention drives the worm gear to rotate, and the worm gear engages with the rack segment. The worm gear is used to drive the rack push rod to move, and the rack push rod is used to extrude the raw material without problems such as jamming, interruption of the extrusion process, and difficulty in controlling the extrusion amount. The raw material used in the present invention can be a strip-shaped heatable meltable food, not limited to plastic. The overall structure of the present invention is detachable for easy cleaning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the 3D printing pen in this embodiment;

[0027] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the 3D printing pen of this embodiment;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the 3D printing pen of this embodiment after the lower shell assembly is removed;

[0029] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the 3D printing pen of this embodiment after removing the shell assembly;

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 4 sectional view of

[0031] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the connection between the pen cap and the main body of the shell;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure after the ceramic head nozzle and the heat-conducting copper sleeve are separated;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit connection relationship of the 3D printing pen in this embodiment;

[0034] Explanation of the accompanying drawings: 1-power supply line; 2-power supply telescopic ejector; 3-motor power supply telescopic ejector; 4-power button; 5-extrusion control button; 6-raw material loading port; 7-heating film; 8-thermal copper sleeve; 9-thermistor; 10-ceramic head nozzle; 11-home limit switch; 12-extrusion limit switch; 13-gearbox power assembly; 14-worm gear; 15-rack push rod; 16-raw material; 17-second conduit; 18-first conduit; 19-control circuit board; 20-two-color indicator light; 21-large shell body; 22-lower shell; 23 pen tip cap; 24-high temperature resistant connector; 25-front buckle position; 26-rear buckle position; 27-buckle position A; 28-buckle position B; 29-limit block; 30-limit snap ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a 3D printing pen that can solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, such as the high requirement for the wire diameter stability of plastic lines and the difficulty in controlling the extrusion volume, and realize the secondary solidification molding of various materials such as candy, chocolate, and plastic. The present invention uses worm gears to drive the rack push rod to move the raw material for extrusion. This is different from the traditional 3D printing pen extrusion method that uses metal gears to engage the plastic line to drive the plastic line movement.

[0037] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0038] like Figure 1-8 As shown, this embodiment provides a 3D printing pen, including a material delivery component, a heating component, a driving component and a shell component.

[0039] The raw material conveying assembly includes a conduit and a ceramic head nozzle 10. The ceramic head nozzle 10 is connected to one end of the conduit, which is provided with a raw material loading port 6. After the raw material 16 enters the conduit through the raw material loading port 6, it moves to the ceramic head nozzle 10 under the push of the drive assembly, is heated and melted, and flows out of the ceramic head nozzle 10. The heating assembly includes a control circuit board 19, a high-temperature resistant connector 24, a thermally conductive copper sleeve 8, a heating film 7, and a thermistor 9. The thermally conductive copper sleeve 8, the high-temperature resistant connector 24, and the control circuit board 19 are fixedly connected in sequence. The heating film 7 is fixed to the outside of the thermally conductive copper sleeve 8. The heating film 7 is electrically connected to the control circuit board 19. The thermally conductive copper sleeve 8 is sleeved on the outside of the ceramic head nozzle 10. The thermistor 9 is electrically connected to the control circuit board 19 and contacts the thermally conductive copper sleeve 8. The control circuit board 19 supplies power to the heating film 7, causing the heating film 7 to heat up. The heat is transferred to the ceramic head nozzle 10 through the thermally conductive copper sleeve 8, causing the ceramic head nozzle 10 to heat up and heat and melt the raw material 16 in the ceramic head nozzle 10. The temperature of the thermistor 9 is basically consistent with that of the thermal copper sleeve 8. The control circuit board 19 obtains the temperature of the thermal copper sleeve 8 by measuring the resistance value of the thermistor 9. When the temperature of the thermal copper sleeve 8 reaches the temperature value set by the control circuit board 19, the control circuit board 19 adjusts the current supplied to the heating film 7 by monitoring the resistance change of the thermistor 9 to maintain the thermal copper sleeve 8 within the set temperature range. The drive assembly is used to push the tail of the raw material 16 in the conduit, so that the raw material 16 moves toward the ceramic head nozzle 10. The raw material conveying assembly, the heating assembly and the drive assembly are located in the shell assembly. A nozzle outlet is provided at one end of the shell assembly. The ceramic head nozzle 10 extends out of the nozzle outlet, and the melted raw material 16 flows out through the nozzle outlet. There are many types of gearbox powertrain 13, for example, including a drive motor and a reduction gearbox connected to the drive motor, as long as it can output power.

[0040] When the 3D printing pen is in use, after the raw material 16 enters the conduit through the raw material loading port 6, the driving component pushes the tail of the raw material 16 in the conduit under the control of the control circuit board 19, so that the raw material 16 moves toward the ceramic head nozzle 10. At the same time, the heating film 7 heats up, and the heat is transferred to the ceramic head nozzle 10 through the heat-conducting copper sleeve 8, so that the ceramic head nozzle 10 heats up and the raw material 16 in the ceramic head nozzle 10 is heated and melted. The rack push rod 15 continues to push the raw material 16 in the conduit, so that the melted raw material 16 flows out through the ceramic head nozzle 10. The raw material 16 used in this embodiment can be a bar of candy, chocolate, or other heat-meltable food, or ordinary plastics such as ABS, PETG, PLA, PCL, etc., and those skilled in the art can choose according to their needs. The 3D printing pen can be used in the field of 3D printing, and can also be used for other purposes such as creative writing.

[0041] Since the temperature near the ceramic head nozzle 10 is relatively high, in order to extend the service life of the catheter and facilitate disassembly and cleaning, the catheter of this embodiment includes a first catheter 18 and a second catheter 17, and the first catheter 18 and the second catheter 17 are detachably connected. The second catheter 17 is threadedly connected to the ceramic head nozzle 10, and the second catheter 17 is made of a high-temperature resistant material such as PFA. Since the second catheter 17 is made of a high-temperature resistant material, the service life is extended, and since the first catheter 18 can be made of food-grade plastic or conventional materials, the manufacturing cost is reduced. The ceramic head 10 and the second catheter 17 are threadedly connected to form a whole, and the front end of the first catheter 18 and the end of the second catheter 17 are in the shape of large and small trumpets that fit together. The two parts of the catheter can be directly separated during disassembly, and the operation process is simple and convenient.

[0042] There are many types of drive assemblies, and those skilled in the art can choose according to actual needs. In this embodiment, the drive assembly includes a gearbox power assembly 13, a worm gear 14 and a rack push rod 15, and the control circuit board 19 supplies power to the gearbox power assembly 13. The rack push rod 15 includes a light rod section inserted into the conduit and a rack section outside the conduit. The light rod section can slide along the conduit inside the conduit, thereby pushing the raw material 16 in the conduit to slide toward the ceramic head nozzle 10; a rack is provided axially on the rack section, and the gearbox power assembly 13 is used to drive the worm gear 14 to rotate, and the worm gear 14 is engaged with the rack section. When the worm gear 14 rotates, it drives the rack push rod 15 to move as a whole. When in use, the gearbox power assembly 13 drives the worm gear 14 to rotate, thereby driving the rack push rod 15 to move as a whole, and the rack push rod 15 pushes the raw material 16 in the conduit to slide toward the ceramic head nozzle 10.

[0043] In order to facilitate automated control, a return limit switch 11 and an extrusion limit switch 12 are arranged on the control circuit board 19 of this embodiment. The return limit switch 11 is closer to the ceramic head nozzle 10 than the extrusion limit switch 12. A front protrusion and a rear protrusion are arranged on the rack push rod 15. The return limit switch 11 and the extrusion limit switch 12 are located between the front protrusion and the rear protrusion. When the front protrusion contacts the return limit switch 11, the distance between the rack push rod 15 and the ceramic head nozzle 10 is the largest. After the front protrusion contacts the return limit switch 11, the gearbox power assembly 13 stops working. When the rear protrusion contacts the extrusion limit switch 12, the distance between the rack push rod 15 and the ceramic head nozzle 10 is the smallest. After the rear protrusion contacts the extrusion limit switch 12, the gearbox power assembly 13 rotates in the opposite direction, driving the rack push rod 15 to return to its original position.

[0044] To facilitate disassembly and cleaning, the housing assembly of this embodiment includes a nib cap 23, a large housing body 21, and a lower housing 22. The nib cap 23 is detachably connected to one end of the large housing body 21, the nozzle outlet is provided on the nib cap 23, and the lower housing 22 is detachably connected to the large housing body 21.

[0045] Specifically, the lower shell 22 has a front snap-fitting position 25 and a rear snap-fitting position 26. The front snap-fitting position 25 is releasably snapped with a snap-fitting position A27 on the main shell 21, and the rear snap-fitting position 26 is releasably snapped with a snap-fitting position B28 on the main shell 21. A limiting block 29 is provided on the inner wall of the nib cap 23. A circumferentially discontinuous limiting ring 30 is provided on the end of the main shell 21 near the nib cap 23. A gap is formed between adjacent limiting rings 30. After the limiting block 29 passes through the gap, the nib cap 23 is rotated, achieving a rotational engagement between the nib cap 23 and the main shell 21.

[0046] The 3D printing pen can be powered by a built-in battery or directly connected to an external power source. This embodiment uses direct connection to an external power source for power supply. Specifically, it also includes a power interface, an interface circuit board, and a power supply retractable ejector pin. The power interface and the power supply retractable ejector pin are both mounted on the interface circuit board, which is mounted on the lower shell 22. One end of the power supply retractable ejector pin detachably contacts a corresponding contact on the control circuit board 19. Power is supplied by plugging the power supply line 1 into the power interface. In this embodiment, the power supply retractable ejector pins are divided into two categories: power supply retractable ejector pins 2 and motor supply retractable ejector pins 3. The power supply retractable ejector pins 2 supply power to the control circuit board 19, while the motor supply retractable ejector pins 3 supply power to the gearbox powertrain 13. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the gearbox powertrain 13 and the worm gear 14 are also mounted on the lower shell 22. The lower shell 22, the gearbox powertrain 13, the worm gear 14, the power interface, the interface circuit board, and the power supply retractable ejector pins together constitute the lower shell 22 assembly.

[0047] To facilitate monitoring of the heating temperature and manual control of the printing process, the control circuit board 19 of this embodiment includes a two-color indicator light 20, a power button 4, and an extrusion control button 5. Key slots are provided on the main housing 21 at locations corresponding to the two-color indicator light 20, the power button 4, and the extrusion control button 5. The power button 4 is used to turn the current to the control circuit board 19 on and off, while the extrusion control button 5 is used to control the current flow to the gearbox powertrain 13. The color of the two-color indicator light 20 is controlled by the control circuit board 19: blue during normal operation and red during heating. Operating status information is obtained by monitoring the resistance change of thermistor 9. This method of monitoring thermistor 9 is common knowledge in the art and will not be further described here.

[0048] This specification uses specific examples to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The above examples are only intended to help understand the method and core concept of the present invention. At the same time, those skilled in the art will find that the specific implementation methods and application scopes may vary based on the concept of the present invention. In summary, the contents of this specification should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Claims

1. A 3D printing pen, characterized in that: include: A raw material delivery assembly, comprising a conduit and a ceramic head nozzle, wherein the ceramic head nozzle is connected to one end of the conduit, and the conduit is provided with a raw material loading port; the raw material loading port is located on the side wall of the conduit; A heating assembly, the heating assembly comprising a control circuit board, a high-temperature resistant connector, a thermally conductive copper sleeve, a heating film, and a thermistor, wherein the thermally conductive copper sleeve, the high-temperature resistant connector, and the control circuit board are fixedly connected in sequence, the heating film is fixed to the outside of the thermally conductive copper sleeve, the heating film is electrically connected to the control circuit board, the thermally conductive copper sleeve is sleeved on the outside of the ceramic head nozzle, and the thermistor is electrically connected to the control circuit board and in contact with the thermally conductive copper sleeve; A driving assembly, the driving assembly being used to push the tail of the solid raw material in the conduit to move the raw material toward the nozzle of the ceramic head; a housing assembly, wherein the raw material conveying assembly, the heating assembly and the driving assembly are located within the housing assembly, a nozzle outlet is provided at one end of the housing assembly, and the ceramic head nozzle extends out of the nozzle outlet; The drive assembly includes a gearbox power assembly, a worm gear and a rack push rod. The control circuit board supplies power to the gearbox power assembly. The rack push rod includes a polished rod segment inserted into the conduit and a rack segment outside the conduit. A rack is axially provided on the rack segment. The gearbox power assembly is used to drive the worm gear to rotate. The worm gear is engaged with the rack segment. The worm gear is used to drive the rack push rod to move. A homing limit switch and an extrusion limit switch are arranged on the control circuit board, the homing limit switch is closer to the ceramic head nozzle than the extrusion limit switch, and a front protrusion and a rear protrusion are arranged on the rack push rod, the homing limit switch and the extrusion limit switch are located between the front protrusion and the rear protrusion, and the gear box power assembly stops working after the front protrusion contacts the homing limit switch, and the gear box power assembly rotates in the opposite direction after the rear protrusion contacts the extrusion limit switch, driving the rack push rod to return to its position; The shell assembly includes a pen tip cap, a large shell body and a lower shell, the pen tip cap is detachably connected to one end of the large shell body, the nozzle outlet is arranged on the pen tip cap, and the lower shell is detachably connected to the large shell body; the gearbox power assembly and the worm gear are installed on the lower shell; the 3D printing pen also includes a power interface, an interface circuit board and a power supply retractable pin, the power interface and the power supply retractable pin are both installed on the interface circuit board, the interface circuit board is installed on the lower shell, and one end of the power supply retractable pin is detachably contacted with the corresponding contact on the control circuit board.

2. The 3D printing pen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conduit includes a first conduit and a second conduit, the first conduit is detachably connected to the second conduit, the second conduit is threadedly connected to the ceramic head nozzle, and the second conduit is made of high-temperature resistant material.

3. The 3D printing pen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control circuit board has a two-color indicator light, a power button and an extrusion control button. Key slots are provided on the large shell body at positions corresponding to the two-color indicator light, the power button and the extrusion control key. The power button is used to control the current on and off of the heating film, and the extrusion control key is used to control the current on and off of the gearbox powertrain. The two-color indicator light controls the color conversion of the two-color indicator light by monitoring the change in the resistance value of the thermistor through the control circuit.

4. The 3D printing pen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower shell has a front buckle position and a rear buckle position. The front buckle position can be detachably fastened to the buckle position A on the large shell body, and the rear buckle position can be detachably fastened to the buckle position B on the large shell body.

5. The 3D printing pen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner wall of the pen tip cap is provided with a limiting block, and the large shell body is provided with a limiting ring discontinuously distributed in the circumferential direction at one end close to the pen tip cap. There is a gap between two adjacent sections of the limiting ring. After the limiting block passes through the gap, the pen tip cap is rotated to achieve rotational engagement between the pen tip cap and the large shell body.

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