Printing device and printing method

Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiment of the present invention is a printing device and a printing method, which relate to the field of additive manufacturing technology. The printing device includes: a heating component for controlling the surface temperature of a printing substrate; a feeding component for controlling the feeding of a printing silk material toward the printing substrate; a moving component for controlling the relative movement between the printing substrate and the printing silk material; wherein the surface temperature includes a first surface temperature that is not lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that the printing silk material melts after contacting the printing substrate. In the embodiment of the present invention, the surface temperature of the printing substrate is controlled to reach the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that the printing silk material will only be melted after contacting the printing substrate, and a printing pattern is formed by the relative movement between the printing silk material and the printing substrate. This method avoids the problem that premature melting easily causes the morphology of the molten slurry to be unstable and uncontrollable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and in particular relates to a printing device and a printing method. Background Art

[0002] As the mainstream technology of additive manufacturing, printing technology has received widespread attention from all walks of life around the world since it was proposed. However, its application is still very limited to this day. This is mainly because its printing accuracy cannot meet today's industrial needs. Objects manufactured by printing technology often require subsequent complex processing to repair burrs. The whole process is costly and the repair process is complicated and cumbersome.

[0003] At present, printing equipment basically melts the printing material into molten slurry in advance, using methods such as heating wire, laser, arc, etc., and then sprays the molten slurry onto the surface of the substrate at a certain spray speed; or directly uses the molten slurry to drip onto the surface of the substrate in a free fall manner, and the molten slurry will solidify on the surface of the substrate in a short time, thereby printing and forming on the surface of the substrate.

[0004] In the above process, after the printing material is melted into molten slurry, the shape of the molten slurry is unstable and uncontrollable, and it may be deformed under gravity or other influences. Moreover, at the moment when the molten slurry contacts the surface of the substrate, its impact force is also likely to cause further deformation of the molten slurry. These unstable defects are difficult to eliminate, which is an important reason why there are major problems with the printing accuracy of the printing equipment. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a printing device to solve the problem of poor printing accuracy in the prior art.

[0006] In some illustrative embodiments, the printing device includes: a heating component for controlling the surface temperature of the printing substrate; a feeding component for controlling the feeding of the printing silk material toward the printing substrate; and a moving component for controlling the relative movement between the printing substrate and the printing silk material; wherein the surface temperature includes a first surface temperature that is not lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that the printing silk material melts after contacting the printing substrate.

[0007] In some optional embodiments, the heating component is a heating workbench on which the printing substrate is placed.

[0008] In some optional embodiments, the heating component is used to control a local area of ​​the printing substrate in contact with the printing wire material to reach a first surface temperature.

[0009] In some optional embodiments, the heating component and the feeding component are respectively linked to the moving component and are located on both sides of the printing substrate. Driven by the moving component, they move in a mirror-like manner with the printing substrate as the middle plane, so that the heating component and the local area where the printing substrate and the printing silk material are in contact are always opposite.

[0010] In some optional embodiments, the movable component is a first movable component; the heating component is a laser light source, which irradiates the local area where the printing substrate contacts the printing silk material to form a heating spot; the printing device also includes: a second movable component, which is used to control the heating spot of the heating component to always fall on the local area where the printing substrate contacts the printing silk material.

[0011] In some optional embodiments, the heating component and the feeding component are located on the same side of the printing substrate, and the heating component obliquely irradiates the printing substrate to form the heating spot.

[0012] In some optional embodiments, the feeding component is used to control the feeding of the printing silk material perpendicular to the printing substrate.

[0013] In some optional embodiments, the printed wire material is a low melting point metal that is solid at room temperature.

[0014] In some optional embodiments, the printing substrate includes a planar substrate and a three-dimensional substrate.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing method to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0016] In some illustrative embodiments, the printing method includes: before or at the same time as the printing silk material contacts the printing substrate, causing the printing substrate or a local area where the printing substrate and the printing silk material are in contact to reach a first surface temperature that is not lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, thereby causing the printing silk material in contact with the printing substrate to melt and adhere to the local area, and forming a printing pattern through relative movement between the printing silk material and the printing substrate.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0018] In the embodiment of the present invention, the surface temperature of the printing substrate is controlled to reach the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that the printing silk material will be melted only after it contacts the printing substrate, and a printing pattern is formed by the relative movement between the printing silk material and the printing substrate. This method avoids the problem that the shape of the molten slurry is unstable and uncontrollable due to premature melting. In addition, the production process of the printing silk material in the prior art is very mature, so the specifications and dimensions of the printing silk material are extremely accurate, which further ensures the printing accuracy of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 This is a first structural example of a printing device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a second structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a third structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a fourth structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 is a fifth structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 is a sixth structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a seventh structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following description and the accompanying drawings fully illustrate specific embodiments of the present invention so that those skilled in the art can practice them. Other embodiments may include structural, logical, electrical, process and other changes. The examples represent possible variations only. Unless explicitly required, separate components and functions are optional, and the order of operation may vary. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or replace parts and features of other embodiments. The scope of the embodiments of the present invention includes the entire scope of the claims, and all available equivalents of the claims. In this article, these embodiments of the present invention may be represented individually or collectively by the term "invention", which is merely for convenience, and if more than one invention is disclosed in fact, it is not intended to automatically limit the scope of the application to any single invention or inventive concept.

[0027] It should be noted that the various technical features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other without conflict.

[0028] The present invention discloses a printing device, such as Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 The first structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention is shown; the printing device comprises: a heating component 10, a feeding component 20 and a moving component 30; wherein the function of the heating component 10 is to control the surface temperature of the printing substrate 1; the function of the feeding component 20 is to control the feeding of the printing silk material 2 toward the printing substrate 1; and the function of the moving component 30 is to control the relative movement between the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2. The heating component 10 controls the surface temperature of the printing substrate 1, including: a first surface temperature and a second surface temperature; the first surface temperature is not lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that when the printing silk material 2 contacts the printing substrate 1 at the first surface temperature, it can be melted by the printing substrate 1 and detached from the main body of the printing silk material 2 and attached to the printing substrate 1; the second surface temperature is lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that when the printing silk material 2 contacts the printing substrate 1 at the second surface temperature, it cannot be melted by the printing substrate 1.

[0029] Among them, the moving component 30 in the embodiment of the present invention controls the relative movement between the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2, which can refer to: (1) the position of the printing substrate 1 is fixed, and the moving component 30 controls the movement of the printing silk material 2, thereby generating a relative movement between the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2; (2) the position of the printing silk material 2 is fixed, and the moving component 30 controls the movement of the printing substrate 1, thereby generating a relative movement between the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2; (3) the moving component 30 controls the printing substrate 1 to move along one direction of the X / Y axis, and controls the printing silk material 2 to move along another direction thereof, thereby generating a relative movement between the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2.

[0030] Specifically, Figure 1 The heating component 10 in the printing device shown is a heating workbench on which the printing substrate 1 is placed. The heating workbench has the functions of stabilizing the printing substrate 1 and heating the printing substrate 1; wherein, the structural method of stabilizing the printing substrate 1 can be achieved by clamping, clamping or vacuum adsorption. The feeding component 20 is a double feeding wheel structure for feeding silk material in the prior art. The moving component 30 is a horizontal moving mechanism, and the feeding component 20 is assembled on the moving component 30 to achieve linkage with the moving component 30, thereby achieving relative movement between the printed silk material 2 and the printing substrate 1 under the drive of the moving component 30. In addition to the feeding wheel structure, the feeding component 20 in the embodiment of the present invention can also adopt other silk material feeding structures in the prior art, which is not limited to this.

[0031] like Figure 2As shown, preferably, the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention may further include: a limiting component 60, which is used to assist the feeding component 20 to prevent the printing silk material 2 from being squeezed and deformed when feeding the printing silk material 2 to the printing substrate 1. Preferably, the limiting component 60 can be a straight tube structure for accommodating the printing silk material 2.

[0032] A printing method of the printing device in an embodiment of the present invention includes: the heating component 10 first makes the entire printing substrate 1 reach a first surface temperature, and then the feeding component 20 feeds the printing silk material 2 toward the printing substrate 1 at a first speed. When the printing silk material 2 contacts the printing substrate 1, the end of the printing silk material 2 begins to melt and adhere to the printing substrate 1, and then the moving component 30 starts to drive the printing silk material 2 to move on the surface of the printing substrate 1 at a second speed, thereby causing the printing silk material 2 to continuously melt and adhere to the printing substrate 1 to form a printing pattern 3.

[0033] In this embodiment, when there are multiple discontinuous pattern units, after completing one pattern unit, the printing substrate 1 can be controlled to be at the second surface temperature, and then the printing silk material 2 is moved to the starting point of the next pattern unit, and then the temperature is increased for printing. In other embodiments, the moving component 30 also has the ability to move in the vertical direction. After completing the printing of one pattern unit, the printing silk material 2 is lifted up by the moving component 30 to break away from the contact with the printing substrate 1, and after moving to above the starting point of the next pattern unit, the printing operation is continued.

[0034] In the embodiment of the present invention, the surface temperature of the printing substrate is controlled to reach the melting temperature of the printed silk material, so that the printed silk material will only be melted after contacting the printing substrate, and the printing pattern is formed by the relative movement between the printed silk material and the printing substrate. This method avoids the problem that the molten slurry is unstable and uncontrollable due to premature melting; in addition, the production process of the printed silk material in the prior art is very mature, so the specification and size of the printed silk material are extremely accurate, which further guarantees the printing accuracy of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention. On the other hand, the printing device in the above embodiment also has the advantages of simple structure, easy implementation, high printing efficiency and high accuracy, and low cost.

[0035] Now refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3The third structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention is shown. The printing device in the embodiment includes: a heating component 10, a feeding component 20 and a moving component 30; wherein the function of the heating component 10 is to control the surface temperature of the local area where the printing substrate 1 contacts the printing silk material 2; wherein the heating component 10 controls the surface temperature of the printing substrate 1, including: a first surface temperature and a second surface temperature; the first surface temperature is not lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that when the printing silk material 2 contacts the printing substrate 1 at the first surface temperature, it can be melted by the printing substrate 1 and detached from the main body of the printing silk material 2 and attached to the printing substrate 1; the second surface temperature is lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that when the printing silk material 2 contacts the printing substrate 1 at the second surface temperature, it cannot be melted by the printing substrate 1.

[0036] In this embodiment, a local heating area is provided for the printed wire material 2 to avoid the heat effect on the formed printed pattern, and after printing and forming, the heating area will be transferred with the movement of the printed wire material 2, so that the molten material can be converted from liquid to solid in a short time, thereby achieving structural stability of the printed pattern on the printing substrate 1.

[0037] Specifically, the heating component 10 is a movable small heat stage, which is used to control the surface temperature of a local area of ​​the printing substrate 1; in addition, this embodiment may also include: a fixing component 40, which is used to stabilize the printing substrate 1. Figure 2 In the printing device shown, the fixing component 40 stabilizes the printing substrate 1 by fixing the four sides of the printing substrate 1; the heating component 10 and the feeding component 20 are respectively linked with the moving component 30, and are located on both sides of the printing substrate 1, and are driven by the moving component 30 to move in a mirror image with the printing substrate 10 as the middle surface, so that the heating component 10 and the local area where the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2 are in contact are always opposite. In addition, the heating component 10 can provide a certain support for the printing silk material 2 when the printing silk material 2 is printed on the printing substrate 1.

[0038] exist Figure 4 In the fourth structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention, the fixing component 40 may also be a workbench with a supporting function; preferably, the workbench may be made of a heat-conducting material, such as copper. In this embodiment, by using the workbench as the fixing component 40, a good supporting function of the printing substrate 1 can be provided, and because the workbench is made of a heat-conducting material, the temperature control of the printing substrate 1 by the heating component 10 is hardly affected.

[0039] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 5The fifth structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention is shown. In this embodiment, the printing device uses a laser light source to replace the small heat stage as the heating component 10, which irradiates the local area where the printing substrate and the printing silk material are in contact to form a heating spot. The laser light source has a high heating efficiency compared to the traditional electric heating wire, and can provide a targeted heating area for the printing silk material 2. The heating area can be more precise, further avoiding the influence of heat on the formed printing area. In this embodiment, by using a laser light source, the laser can be suspended for the area that does not need to be printed during the movement of the printing silk material 2, so as to ensure that the temperature of the printing substrate 1 cannot melt the printing silk material 2 when it moves to the area, thereby meeting the production of the printing pattern and reducing the control complexity of the printing device.

[0040] like Figure 6 In some embodiments, the moving component 30 is a first moving component, and the printing device further includes a second moving component 50; wherein the first moving component 30 is linked with the feeding component 20 to control the movement of the printing silk material 2, and the second moving component 50 is linked with the heating component 10 to control the heating component 10 to heat a part of the printing substrate 1, and the local area can be adjusted by the second moving component 50. In this embodiment, the position changes of the heating component 10 and the printing silk material 2 can be controlled by the first moving component 30 and the second moving component 50 respectively.

[0041] Now refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 The seventh structural example of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention is shown, in which the printing device includes: a heating component 10, a feeding component 20, a first moving component 30, a fixing component 40 and a second moving component 50; wherein the heating component 10 uses a laser light source, which is located on the same side of the printing substrate 1 as the feeding component 20, and directly irradiates the contact surface of the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2 to form a heating spot. In this embodiment, the laser light source is directly irradiated on the contact surface of the printing substrate 1 and the printing silk material 2, which can not only increase the surface temperature of the printing substrate 1, but also realize the modification treatment of the surface of the printing substrate 1, so that the molten material has improved adhesion on the printing substrate 1.

[0042] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the laser light source as the heating component 10 irradiates the printing substrate 1 at an inclined angle to form a heating spot, and the printed silk material 2 can be arranged perpendicular to the printing substrate 1 to ensure the molding accuracy of the printed silk material 2 on the printing substrate 1. The second moving component 50 in this embodiment can be a rotating seat equipped with the heating component 10, so as to achieve the adjustment of the irradiation angle of the laser light source as the heating component 10.

[0043] Preferably, the printing silk material 2 in the embodiment of the present invention is arranged perpendicular to the printing substrate 1 to ensure the printing accuracy of the printed pattern. However, when the line widths of the printed pattern are different, the printing silk material 2 can also be arranged at an angle to meet the requirements of different line diameters when moving in different ways.

[0044] The printed wire material in the embodiment of the present invention can be made of a low melting point metal or the main component is a low melting point metal. The low melting point metal can specifically be a low melting point metal element or a low melting point metal alloy having a melting point below 300° C. The low melting point metal can include one or more components of gallium, indium, tin, zinc, bismuth, lead, cadmium, mercury, silver, copper, sodium, potassium, magnesium, aluminum, iron, nickel, cobalt, manganese, titanium, vanadium, boron, carbon, silicon, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, platinum, lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, yttrium, scandium, etc., on the premise of meeting the above-mentioned melting point requirements.

[0045] Optionally, the metal element with a melting point below 300° C. in the embodiment of the present invention may be one of gallium, indium, tin, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, zinc, and bismuth.

[0046] Optionally, the alloy with a melting point below 300°C may be one or more of gallium-indium alloy, gallium-indium-tin alloy, gallium-tin alloy, gallium-zinc alloy, gallium-indium-zinc alloy, gallium-tin-zinc alloy, gallium-indium-tin-zinc alloy, bismuth-indium alloy, bismuth-tin alloy, bismuth-indium-tin alloy, bismuth-indium-zinc alloy, bismuth-tin-zinc alloy, and bismuth-indium-tin-zinc alloy.

[0047] Preferably, the printed silk material in the embodiment of the present invention is a low-melting point metal that is solid at room temperature. Such low-melting point metal can remain solid at room temperature, but its melting point is between 40°C and 300°C relative to conventional metals such as iron and copper. Such low-melting point metal can be in a liquid state under relatively low heating conditions, thereby meeting the requirements of being used as a printing material. In addition, if the printing device is used in a low-temperature environment, the printed silk material can also be a low-melting point metal that is liquid at room temperature. Furthermore, in addition to the above-mentioned low-melting point metal, the printed silk material in the embodiment of the present invention can also be selected from other conventional printed silk materials in the prior art.

[0048] The printing substrate 1 in the embodiment of the present invention can be made of a corresponding heat-resistant material according to the melting temperature of the selected printing silk material 2, and it can be a flat substrate or a three-dimensional substrate.

[0049] Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing method to solve the problems existing in the prior art. The printing method comprises: before or at the same time as the printing silk material contacts the printing substrate, the printing substrate or the local area where the printing substrate contacts the printing silk material reaches a first surface temperature that is not lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, thereby melting the printing silk material in contact with the printing substrate and adhering to the local area, and forming a printing pattern through the relative movement between the printing silk material and the printing substrate.

[0050] Specifically, the printing method can be implemented by relying on the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention, and can be performed according to the structural characteristics and usage method of the above-mentioned printing device, which will not be described in detail here.

[0051] In the embodiment of the present invention, the surface temperature of the printing substrate is controlled to reach the melting temperature of the printing silk material, so that the printing silk material will be melted only after it contacts the printing substrate, and a printing pattern is formed by the relative movement between the printing silk material and the printing substrate. This method avoids the problem that the shape of the molten slurry is unstable and uncontrollable due to premature melting. In addition, the production process of the printing silk material in the prior art is very mature, so the specifications and dimensions of the printing silk material are extremely accurate, which further ensures the printing accuracy of the printing device in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the embodiments herein can all be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination thereof. In order to clearly illustrate the interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described above around their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on specific applications and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. A skilled person can implement the described functions in an alternative manner for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as departing from the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A printing device, characterized in that: include: A heating component for controlling the surface temperature of the printing substrate; A feeding component, used for controlling the printing silk material to be fed perpendicularly to the printing substrate; A moving component, used to control the relative movement between the printing substrate and the printing silk material; The surface temperature includes a first surface temperature not lower than the melting temperature of the printed silk material, so that the printed silk material melts after contacting the printing substrate; and a second surface temperature lower than the melting temperature of the printed silk material, so that the printed silk material does not melt after contacting the printing substrate; The heating component is a heating workbench on which the printing substrate is placed, and is used to control the entire printing substrate to reach a first surface temperature or a second surface temperature; or, The heating component is used to control the local area where the printing substrate contacts the printing silk material to reach a first surface temperature, including: The heating component and the feeding component are respectively linked with the moving component and are located on both sides of the printing substrate. Driven by the moving component, they move in a mirror image with the printing substrate as the middle plane, so that the heating component and the local area where the printing substrate and the printing silk material are in contact are always opposite to each other; or, The moving component is a first moving component; the heating component is a laser light source, which irradiates the local area where the printing substrate contacts the printing silk material to form a heating spot; the printing device also includes: a second moving component, which is used to control the heating spot of the heating component to always fall on the local area where the printing substrate contacts the printing silk material.

2. The printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The heating component and the feeding component are located at the same side of the printing substrate, and the heating component obliquely irradiates the printing substrate to form the heating spot.

3. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The printed wire material is a low-melting-point metal that is solid at room temperature; the low-melting-point metal is a low-melting-point metal single substance or a low-melting-point metal alloy with a melting point below 300°C.

4. The printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The printing substrate includes a planar substrate and a three-dimensional substrate.

5. A printing method, characterized in that: The printing device applied to any one of claims 1 to 4 comprises: Before or at the same time as the printing silk material contacts the printing substrate, the printing substrate or the local area where the printing substrate contacts the printing silk material reaches a first surface temperature that is not lower than the melting temperature of the printing silk material, thereby causing the printing silk material in contact with the printing substrate to melt and adhere to the local area, and forming a printing pattern through the relative movement between the printing silk material and the printing substrate.

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