An automatic material feeding device and a 3D printer

Abstract

The automatic material feeding device and 3D printer provided by the present invention relate to the field of 3D printing. The automatic material feeding device provided by the present invention includes a device bracket, a material rack assembly, a feeding assembly, a guide plate and an induction switch. The material rack assembly, the feeding assembly and the guide plate are all installed on the device bracket; the material rack assembly is used for placing multiple groups of consumables, the feeding assembly corresponds to the material rack assembly and is used for transporting the consumables on the material rack assembly to the guide plate; a material passage for the consumables to pass through is provided on the guide plate, the number of the material passages corresponds to the number of the feeding assemblies, the number of the induction switches corresponds to the number of the material passages, the induction switches are arranged on the guide plate and are electrically connected to the feeding assembly, and are used for detecting whether there is a consumable passing through, and when it is detected that there is no consumable passing through, the corresponding feeding assembly is stopped from operating. The embodiment of the present invention can achieve seamless connection of multiple groups of consumables, is beneficial to forming a closed-loop production system, and achieves effects such as uninterrupted feeding and automatic feeding.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of 3D printing, and more particularly, to an automatic material changing device and a 3D printer. Background Art

[0002] 3D printing technology is an additive manufacturing technology, and there are various types of its printers. Currently, the most commonly used ones are printers based on the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) process. The working process of such printers is that first, through the feeding of the material rack, the material is melted into a liquid state by high temperature, then extruded through the print head and solidified, and finally arranged in a three-dimensional space to form a three-dimensional object. The material rack is one of the important components of a 3D printer, playing a very important role in the printing effect and being one of the core devices of 3D printing. For printers based on the FDM process, the materials used by their nozzles are generally filamentous plastics, which are melted and printed in a liquid state. However, this kind of material itself has relatively high brittleness and is prone to moisture absorption in the air, resulting in easy breakage of the filament during the printing process and also prone to the situation of insufficient filament quantity. Therefore, it is relatively difficult to supplement or add filament during the printing process, leading to a large amount of consumables being discarded. Although there are printers on the market that can pause and continue printing, there are often slight deviations after continuing printing, resulting in insufficient or excessive extrusion of materials by the nozzle, thus causing the model to have faults or surface piling phenomena.

[0003] The objective drawbacks of the prior art include but are not limited to:

[0004] 1) When the 3D printer works for a long time, it is possible that the material is exhausted without being discovered and replaced, resulting in incomplete printing of the product and ultimately the final product having printing defects and being unqualified.

[0005] 2) When the remaining amount of the printing consumable is small, due to the worry that the material will be exhausted during printing and the product printing will be incomplete. Generally, only new printing materials can be selected, and the remaining materials can only be discarded and wasted.

[0006] 3) The function of detecting and continuing printing after material breakage of 3D printers on the market is generally not perfect, and the product is prone to form defects or flaws, directly resulting in the product being unqualified or even a waste product.

[0007] 4) When multiple 3D printers work simultaneously during enterprise production, in order to prevent the material from being exhausted, special personnel are required to watch day and night, consuming a lot of manpower. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The objectives of the present invention include, for example, providing an automatic material changing device and a 3D printer including the automatic material changing device, which can achieve seamless connection of multiple groups of consumables, is beneficial to forming a closed-loop production system, and achieves effects such as uninterrupted feeding and automatic feeding.

[0009] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented as follows:

[0010] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides an automatic material changing device for automatically changing materials for a 3D printer. The automatic material changing device includes a device bracket, a material rack assembly, a feeding assembly, a guiding plate, and an induction switch. The material rack assembly, the feeding assembly, and the guiding plate are all installed on the device bracket;

[0011] The material rack assembly is used for placing multiple groups of consumables. The feeding assembly corresponds to the material rack assembly and is used for transporting the consumables on the material rack assembly to the guiding plate;

[0012] A material path for the consumables to pass through is provided on the guiding plate. The number of the material paths corresponds to the feeding assembly. The number of the induction switches corresponds to the material paths. The induction switches are arranged on the guiding plate and are electrically connected to the feeding assembly, and are used for detecting whether there is a consumable passing through, and when it is detected that there is no consumable passing through, the corresponding feeding assembly is stopped from operating.

[0013] Further, in an alternative embodiment, the material rack assembly includes a bracket, a rotating shaft, and bearings. The bracket is installed on the device bracket and includes multiple groups arranged side by side, and each bracket is spaced apart from each other. The rotating shaft is connected to two adjacent brackets through the bearings. The rotating shaft is used for assembling the consumables. When the 3D printer is working, the feeding assembly is used to drive the consumables, and the rotating shaft rotates relative to the bracket through the bearings.

[0014] Further, in an alternative embodiment, there are multiple groups of the brackets, and two sets of the bearings and the rotating shaft are placed on the bracket located in the middle position.

[0015] Further, in an alternative embodiment, the multiple groups of rotating shafts are coaxially arranged.

[0016] Further, in an alternative embodiment, the feeding assembly includes a feeding motor, a transmission shaft, and a transmission wheel. The feeding motor is installed on the device bracket. The transmission shaft is in transmission connection with the feeding motor. The transmission wheel is fixed on the transmission shaft and is used for driving the consumables to move

[0017] Further, in an alternative embodiment, the feeding assembly further includes a synchronous belt. The number of the transmission shafts is two groups, and the two groups of transmission shafts are connected through the synchronous belt. The synchronous belt is used for synchronously moving the two groups of transmission shafts. The transmission wheel is correspondingly connected to the two groups of transmission shafts.

[0018] Further, in an alternative embodiment, the transmission wheel includes a gear. The gear is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft and is used for driving the consumables to move.

[0019] Further, in an alternative embodiment, the feeding assembly further includes a mounting housing, and both the transmission shaft and the transmission wheel are mounted in the mounting housing.

[0020] Further, in an alternative embodiment, the automatic material changing device further includes a signal lamp, which is disposed on the guiding plate and electrically connected to the induction switch for indicating whether the consumable passes through the material path.

[0021] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a 3D printer, including the automatic material changing device according to any one of the foregoing.

[0022] The automatic material changing device and the 3D printer provided by the embodiments of the present invention: The device bracket is used to mount the material rack assembly, the feeding assembly, and the guiding plate. The material rack assembly is used to assemble multiple sets of consumables, and the multiple sets of consumables are arranged side by side on the material rack assembly in sequence. The feeding assembly is used to transport the consumables, and the feeding assembly can transport the consumables according to a set feeding sequence. A material path is provided on the guiding plate, and the induction switch can detect whether a consumable passes through the material path. When the induction switch detects that no consumable passes through, it can stop the operation of the corresponding feeding assembly, that is, there is no consumable left on the material rack corresponding to the feeding assembly, and it is necessary to continue transporting the consumable from the next material rack, so as to ensure seamless connection of each roll of consumable. In the embodiments of the present invention, through the cooperation between the induction switch and the feeding assembly, seamless connection of each roll of consumable can be achieved, which is beneficial to forming a closed-loop production system and achieving the effect of continuous feeding. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of the automatic material changing device according to a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of the automatic material changing device according to a specific embodiment of the present invention from another perspective.

[0026] Reference numerals: 100 - automatic material changing device; 110 - device bracket; 120 - material rack assembly; 121 - bracket; 122 - rotating shaft; 123 - bearing; 130 - feeding assembly; 131 - feeding motor; 135 - mounting housing; 140 - guiding plate; 141 - material path; 150 - induction switch; 160 - signal lamp. Detailed implementation manners

[0027] To make the above objects, features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and understandable, the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the present invention is given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] To make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Components of the embodiments of the present invention generally described and illustrated in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in a variety of different configurations.

[0029] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed present invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] It should be noted that: like reference numerals and letters denote like items in the following drawings, and thus, once an item is defined in one drawing, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent drawings.

[0031] It should be noted that, without conflict, the features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0032] The following detailed description of the specific implementation manners of the present invention is given with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , this embodiment provides an automatic material changing device 100, which can achieve seamless connection of multiple groups of consumables, is beneficial to forming a closed-loop production system, and achieves effects such as uninterrupted feeding and automatic feeding.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic material changing device 100 includes a device bracket 110, a material rack assembly 120, a feeding assembly 130, a guiding plate 140, and an induction switch 150. The material rack assembly 120, the feeding assembly 130, and the guiding plate 140 are all mounted on the device bracket 110. The material rack assembly 120 is used to place multiple sets of consumables. The feeding assembly 130 corresponds to the material rack assembly 120 and is used to transport the consumables on the material rack assembly 120 to the guiding plate 140. The guiding plate 140 is provided with a material path 141 for the consumables to pass through. The number of the material paths 141 corresponds to that of the feeding assemblies 130, and the number of the induction switches 150 corresponds to that of the material paths 141. The induction switches 150 are arranged on the guiding plate 140 and are electrically connected to the feeding assemblies 130, and are used to detect whether there is a consumable passing through. When it is detected that there is no consumable passing through, the corresponding feeding assembly 130 is stopped.

[0035] It should be noted that, in an embodiment of the present invention, the automatic material changing device 100 can achieve seamless connection of multiple sets of consumables in sequence, so as to achieve the effects of continuous feeding and automatic feeding. Among them, the device bracket 110 is used to mount the material rack assembly 120, the feeding assembly 130, and the guiding plate 140. The material rack assembly 120 is used to assemble multiple sets of consumables, and the multiple sets of consumables are arranged side by side on the material rack assembly 120. The feeding assembly 130 is used to transport the consumables, and the feeding assembly 130 can transport the consumables according to the set feeding sequence. The guiding plate 140 is provided with a material path 141, and the induction switch 150 can detect whether there is a consumable passing through the material path 141. When the induction switch 150 detects that there is no consumable passing through, it can stop the corresponding feeding assembly 130, that is, there is no consumable left on the material rack corresponding to the feeding assembly 130, and it is necessary to continue transporting the consumables from the next material rack, so as to ensure seamless connection of each roll of consumables. In an embodiment of the present invention, through the cooperation between the induction switch 150 and the feeding assembly 130, seamless connection of each roll of consumables can be achieved, which is beneficial to forming a closed-loop production system and achieving the effect of continuous feeding.

[0036] At the same time, it should also be noted that, in an embodiment of the present invention, the consumables are arranged side by side on the material rack assembly 120. During actual operation, the consumables can be fed in sequence, which is convenient for achieving seamless connection of each roll of material. For example, during actual operation, the feeding can start from the consumable at the first position, and the corresponding feeding assembly 130 starts to work, transporting the consumable into the corresponding material path 141 of the guiding plate 140. At this time, the induction switch 150 can detect that there is a consumable passing through this material path 141. After working for a period of time, this roll of consumable is used up. At this time, the induction switch 150 detects that there is no consumable passing through, and then communicates with the corresponding feeding assembly 130 through the induction switch 150 to stop the feeding of this feeding assembly 130; at the same time, the next feeding assembly 130 is also made to start feeding, so as to achieve seamless connection of each roll of material.

[0037] In an alternative embodiment, the rack assembly 120 includes a bracket 121, a rotating shaft 122, and a bearing 123. The bracket 121 is mounted on the device bracket 110 and includes multiple groups arranged side by side, with each bracket 121 spaced apart from each other. The rotating shaft 122 is connected to two adjacent groups of brackets 121 through the bearing 123. The rotating shaft 122 is used to assemble the consumables. When the 3D printer is working, the feeding assembly 130 is used to drive the consumables, and the rotating shaft 122 rotates relative to the bracket 121 through the bearing 123.

[0038] Further, the bracket 121 includes multiple groups, and two sets of bearings 123 and a rotating shaft 122 are placed on the bracket 121 at the middle position.

[0039] Optionally, the multiple rotating shafts 122 are coaxially arranged to make the assembly simpler and more convenient.

[0040] Optionally, the bearing 123 can be a bearing 123 of the type such as a ball bearing 123. For the specific type of the bearing 123, the embodiments of the present invention do not make specific requirements.

[0041] In the embodiments of the present invention, the consumables are installed on the rotating shaft 122 side by side. Its working principle is that there are four rotating shafts 122 installed on the bracket 121. Bearings 123 are installed at both ends of the rotating shaft 122 and are installed on the bracket 121. The consumables are fitted on the rotating shaft 122. When printing, the feeding assembly 130 drives the consumables to rotate with the shaft. Under the action of the bearing 123, the friction and noise can be reduced, and the feeding stability is improved. At the same time, it is ensured that the consumables are not torn during feeding.

[0042] In an alternative embodiment, the feeding assembly 130 includes a feeding motor 131, a transmission shaft, and a transmission wheel. The feeding motor 131 is mounted on the device bracket 110. The transmission shaft is in transmission connection with the feeding motor 131. The transmission wheel is fixed on the transmission shaft and is used to drive the movement of the consumables.

[0043] Further, the feeding assembly 130 further includes a synchronous belt. The number of transmission shafts is two groups, and the two groups of transmission shafts are connected through the synchronous belt. The synchronous belt is used to make the two groups of transmission shafts move synchronously. The transmission wheel is correspondingly connected to the two groups of transmission shafts.

[0044] Optionally, the transmission wheel can be a gear. The gear is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft and is used to drive the movement of the consumables.

[0045] Optionally, the feeding assembly 130 further includes an installation housing 135. The transmission shaft and the transmission wheel are both installed inside the installation housing 135.

[0046] In an alternative embodiment, the automatic material feeding device 100 further includes a signal lamp 160. The signal lamp 160 is disposed on the guiding plate 140 and electrically connected to the induction switch 150, and is used to indicate whether the consumable material has passed through the material channel 141.

[0047] An embodiment of the present invention further provides a 3D printer, including the automatic material feeding device 100 described in any one of the foregoing. Since the 3D printer has the automatic material feeding device 100 in any one of the above, it should at least have the beneficial effects of the automatic material feeding device 100, that is, seamless connection of multiple sets of consumable materials can be achieved, which is beneficial to forming a closed-loop production system, achieving effects such as uninterrupted material feeding and automatic feeding, and thus is beneficial to improving the efficiency of 3D printing.

[0048] The automatic material feeding device 100 and the 3D printer provided by the embodiment of the present invention: The device bracket 110 is used to install the material rack assembly 120, the material feeding assembly 130, and the guiding plate 140. The material rack assembly 120 is used to assemble multiple sets of consumable materials, and the multiple sets of consumable materials are arranged side by side on the material rack assembly 120 in sequence. The material feeding assembly 130 is used to transport the consumable materials, and the material feeding assembly 130 can transport the consumable materials according to a set feeding sequence. A material channel 141 is provided on the guiding plate 140, and the induction switch 150 can detect whether there is a consumable material passing through the material channel 141. When the induction switch 150 detects that there is no consumable material passing through, it can stop the operation of the corresponding material feeding assembly 130, that is, there is no consumable material on the material rack corresponding to the material feeding assembly 130, and it is necessary to continue transporting the consumable materials from the next material rack, so as to ensure seamless connection of each roll of consumable material. In the embodiment of the present invention, through the cooperation between the induction switch 150 and the material feeding assembly 130, seamless connection of each roll of consumable material can be achieved, which is beneficial to forming a closed-loop production system and achieving the effect of uninterrupted material feeding.

[0049] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "inner", "outer", "left", "right", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of the present invention is usually placed during use, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly understood by those skilled in the art. It is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of the present invention.

[0050] In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are only used for differential description and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0051] It should also be noted that in the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, terms such as "arrangement" and "connection" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "connection" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it can be the communication inside two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0052] Although the present invention is disclosed as above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the scope defined by the claims.

Claims

1. An automatic material changing device (100) for automatically changing materials for a 3D printer, characterized in that, The automatic material feeding device (100) includes a device bracket (110), a material rack assembly (120), a feeding assembly (130), a guide plate (140), and an induction switch (150). The material rack assembly (120), the feeding assembly (130), and the guide plate (140) are all installed on the device bracket (110). The material rack assembly (120) is used to place multiple sets of consumables. The feeding assembly (130) corresponds to the material rack assembly (120) and is used to transport the consumables on the material rack assembly (120) to the guide plate (140). A material passage (141) for the consumables to pass through is provided on the guide plate (140). The number of the material passages (141) corresponds to that of the feeding assembly (130). The number of the induction switches (150) corresponds to that of the material passages (141). The induction switches (150) are arranged on the guide plate (140) and are electrically connected to the feeding assembly (130), and are used to detect whether there is a consumable passing through. When it detects that there is no consumable passing through, the corresponding feeding assembly (130) is stopped from operating. The material rack assembly (120) includes a bracket (121), a rotating shaft (122), and a bearing (123). The bracket (121) is installed on the device bracket (110) and includes multiple sets arranged side by side, and each bracket (121) is spaced apart from each other. The rotating shaft (122) is connected to two adjacent brackets (121) through the bearing (123). The rotating shaft (122) is used to assemble the consumables. When the 3D printer is working, the feeding assembly (130) is used to drive the consumables, and the rotating shaft (122) rotates relative to the bracket (121) through the bearing (123). The feeding assembly (130) includes a feeding motor (131), a transmission shaft, and a transmission wheel. The feeding motor (131) is installed on the device bracket (110). The transmission shaft is in transmission connection with the feeding motor (131). The transmission wheel is fixed on the transmission shaft and is used to drive the consumables to move.

2. The automatic material feeding device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bracket (121) includes multiple sets, and two sets of the bearings (123) and the rotating shaft (122) are placed on the bracket (121) located in the middle position.

3. The automatic feeding device (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that, The multiple sets of rotating shafts (122) are coaxially arranged.

4. The automatic material changing device (100) according to claim 3, characterized in that, The feeding assembly (130) further includes a synchronous belt. The number of the transmission shafts is two sets, and the two sets of transmission shafts are connected through the synchronous belt. The synchronous belt is used to make the two sets of transmission shafts move synchronously. The transmission wheel is correspondingly connected to the two sets of transmission shafts.

5. The automatic material changing device (100) according to claim 4, wherein, The transmission wheel includes a gear, and the gear is fixedly connected to the transmission shaft and is used to drive the consumables to move.

6. The automatic material changing device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The feeding assembly (130) further includes an installation housing (135), and the transmission shaft and the transmission wheel are both installed in the installation housing (135).

7. The automatic material changing device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The automatic material changing device (100) further includes a signal lamp (160). The signal lamp (160) is arranged on the guiding plate (140) and electrically connected to the induction switch (150) for indicating whether the consumable material passes through the material channel (141).

8. A 3D printer, characterized in that, It includes the automatic material changing device (100) according to any one of claims 1-7.

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