Feeding mechanism of 3D printing pen and 3D printing pen

Abstract

The present application provides a feeding mechanism of a 3D printing pen and a 3D printing pen. The feeding mechanism includes a storage box and a push plate assembly. The storage box includes a storage cavity and a discharge port connected to the storage cavity, and the storage cavity can store multiple rods placed side by side, and the discharge port allows the rods to be discharged one by one. The push plate assembly can be movably arranged on the storage box, and is configured to apply a thrust to the rods during the movement relative to the storage box, so that multiple rods are facing the discharge port at one time. The 3D printing pen includes a feeding mechanism. In this way, continuous feeding can be achieved, which improves the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of 3D printing, and in particular to a feeding mechanism of a 3D printing pen and a 3D printing pen. Background Art

[0002] A 3D printing pen is a pen with 3D printing function. It uses plastics such as PLA and ABS to extrude hot melt plastic by heating, then quickly cools it in the air and finally solidifies it into a stable state. The structure of the 3D printing pen is very compact and does not require a computer or computer software support. Due to its excellent properties, the 3D printing pen can "write" on any surface, and can even "write" directly in the air.

[0003] Initially, the printing consumables of 3D printing pens were rolls, which were somewhat cumbersome when used and affected the user experience. On this basis, 3D printing pens without "tails" appeared. They used rod-type printing consumables and could be moved freely when used. However, new problems arose: the rods were consumed very quickly, and the machine needed to stop and continuously refill the rods during use, resulting in discontinuities in printing and interruptions. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide a feeding mechanism of a 3D printing pen and a 3D printing pen that can continuously feed materials.

[0005] The present application provides a feeding structure of a 3D printing pen, comprising:

[0006] The feeding mechanism includes a storage chamber and a discharge port and a loading port connected to the storage chamber. The storage chamber can store multiple rods placed side by side. The discharge port allows the rods to be discharged one by one, and the loading port is used to load the rods. The push plate assembly can be movably arranged on the storage box, and is configured to apply a thrust to the rods during the movement relative to the storage box, so that multiple rods can face the discharge port at one time.

[0007] The feeding mechanism adopts a storage box, in which a sufficient amount of printing consumables is stored in advance, and a push plate assembly is arranged in the storage bin. When one printing consumable is exhausted, the push plate assembly pushes the next printing consumable to the discharge port for subsequent operation of the printing pen. The feeding mechanism of the present application continuously outputs the printing consumables without hindering the use of the 3D printing pen, achieving the beneficial effect of continuous feeding and improving the user experience.

[0008] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the push plate assembly includes a push plate body and an elastic member, the elastic member connecting the push plate body and the storage box; the push plate body is movably arranged on the storage box in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction, the deformation direction of the elastic member is consistent with the moving direction of the push plate body, the elastic member drives the push plate body through elastic force, and the push plate body is used to apply a thrust to the rod material. This scheme can automatically apply a thrust to achieve the effect of automatic feeding.

[0009] Furthermore, the material storage box is provided with a push plate groove connected to the material storage cavity, and the push plate groove extends in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction; the push plate body includes a pushing part located in the material storage cavity and a guide part located outside the material storage cavity, and the pushing part is used to apply thrust to the rod material, and the guide part slides in cooperation with the push plate groove, which can accurately control the moving direction of the push plate assembly and ensure the continuity of material feeding.

[0010] Furthermore, along the discharging direction, the end of the storage box with the discharge port is the first end, and the end away from the discharge port is the second end. The distance between the push plate assembly and the first end is smaller than the distance between the push plate assembly and the second end. This can reduce the offset of the rod material and ensure that the rod material can be aligned with the discharge port under the thrust of the push plate assembly.

[0011] Furthermore, the feeding mechanism also includes a driving component, which is arranged at the discharge port and is used to contact the bar material and drive the bar material to be discharged from the discharge port through the friction between the driving component and the bar material, thereby saving installation space.

[0012] Furthermore, the driving assembly includes: a driving wheel, an idler wheel and a driven wheel which are sequentially connected in transmission; the driving wheel and the driven wheel are arranged along the discharge direction, the driven wheel is arranged at the discharge port, and is used to contact the bar material and discharge the bar material from the discharge port through friction, the driving wheel is arranged in front of the driven wheel along the discharge direction, and the driving wheel can also contact the bar material, apply friction force to the bar material, and apply conveying power.

[0013] Furthermore, the driving wheel includes a power input wheel and a discharging wheel, which are coaxially fixedly connected and rotate synchronously; the driven wheel includes a power output wheel and a picking wheel, which are coaxially fixedly connected and rotate synchronously; the idler wheel transmission connects the power input wheel with the power output wheel; the discharging wheel and the picking wheel are arranged at the same height, and the picking wheel is used to contact with the bar material and output the bar material from the discharging port through friction, thereby preventing bar material chips from hindering power transmission.

[0014] Furthermore, the driving and feeding mechanism also includes: a pressure wheel, the arrangement direction of the pressure wheel and the discharge wheel is perpendicular to the discharge direction, a gap for the rod to pass through is left between the pressure wheel and the discharge wheel, and the rod passing through the gap is opposite to the discharge port, thereby ensuring the conveying direction of the rod, moving the rod along the discharge direction, and reducing the offset of the rod.

[0015] Furthermore, the idler wheel rotates unidirectionally to prevent the bar material from being sent back to the storage chamber in the reverse direction.

[0016] The present application also provides a 3D printing pen, comprising the feeding mechanism of any of the above-mentioned 3D printing pens. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Shown is a schematic diagram of a material storage box according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a push plate assembly;

[0019] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing the connection between the push plate body and the material storage box;

[0020] Figure 4 Shown is a schematic diagram of a drive assembly and a storage box;

[0021] Figure 5 Shown Figure 4 A top view of

[0022] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic diagram of the material outlet of the material storage box;

[0023] Figure 7 Shown is a schematic diagram of the drive assembly;

[0024] Figure 8 Shown is a schematic diagram of the driving wheel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present application. Instead, they are merely examples of devices consistent with some aspects of the present application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0026] The terms used in this application are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this application. Unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in this application should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which this application belongs. The words "first", "second" and similar words used in the specification and claims of this application do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, words such as "one" or "one" do not indicate a quantitative limit, but indicate that there is at least one. "Multiple" or "several" means two and more than two. Unless otherwise specified, words such as "front", "rear", "lower" and / or "upper" are only for the convenience of explanation and are not limited to a position or spatial orientation. Words such as "include" or "comprise" mean that the elements or objects appearing in front of "include" or "comprise" include the elements or objects listed after "include" or "comprise" and their equivalents, and do not exclude other elements or objects. Words such as "connect" or "connected" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, and can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. The singular forms "," "said," and "the" used in this specification and the appended claims are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used herein refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0027] The feeding mechanism of the 3D printing pen of the embodiment of the present application includes: the feeding mechanism includes a material storage box and a push plate assembly. The material storage box includes a material storage cavity and a material outlet connected to the material storage cavity, the material storage cavity can store multiple rods placed side by side, and the material outlet allows the rods to be output one by one; the push plate assembly is movably arranged on the material storage box, and is configured to apply a thrust to the rods during the movement relative to the material storage box, so that multiple rods are facing the material outlet at one time.

[0028] In the embodiment of the present application, multiple bars are placed side by side in the storage box, and when a bar is discharged from the discharge port, the push plate assembly pushes the next bar to a position facing the discharge port for discharge, so that the bars can be discharged continuously, achieving the effect of continuous feeding.

[0029] Figure 1 The 3D printing pen feeding mechanism is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment. The feeding mechanism may include a material storage box 10 and a push plate assembly 13; the material storage box 10 includes: a material storage cavity 11 and a material outlet 12 that are connected.

[0030] The rods 15 are placed side by side in the storage chamber 11, and the push plate assembly 13 can be placed in the same direction as the rods 15. For example, the two are placed parallel to the storage chamber 11. In this way, the rods 15 can be pushed by the thrust applied to the push plate assembly 13, so that the rods 15 move toward the discharge port 12.

[0031] In one embodiment, in order to better control the moving direction of the push plate assembly 13, the storage box 10 includes a push plate slot 14, which is connected to the storage chamber 11 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction 100. Accordingly, the push plate assembly 13 includes a guide portion 31 and a push portion 32, the push portion 32 is arranged in the storage chamber 11, and is used to contact the bar 15, and the guide portion 31 is arranged in the push plate slot 14, and is slidably matched with the push plate slot 14. In this way, during the movement of the push plate assembly 13, the guide portion 31 can slide in the push plate slot 14 to ensure that the push plate assembly 13 moves along the push plate slot 14, so as to reduce the offset when the push plate assembly 13 moves. In addition, the push plate assembly 13 can also apply a driving force to the bar 15 along the extension direction of the push plate slot 14, to ensure that the line of action of the driving force is perpendicular to the bar 15, to prevent the bar 15 from tilting, and to make the bar 15 more accurately align with the discharge port 12.

[0032] In one embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the push plate assembly 13 may include a plurality of guide portions 31, and a plurality of push plate slots 14 may be provided accordingly, and the push plate slots 14 and the guide portions 31 are provided one by one. Figure 2 In the embodiment shown, the push plate assembly 13 includes guide portions 31 respectively arranged at both ends, and the two opposite side walls of the storage box 10 are respectively provided with a plurality of push plate grooves 14 (combined with Figure 4 ), the guide portion 31 and the push plate groove 14 are in one-to-one sliding cooperation, and the guiding effect is better.

[0033] exist Figure 4 In the illustrated embodiment, one of the side walls of the material storage box 10 is provided with two parallel push plate grooves 14, and one of the guide portions 31 of the push plate assembly 13 includes a first guide portion 310 and a second guide portion 312, and the first guide portion 310 and the second guide portion 312 are slidably matched with the two push plate grooves 14. The first guide portion 310 is substantially flush with the outer surface of the material storage box 10, and the second guide portion 312 is higher than the outer surface of the material storage box 10, so that the push plate assembly 13 can be returned to its original position by moving the second guide portion 312, thereby placing the bar material 15 into the material storage cavity 11.

[0034] In this embodiment, Figure 1As shown, along the discharge direction 100, the end of the storage box 10 with the discharge port 12 is the first end 101, and the end away from the discharge port 12 is the second end 102. The distance between the push plate assembly 13 and the first end 101 is smaller than the distance between the push plate assembly 13 and the second end 102. In this way, the push plate assembly 13 should be closer to the discharge port 12, and the contact part between the push plate assembly 13 and the bar 15 is closer to the front, so as to avoid the push plate assembly 13 and the tail end of the bar 15 contacting to cause the bar 15 to tilt and fail to reach the discharge port 12 smoothly, affecting the continuity of feeding. After the first bar 15 located at the discharge port 12 is discharged, the push part 32 will push the remaining bars 15 to move toward the discharge port 12, and push the bar 15 closest to the discharge port 12 at this time to the position where the discharge direction 100 is located, so that it can be discharged. In this way, after one bar 15 is discharged, the adjacent bar 15 is pushed by the push plate assembly 13 and immediately reaches the position of the discharge direction 100 for being discharged, thereby achieving the purpose of continuous feeding. The storage box 10 also includes a loading port 19 connected to the storage cavity 11, and the loading port 19 is used to load the bar 15. In this embodiment, the loading port 19 is arranged at the second end 102.

[0035] In some embodiments, the push plate assembly 13 includes a push plate body 33 and an elastic member 34, wherein the elastic member 34 connects the push plate body 33 and the storage box 10. The push plate body 33 is formed with a guide portion 31 and a push portion 32. Figure 3 As shown, the elastic member 34 can be a compression spring and a tension spring, etc., which are not limited here. The present embodiment adopts a compression spring for introduction. The push plate body 33 and a side wall of the storage box 10 are connected by a compression spring. The position of the controllable spring can be set on the push plate body 33 and the side wall of the storage box 10, for example, a ring is embedded, and a part of the ring extends out of its surface. The specific method is not limited here. The free extension direction of the compression spring can push the push plate body 33, that is, the thrust of the push plate assembly 13 comes from the ability of the spring to resist deformation, so that the push plate assembly 13 moves under the elastic force. For example, when a bar 15 is output from the storage box 10, its position will be vacant, and the spring force pushes the bar 15 to move to the vacant position, so that the bar 15 can be pushed without manual participation to achieve continuous feeding and automatic feeding. If the rods 15 in the storage box 10 are consumed, the spring will be in the maximum free state in the storage box 10, and the elastic force is minimum at this time; if the rods 15 in the storage box 10 need to be replenished again, it is only necessary to compress the compression spring again to make room for the rods 15 in the storage cavity 11, release the compression spring, and the compression spring rests on the outermost rods 15.

[0036] In some embodiments, the feeding mechanism further includes a driving assembly 16 and a pressing wheel 17. Figure 4 , Figure 5 shown.

[0037] The drive assembly 16 is arranged at the discharge port 12, and is used to contact the rod 15. The drive assembly 16 drives the rod 15 to be discharged from the discharge port 12 through the friction between the drive assembly 16 and the rod 15. The drive assembly 16 is arranged at the discharge port 12 to save the arrangement space of the components in the 3D printing pen, and the structure is more compact. It also has a guiding function, combining the driving and guiding into one. The discharge port 12 is shown as the junction of the two side walls of the storage box 10, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, one part is the opening 1 21 on the side wall along the discharge direction 100, and the other part is the opening 22 perpendicular to the discharge direction 100. The opening 22 allows the bar 15 to pass smoothly, and the opening 1 21 allows the driving assembly 16 to contact the bar 15, and use friction to bring the bar 15 out. In some other embodiments, the driving assembly 16 can also be set at the loading port 19 to push the bar 15 out of the discharge port 12 by thrust.

[0038] In one embodiment, the driving assembly 16 includes a driving wheel 61, a driven wheel 62 and an idler wheel 63, wherein power is input from the driving wheel 61 and transmitted to the driven wheel 62 through the idler wheel 63. The idler wheel 63 can change the direction of the driven wheel 62 so that the driving wheel 61 and the driven wheel 62 rotate in the same direction. Figure 7 The driving wheel 61, the driven wheel 62 and the idler wheel 63 shown are all gears, which have the effect of convenient transmission and frictional contact with the bar stock 15. Of course, the driving wheel 61, the driven wheel 62 and the idler wheel 63 can also all adopt friction wheels.

[0039] The driving wheel 61 transmits power, which is transmitted through the idler wheel 63 to the driven wheel 62; the rotation of the driven wheel 62 uses friction to bring the rod 15 out to the driving wheel 61, and the driving wheel 61 continuously outputs power, which acts on the rod 15 through the driven wheel 62, and is continuously output from the storage box 10 and sent to the pen tip of the 3D printing pen for use. In this way, the driving wheel 61 and the driven wheel 62 can jointly drive the rod 15 to increase the power to output the rod 15. Specifically, the driving wheel 61 and the driven wheel 62 are arranged along the discharge direction 100, and the installation position of the driven wheel 62 can interfere with the rod 15, so that the driven wheel 62 and the rod 15 can fully contact each other, ensuring that a large friction force is formed between the two, so that the rod 15 is output. The driving wheel 61 and the driven wheel 62 are both composed of three parts, such as Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the driving wheel 61.

[0040] The driving wheel 61 includes a power input wheel 51, a discharging wheel 52 and an input shaft 53; the power input wheel 51 and the discharging wheel 52 are connected by the input shaft 53, and the three rotate synchronously; the power is transmitted from the power input wheel 51, and since the three are fixedly connected, the input shaft 53 and the discharging wheel 52 also rotate at the same angular velocity. Correspondingly, the driven wheel 62 includes a power output wheel 41, a material taking wheel 42 and an output shaft 43; the power output wheel 41 and the material taking wheel 42 are connected by the output shaft 43, and the three rotate synchronously. The connection method between the gear and the shaft is not specifically limited here, and key connection, interference connection, etc. can be used.

[0041] The power is transmitted from the power input wheel 51. Since the three are fixedly connected, the input shaft 53 and the discharging wheel 52 also rotate at the same angular velocity. The power input wheel 51 is meshed with the idler wheel 63, and the rotation direction of the idler wheel 63 is opposite to that of the power input wheel 51; the idler wheel 63 is also meshed with the power output wheel 41, and the two rotate in opposite directions, and the output shaft 43 where the power output wheel 41 is located and the material taking wheel 42 fixed thereon; both have the same angular velocity as the power output wheel 41. Since the idler wheel 63 has a reversing function, the discharging wheel 52 and the material taking wheel 42 rotate in the same direction, thereby ensuring that the bar material 15 can be output along the discharging direction 100.

[0042] The drive assembly 16 is arranged in an upper and lower layer. For example, the pick-up wheel 42 and the discharge wheel 52 are in contact with the bar 15, and both are in the upper layer. The gear responsible for power transmission is in the lower layer and has no direct contact with the bar 15. This avoids the fine chips of the bar 15 from hindering the engagement of the driving wheel 61 and the driven wheel 62 after long-term friction with the bar 15, and even causing the drive assembly 16 to get stuck and stop running.

[0043] In this embodiment, the feeding mechanism further includes a pressing wheel 17, and a gap 18 (see Figure 5 ), the bar material passes through the gap 18 and faces the discharge port 12, so that the conveying direction of the bar material 15 is accurate, and the subsequent bar material 15 can smoothly enter the pen tip. The pressure wheel 17 adopts a rotatable part, such as a rotatable bearing.

[0044] The power provided by the outside causes the power input wheel 51 to start rotating, driving the meshed idler wheel 63, and then causing the power output wheel 41 to rotate, and then the pick-up wheel 42 rotates. During the rotation of the pick-up wheel 42, the bar 15 is continuously brought out by friction. When the bar 15 moves between the discharge wheel 52 and the pressure wheel 17, the bar 15 is continuously output by the pick-up wheel 42 and the discharge wheel 52 for subsequent use.

[0045] The idler wheel 63 adopts a unidirectional rotating gear, which can be achieved by placing a unidirectional rotating bearing inside it. The direction of rotation of the idler wheel 63 is that when the idler wheel 63 drives the picking wheel 42 to rotate, the rod 15 can be smoothly taken out from the discharge port 12; the purpose of setting the idler wheel 63 to rotate in one direction is that when the power input gear rotates in the opposite direction, the idler wheel 63 will idle, and the power will not be transmitted to the picking wheel 42 through the idler wheel 63, thereby avoiding that the rod 15 that has been output from the discharge port 12 is sent back to the storage box 10.

[0046] The present application also provides a 3D printing pen, comprising the feeding mechanism of the 3D printing pen described in any of the above embodiments.

[0047] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A feeding mechanism for a 3D printing pen, characterized in that: include: A material storage box, comprising a material storage cavity and a material discharge port and a material loading port connected to the material storage cavity, wherein the material storage cavity can store a plurality of bar materials placed side by side, the material discharge port is used for the plurality of bar materials to be discharged one by one, and the material loading port is used for loading the bar materials; The push plate assembly is movably arranged on the material storage box, and is configured to apply a thrust to the rods during the movement relative to the material storage box, so that the plurality of rods are aligned with the discharge port in sequence. The push plate assembly includes a push plate body and an elastic member, wherein the elastic member connects the push plate body and the material storage box; the push plate body is movably arranged on the material storage box in a direction perpendicular to the material discharging direction, and the deformation direction of the elastic member is consistent with the moving direction of the push plate body. The elastic member drives the push plate body through its own elastic force, and the push plate body is used to apply a thrust to the bar material. The material storage box is provided with a push plate groove connected to the material storage cavity, and the push plate groove extends in a direction perpendicular to the discharge direction; the push plate body includes a pushing part located in the material storage cavity and a guide part located outside the material storage cavity, the pushing part is used to apply thrust to the rod material, and the guide part is slidably matched with the push plate groove.

2. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: Along the discharging direction, the end of the storage box with the discharging port is the first end, and the end away from the discharging port is the second end. The distance between the push plate assembly and the first end is smaller than the distance between the push plate assembly and the second end.

3. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism also includes a driving component, which is arranged at the discharge port and is used to contact the bar material and drive the bar material to be discharged from the discharge port through the friction between the driving component and the bar material.

4. The feeding mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes: a driving wheel, an idler wheel and a driven wheel which are sequentially connected in transmission; the driving wheel and the driven wheel are arranged along the discharge direction, the driven wheel is arranged at the discharge port, and is used to contact the bar material and discharge the bar material from the discharge port through friction, and the driving wheel is arranged in front of the driven wheel along the discharge direction.

5. The feeding mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The driving wheel includes a power input wheel and a discharging wheel, which are coaxially fixedly connected and rotate synchronously; the driven wheel includes a power output wheel and a picking wheel, which are coaxially fixedly connected and rotate synchronously; the power input wheel is transmission-connected to the power output wheel through the idler wheel; the discharging wheel and the picking wheel are arranged at the same height, and the picking wheel is used to contact with the bar material and output the bar material from the discharging port through friction.

6. The feeding mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism further includes: a pressing wheel, wherein the arrangement direction of the pressing wheel and the discharging wheel is perpendicular to the discharging direction, a gap for the passage of rods is left between the pressing wheel and the discharging wheel, and the gap for the passage of rods faces the discharging port.

7. The feeding mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The idler wheel rotates in one direction.

8. A 3D printing pen, characterized in that: include: A feeding mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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