Improved wind field structure of metal 3D printer and metal 3D printer

Abstract

The application provides an improved wind field structure of a metal 3D printer and the metal 3D printer, which comprises: a blowing system comprising an upper blowing port and a lower blowing port arranged on the upper and lower sides of one side of a printing cavity; a suction system comprising an upper suction port and a lower suction port arranged on the upper and lower sides of the other side of the printing cavity; an upper baffle vertically fixed to the top end inside the printing cavity and close to the upper suction port, the lowest point of the upper baffle being lower than the upper suction port; a wind knife connected to the top end of the upper blowing port, one end of the wind knife being connected to the side wall of the printing cavity and the other end forming a flow channel with the upper blowing port, and the aperture gradually decreases along the airflow flow direction; and one end of a lower baffle being connected to the side wall of the printing cavity and located at the top end of the lower suction port. According to the improved wind field structure of the embodiment of the application, the upper baffle, the wind knife and the lower baffle are matched, so that the slag and smoke generated in the printing process can be effectively removed, the cleanliness of the printing process is ensured, and the printing precision is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of 3D printing, in particular to an improved wind field structure of a metal 3D printer and a metal 3D printer with the improved wind field structure. BACKGROUND

[0002] Compared with the traditional subtractive manufacturing technology, the 3D printing technology is an advanced rapid manufacturing part additive manufacturing technology. The operation principle of the SLM 3D printer is to melt the metal powder under the action of the laser beam heat, to cool and condense and to accumulate layer by layer to manufacture parts. The wind field structure is one of the most important devices in the 3D printer. At present, the wind field structure layout in the printing cavity is generally divided into two kinds: the first kind is a single blowing and single suction wind field layout. The disadvantage of this wind field layout is that it cannot filter more smoke and dust in unit time and form vortex to form the phenomenon of dust raising above the cavity, thereby causing the energy of the laser acting on the powder bed surface to be unstable. The other kind is a double blowing and double suction wind field layout. The upper layer wind field blocks the lower layer wind from flowing upwards, so as to separate the upper and lower layers of air flow. However, in practice, the protective gas injected into the cavity does not move absolutely according to the trajectory, so the air flow will spread, which will inevitably form a larger vortex, causing the air flow in the cavity to be chaotic, thereby affecting the printing effect. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the present application provides an improved wind field structure of a metal 3D printer, which can reduce the suction of metal powder and cut off the vortex to prevent smoke from rising and polluting the galvanometer, thereby improving the printing quality.

[0004] The present application also provides a metal 3D printer with the improved wind field structure.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] According to the improved wind field structure of the metal 3D printer of the first embodiment of the present application, it comprises:

[0007] The air blowing system comprises an upper air blowing port and a lower air blowing port, and the upper air blowing port and the lower air blowing port are arranged on the upper and lower sides of one side of the printing cavity, respectively;

[0008] The air suction system comprises an upper air suction port and a lower air suction port, and the upper air suction port and the lower air suction port are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the other side of the printing cavity, respectively;

[0009] The upper baffle is vertically fixed to the top end inside the printing cavity and close to the upper air suction port, and the lowest point of the upper baffle is lower than the upper air suction port;

[0010] A wind knife is connected to the top end of the upper blowing port, one end of the wind knife is connected to the side wall of the printing cavity, and the other end forms a flow passage with the upper blowing port, and the aperture of the flow passage gradually decreases along the flow direction of the air flow;

[0011] A lower baffle is connected to the side wall of the printing cavity and located at the top end of the lower suction port for blocking the air flow from the flow passage and the lower blowing port.

[0012] Further, the vertical distance between the upper baffle and the upper suction port is less than the vertical distance between the galvanometer fixed at the center of the top end of the printing cavity and the upper suction port.

[0013] Further, the upper blowing baffle and the lower blowing baffle are respectively fixed on the upper end and the lower end of the lower blowing port, and the lower blowing baffle is located above the printing platform arranged at the bottom of the printing cavity.

[0014] Further, the upper baffle, the wind knife and the lower baffle are all made of 316L stainless steel.

[0015] Further, the upper blowing baffle and the lower blowing baffle are all made of 316L stainless steel.

[0016] According to the second embodiment of the metal 3D printer of the present application, comprising:

[0017] A printing cavity is fixed with a galvanometer at the center of the top, the bottom of the printing cavity is a printing platform, and a printing substrate is arranged at the center of the printing platform.

[0018] The improved wind field structure of the metal 3D printer of any one of the above embodiments.

[0019] Further, a slag large particle deposition groove is formed inwardly at one end of the printing platform close to the lower suction port.

[0020] The above technical solutions of the present application have at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0021] According to the improved wind field structure of the metal 3D printer of the embodiment of the present application, by arranging the upper baffle, the wind knife and the lower baffle, the slag and the smoke generated during printing can be effectively removed, the cleanliness of the printing process is ensured, and the vortex is cut off, thereby improving the printing precision.

[0022] Further, by arranging the lower blowing baffle at the bottom end of the lower blowing port to be higher than the printing platform, the protective gas entering the printing cavity from the lower blowing port can be prevented from carrying the metal powder attached to the surface of the printing platform, thereby reducing the production cost.

[0023] Furthermore, by setting up a large slag particle sedimentation tank, large slag particles that are not sucked away by the air intake can be accommodated, further improving cleanliness. Attached Figure Description

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an improved wind farm structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure label:

[0026] 1. Printing cavity; 2. Galvanometer; 3. Printing platform; 4. Printing substrate; 5. Upper air outlet; 6. Lower air outlet; 7. Upper suction outlet; 8. Lower suction outlet; 9. Upper baffle; 10. Air knife; 11. Lower baffle; 12. Lower air outlet baffle; 13. Large slag particle sedimentation tank; 14. Upper air outlet baffle. Detailed Implementation

[0027] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the described embodiments of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this invention shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in this invention do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Similarly, the terms "an" or "a" and similar terms do not indicate a quantity limitation, but rather indicate the presence of at least one. The terms "connected" or "linked" and similar terms are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up," "down," "left," "right," etc., are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship also changes accordingly.

[0029] The improved wind farm structure and the metal 3D printer of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the improved airflow structure of the metal 3D printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a blowing system, a suction system, an upper baffle 9, an air knife 10, and a lower baffle 11.

[0031] The blowing system includes an upper blowing port 5 and a lower blowing port 6, which are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the printing cavity 1 respectively, so that the gas flow enters the printing cavity 1 through the upper blowing port 5 and the lower blowing port 6 respectively.

[0032] The suction system includes an upper suction port 7 and a lower suction port 8, which are arranged on the upper and lower sides of the printing cavity 1 respectively, and are used to suck away the metal residues and smoke dust generated after printing from the inside of the printing cavity 1.

[0033] The upper baffle 9 is vertically fixed to the top end of the printing cavity 1 and is close to the upper suction port 7, wherein the lowest point of the upper baffle 9 is lower than the upper suction port 7, so as to block the reverse flow of the gas flow at the upper suction port and prevent vortex from being generated at the top end of the printing cavity 1.

[0034] The air knife 10 is connected to the top end of the upper blowing port 5, one end of the air knife 10 is connected to the side wall of the printing cavity 1, and the other end forms a flow channel with the upper blowing port 5, the aperture of the flow channel gradually decreases along the flow direction of the gas flow, so that the gas flow entering from the upper blowing port 5 can be further gathered and the gas flow strength can be improved, and the metal smoke dust generated during printing can be effectively carried away.

[0035] The lower baffle 11 is connected to the top end of the lower suction port 8 and is used to block the gas flow from the flow channel and the lower blowing port. Therefore, part of the gas flow entering the printing cavity 1 through the lower blowing port 6 can be blocked by the lower baffle 11 and can be sucked away by the lower suction port 8; in addition, part of the gas flow entering the printing cavity 1 through the upper blowing port 5 can be blocked by the lower baffle 11 and can continue to flow to the upper suction port.

[0036] Specifically, as shown in Figure 1 The gas flow entering the printing cavity 1 through the upper blowing port 5 mainly flows in the following three directions: (1) part of the gas flow carrying the smoke dust generated during printing passes through the bottom end of the upper baffle 9 and flows out of the upper suction port 7; (2) part of the gas flow carrying the smoke dust generated during printing flows downward and is blocked by the side wall, some of the gas flow immediately flows upward to the upper suction port 7 and flows out, and some of the gas flow flows upward and is blocked by the upper baffle 9 and finally flows out of the upper suction port 7; 3. part of the gas flow carrying the smoke dust generated during printing is blocked by the lower baffle 11 after flowing downward, and then flows to be blocked by the side wall, some of the gas flow immediately flows upward to the upper suction port 7 and flows out, and some of the gas flow flows upward and is blocked by the upper baffle 9 and finally flows out of the upper suction port 7.

[0037] The airflow flowing into the printing cavity 1 from the lower air outlet 6 mainly has the following three directions: (1) part of the airflow carries the dust and residues generated during printing and flows out from the lower air inlet 8; (2) part of the airflow carries the dust and residues generated during printing and flows upward and is blocked by the lower baffle 11, and then flows downward to the lower air inlet 8; (3) part of the airflow carries the dust and residues generated during printing and flows upward to the upper air inlet 7 through the edge of the lower baffle 11.

[0038] Therefore, by arranging the upper baffle 9, the air knife 10 and the lower baffle 11, the slag and dust generated during printing can be effectively removed, the cleanliness of the printing process is ensured, and the vortex generated in the printing cavity 1 is cut off, thereby improving the printing precision.

[0039] Further, the vertical distance between the upper baffle 9 and the upper air inlet 7 is less than the vertical distance between the galvanometer 2 fixed at the center of the top end of the printing cavity 1 and the upper air inlet 7. As shown in the figure, this arrangement can effectively prevent the airflow around the upper air inlet 7 from flowing back to the lower side of the galvanometer 2, and can prevent vortexes from being formed in this area, thereby affecting the printing precision; at the same time, the dust carried by the airflow can also avoid polluting the galvanometer 2. Figure 1

[0040] Further, the upper blowing baffle 14 and the lower blowing baffle 12 are respectively fixed at the upper and lower ends of the lower air outlet 6, and the lower blowing baffle 12 is located above the printing platform 3 arranged at the bottom of the printing cavity 1. The lower blowing baffle 12 is fixed at the bottom end of the lower air outlet 6 and is located above the printing platform 3 arranged at the bottom of the printing cavity 1. This arrangement makes the airflow flowing from the lower air outlet 6 flow above the lower blowing baffle 12, thereby avoiding blowing away the metal powder to be printed, reducing the influence of external factors on printing, and thereby reducing production costs.

[0041] Further, the upper baffle 9, the air knife 10 and the lower baffle 11 are all made of 316L stainless steel, which improves the service life.

[0042] Further, the upper blowing baffle 14 and the lower blowing baffle 12 are both made of 316L stainless steel, which improves the service life.

[0043] The second embodiment of the present application also provides a metal 3D printer, which comprises a printing cavity 1 and an improved wind field structure of the metal 3D printer according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0044] Among them, the galvanometer 2 is fixed at the center of the top of the printing cavity 1, the printing platform 3 is arranged at the bottom of the printing cavity 1, and the printing substrate 4 is arranged at the center of the printing platform 3.

[0045] ​Further, the printing platform 3 is inwardly provided with a slag large particle deposition groove 13 at one end close to the lower suction port 6. Due to the weakening of the air flow, metal residues in the printing process will accumulate near the lower suction port 6. As shown in Figure 1 the slag large particle deposition groove 13 can accumulate metal residues, facilitating the cleaning work after the printing is completed.

[0046] The above is the preferred embodiment of the present application. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, a number of improvements and refinements can be made, which should also be considered as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An improved wind field structure for a metal 3D printer, characterized in that, Comprising: A blowing system comprising an upper blowing port and a lower blowing port, which are respectively arranged above and below on one side of the printing cavity; A suction system comprising an upper suction port and a lower suction port, which are respectively arranged above and below on the other side of the printing cavity; An upper baffle vertically fixed at the top end inside the printing cavity and close to the upper suction port, wherein the lowest point of the upper baffle is lower than the upper suction port, and the vertical distance between the upper baffle and the upper suction port is smaller than the vertical distance between the galvanometer fixed at the center of the top end of the printing cavity and the upper suction port; An air knife connected at the top end of the upper blowing port, one end of which is connected to the side wall of the printing cavity, and the other end forms a flow passage with the upper blowing port, the aperture of the flow passage gradually decreases along the direction of air flow; A lower baffle, one end of which is connected to the side wall of the printing cavity and located at the top end of the lower suction port for blocking the air flow from the flow passage and the lower blowing port, the upper blowing baffle and the lower blowing baffle are respectively fixed at the upper and lower ends of the lower blowing port, and the lower blowing baffle is located above the printing platform arranged at the bottom of the printing cavity.

2. The improved wind field structure for a metal 3D printer of claim 1, wherein, The upper baffle, The air knife and the lower baffle are all made of 316L stainless steel.

3. The improved wind field structure for a metal 3D printer of claim 1, wherein, The upper blowing baffle and the lower blowing baffle are all made of 316L stainless steel.

4. A metal 3D printer characterized by, Comprising: A printing cavity, a galvanometer is fixed at the center of the top of the printing cavity, the bottom of the printing cavity is a printing platform, A printing substrate is arranged at the center of the printing platform; The improved wind field structure of the metal 3D printer according to any one of claims 1-3.

5. The metal 3D printer according to claim 4, characterized in that The end of the printing platform close to the lower suction port is inwardly provided with a slag large particle deposition groove.

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