A 3D printing support removal system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a 3D printing support removal system, which is characterized in that it includes: a workbench, a detection module, a control system, a manipulator and an end-point support removal actuator. The control system is configured to obtain the support removal area position information of the product to be processed and its corresponding actual operation coordinates based on the digital model of the product to be processed established or read by the detection module; the manipulator guides the end-point support removal actuator on the manipulator to actively touch the product to be processed and perform support removal operations on the product to be processed based on the actual operation coordinates corresponding to the real-time support removal area position information. Compared with the existing technology, the advantage of the present invention is that the entire support removal process can be mechanically automated, replacing human operation, and reducing labor and production management costs. Compared with manual labor, it has efficiency and accuracy advantages, effectively improving the deep processing quality control capabilities after 3D printing, and has been promoted in the industry with certain lean effects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a 3D printing support removal system. Background Art

[0002] 3D printing is an additive manufacturing method. The biggest difference between it and traditional machine tools or CNC machining is that it constructs the morphology by layer stacking rather than subtractive methods such as material cutting.

[0003] The complex topography of the workpiece during additive manufacturing inevitably requires support structures. Support structures play a crucial role in metal additive manufacturing, supporting overhanging geometries and acting as a heat transfer path away from the component during the build process. Once the object is completed, the strips or cylinders of support must be removed, a tedious task requiring manual chiseling, hammering, drilling, and grinding. Therefore, industry demand calls for the introduction of efficient automated equipment to replace manual labor.

[0004] The 3D printing support removal process requires workers to identify support removal points and then use tools to remove the support structure. This method is cumbersome and inefficient, requiring manual confirmation of support removal points and easily damaging 3D printed components. Chinese patent publication number CN 106738874 B discloses a method for rapidly removing 3D printing supports. This method is primarily implemented by printing a layer of easily degradable material with a dielectric material printhead before and after support printing. The dielectric material separates the supports from the part, the part from the substrate, and the substrate from the supports. After the part is printed, the model is removed and the dielectric layer is degraded. The dielectric material in the aforementioned areas dissolves, and the support structure naturally detaches from the part surface. The above-mentioned disclosed technology requires the use of dielectric material at the connection between the support and the workpiece body, and metal material for the support main body. Then, the dielectric layer of the printed workpiece is dissolved. Although it is convenient for removing the support structure, two materials need to be used in the 3D printing process. The material needs to be replaced during the 3D printing process, and the entire printing process becomes more cumbersome. After 3D printing is completed, the support structure needs to be dissolved. When using chemical methods to dissolve the support structure, it must be ensured that the material of the 3D component body is not affected. Therefore, special requirements are placed on the material of the 3D component body. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a 3D printing support removal system for the above-mentioned existing technology, which can fully automatically scan the structure of the workpiece to be processed, accurately determine the support removal area, and automatically complete the cutting and polishing of the support removal area.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the above technical problems is: a 3D printing support removal system, characterized by comprising:

[0007] Workbench, used to fix the product to be processed or fix the end to support the actuator;

[0008] The inspection module is used to perform 3D sampling of the product to be processed and to create a digital model of the product to be processed in real time;

[0009] The control system is connected to the detection module, and the control system is configured to obtain real-time support removal area position information of the product to be processed and its corresponding actual operation coordinates based on the digital model of the product to be processed established by the detection module, and generate corresponding support removal action path information;

[0010] The manipulator is connected to and controlled by the control system, and the control system feeds back the obtained support action path information to the manipulator;

[0011] The end de-support actuator is connected to the robot arm, and the product to be processed is fixed on the workbench. The robot arm guides the end de-support actuator on the robot arm to de-support the product to be processed according to the real-time de-support action path; or, the product to be processed is connected to the robot arm, and the end de-support actuator is fixed on the workbench. The robot arm guides the product to be processed on the robot arm to move according to the real-time de-support action path, so that the end de-support actuator performs a de-support operation on the product to be processed.

[0012] The detection module is a 3D scanner or a 3D camera.

[0013] The detection module is provided with multiple 3D scanners or 3D cameras.

[0014] The detection module is arranged on a manipulator, or on a workbench, or on a mounting bracket above the workbench.

[0015] When the detection module is arranged on the mounting bracket above the workbench, the detection module is movably arranged on the mounting bracket and the detection orientation can be adjusted at multiple angles.

[0016] The number of the manipulators is at least N, where N≥1.

[0017] The end support removal actuator is a rotary cutting, grinding module, a reciprocating cutting, grinding module, a laser cutting module, a water cutting module, or a wire cutting module.

[0018] The control system pre-stores digital model templates of different products to be processed and corresponding support removal area information in the different digital model templates; the control system obtains the support removal area position information of the products to be processed by the following method:

[0019] Step 1: Establish a coordinate system based on the manipulator and perform hand-eye calibration with the “eye outside the hand”, where “eye” refers to the detection module and “hand” refers to the “manipulator”;

[0020] Step 2: Set the detection module as the observation point, perform self-calibration of the detection module, obtain the distortion parameters of the detection module, and the spatial position parameters of the detection module in the coordinate system;

[0021] Step 3: Place the calibration plate on the workbench and perform hand-eye calibration at M points based on the distortion parameters of the detection module and the spatial position parameters of the detection module in the coordinate system.

[0022] Step 4: The control system creates or reads a digital model of the product to be processed based on the detection module, obtains a digital model template that matches the digital model of the product to be processed and corresponding support removal area information in different digital model templates, and creates a position relationship mapping table of the support removal area information in the coordinate system;

[0023] Step 5: Based on the digital model template obtained in step 4 that matches the digital model of the product to be processed and the position relationship mapping table of the corresponding de-support area information in the coordinate system in different digital model templates, point cloud or image data collection is performed for the specific product to be processed, and the actual de-support area position information of the product to be processed in the coordinate system is obtained through spatial relationship conversion.

[0024] Compared with the existing technology, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: first, the detection module reconstructs or reads the digital model of the product to be processed. Then, the control system performs template matching on the digital model of the product to be processed, calls the support area information, and uses affine transformation to obtain the actual support area position information of the product to be processed. Finally, the robot carries the tool and performs the support removal operation according to the corresponding coordinates. The entire support removal process can be realized by mechanical automation, replacing human operation and reducing labor and production management costs. Compared with manual operation, it has efficiency and accuracy advantages, effectively improving the deep processing quality control capabilities after 3D printing, and has been promoted in the industry with certain lean effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the 3D printing support removal system in Example 1 of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the 3D printing support removal system in Example 2 of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the 3D printing support removal system in Example 3 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0029] like Figure 1 The 3D printing support removal system shown includes:

[0030] A workbench 1, on which a product 2 to be processed is fixed;

[0031] The detection module 3 is used to perform 3D sampling on the product to be processed 2 and to establish a digital model of the product to be processed in real time;

[0032] The control system (not shown in the figure) is connected to the detection module 3. The control system is configured to obtain the real-time support removal area position information of the product to be processed and its corresponding actual operation coordinates based on the digital model of the product to be processed established by the detection module, and generate corresponding support removal action path information;

[0033] Manipulator 4, manipulator 4 is connected to and controlled by the control system, and the control system feeds back the obtained support removal action path information to manipulator 4;

[0034] The end desupport actuator 5 is connected to the manipulator 4, and the manipulator 4 guides the end desupport actuator 5 on the manipulator 4 to perform desupport operations on the product to be processed according to the real-time desupport action path; the end desupport actuator 5 can be a rotary cutting, grinding module or a reciprocating cutting, grinding module or a laser cutting module or a water cutting module or a wire cutting module.

[0035] In this embodiment, the detection module can be one or more 3D scanners or 3D cameras. The detection module 3 is also arranged on the manipulator 4.

[0036] The control system pre-stores digital model templates of different products to be processed and corresponding support removal area information in the different digital model templates; the control system obtains the support removal area position information of the products to be processed by the following method:

[0037] Step 1: Establish a coordinate system based on the manipulator and perform hand-eye calibration with the “eye outside the hand”, where “eye” refers to the detection module and “hand” refers to the “manipulator”;

[0038] Step 2: Set the detection module as the observation point, perform self-calibration of the detection module, obtain the distortion parameters of the detection module, and the spatial position parameters of the detection module in the coordinate system;

[0039] Step 3: Place the calibration plate on the workbench and perform hand-eye calibration at M points based on the distortion parameters of the detection module and the spatial position parameters of the detection module in the coordinate system.

[0040] Step 4. The control system establishes or reads a digital model of the product to be processed according to the detection module, obtains a digital model template that matches the digital model of the product to be processed and corresponding desupported area information in different digital model templates, and establishes a positional relationship mapping table of the desupported area information in the coordinate system; Step 5. Based on the digital model template that matches the digital model of the product to be processed and the corresponding desupported area information in different digital model templates obtained in step 4, point cloud or image data is collected for the specific product to be processed, and the actual desupported area position information of the product to be processed in the coordinate system is obtained through spatial relationship conversion.

[0041] Example 2

[0042] Different from the first embodiment, the detection module 3 is arranged on the mounting bracket 6 next to the workbench 1 .

[0043] Example 3

[0044] What is different from the second embodiment is that the product to be processed 2 is connected to the robot 4, and the end-point desupporting actuator 5 is fixed on the workbench 1. The robot 4 guides the movement of the product to be processed on the robot 4 according to the real-time desupporting action path, so that the end-point desupporting actuator 5 performs desupporting operations on the product to be processed.

Claims

1. A 3D printing support removal system, characterized in that include: Workbench, used to fix the product to be processed or fix the end to support the actuator; The inspection module is used to perform 3D sampling of the product to be processed and to create a digital model of the product to be processed in real time; The control system is connected to the detection module, and the control system is configured to obtain real-time support removal area position information of the product to be processed and its corresponding actual operation coordinates based on the digital model of the product to be processed established by the detection module, and generate corresponding support removal action path information; The manipulator is connected to and controlled by the control system, and the control system feeds back the obtained support action path information to the manipulator; The end-point de-supporting actuator is connected to a manipulator, and the product to be processed is fixed on a workbench. The manipulator guides the end-point de-supporting actuator on the manipulator to perform a de-supporting operation on the product to be processed according to a real-time de-supporting motion path; or, the product to be processed is connected to the manipulator, and the end-point de-supporting actuator is fixed on a workbench. The manipulator guides the product to be processed on the manipulator to move according to a real-time de-supporting motion path, so that the end-point de-supporting actuator performs a de-supporting operation on the product to be processed; The control system pre-stores digital model templates of different products to be processed and corresponding support removal area information in the different digital model templates; the control system obtains the support removal area position information of the products to be processed by the following method: Step 1: Establish a coordinate system based on the manipulator and perform hand-eye calibration with the "eye outside the hand", where "eye" refers to the detection module and "hand" refers to the "manipulator"; Step 2: Set the detection module as the observation point, perform self-calibration of the detection module, obtain the distortion parameters of the detection module, and the spatial position parameters of the detection module in the coordinate system; Step 3: Place the calibration plate on the workbench and perform hand-eye calibration at M points based on the distortion parameters of the detection module and the spatial position parameters of the detection module in the coordinate system. Step 4: The control system creates or reads a digital model of the product to be processed based on the detection module, obtains a digital model template that matches the digital model of the product to be processed and corresponding support removal area information in different digital model templates, and creates a position relationship mapping table of the support removal area information in the coordinate system; Step 5: Based on the digital model template obtained in step 4 that matches the digital model of the product to be processed and the position relationship mapping table of the corresponding de-support area information in the coordinate system in different digital model templates, point cloud or image data collection is performed for the specific product to be processed, and the actual de-support area position information of the product to be processed in the coordinate system is obtained through spatial relationship conversion.

2. The 3D printing support removal system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The detection module is a 3D scanner or a 3D camera.

3. The 3D printing support removal system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The detection module is provided with multiple 3D scanners or 3D cameras.

4. The 3D printing support removal system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The detection module is arranged on a manipulator, or on a workbench, or on a mounting bracket above the workbench.

5. The 3D printing support removal system according to claim 4, characterized in that: When the detection module is arranged on the mounting bracket above the workbench, the detection module is movably arranged on the mounting bracket and the detection orientation can be adjusted at multiple angles.

6. The 3D printing support removal system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the manipulators is at least N, where N≥1.

7. The 3D printing support removal system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The end support removal actuator is a rotary cutting, grinding module, a reciprocating cutting, grinding module, a laser cutting module, a water cutting module, or a wire cutting module.

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