Plasma powder laying device, method and 3D printing equipment

Abstract

The present invention provides a plasma powder spreading device, method and 3D printing equipment, including a gas delivery unit for conveying prepared and / or stored inert gas into a channel, a plasma generating unit for releasing generated plasma into the channel so that the plasma is mixed with the inert gas to form a charged particle gas, a powder circulation shell arranged at a position that can at least correspond to a powder overflow area, the charged particle gas is conveyed into the powder circulation shell to disturb the powder at the powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation shell, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation shell with the flow of the charged particle gas to eliminate static electricity and / or loose powder; and at least one powder spreading part for spreading the powder in a stationary state after circulating motion so as to evenly spread the powder on a forming platform. The present invention can achieve a better powder spreading effect and the powder is laid more evenly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of 3D printing, and in particular to a plasma powder laying device, method and 3D printing equipment. Background Art

[0002] When building parts through 3D printing, the parts are often planed into several two-dimensional plane structures, and then printed layer by layer to finally form the parts. Especially for the powder sintering / melting technology, a layer of metal powder / non-metal powder is laid layer by layer, and then the laid layer of metal powder is selectively sintered / melted through a heat source (usually a laser) to construct the structure of the part in that layer, and the part is finally built by laying powder layer by layer and then sintering / melting.

[0003] In the current field of powder-laying 3D printing technology, powders are usually required to have good fluidity and appropriate particle size to ensure the integrity and uniformity of the powder. Therefore, the powder particles of the laying material are usually required to have good sphericity and uniform particle size. The powder is laid on the forming platform through the powder-laying device. However, due to the effects of powder agglomeration, the laid powder will appear uneven, resulting in defects in the formed parts and other problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to reduce powder agglomeration and make the laid powder more uniform, one aspect of the present invention provides a plasma powder laying device for 3D printing equipment, comprising: a gas delivery unit, for conveying prepared and / or stored inert gas into a channel; a plasma generating unit, for releasing generated plasma into the channel so that the plasma is mixed with the inert gas to form a charged particle gas; a powder circulation shell, arranged at a position that can at least correspond to a powder overflow area, wherein the charged particle gas is conveyed into the powder circulation shell to disturb the powder at the powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation shell, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation shell with the flow of the charged particle gas to eliminate static electricity and / or loose powder; and at least one powder laying part, for laying the powder that is in a stationary state after the circulating motion so as to evenly lay the powder on a forming platform.

[0005] Optionally, the powder overflow area is formed at a powder outlet of a powder bin.

[0006] Optionally, the gas delivery unit comprises a gas delivery pipeline; wherein the gas delivery unit is used to deliver the prepared and / or stored inert gas to the channel through the gas delivery pipeline.

[0007] Optionally, it further comprises: at least one gas injection unit, which is arranged at the outlet of the channel and / or the inlet of the powder circulation shell; wherein the gas injection unit is used to inject the charged particle gas into the powder circulation shell.

[0008] Optionally, the gas injection unit is a nozzle.

[0009] Optionally, the spray angle of the nozzle can be adjusted to change the spray direction of the charged particle gas.

[0010] Optionally, the powder circulation housing is in a moving state in the powder spreading direction.

[0011] Optionally, when the powder circulation shell moves from a position corresponding to the powder overflow area to a position corresponding to the forming platform, the transportation of the charged particle gas in the powder circulation shell is stopped, and the powder in the powder circulation shell is transformed from a circulating motion state to a stationary state on the forming platform.

[0012] Optionally, the powder spreading portion is synchronized with the movement state of the powder circulation housing.

[0013] Optionally, the powder spreading portion is arranged at one end of the powder circulation housing facing the powder overflow area and / or the forming platform, so as to move synchronously driven by the powder circulation housing.

[0014] Optionally, there are two powder overflow areas, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the forming platform; wherein the powder circulation shell can reciprocate between the two powder overflow areas and positions corresponding to the forming platform to perform bidirectional powder spreading.

[0015] Optionally, it further includes: a heating device, which is arranged inside the powder circulation shell, and the heating device is used to preheat the powder in the powder circulation shell.

[0016] Optionally, the inert gas is argon.

[0017] In order to reduce powder agglomeration and make the laid powder more uniform, one aspect of the present invention provides a 3D printing device, which includes a structure in which the aforementioned plasma powder laying device is installed on the 3D printing device.

[0018] In order to reduce powder agglomeration and make the laid powder more uniform, one aspect of the present invention provides a plasma powder laying method for 3D printing equipment, the method comprising: conveying prepared and / or stored inert gas into a channel; generating plasma and releasing the generated plasma into the channel so that the plasma is mixed with the inert gas to form a charged particle gas; conveying the charged particle gas into a powder circulation shell to disturb the powder in the powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation shell, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation shell with the flow of the charged particle gas to eliminate static electricity and / or loose powder; wherein the powder overflow area is formed at the powder outlet of a powder bin; and using at least one powder laying part to lay the powder in a stationary state after the circulating motion so as to evenly lay the powder on a forming platform.

[0019] Optionally, the method further comprises: using at least one gas injection unit disposed at an outlet of the channel and / or an inlet of the powder circulation housing to inject the charged particle gas into the powder circulation housing.

[0020] Optionally, the gas injection unit is a nozzle, and the method further comprises: adjusting the injection angle of the nozzle to change the injection direction of the charged particle gas.

[0021] Optionally, the method also includes: controlling the powder circulation shell to move in the powder spreading direction so that the powder circulation shell moves from a position corresponding to the powder overflow area to a position corresponding to the forming platform; and stopping the transportation of the charged particle gas in the powder circulation shell, and the powder in the powder circulation shell is transformed from a circulating motion state to a stationary state on the forming platform.

[0022] Optionally, the method further comprises: controlling the powder spreading portion and the powder circulation housing to move synchronously in a powder spreading direction.

[0023] Optionally, there are two powder overflow areas, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the forming platform; wherein the method further comprises: controlling the powder circulation shell to move back and forth between the two powder overflow areas and positions corresponding to the forming platform to perform bidirectional powder spreading.

[0024] Optionally, the method further includes: controlling a heating device to preheat the powder in the powder circulation housing.

[0025] The present invention forms charged particle gas by conveying inert gas and plasma into the channel, and makes the charged particle gas flow into the powder circulation shell from the channel to disturb the powder in the powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation shell, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation shell along with the flow of the charged particle gas, thereby eliminating the static electricity of the powder itself and making the powder looser. On this basis, the powder spreading part spreads the powder after the disturbance of the charged particle gas on the forming platform, which can achieve better powder spreading effect and more uniform powder spreading. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are merely embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without paying any creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic structural diagram of a plasma powder spreading device provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 The figure shows a schematic structural diagram of a plasma powder spreading device provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the state of powder in the powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation housing provided by one embodiment of the present invention before gas disturbance;

[0030] Figure 4 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the state of powder in the powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation housing provided by one embodiment of the present invention when the powder is disturbed by gas;

[0031] Figure 5 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a 3D printing device with a single powder bin provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 The figure shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a 3D printing device with two powder bins provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 It shows a schematic diagram of the state change of the powder spreading part provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 It shows a schematic diagram of the state change of the powder circulation housing and the powder spreading part provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Fig. 9(a) is a schematic diagram showing the powder clustering phenomenon, (b) is a schematic diagram showing ordinary powder spreading, and (c) is a schematic diagram showing the powder spreading of the present invention;

[0036] Fig.10 Shown is a schematic flow chart of a plasma powder laying method provided in one embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are intended to be used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0038] According to one aspect of the present invention, the plasma powder spreading device is used in 3D printing equipment, that is, it can be used as a part of the structure of the 3D printing equipment. The 3D printing equipment described here is preferably a 3D printing type that uses a laser beam / electron beam as an energy source, such as selective laser sintering (SLS), selective laser melting (SLM), etc. Powder bed-based 3D printing technology requires that the powder be spread in advance, and the material is melted by laser scanning to solidify the loose powder together. The powder is spread layer by layer through scanning, and the retractable platform sinks to finally obtain a solid body wrapped by powder.

[0039] The 3D printing device is composed of at least several parts such as a mechanical unit, an optical path unit and a computer control system. The plasma powder spreading device of the present invention is preferably used as a part of the mechanical unit, and of course it can be used alone as a part parallel to the mechanical unit, the optical path unit and the computer control system. In the specific spatial arrangement form, the optical path unit can be arranged above the mechanical unit, or it can be arranged based on the core invention points taught in this application according to the actual structural design. In the control logic, the control of the mechanical unit and the optical path unit is realized by the computer control system, that is, the control of the electrostatic device of the present invention is preferably realized by the computer control system.

[0040] Since the plasma powder laying device of the present invention needs to interact with other parts of the 3D printing device, especially the mechanical unit, when used, the structure of the mechanical unit of the 3D printing device is described here.

[0041] refer to Figure 5As shown, in some embodiments, after omitting the plasma powder laying device of the present invention, the mechanical unit of the 3D printing device is composed of at least a forming bin 24, a powder bin 21, a building lifting device 25, and a powder supply lifting device 26. Among them, the forming bin 24 is used to construct the forming workpiece 28, that is, the forming workpiece 28 completes the final construction in the forming bin 24; the distance of each descent of the forming bin 24 is the layer thickness; after the forming workpiece 28 is completed, the forming bin 24 rises to facilitate the removal of the constructed forming workpiece 28 and prepare for the next construction. The lifting of the forming bin 24 is driven by the building lifting device 25. The powder bin 21 is arranged on one side of the forming bin 24, and is used to provide powder material to the forming bin 24. The lifting of the powder bin 21 is driven by the powder supply lifting device 26. The powder described here refers to the material to be processed, which is used in a powder state. For example, the powder can be mainly composed of a material made of metal or polymer. During the construction process, the powder is laid layer by layer on the top of the forming bin 24, that is, the forming platform, and then a powder bed is formed in the forming bin 24.

[0042] refer to Figure 6 As shown, in some embodiments, the mechanical unit of the 3D printing device has a powder bin 22 and a powder supply lifting device 27 on the basis of the above-mentioned disclosed structure. The powder bin 22 is arranged on the other side of the forming bin 24 and is also used to provide powder material to the forming bin 24. The lifting of the powder bin 22 is driven by the powder supply lifting device 27. It should be understood that the mechanical unit of the 3D printing device may only have Figure 5 The single powder bin structure shown can also be a structure with Figure 6 The double powder bin structure shown; when using Figure 5 In the single powder bin structure shown, the powder bin 21 can be arranged on the left side of the forming bin 24 or on the right side of the forming bin; Figure 6 In the double powder bin structure shown, the powder bin 21 and the powder bin 22 can also be interchanged and used as a powder bin for temporary powder supply or residual material collection.

[0043] refer to Figure 1 , 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the plasma powder spreading device of the present invention is composed of at least a gas delivery unit 10, a plasma generating unit 12, a powder circulation housing 13 and powder spreading parts 14, 15, etc.

[0044] The gas delivery unit 10 is configured to deliver the prepared and / or stored inert gas into a channel 11. In one embodiment, the gas delivery unit 10 is configured as follows Figure 1 , 2The gas storage tank shown in the figure can control the opening and closing of gas delivery based on the opening and closing of the valve, and constrain the amount of gas delivery based on the opening of the valve; the valve can be controlled by the computer control system of the 3D printing device. In another embodiment, the gas delivery unit 10 can also be provided with a device capable of preparing inert gas to generate inert gas to be used in real time as needed. In a specific spatial arrangement, the gas delivery unit 10 can be arranged away from the 3D printing device, for example, it can be arranged in a designated area with safety protection measures to achieve the delivery of inert gas to the channel 11 from a distance. In other embodiments, the gas delivery unit 10 has a gas delivery pipeline 101, one end of which is connected to the gas delivery unit 10 and the other end is connected to the channel 11; the gas delivery unit 10 delivers the prepared and / or stored inert gas to the channel 11 through the gas delivery pipeline 101.

[0045] In some preferred embodiments, the inert gas is set to argon (Ar). It should be understood that in practical applications, the present invention also includes more inert gas forms besides argon (Ar), such as helium (He), neon (Ne), krypton (Kr), etc., which are all covered within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0046] The plasma generating unit 12 is configured to release the generated plasma into the channel 11 so that the plasma is mixed with the inert gas to form a charged particle gas. The plasma generating unit 12 can also be controlled by the computer control system of the 3D printing device. Specifically, the plasma generating unit 12 can be configured as a plasma generator arranged circumferentially along the channel 11. The plasma generator can generate plasma and release the generated plasma into the channel 11; the plasma entering the channel 11 is mixed with the inert gas entering the channel 11 to form a charged particle gas, that is, an inert gas carrying charged particles. The channel 11 is configured to be connected to the powder circulation shell 13 so that the charged particle gas can flow from the channel 11 into the powder circulation shell 13.

[0047] For the sake of ease of description, the combination of the ion generating unit 12 and the channel 11 is named herein as a plasma channel. In a specific spatial arrangement, the plasma channel may be disposed inside the powder circulation shell 13 or outside the powder circulation shell 13; when the plasma channel is disposed inside the powder circulation shell 13, it may be in contact with or spaced apart from the inner wall of the powder circulation shell 13; when the plasma channel is disposed outside the powder circulation shell 13, it may be in contact with or spaced apart from the outer wall of the powder circulation shell 13. These optional arrangements are all covered within the scope of protection of the present invention. When the ion channel is configured to contact with the powder circulation shell 13, the specific contact method may be an integrated contact or a detachably connected contact. For example Figure 1The figure shows that the plasma channel is arranged outside the powder circulation housing 13 and contacts the outer wall of the powder circulation housing 13. Figure 2 The plasma channel is arranged in the powder circulation housing 13 and contacts the inner wall of the powder circulation housing 13. Figure 1 The arrangement of the plasma channel relative to the powder circulation housing 13 is shown.

[0048] In some embodiments, the plasma powder spreading device of the present invention further has at least one gas injection unit 16, which is configured to inject charged particle gas into the powder circulation housing 13. The specific number of the gas injection units 16 can be adaptively set according to actual use requirements. In a specific spatial arrangement, the gas injection unit 16 is arranged at the outlet of the channel 11 and / or the inlet of the powder circulation housing 13. Specifically, when the plasma channel is arranged in the powder circulation housing 13, the gas injection unit 16 is arranged at the outlet of the channel 11; when the plasma channel is arranged outside the powder circulation housing 13, the gas injection unit 16 is arranged at the inlet of the powder circulation housing 13. It should be understood that when the plasma channel is arranged outside the powder circulation housing 13 and is spaced from the outer wall of the powder circulation housing 13, the gas injection unit 16 is arranged at both the outlet of the channel 11 and the inlet of the powder circulation housing 13, that is, the gas injection unit 16 is at least connected to the outlet of the channel 11 and the inlet of the powder circulation housing 13 respectively. In one embodiment, the gas injection unit 16 is configured as a nozzle. The spray angle of the nozzle can be adjusted to change the spray direction of the charged particle gas.

[0049] refer to Figure 1-5 As shown, the powder circulation housing 13 is a hollow housing with an opening at the bottom. The present invention does not limit the specific form of the housing, but it is preferably a square housing; the powder circulation housing 13 is set at a position that can at least correspond to a powder overflow area 211; the powder overflow area 211 is formed at the powder outlet of a powder bin 21, and a part of the powder is caused to overflow from the powder outlet of the powder bin 21 by the upward drive of the powder supply lifting device 26 to form the powder overflow area 211. The powder in the powder overflow area 211 is usually the powder used to be laid on the forming platform 23. More broadly speaking, the powder circulation housing 13 is set at a position corresponding to the powder bin 21, and the correspondence referred to here can be understood as covering, that is, at least the powder overflow area 211 is covered in the powder circulation housing 13.

[0050] In between, reference Figure 3 , 4As shown, when the charged particle gas flows into the powder circulation shell 13 from the channel 11, the powder in the powder overflow area 211 corresponding to the powder circulation shell 13 can be disturbed, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation shell 13 along with the flow of the charged particle gas, thereby eliminating the static electricity of the powder itself and making the powder looser, which is conducive to better achieving uniform powder spreading on the forming platform 23.

[0051] The powder spreading parts of the present invention are preferably set to two, namely powder spreading parts 14 and 15, but in practical applications, they can also be set to one or more than two. The specific form of the powder spreading parts 14 and 15 can be one of a powder spreading brush, a powder spreading roller and a scraper, and the present invention is preferably a scraper. The powder spreading parts 14 and 15 are configured to spread the powder in a static state after the cyclic motion so as to evenly spread the powder on the forming platform 23. The cyclic motion described here is the cyclic motion of the powder in the overflow powder area 211 in the powder circulation housing 13 along with the flow of the charged particle gas; the end of the cyclic motion means that the gas delivery unit 10 stops delivering the inert gas into the channel 11, the charged particle gas in the powder circulation housing 13 stops flowing, and the powder in the powder circulation housing 13 stops cyclic motion. And after the cyclic motion ends, the powder in the powder circulation housing 13 falls to turn to a static state. The powder spreading parts 14 and 15 spread the powder in a static state so as to evenly spread it on the forming platform 23. Because the powder is disturbed by the charged particle gas before laying, and circulates in the powder circulation shell 13 with the flow of the charged particle gas under the disturbance, the static electricity of the powder itself is eliminated, and the powder can also be made looser; on this basis, the powder spreading parts 14 and 15 spread the powder after the charged particle gas disturbance on the forming platform 23, which can achieve a better powder spreading effect, and the powder is laid more evenly and the effect is more intuitive. Fig. 9 shown.

[0052] In some embodiments, the powder circulation housing 13 is always kept in a stationary state, that is, it is always in a position that at least corresponds to the powder overflow area 211, and it can also be considered to be always above the powder bin 21 / powder overflow area 211. In this configuration, the powder spreading parts 14, 15 are in a moving state in the powder spreading direction, that is, they are movably arranged on the plane formed by the powder bin 21 / powder overflow area 211 and the forming platform 23, and are located between the plane and the powder circulation housing 13. Figure 7As shown, the initial positions of the powder spreading parts 14, 15 are below the two ends of the powder circulation housing 13. When the powder in the overflow powder area 211 finishes circulating in the powder circulation housing 13 and is in a stationary state, the powder spreading parts 14, 15 start spreading the powder, and a separate driving mechanism controls the movement of the powder spreading parts 14, 15. That is, the powder spreading parts 14, 15 leave the initial position and move along the powder spreading direction to spread the powder in the powder circulation housing 13 on the forming platform 23.

[0053] In addition, since the powder spreading parts 14 and 15 can be separately arranged from the powder circulation housing 13, other fixing structures are needed to fix the powder circulation housing 13 at its position in a specific spatial arrangement.

[0054] In some embodiments, the powder circulation housing 13 is in a moving state in the powder spreading direction, that is, it can move above the powder bin 21 / powder overflow area 211 and the forming platform 23. In one embodiment, the initial position of the powder circulation housing 13 is located at a position that at least corresponds to the powder overflow area 211. After the powder in the powder overflow area 211 is in a circulating motion in the powder circulation housing 13, the powder circulation housing 13 can start to move in the powder spreading direction, thereby driving the powder in the powder circulation housing 13 in a circulating motion state to move synchronously in the powder spreading direction. When the powder circulation housing 13 moves from the position corresponding to the powder overflow area 211 (i.e., the initial position) to the position corresponding to the forming platform 23, the gas delivery unit 10 stops delivering inert gas into the channel 11, and the charged particle gas stops flowing in the powder circulation housing 13, and the powder in the powder circulation housing 13 changes from a circulating motion state to a stationary state on the forming platform 23.

[0055] refer to Figure 8As shown, when the powder circulation housing 13 is in a moving state in the powder spreading direction, the powder spreading parts 14, 15 are synchronized with the movement state of the powder circulation housing 13. Specifically, the powder spreading parts 14, 15 are arranged at one end of the powder circulation housing 13 facing the powder overflow area 211 and / or the forming platform 23, so as to move synchronously driven by the powder circulation housing 13, that is, the powder spreading parts 14, 15 are connected to the powder circulation housing 13, and the specific connection method can be an integral molding or a detachable connection. In short, under this setting form, the powder spreading parts 14, 15 are always fixed below the two ends of the powder circulation housing 13. When the powder circulation housing 13 moves to a position corresponding to the forming platform 23 and the powder in the powder circulation housing 13 changes from a circulating motion state to a stationary state on the forming platform 23, the powder circulation housing 13 is driven to move along the powder spreading direction by a separately arranged driving mechanism, thereby driving the powder spreading parts 14 and 15 to spread the powder, that is, driving the powder spreading parts 14 and 15 to move along the powder spreading direction to spread the powder in the powder circulation housing 13 on the forming platform 23, that is, further spreading the powder that falls on the forming platform 23. When the powder circulation housing 13 moves to one end of the forming platform 23 along the powder spreading direction, it can also move in the direction opposite to the powder spreading direction to drive the powder spreading parts 14 and 15 to further spread the powder.

[0056] In some embodiments, the gas delivery unit 10 stops delivering inert gas into the channel 11 only when the powder circulation housing 13 moves from the position corresponding to the powder overflow area 211 (i.e., the initial position) to the position corresponding to the forming platform 23. The position corresponding to the forming platform 23 described here refers to the position corresponding to the forming workpiece 28 under the forming platform 23. That is to say, when the powder circulation housing 13 has not moved to the position corresponding to the forming workpiece 28 under the forming platform 23, the gas delivery unit 10 still delivers inert gas into the channel 11. Figure 5 As shown, the powder circulation housing 13 does not stop delivering the inert gas when it is in the A zone in the powder spreading direction, and stops delivering the inert gas only when the powder circulation housing 13 moves to the B zone (target position). In this way, the powder residue remaining at one end of the forming platform 23 (the area between the initial position and the target position) can be disturbed during the movement of the powder circulation housing 13.

[0057] refer to Figure 6As shown, in some embodiments, there are two powder overflow areas, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the forming platform, namely, the powder overflow areas 211 and 221; wherein the powder circulation housing 13 can reciprocate between the positions corresponding to the powder overflow areas 211, 221 and the forming platform 23 to perform bidirectional powder spreading. The foregoing has described that the powder overflow area 211 is formed at the powder outlet of the powder bin 21, while the powder overflow area 221 is formed at the powder outlet of the powder bin 22, which is the double powder bin structure described above. Specifically, after the aforementioned powder spreading on the forming platform 23 is completed, the powder circulation housing 13 can continue to move from the position corresponding to the forming platform 23 to the position corresponding to the powder overflow area 221 to disturb the powder formed at the powder overflow area 221 and return to the forming platform 23 for powder spreading, and finally return to the initial position, namely, the position corresponding to the powder overflow area 211, and repeat the cycle.

[0058] refer to Figure 1-4 As shown, in some embodiments, the plasma powder laying device of the present invention further comprises a heating device 17, which is arranged inside the powder circulation housing 13, and the heating device 17 is arranged to preheat the powder in the powder circulation housing 13. Figure 1-4 The setting position of the heating device 17 shown in the figure is only one exemplary setting mode. In actual application, the heating device 17 can be set at other positions in the powder circulation housing 13 to achieve the best preheating condition.

[0059] After the above-mentioned powder spreading process of the present invention is completed, the next stage of work is carried out, such as activating the optical path unit of the 3D printing device to act on the powder on the forming platform to form and manufacture the workpiece.

[0060] According to one aspect of the present invention, a 3D printing device is provided, wherein the 3D printing device comprises a structure in which the aforementioned plasma powder spreading device is installed in the 3D printing device. In addition, a part of the structure of the 3D printing device itself has been described above. Figure 5 , 6 Shown in.

[0061] According to one aspect of the present invention, a plasma powder laying method is provided, which is used in a 3D printing device, referring to Fig.10 As shown, the method includes steps S1-S4.

[0062] S1, transporting the prepared and / or stored inert gas into a channel;

[0063] S2, generating plasma and releasing the generated plasma into the channel so that the plasma is mixed with the inert gas to form a charged particle gas;

[0064] S3, conveying the charged particle gas into a powder circulation housing to disturb the powder at a powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation housing, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation housing along with the flow of the charged particle gas to eliminate static electricity and / or loose powder; wherein the powder overflow area is formed at a powder outlet of a powder bin; and

[0065] S4, using at least one powder spreading part to spread the powder that is in a stationary state after the cyclic motion so as to evenly spread the powder on a forming platform.

[0066] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: injecting the charged particle gas into the powder circulation housing using at least one gas injection unit disposed at an outlet of the channel and / or an inlet of the powder circulation housing.

[0067] In some embodiments, the gas injection unit is a nozzle, and the method further includes: adjusting the injection angle of the nozzle to change the injection direction of the charged particle gas.

[0068] In some embodiments, the method also includes: controlling the powder circulation shell to move in the powder spreading direction so that the powder circulation shell moves from a position corresponding to the powder overflow area to a position corresponding to the forming platform; and stopping the transportation of the charged particle gas in the powder circulation shell, and the powder in the powder circulation shell changes from a circulating motion state to a stationary state on the forming platform.

[0069] In some embodiments, the method further includes: controlling the powder spreading portion and the powder circulation housing to move synchronously in a powder spreading direction.

[0070] In some embodiments, there are two powder overflow areas, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the forming platform; wherein the method further comprises: controlling the powder circulation shell to move back and forth between the two powder overflow areas and positions corresponding to the forming platform to perform bidirectional powder spreading.

[0071] In some embodiments, the method further includes: controlling a heating device to preheat the powder in the powder circulation housing.

[0072] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine the different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of the different embodiments or examples, without contradiction.

[0073] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" or "above" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" or "below" a second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0074] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is to be understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and are not to be construed as limitations of the present invention. A person skilled in the art may change, modify, replace and vary the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

[0075] Description of reference numerals:

[0076] Gas delivery unit 10

[0077] Gas Pipeline 101

[0078] Channel 11

[0079] Plasma generating unit 12

[0080] Powder circulation housing 13

[0081] Powder spreading section 14, 15

[0082] Gas injection unit 16

[0083] Heating device 17

[0084] Powder bin 21,22

[0085] Powder spill area 211,221

[0086] Forming platform 23

[0087] Forming chamber 24

[0088] Build a lifting device 25

[0089] Powder supply lifting device 26, 27

[0090] The workpiece 28 is formed.

Claims

1. A plasma powder spreading device for 3D printing equipment, characterized in that: include: a gas delivery unit for delivering prepared and / or stored inert gas into a channel; a plasma generating unit, used for releasing the generated plasma into the channel so that the plasma is mixed with the inert gas to form a charged particle gas; a powder circulation housing, arranged at a position corresponding to at least one powder overflow area, wherein the charged particle gas is transported into the powder circulation housing to disturb the powder at the powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation housing, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation housing along with the flow of the charged particle gas to eliminate static electricity and / or loose powder; and At least one powder spreading part is used to spread the powder in a stationary state after the cyclic motion so as to evenly spread the powder on a forming platform.

2. The plasma powder spreading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder overflow area is formed at a powder outlet of a powder bin.

3. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The gas delivery unit comprises a gas delivery pipeline; wherein the gas delivery unit is used to deliver the prepared and / or stored inert gas to the channel through the gas delivery pipeline.

4. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: at least one gas injection unit, arranged at the outlet of the passage and / or the inlet of the powder circulation housing; The gas injection unit is used to inject the charged particle gas into the powder circulation housing.

5. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The gas injection unit is a nozzle.

6. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The spray angle of the nozzle can be adjusted to change the spray direction of the charged particle gas.

7. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder circulation housing is in a moving state in the powder spreading direction.

8. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 7, characterized in that: When the powder circulation shell moves from the position corresponding to the powder overflow area to the position corresponding to the forming platform, the transportation of the charged particle gas in the powder circulation shell is stopped, and the powder in the powder circulation shell is transformed from a circulating motion state to a stationary state on the forming platform.

9. The plasma powder spreading device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The powder spreading portion is synchronized with the movement state of the powder circulation housing.

10. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The powder spreading portion is arranged at one end of the powder circulation housing facing the powder overflow area and / or the forming platform, so as to move synchronously under the drive of the powder circulation housing.

11. The plasma powder spreading device according to claim 7, characterized in that: There are two powder overflow areas, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the forming platform; wherein the powder circulation shell can reciprocate between the two powder overflow areas and the positions corresponding to the forming platform to perform bidirectional powder spreading.

12. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes: A heating device is arranged inside the powder circulation shell, and the heating device is used to preheat the powder in the powder circulation shell.

13. The plasma powder laying device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inert gas is argon.

14. A 3D printing device, characterized in that: The 3D printing equipment includes the plasma powder laying device according to any one of claims 1-13.

15. A plasma powder laying method for 3D printing equipment, characterized in that: include: transporting the prepared and / or stored inert gas into a channel; generating plasma and releasing the generated plasma into the channel so that the plasma is mixed with the inert gas to form a charged particle gas; The charged particle gas is transported into a powder circulation shell to disturb the powder in a powder overflow area corresponding to the powder circulation shell, so that the powder circulates in the powder circulation shell along with the flow of the charged particle gas to eliminate static electricity and / or loose powder; wherein the powder overflow area is formed at a powder outlet of a powder bin; and at least one powder spreading part is used to spread the powder in a stationary state after the circulating motion so as to evenly spread the powder on a forming platform.

16. The plasma powder laying method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The method further comprises: using at least one gas injection unit disposed at the outlet of the channel and / or the inlet of the powder circulation housing to inject the charged particle gas into the powder circulation housing.

17. The plasma powder laying method according to claim 16, characterized in that: The gas injection unit is a nozzle, and the method further comprises: adjusting the injection angle of the nozzle to change the injection direction of the charged particle gas.

18. The plasma powder laying method according to claim 15, characterized in that: Also includes: Controlling the powder circulation housing to move in the powder spreading direction so that the powder circulation housing moves from a position corresponding to the powder overflow area to a position corresponding to the forming platform; The conveying of the charged particle gas in the powder circulation shell is stopped, and the powder in the powder circulation shell is transformed from a circulating motion state to a stationary state on the forming platform.

19. The plasma powder laying method according to claim 18, characterized in that: Also includes: The powder spreading portion and the powder circulation housing are controlled to move synchronously in a powder spreading direction.

20. The plasma powder laying method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that: There are two powder overflow areas, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the forming platform; The method further comprises: controlling the powder circulation housing to move back and forth between two powder overflow areas and positions corresponding to the forming platform to perform bidirectional powder spreading.

21. The plasma powder laying method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, characterized in that: Also includes: A heating device is controlled to preheat the powder in the powder circulation housing.

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