Additive manufacturing method and equipment based on production of composite materials

Abstract

The present invention discloses an additive manufacturing method and equipment based on the production of composite materials, including the following specific steps: S1: raw material mixing: heating and mixing all raw materials required for the produced composite materials; S2: fiber laying: using equipment to automatically lay fibers; S3: glue filling: laying glue on the outer surface of the laid fibers; S4: composite material filling: filling the heated and mixed composite raw materials on the glue-filled fibers; S5: pressing: pressing with a pressing plate and smoothing the surface of the composite material; S6: shaping and removing: removing the composite material after shaping; the above-mentioned S2, fiber laying includes the following specific steps: S21: preheating: heating the fiber raw material to make it into a liquid material. The additive manufacturing method and equipment based on the production of composite materials disclosed by the present invention are beneficial to ensuring the flatness of the periphery of the composite material and further ensuring production efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of composite material production, and in particular to an additive manufacturing method and equipment based on producing composite materials. Background Art

[0002] Composite materials are materials made by combining two or more materials in a physical or chemical manner, with their properties independent of each other. These materials can improve certain properties, compensate for shortcomings, or gain new performance advantages. They are widely used in various fields of industry and life. Traditional composite materials can be divided into particle-reinforced composites and fiber-reinforced composites based on the type of reinforcement.

[0003] During the production of composite materials, fibers are typically used as a base layer to enhance their performance. To reduce material waste, additive manufacturing (AM) equipment is typically used to spray fiber filaments into a mold. The composite material is then bonded together with glue and pressed to create the finished product. However, during the pressing process, the glue and composite material are squeezed out, resulting in uneven edges around the composite material, requiring subsequent grinding or cutting, and reducing production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present invention discloses that in order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] An additive manufacturing method for producing composite materials, comprising the following specific steps:

[0006] S1: Raw material mixing: All raw materials required for the composite material to be produced are heated and mixed;

[0007] S2: Fiber placement: Use equipment to automatically place fibers;

[0008] S3: Glue filling: Glue is laid on the outer surface of the laid fiber;

[0009] S4: Composite material filling: Filling the glue-filled fibers with heated and mixed composite materials;

[0010] S5: Pressing: using a pressing plate to press and smooth the surface of the composite material;

[0011] S6: Remove after shaping: remove the composite material after shaping;

[0012] Said S2, laying the fibers comprises the following specific steps:

[0013] S21: Preheating: heating the fiber raw material to turn it into a liquid material;

[0014] S22: Fiber formation: using spinning equipment to transform fiber liquid into fiber filaments;

[0015] S23: Dipping the fiber into glue to make the surface evenly coated with glue;

[0016] S24: Simulation path: Use computer to simulate the additive path and transmit it to the additive equipment;

[0017] S25: Bottom layer placement: Using additive equipment to lay fiber filaments as the bottom layer according to the simulated path sequence;

[0018] S26: Peripheral laying: Using additive equipment to lay fiber filaments twice on the periphery of the upper surface of the fiber bottom layer, so that the bottom layer appears convex on all sides and concave in the middle.

[0019] In the production process of composite materials, in order to enhance their performance, fibers are generally required as a base layer. At the same time, in order to reduce material waste, additive manufacturing equipment is generally used to spray fiber filaments using additive manufacturing methods to shape them, and the composite materials are bonded by glue, and then pressed to obtain the finished product. However, during the pressing process, the laid glue will be squeezed out, making the periphery of the composite material uneven, resulting in the need for subsequent grinding or cutting, which reduces production efficiency. By designing the additive path during the simulation process, when laying the fiber base layer, the spacing between adjacent fiber filaments on the outside is larger than the spacing between the fiber filaments on the inside, and then using additive equipment to lay fiber filaments twice on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the fiber base layer, the base layer appears convex on all sides and concave in the middle. After the fiber filaments are shaped, the external glue and composite material are trapped by the outer layer of fiber filaments and prevented from leaking during the pressing process. As the pressing position moves backward, the glue and composite material gradually solidify, and the outer fiber filaments are pressed into the spacing outside the bottom fiber filaments, which helps to ensure the flatness of the composite material periphery and further ensure production efficiency.

[0020] The present invention is further improved in that the glue in the S3 glue filling and the S22 glue dipping is made of liquid resin or solid resin at room temperature, wherein the solid resin is added after being heated to a liquid state.

[0021] In the simulation path of S24, in the design of the additive path, when laying the fiber filament bottom layer, the spacing between adjacent fiber filaments located on the outside is larger than the spacing between the fiber filaments located on the inside, and the fiber filaments laid in S26 are exactly located at the spacing between the fiber filaments on the outside;

[0022] An additive manufacturing device based on the production of composite materials, comprising a table, a top plate is arranged directly above the table, a moving path plate is arranged at the bottom end of the top plate, a spray gun is connected to the bottom end of the moving path plate, a limiting groove is arranged at the top end of the table, a water cooling mechanism is arranged at the bottom end of the table, a blowing mechanism and a dust suction mechanism are respectively arranged on both sides of the table, the blowing mechanism and the dust suction mechanism are opposite to each other, the water cooling mechanism comprises a plurality of water cooling hoses, the two ends of the plurality of water cooling hoses are respectively connected to a multi-way pipe and a second multi-way pipe, the plurality of water cooling hoses are connected through the multi-way pipe and the second multi-way pipe, and one side of the multi-way pipe and the second multi-way pipe is provided with A liquid storage tank, wherein a water pump is provided on the inner wall of the liquid storage tank, and the water pump includes an input end and an output end, the input end of the water pump is connected to the second multi-way pipe, and the output end of the water pump is connected to the multi-way pipe. The middle sections of the multiple water-cooling hoses are provided with a connecting frame and multiple second brackets, and the multiple water-cooling hoses are fixed to the bottom end of the limit groove through the connecting frame. The bottom end of the table is connected to the bracket, and the outer wall of one side of the bracket is fixedly connected to a support plate, and part of the second bracket is arranged on the top of the support plate, and two digital cylinders are fixed on the outer wall of the top of the support plate at the same time, and the top of the digital cylinder is connected to the second support plate, and the top of the second support plate is fixedly connected to part of the second bracket.

[0023] By providing a water cooling mechanism, when the composite material completes the pressing process, the water pump is turned on, and the coolant in the liquid storage tank is caused to flow through multiple water-cooling hoses under the action of the water pump, and acts on the bottom surface of the limit groove, thereby quickly cooling the bottom layer of the composite material and further enhancing production efficiency. During secondary production, by turning off the water pump and controlling the digital cylinder to shorten at the same time, the part of the water-cooling hose that fits the bottom of the limit groove is tilted, and the coolant in the water-cooling hose is refluxed, stopping the cooling of the bottom surface of the limit groove, and avoiding premature solidification of the composite material affecting the shaping.

[0024] A further improvement of the present invention is that: the blowing mechanism includes a blower, an air outlet is provided on the inner wall of one side of the table top, the air outlet is connected to the blowing mechanism, a heating plate is embedded in the inner wall of the bottom end of the air outlet, the dust suction mechanism includes a suction fan, one end of the suction fan is connected to a dust removal bag, and an air suction port is provided on the inner wall of the other side of the table top, and the air suction port is connected to the suction fan.

[0025] By providing a dust suction mechanism and a blowing mechanism, after the composite material is shaped and removed, air is discharged through the blower of the blowing mechanism, and the blown air is made hot air under the action of the heating plate, and acts on the bottom surface of the limiting groove, so that the bottom surface of the limiting groove can be quickly heated after cooling, avoiding the subsequent composite material from being shaped prematurely during the production process. At the same time, the bottom surface of the limiting groove is also cleaned, and under the action of the suction fan, the remaining waste enters the dust removal bag for collection, which plays a role of fast and automatic cleaning.

[0026] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0027] 1. By designing the additive path in the simulation process, when laying the fiber base layer, the spacing between adjacent fiber filaments on the outside is larger than the spacing between the fiber filaments on the inside. Then, the additive equipment is used to lay fiber filaments twice on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the fiber base layer, so that the base layer appears convex on all sides and concave in the middle. When the fiber filaments are shaped, the glue and composite materials on the outside are trapped by the fiber filaments on the outer layer.

[0028] 2. During the pressing process, ensure that it does not leak out. As the pressing position moves back, the glue and composite material gradually solidify. At the same time, the peripheral fiber filaments are pressed into the spacing outside the bottom fiber filaments, which is beneficial to ensure the flatness of the composite material periphery and further ensure production efficiency.

[0029] 3. By setting up a water cooling mechanism, when the composite material completes the pressing process, the water pump is turned on. Under the action of the water pump, the coolant in the liquid storage tank flows through multiple water cooling hoses and acts on the bottom surface of the limit groove, thereby quickly cooling the bottom layer of the composite material and further improving production efficiency.

[0030] 4. During secondary production, by turning off the water pump and controlling the digital cylinder to shorten at the same time, the part of the water-cooling hose that fits the bottom of the limit groove is tilted, and the coolant in the water-cooling hose is refluxed, stopping the cooling of the bottom surface of the limit groove, and avoiding premature solidification of the composite material and affecting the molding.

[0031] 5. It is helpful to ensure the flatness around the composite material and further ensure the technical effect of production efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 This is a flow chart of the overall structure of an additive manufacturing method based on the production of composite materials proposed in the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a fiber placement flow chart for an additive manufacturing method for producing composite materials proposed in the present invention.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of an additive manufacturing device based on the production of composite materials proposed by the present invention.

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of an additive manufacturing device based on the production of composite materials proposed by the present invention.

[0036] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the water cooling mechanism structure of an additive manufacturing device based on the production of composite materials proposed by the present invention.

[0037] Figure 6This is a cross-sectional view of the blowing mechanism of an additive manufacturing device for producing composite materials proposed by the present invention.

[0038] In the figure: 1. Top plate; 2. Moving path plate; 3. Spray gun; 4. Table; 5. Bracket; 6. Suction fan; 7. Water cooling mechanism; 8. Support plate; 9. Dust bag; 10. Limiting groove; 11. Air outlet; 12. Blower; 13. Liquid storage tank; 14. Water cooling hose; 15. Connecting frame; 16. Second bracket; 17. Second support plate; 18. Digital cylinder; 19. Multi-way pipe; 20. Second multi-way pipe; 21. Heating plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the terms "front," "rear," "left," "right," "up," and "down" used in the following description refer to directions in the accompanying drawings, and the terms "inward" and "outward" refer to directions toward or away from the geometric center of a particular component, respectively.

[0040] The present invention discloses an additive manufacturing method and equipment for producing composite materials, which are mainly used in composite material production scenarios.

[0041] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 , an additive manufacturing method based on producing composite materials, comprising the following specific steps:

[0042] S1: Raw material mixing: All raw materials required for the composite material to be produced are heated and mixed;

[0043] S2: Fiber placement: Use equipment to automatically place fibers;

[0044] S3: Glue filling: Glue is laid on the outer surface of the laid fiber;

[0045] S4: Composite material filling: Filling the glue-filled fibers with heated and mixed composite materials;

[0046] S5: Pressing: using a pressing plate to press and smooth the surface of the composite material;

[0047] S6: Remove after shaping: remove the composite material after shaping;

[0048] S2, fiber placement includes the following specific steps:

[0049] S21: Preheating: heating the fiber raw material to turn it into a liquid material;

[0050] S22: Fiber formation: using spinning equipment to transform fiber liquid into fiber filaments;

[0051] S23: Dipping the fiber into glue to make the surface evenly coated with glue;

[0052] S24: Simulation path: Use computer to simulate the additive path and transmit it to the additive equipment;

[0053] S25: Bottom layer placement: Using additive equipment to lay fiber filaments as the bottom layer according to the simulated path sequence;

[0054] S26: Peripheral laying: Using additive equipment to lay fiber filaments twice on the periphery of the upper surface of the fiber bottom layer, so that the bottom layer appears convex on all sides and concave in the middle.

[0055] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 In a preferred embodiment, the glue in S3, filling and S22, dipping can also be heated liquid resin.

[0056] Reference Figure 2 In a preferred embodiment, in S24, in the simulation path, in the design of the additive path, when laying the fiber filament bottom layer, the spacing between adjacent fiber filaments located on the outside is greater than the spacing between the inner fiber filaments, and the fiber filaments laid in S26 are just located at the spacing of the outer fiber filaments.

[0057] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 4 , an additive manufacturing device based on the production of composite materials, including a table 4, a top plate 1 is arranged directly above the table 4, a moving path plate 2 is arranged at the bottom end of the top plate 1, a spray gun 3 is connected to the bottom end of the moving path plate 2, a limiting groove 10 is arranged at the top of the table 4, a water cooling mechanism 7 is arranged at the bottom end of the table 4, and an air blowing mechanism and a dust suction mechanism are respectively arranged on both sides of the table 4, and the air blowing mechanism and the dust suction mechanism are opposite to each other.

[0058] Reference Figure 5 In a preferred embodiment, the water cooling mechanism 7 includes a plurality of water cooling hoses 14, both ends of which are respectively connected to a multi-way pipe 19 and a second multi-way pipe 20, and the plurality of water cooling hoses 14 are connected through the multi-way pipe 19 and the second multi-way pipe 20, and a liquid storage tank 13 is provided on one side of the multi-way pipe 19 and the second multi-way pipe 20.

[0059] Reference Figure 5 In a preferred embodiment, a water pump is provided on the inner wall of the liquid storage tank 13 , and the water pump includes an input end and an output end. The input end of the water pump is connected to the second multi-way pipe 20 , and the output end of the water pump is connected to the multi-way pipe 19 .

[0060] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5In a preferred embodiment, a connecting rack 15 and a plurality of second brackets 16 are provided in the middle section of the plurality of water-cooling hoses 14. The plurality of water-cooling hoses 14 are fixed to the bottom end of the limiting groove 10 through the connecting rack 15. The bottom end of the table 4 is connected to the bracket 5. The outer wall of one side of the bracket 5 is fixedly connected to the support plate 8, and part of the second bracket 16 is arranged at the top end of the support plate 8.

[0061] Reference Figure 4 and Figure 5 In a preferred embodiment, two digital cylinders 18 are fixed to the outer wall of the top end of the support plate 8 at the same time, and the top end of the digital cylinder 18 is connected to the second support plate 17, and the top end of the second support plate 17 is fixedly connected to a part of the second bracket 16. By providing a water cooling mechanism 7, when the composite material completes the pressing process, the water pump is turned on, and under the action of the water pump, the coolant in the liquid storage tank 13 flows through multiple water-cooling hoses 14 and acts on the bottom surface of the limiting groove 10, thereby quickly cooling the bottom layer of the composite material, further enhancing production efficiency. During secondary production, by turning off the water pump and controlling the digital cylinder 18 to shorten at the same time, the part of the water-cooling hose 14 that fits the bottom of the limiting groove 10 is tilted, and the coolant in the water-cooling hose 14 refluxes, stopping cooling the bottom surface of the limiting groove 10, and avoiding premature solidification of the composite material affecting the molding.

[0062] Reference Figure 3 and Figure 6 The bottom surface of the limiting groove 10 is also cleaned at the same time, and the residual waste is entered into the dust bag 9 for collection under the action of the suction fan 6, so that the residual waste enters the dust bag 9 for collection, thereby playing the role of fast and automatic cleaning.

[0063] Working principle: During production, the additive path is designed in the process of simulating the path, so that when laying the fiber filament bottom layer, the spacing between adjacent fiber filaments on the outside is larger than the spacing between the inner fiber filaments. Then, the additive equipment is used to lay the fiber filaments twice on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the fiber filament bottom layer, so that the bottom layer appears convex on all sides and concave in the middle. After the fiber filaments are shaped, the external glue and composite material are held by the outer layer of fiber filaments, and during the pressing process, they are ensured not to leak out. As the pressing position moves back, the glue and composite material gradually solidify, and at the same time, the outer fiber filaments are just pressed into the spacing outside the bottom fiber filaments, which is beneficial to ensure the flatness of the composite material around and further ensure production efficiency.

[0064] The technical means disclosed in the solution of the present invention are not limited to the technical means disclosed in the above-mentioned embodiment, but also include technical solutions composed of any combination of the above technical features.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing method for producing composite materials, characterized in that The specific steps include: S1: Raw material mixing: All raw materials required for the composite material to be produced are heated and mixed; S2: Fiber placement: Use equipment to automatically place fibers; S3: Glue filling: Glue is laid on the outer surface of the laid fiber; S4: Composite material filling: Filling the glue-filled fibers with heated and mixed composite materials; S5: Pressing: using a pressing plate to press and smooth the surface of the composite material; S6: Remove after shaping: remove the composite material after shaping; Said S2, laying the fibers comprises the following specific steps: S21: Preheating: heating the fiber raw material to turn it into a liquid material; S22: Fiber formation: using spinning equipment to transform fiber liquid into fiber filaments; S23: Dipping the fiber into glue to make the surface evenly coated with glue; S24: Simulation path: Use computer to simulate the additive path and transmit it to the additive equipment; S25: Bottom layer placement: Using additive equipment to lay fiber filaments as the bottom layer according to the simulated path sequence; S26: Peripheral placement: Using the additive equipment, fiber filaments are placed twice on the periphery of the upper surface of the fiber base layer, so that the fiber filaments of the base layer and the fiber filaments on the upper surface form a convex shape on the periphery and concave in the middle. In the simulation path of S24, in the design of the additive path, when laying the fiber filament bottom layer, the spacing between adjacent fiber filaments located on the outside is greater than the spacing between the fiber filaments on the inside, and the fiber filaments laid in S26 are exactly located at the spacing of the fiber filaments on the outside.

2. The additive manufacturing method for producing composite materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The glue in the S3 filling and S23 dipping is liquid resin or solid resin at room temperature, wherein the solid resin is heated to become liquid before being added.

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