A powder feeding mechanism applied to a 3D printer

Abstract

This invention discloses a toner ejection mechanism for a 3D printer, including a mounting frame. The mounting frame has a toner storage tank for storing printing material. A top plate assembly, capable of ejecting printing material from the toner storage tank, is slidably mounted within the tank. Each side of the bottom of the top plate assembly is connected to a push rod that moves the top plate assembly up and down relative to the mounting frame. The mounting frame is equipped with a drive device and a transmission device, driven by the drive device, to synchronously move the two push rods up and down. This invention uses a single drive device to drive the transmission device, which in turn drives the two push rods synchronously, ensuring the synchronicity of their movements and improving the reliability and durability of the mechanism. The amount of toner ejected by the top plate assembly is consistent with the amount of toner stored when the top plate assembly retracts, resulting in uniform toner distribution by a single scraper at a fixed toner volume, reducing unnecessary material consumption.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a powder-topping mechanism for use in 3D printers. [Background Technology]

[0002] In industrial-grade SLS 3D printers, when using a single scraper to spread powder, a powder-ejecting mechanism is needed on both sides to ensure uniform powder distribution in the powder-spreading area after the powder is dispensed from the powder container. This mechanism involves retracting and uniformly storing powder and ejecting powder within the powder storage port structure of the work platform to assist the single scraper in completing the uniform powder spreading process in the printing area.

[0003] In current powder-ejecting mechanisms, the mechanical structure consists of cylinders, ejector rods, cylinder heat insulation blocks, fixing plates, pressure plates, and sealing plates. The structure uses two cylinders to drive an ejector rod in a longitudinal linear reciprocating motion to eject powder and retract it to store powder. The asynchronous ejection and retraction of the two ejector rods leads to inconsistencies between the amount of powder ejected and stored on both sides, resulting in significant material waste. Furthermore, the sealing plates used in existing powder-ejecting mechanisms are made of rigid epoxy board. When the cylinders are not synchronized, the front and rear ends of the sealing plate become uneven, causing the sealing plate to jam in the powder storage tank of the working platform, ultimately leading to mechanism failure.

[0004] Therefore, the present invention was developed based on the above-mentioned shortcomings. [Summary of the Invention]

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a simple, stable and reliable powder-topping mechanism for 3D printers.

[0006] This invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0007] A toner ejection mechanism for a 3D printer, characterized in that: it includes a mounting frame 1, the mounting frame 1 is provided with a toner storage tank 10 for storing printing material, a top plate assembly 2 for ejecting printing material from the toner storage tank 10 is slidably provided in the toner storage tank 10, and a top rod 3 is connected to each of the bottom sides of the top plate assembly 2, which can drive the top plate assembly 2 to move up and down relative to the mounting frame 1; the mounting frame 1 is provided with a driving device 4, and the mounting frame 1 is provided with a transmission device 5 driven by the driving device 4 to drive the two top rods 3 to move up and down synchronously.

[0008] The powder-ejecting mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the driving device 4 is a cylinder, and the transmission device 5 includes a slide plate 51 that is laterally movable on the mounting frame 1 and is pushed laterally by the cylinder. The slide plate 51 is provided with two inclined guide holes 511 that are inclined in the same direction and are correspondingly arranged with the push rod 3. The push rod 3 is provided with a sliding rod 60 that extends into the inclined guide hole 511. When the slide plate 51 slides laterally, the inclined guide hole 511 pushes the sliding rod 60 to move up and down.

[0009] The powder-eating mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the slide plate 51 is provided with a horizontal elongated slot 512, and the mounting bracket 1 is provided with a guide post 6 that extends into the elongated slot 512 and can slide left and right along the elongated slot 512.

[0010] The powder-eating mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the sliding rod 60 is provided with a first bearing 7 that extends into the inclined guide hole 511 and can roll along the inclined guide hole 511, and the guide rod 6 is provided with a second bearing 8 that extends into the long slot hole 512 and can roll along the long slot hole 512.

[0011] The powder-eating mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the sliding rod 60 is provided with a mounting socket 601, the top rod 3 is provided with a plug-in part 31 that inserts into the mounting socket 601, and the top rod 3 is provided with positioning steps 32 on both sides of the plug-in part 31 that abut against the upper and lower shaft walls of the sliding rod 60 when the plug-in part 31 is inserted into the mounting socket 601, and the sliding rod 60 and the top rod 3 are fixedly connected by pins 20.

[0012] The powder ejector mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the mounting frame 1 is provided with a guide slider 9, the guide slider 9 is provided with a guide hole 91 for the ejector rod 3 to pass through, and the guide hole 91 is provided with a plurality of clearance grooves 911 separated from the outer wall of the ejector rod 3 and a guide wall 912 that abuts against the outer wall of the ejector rod 3.

[0013] The powder-eating mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the clearance groove 911 is an arc groove, the guide wall 912 and the arc groove form a flower-shaped hole structure, and the guide slider 9 is made of ductile iron.

[0014] The powder ejection mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the top plate assembly 2 includes a base plate 21 fixedly connected to the ejector rod 3, a sealing plate 22 disposed on the base plate 21, and an ejector plate 23 for pressing and fixing the sealing plate 22 onto the base plate 21 and for ejecting the printing material, wherein the sealing plate 22 is made of wool felt.

[0015] The powder-filling mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the mounting frame 1 includes a first side support 11, a second side support 12 disposed opposite to the first side support 11, and two sealing blocks 13 disposed opposite to each other and connecting the two ends of the first side support 11 and the second side support 12 respectively, wherein the first side support 11, the second side support 12 and the sealing blocks 13 form the powder storage tank 10.

[0016] The powder-eating mechanism for a 3D printer as described above is characterized in that: the first side support 11 and the second side support 12 are respectively provided with vertically extending guide grooves 14, and the two ends of the sliding rod 60 are provided with slip rings 30 that can be inserted into the guide grooves 14 on both sides and slide along the guide grooves 14.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0018] 1. During the toner spreading process, this invention uses a single cylinder to synchronously drive two ejector rods, ensuring the synchronicity of the two ejector rods' movements, improving the reliability and durability of the mechanism. The amount of toner ejected by the top plate assembly is consistent with the amount of toner stored when the top plate assembly retracts, resulting in uniform toner spreading area of ​​a single scraper with a fixed amount of toner, reducing unnecessary consumables.

[0019] 2. In this invention, when the cylinder drives the slide plate to make a horizontal reciprocating linear motion, the second bearing on the guide column rolls along the long slot hole to guide the slide plate, while the first bearing on the sliding rod rolls along the inclined guide hole under the squeezing and pushing of the inclined guide hole wall, driving the sliding rod to make a longitudinal reciprocating linear motion. The first bearing and the second bearing effectively avoid direct frictional contact between the structures.

[0020] 3. In this invention, the guide hole of the guide block is provided with multiple clearance grooves on the hole wall. The guide hole and clearance grooves form a flower-shaped hole structure, which reduces the contact area between the guide hole and the top rod, thereby reducing friction.

[0021] 4. For the powder storage mechanism of the top powder storage, which requires a certain degree of sealing and can operate in medium and high temperature environments, the sealing plate uses wool felt as the sealing material. This high temperature resistant soft material can make the top plate assembly more airtight and less likely to damage the mechanism, thereby improving the sealing performance of the powder storage and the service life of the mechanism. [Attached Image Description]

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the invention when the second side bracket is disassembled;

[0024] Figure 3 This is the right view of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Sectional view at point AA;

[0026] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the top rod and sliding rod of the present invention when they are engaged;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the top rod and sliding rod when they are separated according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the guide block of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the guide block and the push rod of the present invention.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0031] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0032] like Figures 1 to 9 As shown, a toner ejection mechanism for a 3D printer includes a mounting frame 1. The mounting frame 1 has a toner storage tank 10 for storing printing material. A top plate assembly 2, capable of ejecting printing material from the toner storage tank 10, is slidably mounted within the toner storage tank 10. Each side of the bottom of the top plate assembly 2 is connected to a top rod 3, which can move the top plate assembly 2 up and down relative to the mounting frame 1. The mounting frame 1 is equipped with a drive device 4 and a transmission device 5, driven by the drive device 4, to move the two top rods 3 synchronously up and down. During the toner spreading process, this invention uses a single drive device to drive the transmission device, which in turn drives the two top rods to move synchronously, ensuring the synchronicity of the two top rod movements, improving the reliability and durability of the mechanism. The amount of toner ejected by the top plate assembly is consistent with the amount of toner stored when the top plate assembly retracts, resulting in uniform toner spreading area with a single scraper at a fixed toner amount, reducing unnecessary material consumption.

[0033] Specifically, the drive device 4 is a cylinder, and the transmission device 5 includes a slide plate 51 that is laterally movable on the mounting frame 1 and pushed laterally by the cylinder. The slide plate 51 has two inclined guide holes 511 that are inclined in the same direction and are corresponding to the push rods 3. The push rods 3 have sliding rods 60 that extend into the inclined guide holes 511. When the slide plate 51 slides laterally, the inclined guide holes 511 push the sliding rods 60 to move up and down. One end of the slide plate 51 is fixedly connected to the drive rod of the cylinder and is driven by the push rod cylinder to slide laterally back and forth relative to the mounting frame. When the cylinder drives the slide plate to make a laterally reciprocating linear motion, the sliding rod moves along the inclined guide hole under the pushing of the inclined guide hole wall, making a longitudinal reciprocating linear motion.

[0034] Furthermore, the slide plate 51 is provided with a horizontal elongated slot 512, and the mounting bracket 1 is provided with a guide post 6 that extends into the elongated slot 512 and can slide left and right along the elongated slot 512. When the cylinder drives the slide plate to make a lateral reciprocating linear motion, the guide post moves along the elongated slot to guide the slide plate and improve the reliability and stability of the mechanism during movement.

[0035] Furthermore, the sliding rod 60 is provided with a first bearing 7 that extends into the inclined guide hole 511 and can roll along the inclined guide hole 511, and the guide rod 6 is provided with a second bearing 8 that extends into the elongated slot hole 512 and can roll along the elongated slot hole 512. When the cylinder drives the slide plate to make a transverse reciprocating linear motion, the second bearing on the guide rod rolls along the elongated slot hole to guide the slide plate, while the first bearing on the sliding rod rolls along the inclined guide hole under the squeezing and pushing of the inclined guide hole wall, driving the sliding rod to make a longitudinal reciprocating linear motion. The first bearing and the second bearing effectively avoid direct frictional contact between the structures.

[0036] Figure 7 As shown, the sliding rod 60 is provided with a mounting socket 601, and the top rod 3 is provided with a plug part 31 that is inserted into the mounting socket 601. The top rod 3 is provided with positioning steps 32 on both sides of the plug part 31, which abut against the upper and lower shaft walls of the sliding rod 60 when the plug part 31 is inserted into the mounting socket 601. The sliding rod 60 and the top rod 3 are fixedly connected by a pin 20.

[0037] Mounting bracket 1 is equipped with guide slider 9, such as Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the guide slider 9 has a guide hole 91 through which the push rod 3 passes. The guide hole 91 has multiple clearance grooves 911 separated from the outer wall of the push rod 3 and guide walls 912 that abut against the outer wall of the push rod 3. The clearance grooves 911 are arc grooves, and the guide walls 912 and the arc grooves form a flower-shaped hole structure. The guide slider 9 is made of ductile iron. The flower-shaped hole structure formed by the guide hole and clearance grooves reduces the contact area between the guide hole and the push rod, thereby reducing friction and improving the service life of the mechanism. The guide slider 9 is made of ductile iron, which allows the spherical graphite components within the material to act as a lubricant even without lubricating oil.

[0038] like Figure 2 As shown, the top plate assembly 2 includes a base plate 21 fixedly connected to the top rod 3, a sealing plate 22 disposed on the base plate 21, and an ejector plate 23 that presses and fixes the sealing plate 22 onto the base plate 21 and is used to eject the printing material. The sealing plate 22 is made of wool felt. Since the toner storage mechanism requires a certain degree of sealing and can operate in medium- and high-temperature environments, the sealing plate uses soft wool felt as the sealing material. This high-temperature resistant soft material allows for better sealing of the top plate assembly and reduces the risk of damage to the mechanism, thereby improving the sealing performance of the toner storage and extending the service life of the mechanism.

[0039] In this invention, the mounting frame 1 includes a first side bracket 11, a second side bracket 12 opposite to the first side bracket 11, and two opposite sealing blocks 13 that connect the two ends of the first side bracket 11 and the second side bracket 12 respectively. The first side bracket 11, the second side bracket 12, and the sealing blocks 13 form a powder storage tank 10. A guide slider 9 is installed between the first side bracket 11 and the second side bracket 12. A cylinder mounting bracket 50 is fixedly installed on the first side bracket 11 by bolts. The cylinder is fixedly installed on the cylinder mounting bracket 50 by bolts. The drive rod of the cylinder is fixedly connected to the slide plate 51 through a movable connecting plate 40 so that the slide plate 51 can perform a lateral reciprocating linear motion during the extension and retraction of the drive rod.

[0040] Specifically, the first side bracket 11 and the second side bracket 12 are respectively provided with vertically extending guide grooves 14, and the two ends of the sliding rod 60 are provided with slip rings 30 that can be inserted into the guide grooves 14 on both sides and slide along the guide grooves 14 to avoid direct friction contact between the structures.

Claims

1. A toner ejector mechanism for use in a 3D printer, characterized in that: The device includes a mounting frame (1), which has a toner storage tank (10) for storing printing materials. A top plate assembly (2) for ejecting printing materials from the toner storage tank (10) is slidably mounted on the toner storage tank (10). Each side of the bottom of the top plate assembly (2) is connected to a push rod (3) that can drive the top plate assembly (2) to move up and down relative to the mounting frame (1). The mounting frame (1) is equipped with a drive device (4), which drives the two push rods (3) to move up and down synchronously. The moving transmission device (5) is a cylinder. The transmission device (5) includes a slide plate (51) that is laterally movable on the mounting frame (1) and pushed laterally by the cylinder. The slide plate (51) is provided with two inclined guide holes (511) that are inclined in the same direction and are corresponding to the push rod (3). The push rod (3) is provided with a sliding rod (60) that extends into the inclined guide hole (511). When the slide plate (51) slides laterally, the inclined guide hole (511) pushes the sliding rod (60) to move up and down.

2. The toner ejector mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slide plate (51) is provided with a long slot (512) horizontally, and the mounting bracket (1) is provided with a guide post (6) that extends into the long slot (512) and can slide left and right along the long slot (512).

3. The toner ejector mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sliding rod (60) is provided with a first bearing (7) that extends into the inclined guide hole (511) and can roll along the inclined guide hole (511), and the guide rod (6) is provided with a second bearing (8) that extends into the long slot hole (512) and can roll along the long slot hole (512).

4. The toner ejection mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sliding rod (60) is provided with an installation socket (521), and the top rod (3) is provided with a plug part (31) that is inserted into the installation socket (521). The top rod (3) has positioning steps (32) on both sides of the plug part (31) that abut against the upper and lower shaft walls of the sliding rod (60) when the plug part (31) is inserted into the installation socket (521). The sliding rod (60) and the top rod (3) are fixedly connected by a pin (20).

5. The toner ejection mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting bracket (1) is provided with a guide block (9), and the guide block (9) is provided with a guide hole (91) through which the top rod (3) passes. The guide hole (91) is provided with a plurality of clearance grooves (911) separated from the outer wall of the top rod (3) and a guide wall (912) that is in contact with the outer wall of the top rod (3).

6. The toner ejection mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The clearance groove (911) is an arc groove, the guide wall (912) and the arc groove form a flower-shaped hole structure, and the guide slider (9) is made of ductile iron.

7. The toner ejector mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top plate assembly (2) includes a base plate (21) fixedly connected to the top rod (3), a sealing plate (22) provided on the base plate (21), and an ejector plate (23) for pressing and fixing the sealing plate (22) on the base plate (21) and for ejecting the printing material. The sealing plate (22) is made of wool felt.

8. The toner ejection mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting bracket (1) includes a first side bracket (11), a second side bracket (12) disposed opposite to the first side bracket (11), and two sealing blocks (13) disposed opposite to each other and connecting the two ends of the first side bracket (11) and the second side bracket (12) respectively. The first side bracket (11), the second side bracket (12) and the sealing blocks (13) form the powder storage tank (10).

9. The toner ejector mechanism for a 3D printer according to claim 8, characterized in that: The first side bracket (11) and the second side bracket (12) are respectively provided with vertically extending guide grooves (14), and the two ends of the sliding rod (60) are provided with slip rings (30) that can be inserted into the two side guide grooves (14) and slide along the guide grooves (14).

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