Three-dimensional printer and printing method thereof

Abstract

The application provides a three-dimensional printer and a printing method thereof, the three-dimensional printer comprises a rack and a printing platform, the printing platform is installed on the rack, a first screw rod is arranged on the rack, the first screw rod extends towards a table top of the printing platform, the three-dimensional printer further comprises a printing unit, the printing unit comprises a support, a nozzle mechanism and a driving mechanism, the support is installed on the first screw rod, the nozzle mechanism and the driving mechanism are both installed on the support, a spraying end of the nozzle mechanism is arranged towards the table top, an output end of the driving mechanism is connected with the first screw rod, and the driving mechanism can drive the support to spiral ascend or spiral descend along the first screw rod, and the application further provides a printing method of the three-dimensional printer, the three-dimensional printer has the advantages of fast printing speed, high printing efficiency and simple structure.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of three-dimensional printing technology, in particular to a three-dimensional printer and a printing method of the three-dimensional printer. BACKGROUND

[0002] The three-dimensional printer is a device for printing three-dimensional objects by using rapid prototyping technology, which prints three-dimensional objects layer by layer by using materials such as plastic, powdered metal, carbon fiber and resin based on digital models. The process of three-dimensional printing is first modeling by computer aided design (CAD) or computer animation modeling software, then the three-dimensional model is "partitioned" into cross sections layer by layer, and then the machining path is obtained according to the analysis of cross section information, so as to guide the printer to print layer by layer. According to the different working principles, the rapid prototyping technologies used are process fused deposition manufacturing (FDM), laser selective sintering (SLS), three-dimensional spray bonding (3DP) and light curing (DLP) etc.

[0003] Compared with traditional manufacturing technology, three-dimensional printing technology has the advantages of no need for mechanical processing and mold support, direct manufacturing of parts according to graphic data, shortening of product development cycle and cost saving etc. However, the existing FDM (process fused deposition manufacturing) printer basically adopts a three-axis (i.e. X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis) control system. Although such three-axis control system can expand the range of printed products, the printing speed is relatively low, and the structure is also relatively complex. SUMMARY

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the main purpose of the present application is to provide a three-dimensional printer with fast printing speed, high printing efficiency and simple structure.

[0005] Another purpose of the present application is to provide a printing method of the above three-dimensional printer.

[0006] Still another purpose of the present application is to provide a product printed by the above method.

[0007] In order to achieve the main purpose of the present application, the present application provides a three-dimensional printer, which comprises a rack and a printing platform, the printing platform is installed on the rack, wherein a first screw rod is arranged on the rack, the first screw rod extends towards the table top of the printing platform, the three-dimensional printer further comprises a printing unit, the printing unit comprises a support, a nozzle mechanism and a driving mechanism, the support is installed on the first screw rod, the nozzle mechanism and the driving mechanism are both installed on the support, the nozzle mechanism is arranged towards the table top at the jetting end, the output end of the driving mechanism is connected with the first screw rod, and the driving mechanism can drive the support to spiral up or spiral down along the first screw rod.

[0008] As can be seen from the above, when the three-dimensional printer prints and forms a product, the driving mechanism drives the support to gradually spiral up along the first screw rod, and the nozzle mechanism sprays three-dimensional printing consumables to the table surface of the printing platform, so as to print the product layer by layer; and compared with the conventional three-dimensional printer using a three-axis control system, the three-dimensional printer provided by the application can complete one layer of stacking printing by only one rotation of the driving support and the nozzle thereon, thereby greatly improving the printing speed and printing efficiency, and also simplifying the structure of the conventional three-dimensional printer and reducing the manufacturing cost of the three-dimensional printer.

[0009] In one preferred embodiment, the driving mechanism comprises a driving module and a second screw rod, the driving module is installed on the support, the second screw rod is parallel to the first screw rod, the first end of the second screw rod is rotatably connected to the support about the rotation axis of the second screw rod, and the second end of the second screw rod is connected to the output end of the driving module, and the second screw rod is engaged with the first screw rod.

[0010] As can be seen from the above, the driving module drives the second screw rod to rotate, so that the second screw rod drives the support to spiral up or down along the first screw rod through the engagement between the second screw rod and the first screw rod, thereby realizing the spiral lifting movement of the printing unit; in addition, the engagement between the first screw rod and the second screw rod can also make the printing unit have high movement precision, thereby ensuring the printing precision of the three-dimensional printer and the forming quality of the product.

[0011] In a further embodiment, the first screw rod is detachably connected to the rack, and the second screw rod is detachably connected to the driving module and the support.

[0012] As can be seen from the above, the above design can adapt to different printing layer thicknesses by replacing the first screw rod with different pitch parameters and replacing the second screw rod with different pitch parameters, thereby making the three-dimensional printer have a wider range of applications.

[0013] In another preferred embodiment, in the extension direction of the first screw rod, the support has an initial position and a limit position, the initial position is located at the extended end of the first screw rod, the limit position is located between the initial position and the fixed end of the first screw rod, and the maximum distance between the initial position and the limit position is between one-third and one-half of the length of the first screw rod.

[0014] As can be seen from the above, the above design can prevent the cable connected to the printing unit from being excessively wound on the first screw rod, thereby preventing the cable from being damaged and the printing unit from being hindered, and also preventing the wire-type three-dimensional printing consumables from being broken when the printing unit uses wire-type three-dimensional printing consumables, thereby ensuring that the printing unit can normally perform the printing work.

[0015] Further, the distance between the initial position and the platform in the extending direction is greater than the pitch of the first screw; and the printing layer thickness of the three-dimensional printer is equal to the pitch.

[0016] As can be seen from the above, when the first layer of the printing layer is formed, if the ascending speed of the spiral motion is less than the ascending speed of the printing layer thickness, the distance between the nozzle mechanism and the platform of the printing platform will become smaller. Since the platform is usually a plane and no other objects or three-dimensional printing consumables are arranged on the platform at the initial printing, in order to avoid the first layer of the printing layer from contacting the spraying end of the nozzle mechanism, causing the three-dimensional printing consumables to be unable to be normally sprayed and / or the printing layer to be formed according to the set profile, the distance between the printing unit at the initial position and the platform is set to be greater than the pitch of the first screw. In addition, by setting the printing layer thickness to be equal to the pitch, the printing unit can better form the product and ensure the forming precision and quality of the product.

[0017] Further, the first screw is parallel to the height direction of the rack, the printing platform is slidably connected to the rack in the height direction, the platform is perpendicular to the height direction, and the three-dimensional printer further comprises a driving unit, which is installed on the rack and has an output end connected to the printing platform, and the driving unit can move the printing platform in the height direction.

[0018] As can be seen from the above, the above design can not only increase the formable height of the product, but also facilitate the taking out of the product after printing.

[0019] Another preferred design is that the printing unit further comprises a solidification mechanism, which is installed on the support and comprises a solidification agent nozzle module and / or an ultraviolet lamp. The spraying end of the solidification agent nozzle module is arranged to face the platform, and the light-emitting end of the ultraviolet lamp is arranged to face the platform.

[0020] As can be seen from the above, by arranging the solidification agent nozzle module, when the three-dimensional printing consumables sprayed by the nozzle mechanism are powder, the solidification agent nozzle module can spray solidification agent to the three-dimensional printing consumables to make the three-dimensional printing consumables solidify quickly. When the three-dimensional printing consumables sprayed by the nozzle mechanism are liquid drops, the ultraviolet lamp can irradiate the three-dimensional printing consumables to make the three-dimensional printing consumables solidify quickly.

[0021] Further, the printing unit further comprises a feeding mechanism, which is connected to the nozzle mechanism and supplies the three-dimensional printing consumables to the nozzle mechanism. The support is provided with a through hole, the first screw passes through the through hole, and a lubricant is arranged between the through hole and the first screw. Alternatively, the support is provided with a threaded hole, the first screw passes through the threaded hole and is threadedly connected to the threaded hole.

[0022] From the above, the feeding mechanism (such as a mechanism for storing and feeding powder three-dimensional printing consumables, a mechanism for storing and feeding liquid three-dimensional printing consumables, a mechanism for conveying wire three-dimensional printing consumables) is arranged on the support, so that the three-dimensional printing consumables can be better conveyed into the nozzle mechanism; and through the design of the connection between the support and the first screw, the support is better matched with the first screw and the driving mechanism, so as to ensure that the printing unit does not tilt during the spiral lifting process, so that the printing unit can better perform spiral lifting movement along the first screw, and the printing quality of the product is ensured.

[0023] In order to achieve another object of the present application, the present application provides a printing method of a three-dimensional printer, wherein the three-dimensional printer is the three-dimensional printer described above, and the printing method comprises: obtaining three-dimensional printing data of a three-dimensional model to be printed; and controlling the driving mechanism to drive the support to spiral ascend along the first screw and controlling the nozzle mechanism to spray three-dimensional printing consumables toward the table top according to the three-dimensional printing data.

[0024] From the above, when the product is printed and formed by using the printing method described above, the printing speed and efficiency of the product can be improved, and the production cost of the product can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the three-dimensional printer of the present application.

[0026] Figure 2 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the three-dimensional printer of the present application, in which some components are omitted.

[0027] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a printing unit of the first embodiment of the three-dimensional printer of the present application.

[0028] Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of a printing unit of a second embodiment of the three-dimensional printer of the present application.

[0029] Figure 5 is a sectional view of a third embodiment of the three-dimensional printer of the present application.

[0030] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of a printing unit of a fourth embodiment of the three-dimensional printer of the present application from a first perspective.

[0031] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of a printing unit of the fourth embodiment of the three-dimensional printer of the present application from a second perspective.

[0032] Figure 8 is a structural schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printer in an initial state of an embodiment of the printing method of the present application, in which some components are omitted.

[0033] Figure 9 is a use state reference drawing of the printing unit of the three-dimensional printer after omitting part of the components of the printing method embodiment of the present application, and the printing unit rotates one quarter of a circle from the initial position.

[0034] Figure 10 is a use state reference drawing of the printing unit of the three-dimensional printer after omitting part of the components of the printing method embodiment of the present application, and the printing unit rotates three quarters of a circle from the initial position.

[0035] The present application will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] First embodiment of three-dimensional printer

[0037] With reference to Figure 1 , the three-dimensional printer 100 comprises a frame 1, a printing platform 2, a printing unit 3 and a control system.

[0038] The first screw rod 11 is arranged on the frame 1, and extends towards the bottom of the frame 1 in the height direction of the frame 1. Preferably, the printing layer thickness of the three-dimensional printer 100 is equal to the pitch of the first screw rod 11, so that the printing unit 3 can better form the product and ensure the forming precision and forming quality of the product. Further, the first screw rod 11 is detachably connected with the frame 1, so that when the printing layer thickness needs to be adjusted, different pitch parameters of the first screw rod 11 can be replaced to achieve the adjustment, thereby ensuring the forming precision and forming quality of the product and making the use range of the three-dimensional printer 100 wider.

[0039] The printing platform 2 is installed on the frame 1. In this embodiment, the printing platform 2 is located below the first screw rod 11 in the height direction, so that the first screw rod 11 extends towards the table surface of the printing platform 2. Preferably, the table surface of the printing platform 2 is perpendicular to the first screw rod 11 to ensure the forming precision and forming quality of the product.

[0040] In combination with Figure 2 and Figure 3The printing unit 3 comprises a support 31, a nozzle mechanism 32 and a driving mechanism 33. The support 31 is sleeved on the first screw rod 11, and the support 31 is movable relative to the first screw rod 11 in the extension direction of the first screw rod 11 and rotatable relative to the first screw rod 11 about the axis of the first screw rod 11. As an optional solution, a through hole is formed in the support 31 and penetrates the support 31 in the extension direction of the first screw rod 11, the first screw rod 11 penetrates the through hole, and a lubricant is arranged between the through hole and the first screw rod 11. This design enables the support 31 to be better installed on the first screw rod 11 in cooperation with the driving mechanism 33, so as to prevent the printing unit 3 from tilting during the spiral lifting process, thereby enabling the printing unit 3 to better perform the spiral lifting movement along the first screw rod 11 and ensuring the printing forming quality and forming precision of the product. In addition, the lubricant can reduce the friction between the through hole and the first screw rod 11, so that the support 31 can move more smoothly relative to the first screw rod 11, and the load of the driving mechanism 33 is reduced. As another optional solution (as in the present embodiment), a threaded hole 311 can also be formed in the support 31 and penetrates the support 31 in the extension direction of the first screw rod 11, the first screw rod 11 penetrates the threaded hole 311 and is threadedly connected with the threaded hole 311. This design can also prevent the printing unit 3 from tilting during the spiral lifting process, thereby ensuring the printing forming quality and forming precision of the product.

[0041] The nozzle mechanism 32 is installed on the support 31, and preferably, in the height direction, the nozzle mechanism 32 is located below the support 31, so that the nozzle mechanism 32 can more accurately perform the printing forming on the product. In addition, the spraying end of the nozzle mechanism 32 faces the table surface of the printing platform 2, so that the nozzle mechanism 32 can spray the three-dimensional printing consumables onto the table surface of the printing platform 2. The nozzle mechanism 32 can comprise at least one of the existing nozzle module for fused deposition modeling, the existing nozzle module for high-speed cold spraying three-dimensional printing, and the existing nozzle module for droplet jet three-dimensional printing, so that the nozzle mechanism 32 can spray liquid consumables, powder consumables or melt consumables. Preferably, the nozzle mechanism 32 has a plurality of spray holes 321, and the nozzle mechanism 32 is electrically connected with the control system, so that the control system can control part of the spray holes 321 or all of the spray holes 321 on the nozzle mechanism 32 to spray the three-dimensional printing consumables according to the three-dimensional printing data, thereby adjusting the size of the spraying amount of the nozzle mechanism 32. It should be noted that the above-mentioned nozzle module for fused deposition modeling, the existing nozzle module for high-speed cold spraying three-dimensional printing, and the existing nozzle module for droplet jet three-dimensional printing are all mature products in the prior art, and therefore the structure and working principle of each type of nozzle module will not be described in detail.

[0042] The driving mechanism 33 is installed on the support 31, and the output end of the driving mechanism 33 is connected with the first screw rod 11, so that the driving mechanism 33 can drive the support 31 to ascend or descend spirally along the first screw rod 11. Specifically, in the embodiment, the driving mechanism 33 comprises a driving module 331 and a second screw rod 332, the driving module 331 is installed on the support 31, and the driving module 331 preferably can adopt a reduction stepper motor or a reduction servo motor, so as to ensure the driving mechanism 33 of the driving module 331 and improve the forming quality and forming precision of the product.

[0043] The second screw rod 332 is parallel to the first screw rod 11, the first end of the second screw rod 332 is rotatably connected with the support 31 around the rotation axis of the second screw rod 332, the second end of the second screw rod 332 is connected with the output end of the driving module 331, and the second screw rod 332 is engaged with the first screw rod 11. The driving module 331 drives the second screw rod 332 to rotate, so that the second screw rod 332 drives the support 31 to ascend or descend spirally along the first screw rod 11 through the engagement of the second screw rod 332 with the first screw rod 11, thereby realizing the spiral ascending and descending movement of the printing unit 3; in addition, the engagement between the first screw rod 11 and the second screw rod 332 can also make the printing unit 3 have high moving precision, thereby ensuring the printing precision of the three-dimensional printer 100 and the forming quality of the product. Further, the second screw rod 332 is detachably connected with the driving module 331 and the support 31, so that when the first screw rod 11 with other pitch parameters is replaced, the second screw rod 332 and the support 31 can be replaced adaptively, so as to ensure that the second screw rod 332 and the support 31 can be matched with the replaced first screw rod 11, thereby ensuring that the printing unit 3 can work normally. The driving module 331 is electrically connected with the control system, so that the control system can control the driving module 331 to drive the support 31 to ascend or descend spirally along the first screw rod 11 according to the three-dimensional printing data.

[0044] In addition, in the extension direction of the first screw rod 11, the support 31 has an initial position and a limit position, the initial position is located at the extending end of the first screw rod 11, and the limit position is located between the initial position and the fixed end of the first screw rod 11. The maximum distance between the initial position and the limit position is between one third and one half of the length of the first screw rod 11; preferably, the maximum distance between the initial position and the limit position is one third of the length of the first screw rod 11; this design can prevent the cable connected with the printing unit 3 from being excessively wound on the first screw rod 11, thereby preventing the cable from being damaged and the printing unit 3 from being blocked, and at the same time, when the printing unit 3 uses wire type three-dimensional printing consumables, the wire type three-dimensional printing consumables can be prevented from being twisted off, thereby ensuring that the printing unit 3 can normally perform the printing work.

[0045] Furthermore, in the extending direction, the distance between the initial position and the platform is greater than the pitch of the first screw rod 11. When forming the first layer of the printing layer, if the ascending speed of the spiral movement is less than the ascending speed of the printing layer thickness, the distance between the nozzle mechanism 32 and the platform of the printing platform 2 will become smaller, and since the platform of the printing platform 2 is generally a plane, and no other objects or three-dimensional printing materials are generally arranged on the platform of the printing platform 2 at the initial printing, in order to avoid the contact between the first layer of the printing layer and the spraying end of the nozzle mechanism 32, causing the three-dimensional printing materials to be unable to be normally sprayed and / or the printing layer to be formed according to the set profile, the distance between the printing unit 3 at the initial position and the platform is set to be greater than the pitch of the first screw rod 11.

[0046] As can be seen from the above, when the three-dimensional printer is used to print and form a product, the driving mechanism drives the support to gradually ascend along the first screw rod, and the nozzle mechanism sprays the three-dimensional printing materials to the platform of the printing platform, so as to print the product layer by layer; and through the structural design of the three-dimensional printer, compared with the conventional three-dimensional printer using the three-axis control system, the three-dimensional printer provided by the present application can complete one layer of stacking printing by only one rotation of the support and the nozzle thereon, thereby greatly improving the printing speed and printing efficiency, and better simplifying the structure of the conventional three-dimensional printer and reducing the manufacturing cost of the three-dimensional printer.

[0047] Second embodiment of the three-dimensional printer

[0048] Reference Figure 4 The difference between the present embodiment and the first embodiment of the three-dimensional printer is that, in the present embodiment, the printing unit further comprises a curing mechanism 41 installed on the support 42. The curing mechanism 41 comprises a curing agent nozzle module and / or an ultraviolet lamp. The spraying section of the curing agent nozzle module is arranged towards the platform of the printing platform, so that the curing agent nozzle module can spray curing agent to the three-dimensional printing materials on the platform of the printing platform. The light-emitting end of the ultraviolet lamp is arranged towards the platform of the printing platform, and the ultraviolet lamp is used to irradiate the liquid three-dimensional printing materials, so as to accelerate the curing speed of the liquid three-dimensional printing materials.

[0049] The solidification mechanism 41 can be selected according to the type of the nozzle mechanism 43. For example, when the three-dimensional printing material sprayed by the nozzle mechanism 43 is powder, the solidification mechanism 41 can be selected as a solidification agent nozzle module, so as to spray the solidification agent to the powder three-dimensional printing material through the solidification agent nozzle module, thereby accelerating the solidification of the powder three-dimensional printing material. In this case, the solidification agent nozzle module can be designed in an integrated manner with the nozzle mechanism 43, that is, the solidification agent nozzle module and the nozzle mechanism 43 are integrated together. For another example, when the three-dimensional printing material sprayed by the nozzle mechanism 43 is liquid, the solidification mechanism 41 can be selected as an ultraviolet lamp, so as to irradiate the liquid three-dimensional printing material by the ultraviolet lamp, thereby accelerating the solidification of the liquid three-dimensional printing material. Of course, as another optional solution, the solidification mechanism 41 can simultaneously include the solidification agent nozzle module and the ultraviolet lamp.

[0050] Preferably, when the solidification mechanism 41 only includes the solidification agent nozzle module, and the solidification agent nozzle module is separately arranged from the nozzle mechanism 43, the solidification agent nozzle module and the nozzle mechanism 43 can be separately arranged on opposite sides of the axis of the first screw, so as to balance the stress of the support 42 and avoid the inclination of the support 42. Of course, during the actual assembly of the three-dimensional printer, the relative positions of the solidification agent nozzle module, the nozzle mechanism 43 and the driving mechanism can be allocated according to the actual situation, so as to balance the stress of the support 42 and avoid the inclination of the support 42. Similarly, when the solidification mechanism 41 includes the solidification agent nozzle module and the ultraviolet lamp, if the solidification agent nozzle module is separately arranged from the nozzle mechanism 43, the relative positions of the solidification agent nozzle module, the ultraviolet lamp, the nozzle mechanism 43 and the driving mechanism can be allocated according to the actual assembly of the three-dimensional printer, so as to balance the stress of the support 42. If the solidification agent nozzle module is integrally arranged with the nozzle mechanism 43, the relative positions of the ultraviolet lamp, the nozzle mechanism 43 (including the solidification agent nozzle module) and the driving mechanism can be allocated according to the actual assembly of the three-dimensional printer, so as to balance the stress of the support 42.

[0051] Third embodiment of three-dimensional printer

[0052] With reference to Figure 5 The difference between the present embodiment and the above-mentioned embodiments is that, in the present embodiment:

[0053] The printing platform 51 is slidably connected to the rack 52 in the height direction of the rack 52, and the three-dimensional printer further includes a driving unit 53, which is installed on the rack 52 and has an output end connected to the printing platform 51. The driving unit 53 is configured to drive the printing platform 51 to move in the height direction, so as to increase the forming height of the product and facilitate the taking out of the product after printing.

[0054] For example, in the embodiment, the printing platform 51 has a plurality of slide rods 511 extending along the height direction, and the slide rods 511 are slidably connected with the rack 52. Preferably, linear bearings are arranged between the slide rods 511 and the rack 52 to reduce the friction between the slide rods 511 and the rack 52 during relative movement. In addition, the slide rods 511 are provided with connecting portions 513, which are preferably detachably connected with the plurality of slide rods 511, and the connecting portions 513 are provided with second threaded holes 5131. The driving unit 53 includes a motor 531 and a lead screw 532. The motor 531 is preferably a reduction stepper motor or a reduction servo motor. The lead screw 532 is parallel to the height direction. One end of the lead screw 532 is connected with an output shaft of the motor 531, so that the motor 531 can drive the lead screw 532 to rotate about a second rotation axis of the lead screw 532. The lead screw 532 penetrates through the second threaded holes 5131 and is threadedly connected with the second threaded holes 5131, so that the lead screw 532 can drive the printing platform 51 to ascend or descend through the second threaded holes 5131 when the lead screw 532 rotates.

[0055] Further, a second through hole 512 is arranged in the middle of the printing platform 51, and the first screw rod 521 can penetrate through the second through hole 512, so as to increase the maximum printable height of the product to a certain extent.

[0056] Fourth embodiment of the three-dimensional printer

[0057] With reference to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The difference between the embodiment and the above-mentioned embodiments is that, in the embodiment, the printing unit further includes a feeding mechanism 61, which is preferably mounted on a support 62 and connected with a nozzle mechanism 63, so that the feeding mechanism 61 can deliver three-dimensional printing consumables to the nozzle mechanism 63.

[0058] For example, the feeding mechanism 61 can include a storage tank mounted on the support 62 and a pipeline connected between the storage tank and the nozzle mechanism 63. The storage tank can store powder or liquid three-dimensional printing consumables, and the storage tank can supply the three-dimensional printing consumables to the nozzle mechanism 63 through the pipeline. For another example, the feeding mechanism 61 can adopt all the existing wire feeding mechanisms of the three-dimensional printer, so that the feeding mechanism 61 can deliver wire three-dimensional printing consumables to the nozzle mechanism 63.

[0059] The mounting position of the feeding mechanism 61 can also be distributed and arranged according to the actual assembly of the three-dimensional printer, so as to ensure that the support 62 can be balanced in force and prevent the support 62 from tilting, thereby ensuring the reliability and printing accuracy of the printing unit.

[0060] Embodiment of the printing method of the three-dimensional printer

[0061] The three-dimensional printer used in the embodiment is the three-dimensional printer described in any one of the first to fourth embodiments of the three-dimensional printer. In combination with Figures 8 to 10 , the printing method comprises:

[0062] First, the three-dimensional model to be printed is subjected to slicing processing. During slicing processing, the three-dimensional model to be printed is first imported into slicing software for layer slicing processing, so as to slice the three-dimensional model to be printed into multiple planar slices and generate corresponding three-dimensional printing data.

[0063] Next, the first screw rod 71 with a corresponding pitch is selected according to the thickness of the slicing layer, that is, the thickness of the slicing layer is equal to the pitch of the first screw rod 71.

[0064] Next, the three-dimensional printing data is directly sent to the three-dimensional printer in the slicing software, or the three-dimensional printing data is exported from the slicing software using a readable storage medium, and then the three-dimensional printing data is imported into the three-dimensional printer through the readable storage medium.

[0065] After the three-dimensional printer obtains the three-dimensional printing data, the control system controls the driving mechanism of the printing unit to start according to the three-dimensional printing data, so that the driving module drives the second screw rod to rotate, and then the support 72 is spirally raised or spirally lowered along the first screw rod 71 under the cooperation of the first screw rod 71 and the second screw rod. At the same time, in the process of the printing unit spirally raising and lowering relative to the first screw rod 71, the control system also controls the nozzle mechanism 73 to spray three-dimensional printing material 75 to the surface of the printing platform 74 according to the three-dimensional printing data, so as to gradually form a product. At the same time, the control system controls the spraying amount of the nozzle mechanism 73 according to the three-dimensional printing data, so as to avoid the product formed having poor precision and quality due to the excessive spraying amount of the nozzle mechanism 73, and to avoid the three-dimensional printing material 75 blocking the spraying end of the nozzle mechanism 73.

[0066] When the three-dimensional printing of the product is completed, the product is removed from the printing platform 74, and the control system controls the printing platform 74 to return to the initial state to wait for the next three-dimensional printing operation.

[0067] Product embodiment

[0068] The product is a three-dimensional product, wherein the product is printed and formed by the printing method of the three-dimensional printer described above, and the printing method described above can better improve the production efficiency of the product and reduce the production cost of the product.

[0069] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can have various changes and modifications, and any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printer, comprising a frame; a printing platform mounted on the frame; characterized in that: a first screw is arranged on the frame and extends towards a table top of the printing platform; the three-dimensional printer further comprises a printing unit, the printing unit comprising a support, a nozzle mechanism and a driving mechanism, the support being mounted on the first screw, the nozzle mechanism and the driving mechanism both being mounted on the support, a spraying end of the nozzle mechanism being arranged towards the table top, an output end of the driving mechanism being connected with the first screw, the driving mechanism being capable of driving the support to ascend or descend spirally along the first screw; the driving mechanism comprises: a driving module mounted on the support; a second screw parallel to the first screw, a first end of the second screw being rotatably connected with the support about a rotation axis of the second screw, a second end of the second screw being connected with an output end of the driving module, the second screw being engaged with the first screw; the printing unit further comprises a solidifying mechanism mounted on the support, the solidifying mechanism comprising: a solidifying agent nozzle module, a spraying end of the solidifying agent nozzle module being arranged towards the table top, and / or an ultraviolet lamp, a light emitting end of the ultraviolet lamp being arranged towards the table top; the printing unit further comprises a feeding mechanism connected with the nozzle mechanism, the feeding mechanism being capable of feeding three-dimensional printing consumables to the nozzle mechanism; the support is provided with a through hole, the first screw passes through the through hole, a lubricant is arranged between the through hole and the first screw, or the support is provided with a threaded hole, the first screw passes through the threaded hole and is threadedly connected with the threaded hole.

2. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: the first screw is detachably connected with the frame; the second screw is detachably connected with the driving module and the support.

3. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: in an extension direction of the first screw, the support has an initial position and a limit position, the initial position being located at an extended end of the first screw, the limit position being located between the initial position and a fixed end of the first screw, a maximum distance between the initial position and the limit position being between one third and one half of a length of the first screw.

4. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 3, characterized in that: in the extension direction, a distance between the initial position and the table top is greater than a pitch of the first screw; a printing layer thickness of the three-dimensional printer is equal to the pitch.

5. The three-dimensional printer according to claim 4, characterized in that: the first screw is parallel to a height direction of the frame; the printing platform is slidably connected with the frame along the height direction, the table top being perpendicular to the height direction. The three-dimensional printer further comprises a driving unit mounted on the frame, an output end of the driving unit being connected with the printing platform, and the driving unit being capable of driving the printing platform to move in the height direction.

6. A printing method of a three-dimensional printer, characterized in that: The three-dimensional printer is the three-dimensional printer according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the printing method comprises: acquiring three-dimensional printing data of a three-dimensional model to be printed; controlling the driving mechanism to drive the support to ascend along the first screw and controlling the nozzle mechanism to spray three-dimensional printing consumables toward the table top according to the three-dimensional printing data.

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