Large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device

Abstract

The present invention proposes a large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device, comprising: a first air supply pipe, used to be connected to a gas delivery device and to supply air; a flow equalizing pipe, forming an air inlet chamber connected to the first air supply pipe and a plurality of air storage chambers connected to the air inlet chamber, the air storage chamber and the air inlet chamber being separated by a first mesh plate; a buffer air box, a partition plate is provided inside the buffer air box, the partition plate is used to divide the inside of the buffer air box into a plurality of buffer chambers, the buffer chambers form an air outlet and a second mesh plate is fixed at the air outlet; a plurality of second air supply pipes, each of the second air supply pipes is connected between one of the air storage chambers and a buffer chamber; an output air duct, the output air duct is connected to the air outlet to connect the output air duct with the buffer chamber.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of laser printing, and in particular to a large-size laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilizing device. Background Art

[0002] Laser selective melting additive manufacturing has outstanding advantages such as high printing accuracy, the ability to form parts of any complex shape, excellent performance of printed parts, and strong adaptability of printed materials. With the in-depth research and rapid development of additive manufacturing applications, large-scale laser selective melting (SLM) equipment with a printing format greater than 450㎜*450㎜ and a height of more than 500㎜ has begun to be used in the printing of large integrated aerospace parts. During the printing process, a circulating wind field needs to be set up in the forming chamber to achieve thermal balance between the temperature field caused by the heat accumulation generated during the printing process and the circulating wind field, thereby reducing the dimensional error generated during the printing process.

[0003] However, compared with conventional printing equipment with a printing format smaller than 250㎜*250㎜*250㎜, the circulating wind field structure and airflow stability of large-scale SLM equipment are completely different. When the printing format increases, the uniformity and stability of the SLM wind field airflow directly affect the stability of the printing process and the quality of the printed parts. Therefore, ensuring the uniformity and stability of the circulating wind field airflow during the printing process of large-scale SLM equipment is an urgent problem that needs to be solved for high-quality printing of large-scale SLM equipment. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the above, it is necessary to propose a large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device to ensure the uniformity and stability of the circulating wind field airflow during the printing process of large-scale SLM equipment.

[0005] The embodiment of the present application provides a large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device, including a first air supply pipe, which is used to connect to a gas delivery device and supply air; a flow equalizing pipe, which forms an air inlet chamber connected to the first air supply pipe and multiple air storage chambers connected to the air inlet chamber, and the air storage chamber and the air inlet chamber are separated by a first mesh plate; a buffer air box, a partition plate is provided inside the buffer air box, and the partition plate is used to divide the inside of the buffer air box into multiple buffer chambers, the buffer chamber forms an air outlet and a second mesh plate is fixed at the air outlet; multiple second air supply pipes, each of which is connected between one of the air storage chambers and a buffer chamber; an output air duct, and the output air duct is connected to the air outlet to connect the output air duct with the buffer chamber.

[0006] In some embodiments, a plurality of air duct plates are disposed inside the output air duct to evenly divide the interior of the output air duct into a plurality of narrow air ducts.

[0007] In some embodiments, the buffer air box is a rectangular box body, the air outlet is a rectangular air outlet, and the air outlet is arranged at the bottom of the side wall of the buffer air box.

[0008] In some embodiments, the output air duct is a rectangular flat tube, and the bottom plane of the output air duct is flush with the bottom plane of the buffer air box.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first air supply pipe is arranged in the middle of the flow equalizing pipe, the plurality of the first grid plates are respectively arranged on both sides of the connection between the first air supply pipe and the flow equalizing pipe, and the plurality of the air storage chambers are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first air supply pipe.

[0010] In some embodiments, the diameter ratio of the flow balancing tube to the first air supply tube is greater than or equal to 3.

[0011] In some embodiments, a third mesh plate arranged radially is disposed inside the second air supply pipe.

[0012] In some embodiments, the first mesh plate, the second mesh plate, and the third mesh plate are mesh plates including a multi-layer mesh structure.

[0013] In some embodiments, the grids on the first grid plate, the second grid plate and the third grid plate are honeycomb grid structures.

[0014] In some embodiments, the axis of the first air supply pipe is arranged perpendicularly to the axis of the second air supply pipe, and the air supply direction of the output air duct is arranged perpendicularly to the axis of the second air supply pipe.

[0015] In this way, air is supplied to the flow equalizing pipe through the first air supply pipe, and after passing through the damping effect of the first grid plate in the flow equalizing pipe, the air flow slows down and flows evenly into multiple air storage chambers of equal volume, so that the air storage chamber supplies air to each buffer chamber in the buffer air box through the second air supply pipe at an equal gas flow rate per unit time. After the air flow enters the buffer chamber, under the buffering of the second grid plate, the air flow quickly fills the buffer chamber, so that the air pressure in the buffer chamber increases, and finally, under the action of the air pressure in the buffer chamber, the uniform and stable air flow is discharged into the forming chamber connected to the output air duct through the output air duct, thereby ensuring the uniformity and stability of the air flow in the circulating wind field during the printing process of large-scale SLM equipment, and improving the stability of the printing process and the quality of printed parts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device provided by the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1The front cross-sectional view of the large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device.

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a top view of a large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Side view of the large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device.

[0020] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 Schematic side view of the large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device.

[0021] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the first grid plate in FIG.

[0022] Main component symbols

[0023] The first air supply pipe 110

[0024] Flow tube 200

[0025] Buffer air tank 300

[0026] Output air duct 400

[0027] First grid plate 210

[0028] Gas storage chamber 220

[0029] Intake chamber 230

[0030] Separator 410

[0031] Buffer chamber 420

[0032] Second air supply pipe 120

[0033] Second grid plate 430

[0034] Air outlet 440

[0035] The third grid plate 121

[0036] Narrow air duct 460

[0037] Air duct plate 450 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present invention, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or mutual communication; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0042] The disclosure below provides many different embodiments or examples to realize different structures of the present invention. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present invention, the parts and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present invention. In addition, the present invention can repeat reference numbers and / or reference letters in different examples, and this repetition is for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present invention provides various specific examples of processes and materials, but those of ordinary skill in the art can be aware of the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0043] See also Figure 1 and Figure 4 The present invention provides a large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device, comprising a first air supply pipe 110, a flow equalizing pipe 200, a buffer air box 300, an output air duct 400 and a plurality of second air supply pipes 120. The first air supply pipe 110 is connected to a gas delivery device (not shown) for supplying air. An air inlet chamber 230 connected to the first air supply pipe 110 and a plurality of air storage chambers 220 connected to the air inlet chamber 230 are formed inside the flow equalizing pipe 200, and the air storage chamber 220 is separated from the air inlet chamber 230 by a first mesh plate 210. A partition plate 410 is provided inside the buffer air box 300, and the partition plate 410 is used to divide the inside of the buffer air box 300 into a plurality of buffer chambers 420, and the buffer chamber 420 forms an air outlet 440 and a second mesh plate 430 is fixed at the air outlet 440. Each of the second air supply pipes 120 is connected between a said air storage chamber 220 and a said buffer chamber 420. The output air duct 400 is connected to the air outlet 440 , so that the output air duct 400 is in communication with the buffer chamber 420 .

[0044] In this way, air is supplied to the equalizing flow tube 200 through the first air supply pipe 110, and after passing through the damping effect of the first grid plate 210 in the equalizing flow tube 200, the air flow slows down and flows evenly into multiple air storage chambers 220 of equal volume, so that the air storage chamber 220 supplies air to each buffer chamber 420 in the buffer air box 300 through the second air supply pipe 120 at an equal gas flow rate per unit time. After the air flow enters the buffer chamber 420, under the buffering of the second grid plate 430, the air flow quickly fills the buffer chamber 420, so that the air pressure in the buffer chamber 420 increases, and finally, under the action of the air pressure in the buffer chamber 420, the uniform and stable air flow is discharged into the forming chamber connected to the output air duct 400 through the output air duct 400, thereby ensuring the uniformity and stability of the circulating air field air flow during the printing process of large-scale SLM equipment, and improving the stability of the printing process and the quality of printed parts.

[0045] like Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the flow equalizing tube 200 includes a cylindrical air inlet chamber 230 and two air storage chambers 220 located on both sides of the air inlet chamber 230, and two first grid plates 210 are respectively arranged between the air inlet chamber 230 and the two air storage chambers 220. A partition plate 410 is provided in the buffer air box 300 to divide the buffer air box 300 into two buffer chambers 420, and the two buffer chambers 420 are respectively connected to the two air storage chambers 220 through the second air supply pipe 120.

[0046] In another embodiment, the flow equalizing tube 200 includes a circular air inlet chamber 230 and a plurality of air storage chambers 220 arranged around the circumference of the air inlet chamber 230 and isolated from each other, such as four air storage chambers 220, and two adjacent air storage chambers 220 can be isolated by an isolation plate. A first grid plate 210 is arranged between each air storage chamber 220 and the air inlet chamber 230. The plurality of first grid plates 210 can be connected end to end to form a circular whole. The buffer air box 300 is a cylinder, and the buffer air box 300 is divided into a plurality of buffer chambers 420 by a plurality of partition plates 410 extending outward from the center thereof, and each buffer chamber 420 is connected to an air storage chamber 220.

[0047] like Figure 2-3 As shown, in this embodiment, the first air supply pipe 110 is arranged in the middle of the flow equalizing pipe 200, and the plurality of first grid plates 210 are respectively arranged on both sides of the connection between the first air supply pipe 110 and the flow equalizing pipe 200, and the two air storage chambers 220 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first air supply pipe 110.

[0048] The first air supply pipe 110 is connected to a high-pressure blower, and forms a gas circulation loop with a device for providing protective gas arranged on one side of the forming chamber and a circulation purification device arranged on the other side of the forming chamber. A plurality of the first grid plates 210 are respectively arranged on both sides of the connection between the first air supply pipe 110 and the equalizing flow pipe 200. The first air supply pipe 110 is connected to the central position of the equalizing flow pipe 200 and is connected to the air inlet chamber 230. Two first grid plates 210 are respectively placed on both sides of the connection between the first air supply pipe 110 and the equalizing flow pipe 200, and the space between each first grid plate 210 and the side wall of the equalizing flow pipe 200 is the air storage chamber 220. After the airflow flows into the equalizing flow pipe 200 from the first air supply pipe 110, it flows toward the two ends of the equalizing flow pipe 200, and after being buffered by the first grid plate 210, it enters two air storage chambers 220 of equal volume.

[0049] In some embodiments, Figure 4As shown, the buffer air box 300 is a rectangular box, and the air outlet 440 is a rectangular air outlet, which is arranged at the bottom of the side wall of the buffer air box 300. The rectangular air outlet 440 is arranged at the bottom of the side wall of the buffer air box 300, and the edge of the air outlet 440 is flush with the edge of the side wall of the buffer air box 300, so that the air outlet 440 is opened as large as possible on the side wall of the buffer air box 300.

[0050] The output air duct 400 is a rectangular flat tube, and the bottom plane of the output air duct 400 is flush with the bottom plane of the buffer air box 300. A plurality of air duct plates 450 are arranged inside the output air duct 400, which are used to evenly divide the inside of the output air duct 400 into a plurality of narrow air ducts 460. The buffer air box 300 and the output air duct 400 are both rectangular boxes, which are convenient for stable placement. After the inside of the output air duct 400 is evenly divided into a plurality of narrow air ducts 460, the airflow in the buffer chamber 420 flows into the plurality of narrow air ducts 460 respectively under the action of air pressure, and the flow stability of the airflow is improved and the airflow velocity is improved, and after passing through the narrow air ducts 460, it flows into the forming chamber.

[0051] The second air supply pipe 120 is provided with a third mesh plate 121 arranged radially inside, which is used to slow down the flow rate of the airflow flowing from the flow balancing pipe 200 to the buffer air box 300. By arranging the third mesh plate 121 in the second air supply pipe 120, when the airflow flows from the flow balancing pipe 200 through the second air supply pipe 120 into the buffer air box 300, the third mesh plate 121 can buffer the airflow, further improving the uniformity and stability of the airflow.

[0052] In some embodiments, the diameter ratio of the flow balancing tube 200 to the first air supply tube 110 is greater than or equal to 3. When the diameter difference between the flow balancing tube 200 and the first air supply tube 110 is large enough, the flow velocity of the airflow from the first air supply tube 110 into the flow balancing tube 200 will be greatly slowed down to enhance the effect of smooth airflow.

[0053] In some embodiments, Figure 5 As shown, the axis of the first air supply pipe 110 is perpendicular to the axis of the second air supply pipe 120, and the air supply direction of the output air duct 400 is perpendicular to the axis of the second air supply pipe 120. By setting the orientation of the flow equalizing pipe 200 and the air supply direction of the output air duct 400, the airflow can be diverted multiple times when flowing through the circulating wind field flow stabilizing device provided by this embodiment, preventing the airflow from entering to output when the flow channel is straight, and failing to provide a good buffering and stabilizing effect on the airflow, thereby ensuring that the circulating wind field flow stabilizing device can provide a good uniformity and stabilization effect on the airflow.

[0054] In some embodiments, Figure 6As shown, the first mesh plate 210, the second mesh plate 430 and the third mesh plate 121 are mesh plates including a multi-layer mesh structure. The meshes on the first mesh plate 210, the second mesh plate 430 and the third mesh plate 121 are honeycomb mesh structures. When the airflow passes through the first mesh plate 210, the second mesh plate 430 and the third mesh plate 121, the first mesh plate 210, the second mesh plate 430 and the third mesh plate 121 with a multi-layer mesh structure will perform a multi-layer buffering effect on the airflow, further improving the uniformity and stability of the airflow. The meshes on the first mesh plate 210, the second mesh plate 430 and the third mesh plate 121 are honeycomb mesh structures.

[0055] It is understandable that the grid structures on the first grid plate 210 , the second grid plate 430 , and the third grid plate 121 can all be made of stainless steel.

[0056] The working principle of the circulating wind field flow stabilization device in the present invention is to first start the device for providing protective gas connected to the forming chamber to deliver protective gas such as argon or nitrogen into the forming chamber. Secondly, start the high-pressure blower to make the protective gas flow in the circulating purification device connected to the forming chamber. After that, the high-speed air flow flows into the flow balancing pipe 200 through the first air supply pipe 110. At this time, the gas flow rate can be set to 130-150m 3 / h. Then, the airflow entering the equalizing tube 200 passes through the damping effect of the first grid plate 210 inside the equalizing tube 200 and enters the air storage chamber 220 of equal volume, so that the air storage chamber 220 obtains equal gas flow per unit time. After that, the gas flows into the buffer air box 300 through the second air supply pipe 120. The second grid plate 430 at the bottom of the buffer air box 300 buffers the airflow, so that the airflow can quickly fill each buffer chamber 420. In the process of the airflow filling the buffer chamber 420, the air pressure inside the buffer chamber 420 gradually increases. Finally, under the action of the air pressure, the airflow passes through the second grid plate 430 and flows into the output air duct 400. The airflow flows into the output air duct 400 and flows forward from each narrow air duct 460 respectively. Since each narrow air duct 460 is a narrow and long air duct, the airflow is more stable and the flow rate is also increased during the flow of the narrow air duct 460. Finally, it flows into the forming chamber along the narrow air duct 460.

[0057] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-restrictive in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all variations that fall within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the present invention.

[0058] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention rather than to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions of the present invention may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the present invention.

Claims

1. A large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device, characterized in that: include: A first air supply pipe, used for connecting with the gas delivery device and supplying air; A flow balancing pipe, forming an air inlet chamber connected to the first air supply pipe and a plurality of air storage chambers connected to the air inlet chamber, wherein the air storage chamber is separated from the air inlet chamber by a first mesh plate; A buffer air box, wherein a partition plate is provided inside the buffer air box, and the partition plate is used to divide the inside of the buffer air box into a plurality of buffer chambers, wherein the buffer chambers form air outlets and a second grid plate is fixed at the air outlets; A plurality of second air supply pipes, each of which is connected between one of the air storage chambers and one of the buffer chambers; an output air duct, the output air duct being connected to the air outlet so as to communicate with the buffer chamber; Wherein, the first air supply pipe is arranged in the middle of the flow equalizing pipe, the first grid plates are arranged on both sides of the connection between the first air supply pipe and the flow equalizing pipe, and the air storage chambers are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the first air supply pipe; The diameter ratio of the flow balancing tube to the first air supply tube is greater than or equal to 3; A third grid plate arranged radially is provided inside the second air supply pipe.

2. The large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A plurality of air duct plates are arranged inside the output air duct to evenly divide the inside of the output air duct into a plurality of narrow air ducts.

3. The large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The buffer air box is a rectangular box body, the air outlet is a rectangular air outlet, and the air outlet is arranged at the bottom of the side wall of the buffer air box.

4. The large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device according to claim 3 is characterized in that: The output air duct is a rectangular flat tube, and the bottom plane of the output air duct is flush with the bottom plane of the buffer air box.

5. The large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first grid plate, the second grid plate and the third grid plate are grid plates including a multi-layer grid structure.

6. The large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The grids on the first grid plate, the second grid plate and the third grid plate are honeycomb grid structures.

7. The large-scale laser selective melting circulating wind field flow stabilization device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The axis of the first air supply pipe is arranged perpendicularly to the axis of the second air supply pipe, and the air supply direction of the output air duct is arranged perpendicularly to the axis of the second air supply pipe.

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