A rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

This invention discloses a rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment, comprising: a gantry frame; a pin opening device fixedly installed on the gantry frame and used to open the pin; a lifting device fixedly installed on the gantry frame, which drives the cylinder to rise and fall after the pin is opened by the pin opening device; a rotating device, on which a piston assembly is fixedly installed, used to drive the workpiece and piston assembly to rotate 360° along the Z-axis; and a flipping device fixedly installed on the rotating device. This invention enables rapid secondary printing, with powder cleaning and printing occurring simultaneously, greatly improving production efficiency. The rapid powder cleaning station also achieves rapid powder removal, reducing waiting time and ensuring thorough powder removal, thus minimizing powder waste.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and specifically relates to a rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Additive manufacturing (AM) is an advanced manufacturing technology characterized by digital manufacturing, high flexibility and adaptability, direct CAD model-driven operation, speed, and a wide variety of materials. Since its development in the late 1980s, it has become a pillar technology in modern advanced manufacturing. Selective laser sintering (SLS) is one of the fastest-growing additive manufacturing technologies in recent years. It uses powder materials as raw materials and employs lasers to scan the cross-section of a three-dimensional solid layer by layer to complete the prototype manufacturing. It is not limited by the complexity of the part shape, does not require any tooling or molds, and has a wide range of applications.

[0003] The basic process of selective laser sintering (SLS) in existing additive manufacturing equipment (taking selective laser sintering equipment as an example) is as follows: the powder feeding device delivers a certain amount of powder to the worktable, the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder material on the upper surface of the already formed part on the worktable, and the galvanometer system controls the laser to scan the solid part of the powder layer according to the cross-sectional contour of the layer, so that the powder melts and fuses with the already formed part below; after one cross-section is sintered, the worktable descends by the thickness of one layer, and the powder spreading mechanism spreads another layer of uniform and dense powder on top, and performs scanning and sintering of a new cross-section. After several layers of scanning are superimposed, the entire prototype manufacturing is completed.

[0004] Selective laser sintering (SLS) equipment typically employs two methods for cleaning workpieces after sintering: automatic cleaning by the main unit and separate cleaning by removing the cylinder. Currently, most SLS equipment uses the automatic cleaning method, which eliminates the need for manual cylinder transfer. However, this method suffers from low cleaning efficiency and the inability to quickly perform secondary printing, significantly impacting production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment. This invention is a brand-new powder cleaning method with cylinder separation, which can quickly perform secondary printing. The powder cleaning operation and printing are carried out simultaneously, which greatly improves production efficiency. At the same time, the rapid powder cleaning station can realize the rapid cleaning of powder, reduce the powder cleaning waiting time, and thoroughly clean the powder, reducing powder waste and providing a strong guarantee for the reliability of continuous printing of the equipment.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment, used for powder cleaning between the cylinder and the workpiece after sintering in the additive manufacturing equipment. The bottom of the cylinder is equipped with a pin device, and the bottom of the workpiece is connected to a piston assembly. The pin device is used to fix the workpiece and the piston assembly inside the cylinder. The rapid powder cleaning station includes:

[0007] Gantry truss;

[0008] A lifting device, which is fixedly installed on the gantry truss;

[0009] A pin opening device is fixedly installed on the gantry truss and is used to open the pin device, so that the cylinder body is disengaged from the workpiece and piston assembly. When the pin device is opened by the pin opening device, the lifting device is used to drive the cylinder body to lift, so that the workpiece and piston assembly are disengaged from the cylinder body.

[0010] A rotating device, wherein the piston assembly is fixedly mounted on the rotating device, and the rotating device is used to drive the workpiece and the piston assembly to rotate 360° along the Z-axis direction;

[0011] A flipping device is provided, wherein the rotating device is fixedly installed on the flipping device, and the flipping device is used to synchronously drive the rotating device, the workpiece, and the piston assembly to flip 360°.

[0012] Furthermore, the lifting device includes a lifting body, and the number of lifting bodies is at least two; the lifting body includes a robot arm, a drive mechanism, and a lifting fixing block, the lifting fixing block is fixed above the outer wall of the cylinder body, and the drive mechanism is mounted on the gantry truss; the drive mechanism is connected to the robot arm and is used to drive the robot arm to move horizontally and rise and fall vertically, so that the robot arm clamps and disengages from the lifting fixing block.

[0013] Furthermore, the driving mechanism includes a first linear motion drive component that drives the robot to move horizontally and a second linear motion drive component that drives the robot to move vertically. The fixed end of the second linear motion drive component is fixedly installed on the gantry truss, and the telescopic end of the second linear motion drive component is connected to the fixed end of the first linear motion drive component. The telescopic end of the first linear motion drive component is connected to the robot.

[0014] Preferably, the first linear motion drive and the second linear motion drive are electric push rods or cylinders.

[0015] Furthermore, the pin device includes pin bodies, the number of which is the same as the number of lifting bodies and their positions are opposite. Each pin body includes a pin shaft, a spring, a housing, and a pin pull-out sleeve. The housing is fixed to the bottom of the cylinder and has a hollow structure with both ends open. The pin shaft passes through the hollow interior of the housing and both ends of the pin shaft extend out of the housing. The spring is located inside the hollow interior of the housing and is sleeved on the pin shaft. The two ends of the spring respectively abut against the pin shaft and the housing. When the spring is in its initial state, one end of the pin shaft extends into the interior of the cylinder and supports the piston assembly. The other end of the pin shaft is located outside the cylinder and connected to the pin pull-out sleeve. The pin pull-out sleeve has a pin hole with a first inclined surface structure.

[0016] The pin opening device includes a pin opening body. The number of pin opening bodies is the same as the number of pin bodies and their positions are opposite. Each pin body is configured with one pin opening body for opening. The pin opening body includes a third linear motion drive and a pin. The fixed end of the third linear motion drive is connected to the robot arm, and the telescopic end of the third linear motion drive is connected to the pin. The pin has a second inclined surface structure. When the pin is inserted into the corresponding pin hole, the second inclined surface structure of the pin cooperates with the first inclined surface structure of the pin hole, causing the ejector pin axis to move outward of the cylinder body. One end of the ejector pin axis retracts into the outer shell, and the spring is compressed. When the pin is pulled out of the pin hole, the spring drives the ejector pin axis to reset, causing the ejector pin axis to move inward of the cylinder body. One end of the ejector pin axis extends into the interior of the cylinder body.

[0017] Furthermore, the outer casing includes a housing and a pressure cap detachably connected to the housing; the third linear motion drive is an electric push rod or a cylinder.

[0018] Furthermore, the rotating device includes a fixed plate, a rotating worktable, a rotating work platform, and a rotating drive mechanism, wherein the fixed plate, the rotating work platform, and the rotating worktable are stacked and connected sequentially from top to bottom; the rotating drive mechanism is connected to the rotating worktable and is used to synchronously drive the fixed plate, the rotating work platform, and the rotating worktable to rotate 360° along the Z-axis; the size of the fixed plate is smaller than the size of the rotating work platform and the piston assembly; when the cylinder, the workpiece, and the piston assembly are fixed on the rotating device, the piston assembly is connected to the fixed plate through a zero-point positioner, and the pin device rests on the rotating work platform, and the fixed plate lifts the piston assembly, causing the piston assembly to disengage from one end of the ejector pin shaft.

[0019] Furthermore, the flipping device includes two flipping bodies, which are symmetrically arranged along the rotation center line of the rotating device. Each flipping body includes a flipping motor, a flipping work platform, a flipping arm, and a flipping shaft. The flipping motor is connected to the flipping arm through the flipping shaft, and the flipping arm is connected to the flipping work platform. The rotating worktable and the rotating drive mechanism are mounted on the flipping work platform.

[0020] Preferably, the rotary drive mechanism adopts a structure combining a motor and a gear structure.

[0021] Furthermore, the tilting body also includes a support and a coupling. The tilting shaft is rotatably mounted on the support. The output shaft of the tilting motor is connected to the tilting shaft through the coupling. The tilting arm has an L-shaped structure.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0023] This invention presents a novel method for cleaning the cylinder body after sintering the workpiece in the additive manufacturing equipment. The cylinder body and workpiece are hoisted out of the equipment and transferred to a rapid cleaning station. Simultaneously, a spare cylinder body can be transferred to the additive manufacturing equipment for secondary printing. This simultaneous cleaning and printing operation significantly improves production efficiency. After the cylinder body and workpiece are transferred to the rapid cleaning station, the piston assembly on the workpiece is fixed to the rotating device, ensuring that the piston assembly and workpiece will not detach during subsequent flipping and rotation. Before powder cleaning, the locking and lifting devices are used to ensure that the cylinder can be smoothly separated from the workpiece and lifted, achieving the first rapid powder cleaning, which can remove a large amount of powder between the workpiece and the cylinder. The rotating device drives the workpiece to rotate 360° along the Z-axis, which can clean the powder in the gaps at different angles of the workpiece. The flipping device drives the workpiece to flip 360°, which can pour out all the powder inside the workpiece, especially the powder inside cylindrical parts, which can be cleaned quickly. Therefore, the rapid powder cleaning station of this invention can ensure that the residual powder inside the workpiece is cleaned out in a very short time, reducing the powder cleaning waiting time, and the powder cleaning is thorough. This reduces the process of cleaning residual powder inside the workpiece in the subsequent workpiece, reduces powder waste, reduces the extra operation of operators, reduces the labor intensity of operators, and speeds up the subsequent processing of workpieces, providing a strong guarantee for the reliability of continuous printing of the equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention, at which point the cylinder body is not separated from the workpiece and piston assembly;

[0026] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention, at which point the cylinder body has been separated from the workpiece and piston assembly;

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the image;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the additive manufacturing equipment of the present invention before powder removal after sintering;

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Enlarged view of point B in the image.

[0030] The above figure labels:

[0031] 1. Cylinder block, 2. Workpiece, 3. Piston assembly, 4. Pin body, 40. Ejector shaft, 41. Housing, 410. Shell, 411. Pressure cap, 42. Spring, 43. Ejector pull-out sleeve, pin hole 430, 4300. First inclined plane structure, 5. Zero point positioner, 6. Gantry truss, 7. Lifting body, 70. Drive mechanism, 71. Robot arm, 72. Lifting fixing block, 8. Pin opening body, 80. Third linear motion drive, 81. Pin, 810. Second inclined plane structure, 9. Rotating device, 90. Rotating drive mechanism, 91. Rotating worktable, 92. Rotating work platform, 93. Fixing plate, 10. Tilting body, 101. Tilting motor, 102. Tilting shaft, 103. Tilting arm, 104. Tilting work platform, 105. Support, 106. Coupling. Detailed Implementation

[0032] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more complete description will be given below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0033] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0034] When describing positional relationships, unless otherwise specified, when an element is referred to as being "on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be intermediate elements. It is also understood that when an element is referred to as being "between" two elements, it may be the only one between the two elements, or there may be one or more intermediate elements.

[0035] When using the terms “including,” “having,” and “comprising” as described herein, another component may be added unless explicitly qualifying terms such as “only,” “consisting of,” etc. are used. Unless otherwise stated, singular terms may include plural forms and should not be construed as having a quantity of one.

[0036] It should also be understood that, in interpreting an element, although not explicitly described, the element is interpreted as including a range of error, which should be within the acceptable deviation range of a particular value as determined by a person skilled in the art. For example, "approximately," "about," or "substantially" can mean within one or more standard deviations, without limitation herein. Example

[0037] like Figure 1-5 As shown, this embodiment provides a rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment, used for powder cleaning between the cylinder 1 and the workpiece 2 after sintering in the additive manufacturing equipment. The bottom of the cylinder 1 is equipped with a pin device, and the bottom of the workpiece 2 is connected to a piston assembly 3. The pin device is used to fix the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 inside the cylinder 1. The rapid powder cleaning station includes:

[0038] Gantry truss 6;

[0039] The lifting device is fixedly installed on the gantry truss 6;

[0040] A pin opening device is fixedly installed on the gantry truss 6 and is used to open the pin device, so that the cylinder 1 is disengaged from the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3. When the pin device is opened by the pin opening device, the lifting device is used to drive the cylinder 1 to lift, so that the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 are disengaged from the cylinder 1.

[0041] Rotating device 9, the piston assembly 3 is fixedly mounted on the rotating device 9, the rotating device 9 is used to drive the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 to rotate 360° along the Z-axis direction;

[0042] A flipping device is provided, wherein the rotating device 9 is fixedly installed on the flipping device, and the flipping device is used to synchronously drive the rotating device 9, the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 to flip 360°.

[0043] The rapid powder cleaning station in this embodiment also includes a powder cleaning chamber and an inert gas supply device for providing inert gas protection to the powder cleaning chamber. These are conventional devices for powder cleaning stations and can be directly adopted using existing technologies, so they will not be described in detail here. The gantry truss 6, lifting device, pin opening device, rotating device 9 and flipping device are all installed in the powder cleaning chamber.

[0044] In this embodiment, the piston assembly 3 fixedly connected below the workpiece 2 is a conventional device equipped in existing additive manufacturing equipment. This piston assembly 3 consists of a base plate, an intermediate plate, and a lifting plate from top to bottom. This is prior art and is not the focus of this application, so it will not be described in detail.

[0045] This embodiment presents a novel method for removing the cylinder 1 and cleaning the powder. After the additive manufacturing equipment completes the sintering of the workpiece 2, the cylinder 1 and workpiece 2 are hoisted out of the additive manufacturing equipment as a whole and transferred to the rapid powder cleaning station. At the same time, another spare cylinder 1 can be transferred to the additive manufacturing equipment for secondary printing. The powder cleaning operation and printing construction are carried out simultaneously, which greatly improves production efficiency.

[0046] See Figure 4 and 5 The diagram shows the state of the workpiece 2 after the additive manufacturing equipment has completed sintering. At this time, the piston assembly 3 is supported and fixed by the pin device set at the bottom of the cylinder 1, so that the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 are effectively fixed inside the cylinder 1, ensuring that the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 will not fall out of the cylinder 1, so as to facilitate the use of lifting tools to lift the cylinder 1 and the workpiece 2 as a whole to the rapid powder cleaning station.

[0047] See Figure 1 As shown, at this point, cylinder 1 and workpiece 2 are hoisted together into the rapid powder cleaning station. The piston assembly 3 on workpiece 2 is fixed to the rotating device 9 to ensure that the piston assembly 3 and workpiece 2 will not fall off during subsequent rotation and turning. Before powder cleaning, the pin opening device is used to open the pin, allowing cylinder 1 to easily separate from workpiece 2. Then, the lifting device is used to lift cylinder 1 to the height detached from workpiece 2, ensuring that workpiece 2 will not touch cylinder 1 during subsequent rotation and turning. See also... Figure 2As shown, when cylinder 1 is lifted, a large amount of powder between cylinder 1 and workpiece 2 will fall into the rapid powder cleaning station under the action of gravity, thus achieving the first rapid powder cleaning.

[0048] See Figure 2 As shown, after the lifting device lifts the cylinder 1, the rotating device 9 drives the workpiece 2 and piston assembly 3 to rotate 360° along the Z-axis, which can clean the powder in the gaps at different angles of the workpiece 2. The flipping device drives the workpiece 2, piston assembly 3 and rotating device 9 to rotate 360° synchronously, pouring out all the powder inside the workpiece 2, especially the powder inside cylindrical parts, which can be cleaned quickly. Through the reciprocating rotation of the rotating device 9 and the flipping device, all residual powder inside the workpiece 2 is cleaned, leaving no residual powder in the workpiece 2 and reducing powder waste. Therefore, the rapid powder cleaning station of this embodiment can ensure that the residual powder in the workpiece 2 is cleaned out in a very short time, reducing the powder cleaning waiting time, ensuring thorough powder cleaning, reducing the extra operation of operators, reducing the labor intensity of operators, and speeding up the subsequent processing of the workpiece 2, providing a strong guarantee for the reliability of continuous printing of the equipment.

[0049] See Figure 1 and 2 As shown, in this preferred embodiment, the lifting device includes a lifting body 7, and the number of lifting bodies 7 is at least two. When there are two lifting bodies 7, the two lifting bodies 7 are symmetrically arranged along the vertical bisector center line of the cylinder 1. Of course, the number of lifting bodies 7 can also be multiple, and the multiple lifting bodies 7 are evenly distributed circumferentially. The lifting body 7 includes a robot arm 71, a drive mechanism 70, and a lifting fixing block 72. The lifting fixing block 72 is fixed above the outer wall of the cylinder 1, and the drive mechanism 70 is installed on the gantry truss 6. The drive mechanism 70 is connected to the robot arm 71 and is used to drive the robot arm 71 to move horizontally and rise and fall vertically, so that the robot arm 71 is clamped and disengaged from the lifting fixing block 72.

[0050] See Figure 1 As shown, when the robotic arm 71 clamps the lifting fixing block 72, the driving mechanism 70 drives the robotic arm 71 to move horizontally and rise and fall vertically, so that the robotic arm 71 clamps the lifting fixing block 72. Then the driving mechanism 70 drives the robotic arm 71 to lift vertically, thereby lifting the cylinder 1.

[0051] In this preferred embodiment, the drive mechanism 70 includes a first linear motion drive (not shown in the figure) that drives the robot arm 71 to move horizontally, and a second linear motion drive (not shown in the figure) that drives the robot arm 71 to move vertically. The fixed end of the second linear motion drive is fixedly installed on the gantry truss 6, and the telescopic end of the second linear motion drive is connected to the fixed end of the first linear motion drive. The telescopic end of the first linear motion drive is connected to the robot arm 71. The first linear motion drive drives the robot arm 71 to move horizontally, and the second linear motion drive synchronously drives the first linear motion drive and the robot arm 71 to move vertically, thereby realizing the horizontal and vertical movement of the robot arm 71, ensuring that the robot arm 71 can be clamped and disengaged from the lifting fixing block 72. Of course, the drive mechanism 70 can also adopt other existing structural forms, which are not specifically limited here.

[0052] In this preferred embodiment, the first and second linear motion drive components are electric push rods or cylinders. Of course, hydraulic cylinders can also be used. For example, when the first and second linear motion drive components are cylinders, the cylinder body of the second linear motion drive component is fixedly mounted on the gantry truss 6, the piston rod of the second linear motion drive component is connected to the cylinder body of the first linear motion drive component, and the piston rod of the first linear motion drive component is connected to the robot arm 71.

[0053] See Figure 3 and 5 As shown, the pin device in this embodiment includes a pin body 4. The number of pin bodies 4 is the same as the number of lifting bodies 7 and their positions are opposite. The pin body 4 includes a pin shaft 40, a spring 42, a housing 41, and a pin pull-out sleeve 43. The housing 41 is fixed to the bottom of the cylinder 1. The housing 41 has a hollow structure with both ends open. The pin shaft 40 passes through the hollow interior of the housing 41, and both ends of the pin shaft 40 extend out of the housing 41. The spring 42 is located inside the hollow interior of the housing 41 and is sleeved on the pin shaft 40. The two ends of the spring 42 respectively press against the pin shaft 40 and the housing 41. When the spring 42 is in its initial state ( Figure 5 As shown), one end of the ejector pin shaft 40 extends into the interior of the cylinder 1, one end of the ejector pin shaft 40 supports the piston assembly 3, and the other end of the ejector pin shaft 40 is located outside the cylinder 1 and connected to the ejector pin pull-out sleeve 43. The ejector pin pull-out sleeve 43 is provided with a pin hole 430, and the pin hole 430 is provided with a first inclined surface structure 4300.

[0054] The pin opening device includes a pin opening body 8. The number of pin opening bodies 8 is the same as the number of pin bodies 4 and their positions are opposite. Each pin body 4 is configured with one pin opening body 8 for opening. The pin opening body 8 includes a third linear motion drive 80 and a pin 81. The fixed end of the third linear motion drive 80 is connected to the drive mechanism 70, and the telescopic end of the third linear motion drive 80 is connected to the pin 81. The pin 81 is provided with a second inclined surface structure 810. When the pin 81 is inserted into the corresponding pin hole 430 ( Figure 3 As shown), the second inclined structure 810 of the pin 81 cooperates with the first inclined structure 4300 of the pin hole 430, so that the ejector shaft 40 moves toward the outside of the cylinder body 1, one end of the ejector shaft 40 is retracted into the outer shell 41, and the spring 42 is compressed. When the pin 81 is pulled out from the pin hole 430, the spring 42 drives the ejector shaft 40 to reset, so that the ejector shaft 40 moves toward the inside of the cylinder body 1, and one end of the ejector shaft 40 extends into the inside of the cylinder body 1.

[0055] See Figure 4 and 5 As shown, when the additive manufacturing equipment completes the sintering of workpiece 2, with spring 42 in its initial state, one end of the ejector pin shaft 40 extends into the interior of cylinder 1 to support piston assembly 3, thus fixing workpiece 2 and piston assembly 3 inside cylinder 1. See also Figure 1-3 As shown, the drive mechanism 70 drives the robot arm 71 to move, causing the robot arm 71 to clamp the lifting fixing block 72. Simultaneously, the robot arm 71 moves, driving the pin opening device to move synchronously. At the same time, the first linear motion drive component 80 drives the pin 81 to descend, causing the corresponding pin 81 to insert into the corresponding pin hole 430. Under the combined action of the second inclined surface structure 810 of the pin 81 and the first inclined surface structure 4300 of the pin hole 430, the ejector pin shaft 40 moves outward from the cylinder body 1. One end of the ejector pin shaft 40 is completely retracted into the outer shell 41, thus the ejector pin shaft 40 no longer supports the piston assembly 3. The workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 are no longer fixed to the cylinder body 1. At this point, when the cylinder body 1 is lifted upward, there are no interfering parts, and it can be smoothly lifted by the lifting device. When the ejector pin shaft 40 moves outward from the cylinder body 1, the spring 42 will be compressed. The rear rotating device 9 and the flipping device are activated to complete the powder cleaning work. When the powder cleaning work is completed, the lifting device lowers the cylinder 1, and the first linear motion drive 80 drives the pin 81 to rise, so that the pin 81 is pulled out from the pin hole 430. At this time, under the action of the spring 42, the spring 42 will drive the ejector pin shaft 40 to reset, so that the ejector pin shaft 40 moves towards the inside of the cylinder 1, and one end of the ejector pin shaft 40 extends into the inside of the cylinder 1.

[0056] In this preferred embodiment, the outer casing 40 includes a housing 410 and a pressure cover 411 detachably connected to the housing 410. The outer casing 41 adopts a detachable structure of the housing 410 and the pressure cover 411 to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the ejector pin shaft 40 and the spring 42 inside the outer casing 41.

[0057] In this preferred embodiment, the third linear motion drive 80 is an electric push rod or a cylinder. Of course, it can also be a hydraulic cylinder, etc. If the third linear motion drive 80 is a cylinder, the cylinder body of the third linear motion drive 80 is connected to the robot arm 71, and the piston rod of the third linear motion drive 80 is connected to the pin 81.

[0058] See Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the rotating device 9 in this embodiment includes a fixed plate 93, a rotating worktable 91, a rotating work platform 92, and a rotating drive mechanism 90. The fixed plate 93, the rotating work platform 92, and the rotating worktable 91 are stacked and connected sequentially from top to bottom. The rotating drive mechanism 90 is connected to the rotating worktable 91 and is used to synchronously drive the fixed plate 93, the rotating work platform 92, and the rotating worktable 91 to rotate 360° along the Z-axis. The size of the fixed plate 93 is smaller than the size of the rotating work platform 92 and the piston assembly 3. When the cylinder 1, the workpiece 2, and the piston assembly 3 are fixed on the rotating device 9 ( Figure 1 As shown in the diagram, the piston assembly 3 is connected to the fixed plate 93 via the zero-point positioner 5, and the pin device rests on the rotating work platform 92. The fixed plate 93 lifts the piston assembly 3, causing the piston assembly 3 to disengage from one end of the ejector pin shaft 40. The zero-point positioner 5 is an existing, mature product, and can be directly used; therefore, it will not be described in detail here.

[0059] When the rotating device 9 drives the workpiece 1 and the piston assembly 2 to rotate, the rotating drive mechanism 90 is activated to synchronously drive the fixed plate 93, the rotating work platform 92 and the rotating worktable 91 to rotate, thereby driving the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 to rotate.

[0060] In this preferred embodiment, the rotary drive mechanism 90 adopts a structure combining a motor and a gear structure. Of course, the rotary drive mechanism 90 can also adopt an existing structural form, as long as it can ensure that the workpiece 2 and the piston assembly 3 can complete 360° rotation along the Z-axis.

[0061] See Figure 1 and 2As shown, the flipping device in this embodiment includes two flipping bodies 10, which are symmetrically arranged along the rotation center line of the rotating device 9. Each flipping body 10 includes a flipping motor 101, a flipping work platform 104, a flipping arm 103, and a flipping shaft 102. The flipping motor 101 is connected to the flipping arm 103 via the flipping shaft 102, and the flipping arm 103 is connected to the flipping work platform 104. The rotating worktable 91 and the rotating drive mechanism 90 are mounted on the flipping work platform 104. The rotating worktable 91 is rotatably mounted on the flipping work platform 104 via rolling bearings, which allows the rotating device 9 to rotate smoothly with low resistance. The flipping body 10 also includes a support 105 and a coupling 106. The flipping shaft 102 is rotatably mounted on the support 105, and the output shaft of the flipping motor 101 is connected to the flipping shaft 102 via the coupling 106. The flipping arm 103 has an L-shaped structure.

[0062] When the flipping body 10 is working, the flipping motor 101 starts and drives the flipping shaft 102 to rotate via the coupling 106. The support 105 supports the flipping shaft 102. The rotation of the flipping shaft 102 causes the flipping arm 103 to swing. The swinging of the flipping arm 103 synchronously drives the flipping work platform 104, the rotating device 9, the piston assembly 3 and the workpiece 2 to rotate 360° so that all the powder inside the workpiece 2 can be poured out. Figure 1 and 2 As shown, the flip motor 101 on the left is not shown. When the flip motor 101 on the right can drive the flip work platform 104, the rotating device 9, the piston assembly 3 and the workpiece 2 to flip 360°, the flip motor 101 on the left may not be required. However, in order to ensure the balance of forces on both sides, it is preferable to configure the flip motor 101 on the left.

[0063] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the present invention as claimed. The scope of protection of this invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment, used for powder cleaning between the cylinder (1) and the workpiece (2) after sintering in the additive manufacturing equipment, wherein the bottom of the cylinder (1) is provided with a pin device, and the bottom of the workpiece (2) is connected to a piston assembly (3), the pin device being used to fix the workpiece (2) and the piston assembly (3) inside the cylinder (1); characterized in that, The rapid powder cleaning station includes: Gantry truss (6); The lifting device is fixedly installed on the gantry truss (6). The lifting device includes a lifting body (7). The lifting body (7) includes a manipulator (71), a drive mechanism (70), and a lifting fixing block (72). The drive mechanism (70) includes a first linear motion drive member that drives the manipulator (71) to move in the horizontal direction and a second linear motion drive member that drives the manipulator (71) to rise and fall in the vertical direction. A pin opening device is fixedly installed on the lifting device and is used to open the pin device so that the cylinder (1) is disengaged from the workpiece (2) and the piston assembly (3). When the pin device is opened by the pin opening device, the lifting device is used to drive the cylinder (1) to lift so that the workpiece (2) and the piston assembly (3) are disengaged from the cylinder (1). Rotating device (9), the piston assembly (3) is fixedly installed on the rotating device (9), the rotating device (9) is used to drive the workpiece (2) and the piston assembly (3) to rotate 360° along the Z-axis direction; A flipping device is provided, wherein the rotating device (9) is fixedly mounted on the flipping device, and the flipping device is used to synchronously drive the rotating device (9), the workpiece (2), and the piston assembly (3) to flip 360°; wherein, The pin device includes pin bodies (4), the number of which is the same as the number of lifting bodies (7) and their positions are opposite. Each pin body (4) includes a pin shaft (40), a spring (42), a housing (41), and a pin pull-out sleeve (43). The housing (41) is fixed to the bottom of the cylinder (1). The housing (41) is hollow and has a through-hole structure at both ends. The pin shaft (40) passes through the hollow interior of the housing (41) and both ends of the pin shaft (40) extend out of the housing (41). The spring (42) is located in the hollow interior of the housing (41). The spring (42) is inside and outside the ejector shaft (40). The two ends of the spring (42) abut against the ejector shaft (40) and the outer shell (41) respectively. When the spring (42) is in the initial state, one end of the ejector shaft (40) extends into the interior of the cylinder (1). One end of the ejector shaft (40) supports the piston assembly (3). The other end of the ejector shaft (40) is located outside the cylinder (1) and connected to the ejector pull-out sleeve (43). The ejector pull-out sleeve (43) is provided with a pin hole (430). The pin hole (430) is provided with a first inclined surface structure (4300). The pin opening device includes a pin opening body (8), the number of which is the same as the number of pin bodies (4) and they are positioned opposite each other. Each pin body (4) is configured with one pin opening body (8) for opening. The pin opening body (8) includes a third linear motion drive (80) and a pin (81). The fixed end of the third linear motion drive (80) is connected to the robot (71), and the telescopic end of the third linear motion drive (80) is connected to the pin (81). The pin (81) is provided with a second inclined surface structure (810). When the pin (81) is inserted... When inserted into the corresponding pin hole (430), the second inclined structure (810) of the pin (81) cooperates with the first inclined structure (4300) of the pin hole (430), causing the ejector pin shaft (40) to move toward the outside of the cylinder (1), one end of the ejector pin shaft (40) retracts into the outer shell (41), and the spring (42) is compressed. When the pin (81) is pulled out from the pin hole, the spring (42) drives the ejector pin shaft (40) to reset, causing the ejector pin shaft (40) to move toward the inside of the cylinder (1), and one end of the ejector pin shaft (40) extends into the inside of the cylinder (1).

2. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of lifting bodies (7) is at least two; the lifting fixing block (72) is fixed above the outer wall of the cylinder (1); the driving mechanism (70) is installed on the gantry truss (6); the driving mechanism (70) is connected to the robot (71) and is used to drive the robot (71) to move horizontally and rise vertically, so that the robot (71) is clamped and disengaged from the lifting fixing block (72).

3. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The fixed end of the second linear motion drive is fixedly installed on the gantry truss (6), the telescopic end of the second linear motion drive is connected to the fixed end of the first linear motion drive, and the telescopic end of the first linear motion drive is connected to the robot (71).

4. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first linear motion drive and the second linear motion drive are electric push rods or cylinders.

5. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The outer casing (41) includes a housing (410) and a pressure cap (411) detachably connected to the housing (410); the third linear motion drive (80) is an electric push rod or a cylinder.

6. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The rotating device (9) includes a fixed plate (93), a rotating worktable (91), a rotating work platform (92), and a rotating drive mechanism (90). The fixed plate (93), the rotating work platform (92), and the rotating worktable (91) are stacked and connected sequentially from top to bottom. The rotating drive mechanism (90) is connected to the rotating worktable (91) and is used to synchronously drive the fixed plate (93), the rotating work platform (92), and the rotating worktable (91) to rotate 360° along the Z-axis. The size of the fixed plate (93) is smaller than that of the rotating work platform (92) and the piston assembly (3); when the cylinder (1), the workpiece (2) and the piston assembly (3) are fixed on the rotating device (9), the piston assembly (3) is connected to the fixed plate (93) through the zero point locator (5), and the pin device falls on the rotating work platform (92). The fixed plate (93) lifts the piston assembly (3) so that the piston assembly (3) is disengaged from one end of the ejector pin shaft (40).

7. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The flipping device includes a flipping body (10), and there are two flipping bodies (10). The two flipping bodies (10) are symmetrically arranged along the rotation center line of the rotating device (9). The flipping body (10) includes a flipping motor (101), a flipping work platform (104), a flipping arm (103), and a flipping shaft (102). The flipping motor (101) is connected to the flipping arm (103) through the flipping shaft (102). The flipping arm (103) is connected to the flipping work platform (104). The rotating worktable (91) and the rotating drive mechanism (90) are mounted on the flipping work platform (104).

8. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The rotary drive mechanism (90) adopts a structure that combines a motor and a gear structure.

9. The rapid powder cleaning station for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The flipping body (10) also includes a support (105) and a coupling (106). The flipping shaft (102) is rotatably mounted on the support (105). The output shaft of the flipping motor (101) is connected to the flipping shaft (102) through the coupling (106). The flipping arm (103) has an L-shaped structure.

Images