Apparatus and method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic tools

Abstract

The application discloses a device for additive manufacturing gradient ceramic cutters, which comprises a control cabinet, a robot, a laser generator, a powder feeder, a water cooling system, a display, a protective gas cylinder, a laser measuring device, an operating room, a base plate and a laser head. Meanwhile, the application discloses a method for additive manufacturing gradient ceramic cutters: I. preliminary preparation; II. determining an additive path; III. preparation before additive manufacturing; IV. additive manufacturing of a cutter handle; V. additive manufacturing of a cutter blade; VI. finishing of the cutter. When the device works, the laser head performs additive manufacturing according to the set additive path, and a near-net-shaped cutter is quickly obtained, so that the rapid batch manufacturing of the cutter is realized. When the cutter blade is subjected to additive manufacturing, the powder conveyed by the powder feeder is mixed powder of ceramic particles and metal particles with different proportions, so that the cutter blade has different contents of ceramic particles from the two sides to the center, and the cutter blade has sufficient wear resistance and toughness and certain hardness.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, in particular to a device and method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutters. BACKGROUND

[0002] Additive manufacturing technology has been widely used in the field of processing and manufacturing. This technology can directly form a workpiece on a substrate without the need for a mold, and the workpiece is manufactured layer by layer according to a designed numerical model.

[0003] The traditional method for manufacturing ceramic cutters is as follows: the machining process of the handle is: cutting plate opening - punching blank - punching eye - straightening - forcing knife - heat treatment - water grinding - sanding - polishing; the machining process of the blade is: opening blade - punching - pinning - injection molding - batch water port - modifying knife - punching water grinding belt - removing wax - surface treatment. As can be seen from the above, the traditional manufacturing of ceramic cutters has the following problems: 1. The handle needs to use a mold when cutting plate opening and punching blank, which is costly; 2. The whole manufacturing process is complex and the production cycle is long; 3. Because there are many manufacturing processes, the handle blank of the ceramic cutter needs to reserve a lot of machining amount, causing waste of materials; 4. The blade and the handle are welded together and are easy to separate; 5. The composition of the blade material is fixed. If the ceramic content is too high, the blade is too brittle; if the ceramic content is too low, the blade is not tough enough. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides a device and method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutters. When the device is working, the laser head performs additive manufacturing according to the set additive path, quickly obtaining a near-net-shaped cutter, and realizing rapid batch manufacturing of the cutter. At the same time, when the blade is being additively manufactured, the powder delivered by the powder feeder is a mixed powder of ceramic particles and metal particles with different proportions, so that the blade has different ceramic particle contents from the two sides to the center, ensuring that the blade has sufficient wear resistance and toughness, and also has a certain hardness.

[0005] The present application provides a device and method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutters. When the device is working, the laser head performs additive manufacturing according to the set additive path, quickly obtaining a near-net-shaped cutter, and realizing rapid batch manufacturing of the cutter. At the same time, when the blade is being additively manufactured, the powder delivered by the powder feeder is a mixed powder of ceramic particles and metal particles with different proportions, so that the blade has different ceramic particle contents from the two sides to the center, ensuring that the blade has sufficient wear resistance and toughness, and also has a certain hardness.

[0006] The control cabinet is used for controlling the robot walking, the robot drives the laser head to move through the upper part of the laser head clamped by the arm; the powder feeder is used for conveying the powder onto the surface of the substrate; the laser generator is used for generating a laser beam and transmitting to the laser head, so that the powder on the substrate is melted, and the cutter blank is obtained after cooling and solidification; the water cooling system is connected with the laser head through two pipelines of water inlet and water outlet, to form a cooling circulation system of deionized water, that is, the deionized water flows into the laser head from the water inlet in the water cooling system and then flows into the water cooling system from the water outlet, so as to reduce the temperature of the laser head during work; the protection gas cylinder is used for conveying the protection gas to the inside of the operation room; the laser measuring device monitors the cutter blank size obtained in the additive process on the surface of the substrate in real time, and the data is fed back and displayed on the screen of the display in real time.

[0007] The powder feeder is connected with the KUKA robot, and the rotation speed of the two powder barrels in the robot and the powder feeder can be adjusted through the control panel program of the robot.

[0008] The method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutters comprises the following steps: one, preliminary preparation; two, determining the additive path; three, additive preparation; four, additive manufacturing of the handle; five, additive manufacturing of the blade; and six, finishing the cutter.

[0009] The method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutters comprises the following steps: one, preliminary preparation; two, determining the additive path; three, additive preparation; four, additive manufacturing of the handle; five, additive manufacturing of the blade; and six, finishing the cutter.

[0010] One, preliminary preparation: cleaning the surface of the substrate; drying the metal powder;

[0011] Two, determine the additive path: according to the size and surface shape of the handle, plan the scanning path in the additive process, and set the boundary of the additive area in the horizontal direction (i.e. long and wide direction) to be 2mm wider than the specified value, and in the vertical direction (i.e. height direction) to be 1mm higher than the specified value;

[0012] Three, additive preparation: first, open the protection gas cylinder to introduce protection gas into the operation room, then open the water cooling system and the laser generator, and then open the powder feeder after the two powder barrels in the powder feeder are filled with metal powder and ceramic powder respectively;

[0013] Four, additive manufacturing of the handle: additive manufacturing of the handle according to the handle scanning path determined in step two, the laser measuring device measures the thickness of the handle obtained in the additive process in real time, and when the thickness meets the set requirement, the additive process is paused;

[0014] V. Additive manufacturing of the blade: according to the shape of the blade, set the annular additive from the blade center to the rake face to the main cutting edge, wherein the powder delivered by the blade center additive is metal powder of the same material as the shank; then every time it expands outward, the speed of the ceramic powder powder bucket increases by 10%, and the speed of the metal powder powder bucket decreases by 10%; during the additive manufacturing process, the laser measuring device measures the size of the blade in real time, and when the length and width of the blade are greater than the specified value by 1mm, the first layer of additive manufacturing is completed; then lift the laser head and repeat the operation of the previous layer of additive manufacturing; when the height of the blade is greater than the specified value by 1mm, the additive manufacturing is completed; in turn Turn off each additive manufacturing equipment;

[0015] VI. Finishing tool: using a wire cutting device to cut the tool blank from the top of the substrate, then processing the tool blank, when each boundary size of the tool blank reaches the specified value, using a grinding wheel to open the blade of the tool blank, and get a gradient ceramic tool.

[0016] Further, in step one: use an iron brush to scrub the surface of the substrate to remove dirt and oxide film on the surface, and then clean with alcohol solution and dry; at the same time, dry the metal powder in the drying machine.

[0017] Further, in step three: the protection cylinder pre-into 5min 99.99% Ar into the operating chamber, in order to exhaust the air in the chamber cavity to make the cavity for vacuum, so as to ensure the quality of additive manufacturing.

[0018] Further, in step four: when the additive manufacturing is paused, the protection cylinder and the water cooling system continue to work, and the powder feeder and the laser generator stop working.

[0019] Further, in step five: during the manufacturing of the blade, the total speed of the two powder buckets in the powder feeder remains unchanged, and as the speed of the ceramic powder powder bucket increases and the speed of the metal powder powder bucket decreases, the content of ceramic particles in the mixed powder gradually increases.

[0020] Further, in step six: the processing of the tool blank includes free forging (argon protection), polishing, polishing and other operations. The processing of the tool blank includes free forging (argon protection), polishing, polishing and other operations.

[0021] The device and method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutter of the present application have the following advantages: 1. The laser head is used to perform additive manufacturing according to the set additive path, so that the cutter is directly formed on the substrate and near-net shaping is realized, thereby saving materials and reducing costs; no mold is needed, and rapid batch manufacturing of the cutter is realized; 2. The insert is directly obtained by additive manufacturing on the shank, and the two form an integral whole and cannot be separated; 3. When the insert is manufactured by additive manufacturing, the rotational speed ratio of the two powder barrels containing ceramic powder and metal powder in the powder feeder is adjusted to realize delivery of mixed powder with different proportions, so that the insert has different ceramic particle contents from the center of the insert to the main and auxiliary cutting edges, i.e. the mixed powder with low ceramic particle content is used in the center of the insert, and the mixed powder with high ceramic content is used in the main and auxiliary cutting edge parts, so that the insert has sufficient wear resistance and toughness and also has certain hardness. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the device for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutter of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 is a flowchart of the method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutter of the present application;

[0024] Figure 3 is the additive path of the insert in the additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutter of the present application;

[0025] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the gradient ceramic cutter of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings and examples. It can be understood that the specific examples described herein are only used to explain the present application, but not to limit the present application. In addition, it should be noted that, for the convenience of description, only the parts related to the present application are shown in the drawings, but not all the structures.

[0027] In the description of the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the term "connected" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or detachably connected, or integrated; it can be mechanically connected, or electrically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above-mentioned term in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] In the description of this embodiment, terms such as "side" and "interior" refer to the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of description and simplification of operation, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses an apparatus for additive manufacturing gradient ceramic cutting tools, comprising a control cabinet 1, a robot 2, a laser generator 3, a powder feeder 4, a water cooling system 5, a display 6, a protective gas cylinder 7, a laser measuring device 8, an operating chamber 9, a substrate 10, and a laser head 12. The control cabinet 1 is electrically connected to the robot 2, and the arm of the robot 2 holds the upper part of the laser head 12. The laser generator 3, the powder feeder 4, and the water cooling system 5 are respectively connected to the laser head 12 via wires or conduits. The operating chamber 9 is a transparent box, and the laser measuring device 8 is located at the observation port of the operating chamber 9. The laser measuring device 8 is electrically connected to the display 6. The protective gas cylinder 7 is connected to the operating chamber 9 via a pipe. The substrate 10 is located inside the operating chamber 9, and the lower part of the laser head 12 is located inside the operating chamber 9 and on top of the substrate 10.

[0031] The liquid in the water cooling system 5 is preferably deionized water.

[0032] In this invention's device: control cabinet 1 controls the movement of robot 2, which in turn drives the laser head 12 by gripping its upper part with its arm; powder feeder 4 delivers powder onto the surface of substrate 10; laser generator 3 generates a laser beam and transmits it to laser head 12, melting the powder on substrate 10, which then cools and solidifies to obtain tool blank 11; water cooling system 5 is connected to laser head 12 via inlet and outlet pipes, forming a deionized water cooling circulation system, where deionized water flows from the water cooling system 5 into laser head 12 through the inlet and then into the water cooling system 5 through the outlet, thereby reducing the temperature of laser head 12 during operation; protective gas cylinder 7 delivers protective gas to the interior of operating chamber 9; and laser measuring device 8 monitors the blank size of tool 11 obtained during the additive manufacturing process on the surface of substrate 10 in real time and displays the data on the screen of display 6 in real time.

[0033] Among them, the powder feeder 4 is linked with the KUKA robot 2, and the rotation speed of the two powder barrels in the robot 2 and the powder feeder 4 can be adjusted through the robot's control panel program.

[0034] Example 2

[0035] like Figure 2As shown, the application is a method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic tool, which comprises the following steps: one, preliminary preparation; two, determine the additive path: three, additive preparation; four, additive manufacturing handle; five, additive manufacturing blade; six, finishing tool.

[0036] Example 3

[0037] As Figure 2 shown, the application is a method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic tool, which comprises the following steps:

[0038] one, preliminary preparation: clean the surface of the substrate 10; dry the metal powder;

[0039] two, determine the additive path: according to the size and surface shape of the handle 111, plan the scanning path in the additive process, and set the boundary of the additive area in the horizontal direction (i.e. length, width) is 2mm wider than the specified value, and in the vertical direction (i.e. height) is 1mm higher than the specified value;

[0040] three, additive preparation: first open the protection gas cylinder 7 to the operating chamber 9 to pass in the protection gas, then open the water cooling system 5, laser generator 3, and then open the powder feeder after loading the metal powder and ceramic powder in the two powder barrels in the powder feeder 4;

[0041] four, additive manufacturing handle: according to the handle scanning path determined in step two, additive manufacturing handle, laser measuring device 8 measures the thickness of the handle obtained by additive manufacturing in real time during the additive process, and stops the additive process when the thickness reaches the set requirement;

[0042] five, additive manufacturing blade: according to the shape of the blade 112, set the annular additive from the blade center to the rake face 1126 to the main cutting edge 1124, as Figure 3 shown, wherein the powder delivered by the blade center additive is the metal powder of the same material as the handle 111; then every time it expands outward, the rotation speed of the powder barrel filled with ceramic powder increases by 10%, and the rotation speed of the powder barrel filled with metal powder decreases by 10%; laser measuring device 8 measures the size of the blade 112 in real time during the additive process, and the first layer of additive is completed when the length and width of the blade 112 are 1mm larger than the specified value; then lift the laser head 12 and repeat the operation described in the previous layer of additive; when the height of the blade 112 is 1mm larger than the specified value, the additive process is completed; turn off each additive device in turn;

[0043] six, finishing tool: use the wire cutting equipment to cut the tool 11 blank from the upper surface of the substrate 10, and then process the tool blank; when the size of each boundary of the tool 11 blank reaches the specified value, use the grinding wheel to open the blade of the tool 11 blank to obtain the gradient ceramic tool.

[0044] The gradient ceramic tool obtained by additive manufacturing of the application has the advantages ofFigure 4 As shown, it comprises a handle 111 and a blade 112. Figure 3 As shown, in the blade 112: 1123 is a blade tip, 1124 is a main cutting edge, 1122 is a secondary cutting edge, 1126 is a rake face, 1125 is a main relief face, and 1121 is a secondary relief face.

[0045] Embodiment 4

[0046] In step one of the method, the surface of the substrate 10 is brushed with an iron brush to remove dirt and oxide film therefrom, and then cleaned with an alcohol solution and dried; meanwhile, the metal powder is dried in a drying machine.

[0047] Embodiment 5

[0048] In step three of the method, the protection gas cylinder 7 is used to pre-ventilate the operation chamber 9 with 99.99% Ar for 5 minutes, so as to exhaust the air in the operation chamber and make the chamber a vacuum, thereby ensuring the quality of the additive manufacturing.

[0049] Embodiment 6

[0050] In step four of the method, when the additive manufacturing is paused, the protection gas cylinder 7 and the water cooling system 5 continue to work, and the powder feeder 4 and the laser generator 3 stop working.

[0051] Embodiment 7

[0052] In step five of the method, in the process of manufacturing the blade 112, the total rotation speed of the two powder barrels in the powder feeder 4 is unchanged, and as the rotation speed of the ceramic powder barrel increases and the rotation speed of the metal powder barrel decreases, the content of ceramic particles in the mixed powder gradually increases.

[0053] Embodiment 8

[0054] In step six of the method, the processing of the tool blank 11 includes operations such as free forging (under argon protection), polishing, and polishing.

[0055] The device and method for additive manufacturing of gradient ceramic cutter have the following advantages: 1. The laser head performs additive manufacturing according to the set additive path, so that the cutter is directly formed on the substrate and near-net forming is realized, material is saved, and cost is reduced; no mold is needed, and rapid batch manufacturing of the cutter is realized; 2. The blade is directly obtained by additive manufacturing on the handle, and the two form an integral whole and cannot be separated; 3. When the blade is manufactured by additive manufacturing, the rotational speed ratio of two powder barrels filled with ceramic powder and metal powder in the powder feeder is adjusted to realize delivery of mixed powder with different proportions, so that the blade has different ceramic particle contents from the center of the blade to the main and auxiliary cutting edges, that is, the mixed powder with low ceramic particle content is used in the center of the blade, and the mixed powder with high ceramic content is used in the main and auxiliary cutting edge parts, so that the blade has sufficient wear resistance and toughness, and has certain hardness.

[0056] Therefore, the process for additive manufacturing of the gradient ceramic cutter is simple, the production cycle is short, the machining allowance is small, no mold is needed, the service life of the blade is long, and the production cost is low.

[0057] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present application are only examples for clear illustration of the present application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can make various obvious changes, readjustments and substitutions without departing from the protection scope of the present application. It is unnecessary and impossible to enumerate all the embodiments. Any modification, equivalent substitution and improvement within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of additive manufacturing of a gradient ceramic cutter, characterized by: The method adopts the device of additive manufacturing gradient ceramic cutter, the device includes control cabinet (1), robot (2), laser generator (3), powder feeder (4), water cooling system (5), display (6), protection gas cylinder (7), laser measuring device (8), operating room (9), base plate (10), laser head (12);Control cabinet (1) is electrically connected with robot (2), the arm of robot (2) holds the upper part of laser head (12), laser generator (3), powder feeder (4), water cooling system (5) are connected with laser head (12) through wire or pipe respectively, operating room (9) is transparent box, laser measuring device (8) is set at the observation port of operating room (9), laser measuring device (8) is electrically connected with display (6), protection gas cylinder (7) is connected with operating room (9) through pipeline, base plate (10) is set in operating room (9), the lower part of laser head (12) is located in operating room (9) and on the top of base plate (10), the method comprises the following steps: one, preliminary preparation: clean the surface of base plate;Drying metal powder;Two, determine the additive path: according to the size and surface shape of the handle, the scanning path in the additive process is planned, and the boundary of the additive area in the horizontal direction is set to be 2 mm wider than the specified value, and the boundary in the vertical direction is set to be 1 mm higher than the specified value;Three, additive preparation: first, open the protection gas cylinder to introduce the protection gas into the operating room, then open the water cooling system, laser generator, and open the powder feeder after loading metal powder and ceramic powder into the two powder barrels in the powder feeder;Four, additive manufacturing handle: according to the handle scanning path determined in step two, the handle is manufactured by additive manufacturing, and the laser measuring device measures the thickness of the handle obtained by additive manufacturing in real time during the additive process, and the additive process is paused when the thickness meets the set requirements;Five, additive manufacturing blade: according to the shape of the blade, set the ring additive from the blade center to the rake face to the main cutting edge, wherein the powder delivered by the blade center additive is metal powder of the same material as the handle;After each outward expansion, the rotation speed of the powder barrel containing ceramic powder increases by 10%, and the rotation speed of the powder barrel containing metal powder decreases by 10%;The laser measuring device measures the size of the blade in real time during the additive process, and the first layer of additive is completed when the length and width of the blade are greater than the specified value by 1 mm;Then lift the laser head and repeat the additive operation of the previous layer;When the height of the blade is greater than the specified value by 1 mm, the additive is completed;In turn, close each additive device;Six, finish machining cutter: use the wire cutting equipment to cut the cutter blank from the top of the base plate, then process the cutter blank, and when the size of the cutter blank meets the specified value, use the grinding wheel to open the blade of the cutter blank to obtain the gradient ceramic cutter.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The control cabinet (1) is used for controlling the robot (2) to walk, the robot (2) drives the laser head to move through the upper part of the laser head (12) clamped by the arm; the powder feeder (4) is used for conveying powder to the surface of the substrate (10); the laser generator (3) is used for generating a laser beam and transmitting to the laser head (12), so that the powder on the substrate (10) is melted, and the blank of the cutter (11) is obtained after cooling and solidification; the water cooling system (5) is connected with the laser head (12) through two pipelines of water inlet and water outlet, forming a cooling circulation system of deionized water, that is, the deionized water flows into the laser head (12) from the water inlet in the water cooling system (5) and then flows into the water cooling system (5) from the water outlet, so as to reduce the temperature of the laser head (12) during work; the protective gas cylinder (7) is used for conveying protective gas to the inside of the operation chamber (9); the laser measuring device (8) monitors the size of the blank of the cutter (11) obtained in the additive process on the surface of the substrate (10) in real time, and displays the data on the screen of the display (6) in real time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: The powder feeder (4) is linked with the KUKA robot (2), and the rotation speed of the two powder barrels in the robot (2) and the powder feeder (4) can be adjusted through the control panel program of the robot.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in step one, the surface of the substrate is brushed with an iron brush to remove dirt and oxide film therefrom, and then cleaned with an alcohol solution and dried, and the metal powder is dried in a drying machine.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein in step three, the protective gas cylinder is pre-filled with 99.99% Ar for 5 minutes to exhaust the air in the operation chamber and make the chamber a vacuum, thereby ensuring the quality of the additive manufacturing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein in step four, when the additive manufacturing is paused, the protective gas cylinder and the water cooling system continue to work, and the powder feeder and the laser generator stop working.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein in step five, in the process of manufacturing the blade, the total rotation speed of the two powder barrels in the powder feeder is unchanged, and as the rotation speed of the powder barrel containing ceramic powder increases and the rotation speed of the powder barrel containing metal powder decreases, the content of ceramic particles in the mixed powder gradually increases.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein: In step six, the processing of the cutter blank includes free forging, grinding and polishing under argon protection.

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