3D printing apparatus, 3D printing method and computer equipment

Abstract

This application provides a 3D printing apparatus, a 3D printing method, and a computer device. The apparatus includes a preheating component, a forming platform, and a temperature sensor. The preheating component includes at least one radiation source. The forming platform supports a build material layer and a 3D object. The at least one radiation source irradiates the forming platform under the control of a processor based on initial control information. The temperature sensor acquires thermal images of the at least one radiation source irradiating the forming platform. The at least one radiation source also irradiates the build material layer under the control of the processor based on target control information to form a 3D object. The target control information is obtained by the processor constructing a target thermal image based on the acquired at least one thermal image to form a reference image, and modifying the initial control information based on the reference image. This application ensures precise control of each radiation source to guarantee temperature regulation in various areas of the forming platform, thereby improving the forming accuracy of the 3D object.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and in particular to a 3D printing apparatus, a 3D printing method, and a computer device. [Background Technology]

[0002] The main process of the three-dimensional object forming method is to obtain a digital model of the three-dimensional object, slice and layer the digital model, and process and convert the data of each slice layer to obtain the printing data of each slice layer. The printing device prints layer by layer according to the printing data of the slice layer to form slice layers, and stacks multiple slice layers to create a three-dimensional object.

[0003] In 3D printing technology, multiple radiation sources are placed above the forming platform. These sources heat various areas of the platform to promote the solidification of powder materials. Temperature is typically monitored by temperature sensors, and the monitored temperature thermal maps are fed back to a controller. The controller adjusts the power of the radiation sources in the corresponding areas based on the thermal maps and pre-set radiation source position information stored in the controller. However, due to factors such as installation tolerances of the radiation sources or a lack of correlation between the radiation source position information and the different areas of the forming platform, the irradiation area of ​​the radiation source on the forming platform may not perfectly match the pre-set radiation source position information in the controller. This affects the precise control of each radiation source and consequently, the temperature regulation of each area of ​​the forming platform. [Summary of the Invention]

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a three-dimensional printing apparatus, a three-dimensional printing method, and a computer device to solve the technical problem in the prior art where the area irradiated by the radiation source on the molding platform cannot be well matched with the position information of the radiation source preset in the controller, thus affecting the precise control of each radiation source and consequently affecting the temperature regulation of each area of ​​the molding platform.

[0005] A first aspect provides a 3D printing apparatus, comprising: a preheating component, a molding platform, and a temperature sensor, wherein the preheating component includes at least one radiation source, and the molding platform is used to support a building material layer and a 3D object;

[0006] The at least one radiation source is used to irradiate the molding platform under the control of the processor according to the initial control information;

[0007] The temperature sensor is used to acquire thermal images of the at least one radiation source irradiating the molding platform;

[0008] The at least one radiation source is further configured to irradiate the building material layer under the control of the processor according to target control information to form the three-dimensional object, wherein the target control information is obtained by the processor constructing a target thermal image to form a reference image based on at least one acquired thermal image, and modifying the initial control information according to the reference image.

[0009] The second aspect provides a 3D printing method, including:

[0010] The processor controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the molding platform based on initial control information.

[0011] The temperature sensor acquires a thermal image of the at least one radiation source irradiating the molding platform;

[0012] The processor constructs a target thermal image based on at least one of the acquired thermal images to form a reference image;

[0013] The processor modifies the initial control information based on the reference image to obtain the target control information;

[0014] The processor controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the construction material layer according to the target control information to form a three-dimensional object.

[0015] The third aspect provides a 3D printing method, including:

[0016] Based on the initial control information, at least one radiation source is controlled to irradiate the molding platform, so that the temperature sensor acquires a thermal image of the at least one radiation source irradiating the molding platform;

[0017] A target thermal image is constructed based on at least one of the acquired thermal images to form a reference image;

[0018] The initial control information is modified based on the reference image to obtain the target control information;

[0019] The at least one radiation source is controlled to irradiate the construction material layer according to the target control information to form a three-dimensional object.

[0020] The fourth aspect provides a computer device comprising: one or more processors; a memory; and one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more computer programs include instructions that, when executed by the computer device, cause the computer device to perform the three-dimensional printing method of the third aspect.

[0021] The fifth aspect provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls a computer device containing the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium to perform the three-dimensional printing method of the third aspect.

[0022] In the technical solution provided in this application embodiment, by controlling the radiation source to irradiate the molding platform, thermal images of the corresponding irradiated areas are obtained, thereby obtaining the specific location of the irradiated area of ​​the radiation source as a basis for controlling the radiation source, so that the irradiated area of ​​the radiation source on the molding platform matches the target control information of the processor, ensuring the precise control of each radiation source, thereby ensuring the temperature regulation of each area of ​​the molding platform, and thus improving the molding accuracy of the three-dimensional object. [Attached Image Description]

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a 3D printing device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the preheating component;

[0026] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a 3D printing method provided in this application embodiment;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram illustrating a 3D printing method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium provided for an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a computer device provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0030] Figure label:

[0031] 1-Powder material; 2-Powder supply component; 21-Powder spreader; 22-Lifter; 23-Powder storage chamber; 231-Support plate; 3-Forming platform; 4-Lifting mechanism; 5-Heating component; 6-Material distributor; 7-Preheating component; 71-Radiation source; 8-Guide rail; 9-Controller; 10-Temperature sensor; L0-Building material layer; 100-Non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; 101-Program; 200-Computer equipment; 201-Processor; 202-Memory; 203-Computer program.

Detailed Implementation Methods

[0032] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] The terms “first,” “second,” etc. (if present) in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the implementations of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein.

[0034] It should be noted that the directional terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" described in the embodiments of this application are used to describe the angles shown in the accompanying drawings and should not be construed as limiting the embodiments of this application.

[0035] The technical solution of this application and how the technical solution of this application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. These specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be described again in some embodiments. The embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0036] To address the technical problems existing in the prior art, this application provides a three-dimensional object printing device, a three-dimensional printing method, and a computer device, which match the area irradiated by the radiation source on the forming platform with the target control information of the controller, ensuring precise control of each radiation source, thereby ensuring temperature regulation in each area of ​​the forming platform, and thus improving the forming accuracy of the three-dimensional object.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a 3D printing device provided in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 for Figure 1A schematic diagram of the structure of the preheating component is shown below. Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the 3D printing apparatus includes: a preheating component 7, a forming platform 3, and a temperature sensor 10. The preheating component 7 includes at least one radiation source 71, and the forming platform 3 supports the build material layer L0 and the 3D object. The at least one radiation source 71 is used to irradiate the forming platform 3 under the control of the processor according to initial control information; the temperature sensor 10 is used to acquire thermal images of the at least one radiation source 71 irradiating the forming platform 3; the at least one radiation source 71 is also used to irradiate the build material layer L0 under the control of the processor according to target control information to form the 3D object; wherein, the processor can construct a target thermal image based on the acquired at least one thermal image to form a reference image; the processor can modify the initial control information based on the reference image to obtain the target control information.

[0038] The processor may include a processing unit and a controller 9, wherein the processing unit is not specifically shown in the figure. The controller 9 is used to control at least one radiation source 71 to irradiate the forming platform 3 according to initial control information; the processing unit is used to construct a target thermal image to form a reference image based on at least one acquired thermal image, and modify the initial control information according to the reference image to obtain target control information; the controller 9 is also used to control at least one radiation source 71 to irradiate the construction material layer L0 according to the target control information to form a three-dimensional object.

[0039] As an alternative, the 3D printing apparatus includes a processor. In this case, the processor is a processing device located within the 3D printing apparatus; for example, the processor may include a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Microcontroller Unit (MCU), or a System on Chip (SoC).

[0040] As an alternative, the processor can be located within a computer device; that is, the computer device includes a processor, which is a processing device located within the computer device. For example, the processor may include a CPU, MCU, or SoC. In this case, the computer device can communicate with the 3D printing apparatus. For example, the computer device may include a computer, server, or workstation.

[0041] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the preheating component 7 includes one or more radiation sources 71. In this embodiment, the preheating component 7 includes at least two radiation sources 71. Figure 2The preheating component 7 is described as including 10 radiation sources 71 as an example. In other embodiments, the preheating component 7 may include any number of radiation sources 71. The arrangement of the radiation sources 71 can be set as needed to ensure uniformity of the temperature supplied to the surface of the building material layer L0. For example, Figure 2 The multiple radiation sources 71 are arranged in an array, which ensures the uniformity of the temperature supplied to the surface of the building material layer L0.

[0042] In one embodiment, when the preheating component 7 includes at least two radiation sources 71, the at least two radiation sources 71 are used to sequentially irradiate the molding platform 3 under the control of the processor according to the initial control information; the temperature sensor 10 is used to sequentially acquire thermal images of the at least two radiation sources 71 irradiating the molding platform 3; the processor constructs a target thermal image based on the acquired multiple thermal images to form a reference image.

[0043] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the 3D printing apparatus also includes a powder supply component 2, which provides powder material to the forming platform 3 to form a building material layer L0 on the forming platform 3. The powder supply component 2 includes a powder storage chamber 23, a lifter 22, and a powder spreader 21. A movable support plate 231 is provided at the bottom of the powder storage chamber 23, and the lifter 22 is connected to the support plate 231. The powder storage chamber 23 stores powder material 1. The lifter 22 is used to raise or lower the support plate 231; for example, the lifter 22 can move the support plate 231 up or down. Figure 1 The powder spreader 21 moves vertically upwards or downwards towards the forming platform 3 to spread the powder material 1 stored in the powder storage chamber 23 onto the forming platform 3 to form the building material layer L0. For example, the powder spreader 21 can move in the direction of the forming platform 3 to spread the powder material 1 stored in the powder storage chamber 23 onto the forming platform 3 to form the building material layer L0. Figure 1 The powder spreader 21 moves in the left-right direction. If it moves from left to right, it indicates that the powder spreader 21 is moving towards the molding platform 3. In this case, the powder spreader 21 can be used to spread the powder material 1 stored in the powder storage chamber 23 onto the molding platform 3 to form the building material layer L0. If it moves from right to left, it indicates that the powder spreader 21 is moving away from the molding platform 3. In this case, the powder spreader 21 is ready to perform the next operation of spreading the powder material 1 stored in the powder storage chamber 23 onto the molding platform 3. In one possible implementation, the powder spreader 21 may include a powder spreading roller or a scraper, etc.

[0044] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1As shown, the 3D printing apparatus also includes a material dispenser 6, which is used to spray liquid material onto the building material layer L0 to form slice layers of the 3D object. The material dispenser 6 can be an inkjet printhead, which can be a single-channel printhead or a multi-channel printhead. The number of printheads can be determined based on the type of liquid material used and the amount of liquid material to be applied. For example, when the liquid material includes functional materials of different colors, different colors of liquid material are sprayed through different printheads or different channels of the same printhead. For example, when the amount of liquid material to be applied is large and the volume of a single ink droplet is insufficient, multiple printheads or multiple channels can be used simultaneously to spray the same type of material to improve printing efficiency.

[0045] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the 3D printing apparatus also includes a heating component 5, which is used to heat the build material layer L0 sprayed with liquid material after the material dispenser 6 sprays the liquid material. The heating component 5 may include at least one of an ultraviolet lamp, an infrared lamp, a microwave emitter, a heating wire, a heating plate, or a heating element. In this embodiment, the specific type of heating component 5 selected is related to the type of liquid material and / or powder material. When the liquid material and / or powder material undergoes a photopolymerization reaction, the heating component 5 provides radiant energy. For example, if the heating component 5 is an ultraviolet lamp, the radiant energy is ultraviolet radiation, and the heating component 5 can initiate a photopolymerization reaction of the liquid material and / or powder material through ultraviolet radiation. When the liquid material and / or powder material undergoes a thermal polymerization reaction, the heating component 5 provides thermal energy. For example, if the heating component 5 includes an infrared lamp, a microwave, a heating wire, a heating plate, or a heating element, the heating component 5 can initiate a thermal polymerization reaction of the liquid material and / or powder material through thermal energy. Figure 1 As shown, in one possible implementation, the 3D printing apparatus further includes a guide rail 8, with heating components 5 and a material dispenser 6 mounted on the guide rail 8, and the heating components 5 and the material dispenser 6 are movable on the guide rail 8. For example, one material dispenser 6 and two heating components 5 can be provided on the guide rail 8. Specifically, the heating components 5, the material dispenser 6, and the heating components 5 are sequentially mounted on the guide rail 8 and are movable along the guide rail 8. Figure 1 It can move left and right in the middle. For example, a material dispenser 6 and a heating element 5 can be installed on the guide rail 8. The heating element 5 can be located on one side of the material dispenser 6, for example... Figure 1 The material distributor 6 can be located on the left or right side. In practical applications, the number and position of the heating components 5, as well as the number and position of the material distributor 6, can be set as needed, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0046] In one embodiment, the preheating component 7 is used to provide radiant or thermal energy to preheat the build material layer L0, thereby facilitating the curing of liquid material and powder material in contact with the liquid material in the molding region of the molding platform 3 to form slices of a three-dimensional object. The radiation source 71 may include at least one of ultraviolet lamp, infrared lamp, microwave emitter, heating wire, heating sheet, and heating plate. In this embodiment, the specific type of preheating component 7 selected depends on the type of liquid material and / or powder material. When the liquid material and / or powder material undergoes a photopolymerization reaction, the preheating component 7 provides radiant energy. For example, if the preheating component 7 is an ultraviolet lamp, the radiant energy is ultraviolet radiation. The preheating component 7 can then initiate a photopolymerization reaction in the liquid material and / or powder material through ultraviolet radiation, thereby further solidifying and shaping the liquid material and powder material. When the liquid material and / or powder material undergoes a thermal polymerization reaction, the preheating component 7 provides thermal energy. For example, if the preheating component 7 includes an infrared lamp, microwave, heating wire, heating sheet, or heating plate, the preheating component 7 can then initiate a thermal polymerization reaction in the liquid material and / or powder material through thermal energy, thereby further solidifying and shaping the liquid material and powder material. In one possible implementation, the preheating component 7 can be installed above the molding platform 3. For example, the preheating component 7 can be installed on top of the molding chamber of the 3D printing device.

[0047] In one embodiment, temperature sensor 10 can be used to detect the temperature of the molding platform 3 and / or the temperature of the build material layer L0. For example, temperature sensor 10 may include a thermal imager or a temperature monitor. Temperature sensor 10 is mounted on top of the molding chamber of the 3D printing apparatus. Figure 2 As shown, the temperature sensor 10 can be mounted on the preheating component 7, and the temperature sensor 10 can be on the same horizontal plane as the multiple radiation sources 71. In other embodiments, the temperature sensor 10 can be mounted in other locations as needed, and this embodiment of the application does not limit the location.

[0048] In one embodiment, the controller 9 is used to control the operation of at least one of the powder supply component 2, the heating component 5, the material dispenser 6, the preheating component 7, and the temperature sensor 10. For example, the temperature sensor 10 feeds back the monitored temperature to the controller 9, and the controller 9 controls the amount of energy provided by the preheating component 7 and / or the heating component 5 based on the information fed back by the temperature sensor 10.

[0049] In one embodiment, the 3D printing apparatus further includes a lifting mechanism 4, which is connected to the forming platform 3. The lifting mechanism 4 can be used to drive the forming platform 3 to rise or fall; for example, the lifting mechanism 4 can drive the forming platform 3 along... Figure 1 Vertical movement within, to achieve Figure 1The vertical direction of the molding platform 3 can be raised or lowered. When the molding platform 3 is in a designated position, the controller 9 can control the powder supply component 2 to form a building material layer L0 on the molding platform 3, and control the material distributor 6 to selectively spray liquid material onto the building material layer L0 to form a slice layer of the three-dimensional object at that designated position. Subsequently, the molding platform 3... Figure 1 The controller 9 continues to control the powder supply component 2 and the material distributor 6 to perform powder spreading and inkjet spraying actions after each movement of the forming platform 3, thereby forming a slice layer of the three-dimensional object at each position. The slice layers formed at all positions are stacked layer by layer to form a complete three-dimensional object.

[0050] In the technical solution provided in this application embodiment, by controlling the radiation source to irradiate the molding platform, thermal images of the corresponding irradiated areas are obtained, thereby obtaining the specific location of the irradiated area of ​​the radiation source as a basis for controlling the radiation source, so that the irradiated area of ​​the radiation source on the molding platform matches the target control information of the processor, ensuring the precise control of each radiation source, thereby ensuring the temperature regulation of each area of ​​the molding platform, and thus improving the molding accuracy of the three-dimensional object.

[0051] Figure 3 A flowchart of a 3D printing method provided in this application embodiment is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the method includes:

[0052] Step S1: The processor controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the molding platform according to the initial control information.

[0053] As an alternative, the preheating component 7 includes a radiation source 71, and the processor's controller 9 controls the radiation source 71 to irradiate the molding platform 3 according to the initial control information.

[0054] As an alternative, the preheating component 7 includes at least two radiation sources 71. The processor's controller 9 sequentially controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the molding platform 3 according to initial control information, so that all radiation sources 71 of the preheating component 7 irradiate the molding platform 3 in sequence. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a 3D printing method provided in an embodiment of this application is shown below. Figure 4 As shown, the processor's controller 9 sequentially controls at least two radiation sources 71 to irradiate the molding platform 3 according to the initial control information. Specifically, the irradiation areas of the at least two radiation sources 71 on the molding platform 3 do not overlap; that is, the at least two radiation sources 71 are not adjacent, meaning they are selected from non-adjacent radiation sources 71, thus ensuring that the irradiation areas of the at least two radiation sources 71 on the molding platform 3 do not overlap.

[0055] In this embodiment, the initial control information includes the relative position information of at least one radiation source 71 in the preheating component 7. The relative position information of the radiation sources 71 in the preheating component 7 can be obtained based on a pre-set arrangement of the radiation sources 71. In one possible implementation, the initial control information includes the relative position information of at least two radiation sources 71 in the preheating component 7. The processor's controller 9 can sequentially control the activation of the corresponding radiation source 71 and / or the power level of the corresponding radiation source 71 based on the relative position information of the at least two radiation sources 71 in the preheating component 7. For example, as... Figure 2 As shown, the controller 9 can, based on the relative position information of at least two radiation sources 71 in the preheating component 7, first control the activation of the radiation source 71 in the first row and the power of the radiation source 71 in the first row and the first column.

[0056] However, since the relative positional relationship between the radiation source 71 and the molding platform 3 has not yet been established, during subsequent temperature control, due to the unknown relative positional relationship between the radiation source 71 and the molding platform 3, it is impossible to accurately control each radiation source 71, thereby affecting the temperature regulation of each area of ​​the building material layer L0 on the molding platform 3.

[0057] Step S2: The temperature sensor acquires a thermal image of at least one radiation source irradiating the molding platform.

[0058] As an alternative, the preheating component 7 includes a radiation source 71, and the temperature sensor 10 acquires a thermal image of the radiation source 71 irradiating the molding platform 3.

[0059] As an alternative, the preheating component 7 includes at least two radiation sources 71, and the temperature sensor 10 sequentially acquires thermal images of the molding platform 3 irradiated by the at least two radiation sources 71.

[0060] In this embodiment of the application, the thermal image of radiation source 71 irradiating the molding platform 3 can be used to represent the irradiated area when radiation source 71 irradiates the molding platform 3, so that the mapping relationship between the specific location of radiation source 71 and the area irradiated on molding platform 3 can be obtained through thermal image.

[0061] Step S3: The processor constructs a target thermal image based on at least one acquired thermal image to form a reference image.

[0062] As an optional solution, the preheating component 7 includes a radiation source 71. In step S2, the processor's processing unit acquires a thermal image, which can be used as a target thermal image to form a reference image. At this time, the target thermal image represents the irradiation area of ​​the molding platform 3 when the radiation source 71 irradiates it, and the formed reference image is used to assist in establishing the relative positional relationship between the radiation source 71 and the molding platform 3.

[0063] As an alternative, the preheating component 7 includes at least two radiation sources 71. In step S2, the processor's processing unit acquires multiple thermal images, which can be superimposed to construct a target thermal image. This target thermal image can then represent the irradiated areas of the molding platform 3 when all radiation sources 71 irradiate it. Since the irradiated areas of adjacent radiation sources 71 irradiating the molding platform 3 may overlap, the processor's processing unit needs to re-divide the irradiated areas of the multiple thermal images in the target thermal image to prevent overlap between adjacent irradiated areas, thus forming a reference image. This reference image is used to assist in establishing the relative positional relationship between all radiation sources 71 and the molding platform 3.

[0064] In one embodiment, before the processor's processing unit re-divides the irradiated areas of the multiple thermal images in the target thermal image, the method further includes: the processor's processing unit identifying completely overlapping areas of the multiple thermal images in the target thermal image, and performing filtering or overlay processing on the completely overlapping areas so that each irradiated area of ​​the multiple thermal images in the target thermal image retains only one thermal image.

[0065] Step S4: The processor modifies the initial control information based on the reference image to obtain the target control information.

[0066] In this embodiment, the target control information includes the relative position information of all radiation sources 71 on the preheating component 7 and the relative position information of all radiation sources 71 relative to the forming platform 3. By associating the physical coordinate system of the forming platform 3 with the position coordinate system of the control radiation sources 71 through a reference image, the irradiation area of ​​the radiation sources 71 on the forming platform 3 is matched with the target control information of the radiation sources 71, ensuring precise control of each radiation source 71, thereby ensuring temperature regulation in each area of ​​the forming platform and improving the forming accuracy of the three-dimensional object.

[0067] Step S5: The processor controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the construction material layer according to the target control information to form a three-dimensional object.

[0068] In one embodiment, the temperature sensor 10 acquires the temperature of at least one region of the building material layer L0. Then, in step S5, the processor's controller 9 controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the building material layer according to the target control information. Specifically, the processor's controller 9 controls the power of the radiation source in the corresponding region based on the temperature of at least one region of the building material layer L0 acquired by the temperature sensor 10 and the target control information, so that the radiation source 71 irradiates the building material layer L0 at that power level. Specifically, if the controller 9 detects that the temperature of at least one region of the building material layer L0 is not equal to the set temperature, it controls the power provided by the radiation source 71 in the corresponding region. Furthermore, since overlapping portions may occur when adjacent radiation sources 71 irradiate the building material layer L0, the irradiation area of ​​a radiation source 71 corresponding to the building material layer L0 includes a central area and an overlapping area. When the temperature sensor 10 detects that the temperature of the irradiation area is not equal to the set temperature, and the temperature of adjacent irradiation areas with the same overlapping area is also not equal to the set temperature, the controller 9 can simultaneously control the power of the radiation source and the adjacent radiation source according to the target control information. When the temperature sensor 10 detects that the temperature of the irradiation area is not equal to the set temperature, and the temperature of adjacent irradiation areas with the overlapping area is equal to the set temperature, the controller 9 can only control the power of the radiation source according to the target control information to regulate the temperature of the corresponding area of ​​the building material layer L0.

[0069] Step S5, forming a three-dimensional object, specifically includes: forming a building material layer L0 on the molding platform 3; the controller 9 controlling the material dispenser 6 to spray liquid material onto the building material layer L0 according to layer printing data to form slice layers; repeating the above steps from forming the building material layer to forming the slice layers, so that multiple slice layers are stacked layer by layer to form a three-dimensional object. During the formation of the slice layers, the controller 9 controls the radiation source 71 to irradiate the building material layer L0 sprayed with liquid material according to the target control information, thereby helping the liquid material and the powder material in contact with the liquid material in the molding area of ​​the molding platform 3 to solidify and form slice layers of the three-dimensional object.

[0070] In one embodiment, the original data of a three-dimensional object can be acquired by scanning, and a three-dimensional model of the object can be obtained by performing three-dimensional modeling based on the original data; or, a three-dimensional object model can be designed and constructed to obtain a digital model of the three-dimensional object. The digital model is then converted to a format recognizable by slicing software to generate a first model. For example, formats recognizable by slicing software may include STL, PLY, or WRL formats. The first model is then sliced ​​using slicing software to obtain slice layer image data, which is then processed to obtain layer printing data representing the three-dimensional object. The layer printing data may include information representing the object's shape and / or information representing the object's color. The controller 9 can control the material dispenser 6 to spray liquid material onto the construction material layer L0 based on the layer printing data to form the slice layer.

[0071] In this embodiment, the powder material is a powdered material particle. This embodiment does not limit the powder material; the powder material may not polymerize with the liquid material, nor may it polymerize on its own. Alternatively, the powder material may polymerize with the liquid material or may polymerize on its own, and can be flexibly modified according to actual needs. Optionally, the powder material may include at least one of polystyrene (PS), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylate copolymer (ASA), polyamide (PA), polyester, polyurethane (PU), polylactic acid, poly(meth)acrylate, poly(meth)acrylate, polyvinyl fluoride, chlorinated polyolefin, hydroxyl-containing polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), cellulose, and modified cellulose.

[0072] In this embodiment, the liquid material at least partially dissolves the powder material, and / or the liquid material undergoes thermal polymerization and / or photopolymerization, and / or the liquid material reacts with the powder material in a polymerization reaction. This embodiment does not limit the liquid material, as long as it can ultimately solidify the powder material sprayed with the liquid material. For example, the liquid material may contain an energy absorber that absorbs provided energy and converts it into heat, thereby melting and solidifying the powder material in contact with it; or, the liquid material may be a photocurable material containing a photocurable component that can dissolve the powder material, and under provided energy such as radiation, a photoinitiator initiates a polymerization reaction of the photocurable component, thereby entangled and solidifying the dissolved powder molecules; or, the liquid material may be a thermocurable material containing a thermocurable component, and under provided energy such as heat, a thermal initiator initiates a polymerization reaction of the thermocurable component, forming a polymer that encapsulates and solidifies the powder material; or, the liquid material may have an active component that reacts with the powder material, and under provided energy, an initiator initiates a polymerization reaction between the liquid material and the powder material. The liquid material may also include additives, such as initiators, leveling agents, defoamers, surfactants, and other conventionally known materials. Initiators are used to initiate reactions in the liquid material; depending on the type of liquid material, initiators may be photoinitiators, free radical initiators, anionic initiators, cationic initiators, etc. Leveling agents improve the fluidity of the liquid material and its wetting properties on the powder material, while adjusting the surface tension of the liquid material to ensure proper printing; this is not limited in this embodiment. Defoamers are mainly used to prevent foaming of the liquid material; defoamers may be, for example, silicone defoamers, polyether defoamers, fatty acid ester defoamers, etc. Surfactants are mainly used to control the wettability, penetration, and surface tension of the liquid material on the powder material; surfactants may be, for example, anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and amphoteric surfactants.

[0073] In the technical solution provided in this application embodiment, by controlling the radiation source to irradiate the molding platform, thermal images of the corresponding irradiated areas are obtained, thereby obtaining the specific location of the irradiated area of ​​the radiation source as a basis for controlling the radiation source, so that the irradiated area of ​​the radiation source on the molding platform matches the target control information of the processor, ensuring the precise control of each radiation source, thereby ensuring the temperature regulation of each area of ​​the molding platform, and thus improving the molding accuracy of the three-dimensional object.

[0074] This application also provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium provided in an embodiment of this application, as shown below. Figure 5As shown, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 100 includes a stored program 101, which, when the program 101 is running, controls the computer device where the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium 100 is located to execute the above-described 3D printing method.

[0075] This application also provides a computer device, which includes one or more processors; a memory; and one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs are stored in the memory, and the one or more computer programs include instructions that, when executed by the computer device, cause the computer device to perform the above-described 3D printing method.

[0076] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a computer device provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the computer device 200 of this embodiment includes: a processor 201, a memory 202, and a computer program 203 stored in the memory 202 and executable on the processor 201. When the processor 201 executes the computer program 203, it implements the 3D printing method in the embodiment. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

[0077] Computer device 200 can be a desktop computer, laptop, handheld computer, cloud server, or other computing device. The computer device may include, but is not limited to, a processor 201 and a memory 202. Those skilled in the art will understand that... Figure 6 This is merely an example of computer device 200 and does not constitute a limitation on computer device 200. It may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or different components. For example, computer device may also include input / output devices, network access devices, buses, etc.

[0078] The processor 201 can be a Central Processing Unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0079] The memory 202 can be an internal storage unit of the computer device 200, such as a hard disk or RAM of the computer device 200. The memory 202 can also be an external storage device of the computer device 200, such as a plug-in hard disk, Smart Media Card (SMC), Secure Digital (SD) card, or Flash Card equipped on the computer device 200. Furthermore, the memory 202 can include both internal and external storage units of the computer device 200. The memory 202 is used to store computer programs and other programs and data required by the computer device. The memory 202 can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0080] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing device, characterized in that, include: The preheating component includes at least one radiation source, and the molding platform is used to support the building material layer and the three-dimensional object. The at least one radiation source is used to irradiate the molding platform under the control of the processor according to the initial control information; The temperature sensor is used to acquire thermal images of the at least one radiation source irradiating the molding platform; The at least one radiation source is further configured to irradiate the building material layer under the control of the processor according to the target control information to form the three-dimensional object, wherein the target control information is obtained by the processor constructing a target thermal image based on at least one acquired thermal image to form a reference image, and modifying the initial control information based on the reference image; The processor is specifically used to overlay multiple acquired thermal images to construct the target thermal image, which represents each irradiated area when all the radiation sources irradiate the molding platform. The irradiated areas of the target thermal image corresponding to multiple thermal images are re-divided so that adjacent irradiated areas do not overlap, thereby forming the reference image.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processor includes: A controller is configured to control at least one radiation source to irradiate the molding platform based on the initial control information; A processing unit is configured to construct a target thermal image based on at least one acquired thermal image to form a reference image, and modify the initial control information based on the reference image to obtain the target control information; The controller is also configured to control at least one of the radiation sources to irradiate the building material layer according to the target control information to form the three-dimensional object.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preheating component includes at least two radiation sources; The at least two radiation sources are used to sequentially irradiate the molding platform under the control of the processor according to the initial control information; The temperature sensor is used to sequentially acquire thermal images of the at least two radiation sources irradiating the molding platform.

4. A three-dimensional printing method, characterized in that, include: The processor controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the molding platform based on initial control information. The temperature sensor acquires a thermal image of the at least one radiation source irradiating the molding platform; The processor constructs a target thermal image based on at least one of the acquired thermal images to form a reference image; The processor modifies the initial control information based on the reference image to obtain the target control information; The processor controls at least one radiation source to irradiate the construction material layer according to the target control information to form a three-dimensional object; The step of constructing a target thermal image based on at least one of the acquired thermal images to form a reference image includes: Multiple acquired thermal images are superimposed to construct the target thermal image, which represents the various irradiated areas when all the radiation sources irradiate the molding platform. The irradiated areas of the target thermal image corresponding to multiple thermal images are re-divided so that adjacent irradiated areas do not overlap, thereby forming the reference image.

5. A three-dimensional printing method, characterized in that, include: Based on the initial control information, at least one radiation source is controlled to irradiate the molding platform, so that the temperature sensor acquires a thermal image of the at least one radiation source irradiating the molding platform; A target thermal image is constructed based on at least one of the acquired thermal images to form a reference image; The initial control information is modified based on the reference image to obtain the target control information; The at least one radiation source is controlled to irradiate the construction material layer according to the target control information to form a three-dimensional object; The step of constructing a target thermal image based on at least one of the acquired thermal images to form a reference image includes: Multiple acquired thermal images are superimposed to construct the target thermal image, which represents the various irradiated areas when all the radiation sources irradiate the molding platform. The irradiated areas of the target thermal image corresponding to multiple thermal images are re-divided so that adjacent irradiated areas do not overlap, thereby forming the reference image.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of controlling at least one radiation source to irradiate the molding platform according to initial control information includes: Based on the initial control information, at least two radiation sources are sequentially controlled to irradiate the molding platform.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The initial control information includes the relative position information of the at least two radiation sources in the preheating component; The step of sequentially controlling at least two radiation sources to irradiate the molding platform according to the initial control information includes: Based on the relative position information of the at least two radiation sources in the preheating component, the corresponding radiation source is turned on and / or the power of the corresponding radiation source is controlled sequentially.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The irradiation areas of the at least two radiation sources on the molding platform do not overlap.

9. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Before re-dividing the irradiated areas corresponding to multiple thermal images in the target thermal image, the method further includes: Identify the completely overlapping regions of multiple thermal images in the target thermal image, and perform filtering or overlay processing on the completely overlapping regions so that each irradiated area of ​​the multiple thermal images in the target thermal image retains only one thermal image.

10. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of controlling the at least one radiation source to irradiate the construction material layer according to the target control information includes: Based on the temperature of at least one region of the building material layer obtained by the temperature sensor and the target control information, the power of the radiation source in the corresponding region is controlled so that the radiation source irradiates the building material layer at the specified power.

11. A computer device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; Memory; And one or more computer programs, wherein the one or more computer programs are stored in the memory, the one or more computer programs including instructions that, when executed by the computer device, cause the computer device to perform the three-dimensional printing method according to any one of claims 5 to 10.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium includes a stored program, wherein, when the program is executed, it controls the computer device on which the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium resides to perform the three-dimensional printing method according to any one of claims 5 to 10.

Images