A three-dimensional tool magazine, an automated powder printing system and a method of replacing a doctor blade

By using a three-dimensional blade magazine and a blade positioning and drive assembly in an automated powder printing system, automated blade replacement and leveling are achieved. This solves the problem of blades not being able to be automatically replaced and leveled after wear in existing technologies, reducing equipment costs and improving print quality.

CN117399653BActive Publication Date: 2026-05-01XIAN BRIGHT ADDTIVE TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
XIAN BRIGHT ADDTIVE TECH CO LTD
Filing Date
2023-10-23
Publication Date
2026-05-01

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In existing additive manufacturing equipment, the doctor blade cannot be automatically replaced and leveled after wear, which affects print quality and cost, and small parts require frequent doctor blade replacement.

Method used

The system employs a three-dimensional blade magazine and an automated powder printing system. The blade positioning component enables automatic clamping, positioning, and leveling of the blade, while the three-dimensional blade magazine enables automatic blade retrieval and installation. It includes material picking, feeding, and receiving drive components to ensure automation of the replacement process.

Benefits of technology

It enables automated storage and leveling of the scraper, reduces manual operation, lowers equipment costs, and improves printing quality and efficiency.

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Abstract

The application discloses a three-dimensional knife library, an automatic powder printing system and a scraper replacing method, and belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing. The system comprises a forming chamber and a scraper positioning assembly arranged in the forming chamber. The scraper positioning assembly is connected with the scraper in a lockable mode and is used for leveling the scraper. The forming chamber is provided with a sealable scraper replacing opening and is communicated with the three-dimensional knife library through the scraper replacing opening. The three-dimensional knife library is automatically controlled to realize the recycling of the replaced scraper and the installation of a new scraper. The scraper positioning assembly in the system is used for automatically leveling the scraper, and the three-dimensional knife library is used for automatically recycling the replaced scraper and automatically installing the new scraper, so that the problem that the scraper cannot be automatically replaced and leveled in the prior art is solved.
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Description

A three-dimensional tool magazine, an automated powder printing system, and a method for changing the doctor blade. Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of additive manufacturing technology, specifically relating to a three-dimensional tool magazine, an automated powder printing system, and a method for changing the scraper. Background Technology

[0002] Additive manufacturing (AM) is a technology that uses the gradual accumulation of material to create solid parts. Compared to traditional material removal-cutting processes, it is a "bottom-up" manufacturing method. AM technology eliminates the need for traditional tools, fixtures, and multiple machining steps, enabling the rapid and precise manufacture of parts of any complex shape on a single machine. This allows for "free manufacturing" of parts, solving the problem of forming many complex structural parts and significantly reducing machining steps and cycles. Moreover, the more complex the product structure, the more significant the effect of manufacturing speed.

[0003] In AM (Advanced Printing) equipment, the squeegee is a consumable part. When the squeegee wears out, it can cause problems such as a raised printing surface and uneven powder distribution, severely affecting 3D printing quality. Once squeegee wear is detected, it needs to be replaced promptly. Typically, squeegee damage requires machine downtime and manual replacement. This necessitates opening the printing chamber door, requiring the equipment to re-enter the preparation process. This operation can easily leave a seam mark on the workpiece surface, wasting time, affecting the workpiece's appearance, increasing the scrap rate, and significantly raising the equipment's printing costs. Furthermore, for small parts, equipment requiring stable, long-term operation necessitates frequent squeegee replacements to meet printing demands.

[0004] Existing technologies include those that use robotic arms to automatically change scrapers. This technology improves existing additive manufacturing equipment by adding a tool changing platform and using a robotic arm to replace old scrapers with new ones, thus achieving automation to some extent. However, this technology does not consider the placement of the old scraper after replacement and cannot automatically level the replaced scraper. Therefore, this technology does not achieve fully automated operation. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved:

[0006] To overcome the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a three-dimensional blade magazine, an automated powder printing system, and a blade replacement method. The system can store a large number of blades and can automatically replace and level them. This invention achieves automatic leveling of the blades through a blade positioning component in the system, and achieves automatic retrieval of replaced blades and automatic installation of new blades through the three-dimensional blade magazine, thus solving the problem that existing technologies cannot achieve automatic blade replacement and automatic leveling.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is: a three-dimensional tool magazine, comprising a tool magazine for accommodating and replacing scrapers, drive components for picking up, feeding, and collecting materials, and a Z-axis lifting mechanism for controlling the lifting and lowering of each drive component; the tool magazine is provided with at least two rows of scraper storage racks, wherein at least one row is used for storing replaced scrapers and at least one row is used for storing new scrapers; wherein, the picking drive component transfers new scrapers from the storage rack to the feeding drive component; the feeding drive component is used to transfer replaced scrapers to the tool magazine inlet, or to transfer new scrapers from the tool magazine inlet to the scraper mounting location; the collecting drive component is used to transfer replaced scrapers from the tool magazine inlet to their storage rack, or to return the remaining new scrapers located on the new scraper storage rack to their original positions.

[0008] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the drive components for picking up, feeding and collecting materials all include cylinders; the cylinder of the feeding drive component is arranged in a vertical direction, and a slot for positioning the scraper is provided at the end of its piston rod; the cylinders of the picking drive component and the collecting drive component are both arranged in a horizontal direction, and the end of their piston rods is used to push the scraper.

[0009] A further technical solution of the present invention is as follows: multiple rows of parallel scraper storage racks are arranged at equal intervals from top to bottom inside the tool magazine, wherein the top row is a storage rack for replaced scrapers; the tool magazine entrance is located on one side of the tool magazine and is arranged opposite to each row of storage racks; the feeding drive assembly and the receiving drive assembly are arranged on one side of the tool magazine entrance, and the picking drive assembly is arranged on the side opposite to the tool magazine entrance.

[0010] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the three-dimensional tool magazine also includes a sealable housing for accommodating other components, which is detachably installed below the scraper replacement port of the tool to be replaced, ensuring that the internal environmental conditions of the tool to be replaced do not change during replacement; in use, the feeding drive assembly is arranged opposite to the scraper replacement port of the tool to be replaced.

[0011] An automated powder printing system includes a forming chamber, a forming cylinder, and a doctor blade positioning assembly disposed within the forming chamber; the doctor blade positioning assembly is connected to the doctor blade in a lockable manner and levels the doctor blade; a sealable doctor blade replacement port is provided on the side of the forming cylinder, and is connected to the three-dimensional tool magazine according to any one of claims 1-4 through the doctor blade replacement port; the three-dimensional tool magazine realizes the retrieval of the replaced doctor blade and the installation of the new doctor blade through automatic control.

[0012] A further technical solution of the present invention is as follows: the scraper positioning assembly includes a scraper holder for pre-positioning the scraper, a scraper clamping plate and a fastening assembly for clamping and fixing the scraper, and an elastic element for releasing the scraper; the mounting surface of the scraper holder and the scraper is a positioning reference surface, and the scraper is clamped between the scraper clamping plate and the scraper holder by the fastening assembly and fastened as a whole; the elastic element is disposed between the scraper clamping plate and the scraper holder, and through its elastic restoring force perpendicular to the mounting surface of the scraper clamping plate and the scraper holder, it separates the unfastened scraper clamping plate and the scraper holder, thereby releasing the scraper.

[0013] A further technical solution of the present invention is: the fastening assembly includes screws for fastening the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, and a locking drive for tightening the screws; the output end of the locking drive is detachably connected to the screws coaxially via a locking head; the elastic element is a spring, with both ends connected to the contact mounting surfaces of the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, respectively.

[0014] A further technical solution of the present invention is as follows: a first scraper mounting groove is provided at the bottom of the scraper holder, and a second scraper mounting groove is provided at the bottom of the scraper clamp; after the scraper holder and the scraper clamp are assembled, the first scraper mounting groove and the second scraper mounting groove are spliced ​​together to form a groove structure that is consistent with the profile of the scraper clamping end, and the bottom of the groove structure is parallel to the focal plane of the forming cylinder, serving as a leveling reference plane; the scraper is installed in the groove structure, and its top surface is in contact with the leveling reference plane, thus completing automatic leveling.

[0015] A further technical solution of the present invention is that an automatic door is provided at the scraper replacement port, which makes it easier to open and close.

[0016] A method for changing the doctor blade in an automated powder printing system, comprising the following specific steps:

[0017] Step 1: Move the scraper positioning component to the nearest scraper replacement port;

[0018] Step 2: Open the automatic door. First, push the feeding drive assembly to the bottom of the scraper replacement port through the Z-axis lifting mechanism. Then, start the feeding drive assembly so that the slot of its piston rod holds the scraper. Then, the locking drive controls the locking head to loosen the screw, so that the scraper clamping plate separates from the scraper frame under the spring reaction force, releasing the scraper and embedding it into the slot.

[0019] Step 3: Control the cylinder of the feeding drive component to retract, driving the replaced scraper downwards to be opposite the first row of storage racks in the tool magazine; then start the receiving drive component, using its cylinder to push the replaced scraper onto the first row of storage racks, completing the scraper recycling; then return the receiving drive component to its initial position.

[0020] Step 4: Push the cylinder of the picking drive component to be opposite to one of the rows of new scraper storage racks through the Z-axis lifting mechanism, and at the same time control the feeding drive component to push the end of its cylinder piston rod to the entrance of the selected row of new scraper storage racks; then, control the piston rod of the picking drive component to extend and push the corresponding row of new scrapers towards the receiving drive component until the first scraper located at the tool magazine entrance is pushed into the piston rod slot of the feeding drive component;

[0021] Step 5: Move the piston rod of the feed drive assembly upward to the scraper positioning assembly until the top reference surface of the new scraper is in contact with the reference surface of the scraper holder. Tighten the screw by controlling the locking head with the locking drive to complete the replacement of the new scraper.

[0022] Beneficial effects

[0023] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention achieves the clamping and positioning of the scraper through a scraper positioning component, and automatically levels the scraper using a reference surface set inside the scraper holder; the forming cylinder of the automated powder printing system is arranged opposite to the three-dimensional tool magazine, wherein the scraper positioning component in the forming chamber and the feeding drive component of the three-dimensional tool magazine are both arranged opposite to the scraper replacement port, enabling the feeding drive component to transport the replaced scraper and the new scraper to the designated position. The material picking drive component and the material receiving drive component use the feeding drive component to move the scraper in the flattening direction. The entire process is automated, ensuring the positional accuracy requirements for scraper replacement and saving manufacturing costs. Specific advantages are as follows:

[0024] (1) The equipment can automatically store and retrieve scrapers, and can store a large quantity of scrapers and automatically level them.

[0025] (2) The equipment structure requires minimal modification. The scraper magazine is located outside the forming chamber, so the forming chamber space does not need to be increased.

[0026] (3) Reduce the manual leveling steps; only one replacement of multiple new scrapers is needed in the scraper magazine. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1. Overall structure and layout diagram;

[0028] Figure 2. Composition of the scraper and its leveling principle;

[0029] Figure 3. Principle composition and layout of the three-dimensional tool magazine; (a) Principle composition diagram, (b) Structural layout, (c) Diagram of the scraper being stuck in the slot when the feeding cylinder retracts.

[0030] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Scraper holder; 2. Scraper clamp; 3. Screw; 4. Locking head; 5. Locking drive; 6. Focal plane; 7. Scraper; 8. Powder drop chamber; 9. 3D blade magazine; 10. Automatic door; 101. Reference plane B; 701. Reference area; 702. Blade area; 703. Reference plane A; 704. Clamping surface; 901. Blade magazine; 902. Material picking cylinder; 903. Z-axis lifting frame; 904. Z-axis cylinder; 905. Z-direction feeding cylinder; 906. Material receiving cylinder. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain the invention, and should not be construed as limiting the invention.

[0032] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not 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 limitations on this invention.

[0033] Addressing the limitations of existing powder printing equipment in automating doctor blade replacement and automatically leveling the blade after replacement, this invention proposes an automated powder printing system and doctor blade replacement method. This system achieves doctor blade clamping and positioning through a doctor blade positioning component in the forming chamber and automatically levels the doctor blade using a reference surface set within the doctor blade holder. Both the doctor blade positioning component and the feeding drive component of the three-dimensional doctor blade magazine within the automated powder printing system are positioned opposite the doctor blade replacement port. The feeding drive component transports the replaced doctor blade and the new doctor blade to the designated position. The material pick-up drive component and the material collect drive component use the feeding drive component to move the doctor blade in the leveling direction. The entire process is automated, ensuring the positional accuracy requirements for doctor blade replacement and saving manufacturing costs.

[0034] The technical solution will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

[0035] This embodiment discloses an automated powder printing system, including a forming chamber, a forming cylinder, and a scraper positioning assembly disposed within the forming cylinder. The scraper positioning assembly is connected to the scraper via a lockable mechanism and levels the scraper. A sealable scraper replacement port is provided on the side of the forming cylinder and communicates with a three-dimensional tool magazine. The three-dimensional tool magazine automatically controls the retrieval of replacement scrapers and the installation of new scrapers. The scraper positioning assembly includes a scraper holder for pre-positioning the scraper, a scraper clamp and fastening assembly for clamping and fixing the scraper, and an elastic element for releasing the scraper. The mounting surfaces of the scraper holder and the scraper serve as positioning reference surfaces. The fastening assembly clamps the scraper between the scraper clamp and the scraper holder and secures them as a single unit. The elastic element is disposed between the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, and its elastic restoring force perpendicular to the mounting surfaces of the scraper clamp and the scraper holder separates any loose scraper clamp and scraper holder, thereby releasing the scraper.

[0036] Specifically, the fastening assembly includes screws for fastening the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, and a locking drive for tightening the screws; the output end of the locking drive is detachably connected to the screws coaxially via a locking head; the elastic element is a spring, with both ends connected to the mating surfaces of the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, respectively.

[0037] Specifically, the bottom of the scraper holder is provided with a first scraper mounting groove, and the bottom of the scraper clamp is provided with a second scraper mounting groove. After the scraper holder and the scraper clamp are assembled, the first scraper mounting groove and the second scraper mounting groove are spliced ​​together to form a groove structure that is consistent with the profile of the scraper clamping end. The bottom of the groove structure is parallel to the focal plane of the forming cylinder, serving as a leveling reference plane. The scraper is installed in the groove structure, and its top surface is in contact with the leveling reference plane, thus completing automatic leveling.

[0038] Referring to Figure 1, an automated powder printing system includes a doctor blade holder 1, a doctor blade clamping plate 2, screws 3, a locking head 4, a locking drive 5, a focal plane 6, a doctor blade 7, a powder discharge chamber 8, and a three-dimensional blade magazine 9. The illustrated position is the doctor blade replacement position, which shares the same location as the powder discharge position. By default, the doctor blade holder moves left and right in this position. When the doctor blade holder moves to this position, the powder discharge chamber 8 can discharge powder. The locking head 4 automatically engages with the screw 3, and the locking drive 5 can drive the locking head 3, enabling the doctor blade clamping plate 2 to cooperate with the doctor blade holder 1 to complete clamping, positioning, and loosening. The blade replacement position directly below the powder discharge chamber on the focal plane 6 includes an automatic door 10 that closes after doctor blade replacement. A spring provides a reaction force between the doctor blade holder 1 and the doctor blade clamping plate 2, ensuring that clamping only occurs when the screw 3 is tightened. When the screw 3 is loosened, the doctor blade clamping plate 2 is released under the action of the spring.

[0039] Referring to Figure 2, the scraper includes a reference area 701 and a cutting edge area 702. The reference area 701 is located in the clamping part of the scraper and has a reference surface A and a clamping surface. When the scraper clamping plate 2 and the scraper holder 1 are close together, due to the inclined surface of the clamping surface, the reference surface A is pressed against the reference surface B of the scraper holder, thereby completing the leveling. Here, it is assumed that the reference surface B of the scraper holder is parallel to the focal plane 6, and the accuracy meets the requirements.

[0040] Specifically, the three-dimensional tool magazine includes a tool magazine for accommodating replacement scrapers, drive components for picking up, feeding, and collecting materials, and a Z-axis lifting mechanism for controlling the lifting and lowering of each drive component. The tool magazine has at least two rows of scraper storage racks, one row for storing replaced scrapers and the other row or more rows for storing new scrapers. The picking drive component transfers new scrapers from the storage rack to the feeding drive component. The feeding drive component transfers replaced scrapers to the tool magazine inlet or transfers new scrapers from the tool magazine inlet to the scraper positioning component. The collecting drive component transfers replaced scrapers from the tool magazine inlet to their storage rack or returns remaining new scrapers located on the new scraper storage rack to their original positions.

[0041] Specifically, the drive components for picking up, feeding, and collecting materials all include cylinders. The cylinder of the feeding drive component is arranged vertically, and its piston rod end is provided with a slot for positioning the scraper. The cylinders of the picking up drive component and the collecting drive component are both arranged horizontally, and their piston rod ends are used to push the scraper.

[0042] Specifically, the tool magazine has multiple rows of parallel scraper storage racks arranged at equal intervals from top to bottom, with the top row storing replaced scrapers and the remaining rows storing new scrapers; the tool magazine entrance is located on one side of the tool magazine and is arranged opposite to each row of storage racks; the feeding drive assembly and the receiving drive assembly are located on one side of the tool magazine entrance, and the picking drive assembly is located on the side opposite to the tool magazine entrance.

[0043] Specifically, the three-dimensional tool magazine also includes a sealable housing for accommodating other components, which is detachably installed below the scraper replacement port and on the side of the forming cylinder to ensure that the environmental conditions inside the forming chamber do not change during replacement; wherein the feeding drive assembly is arranged opposite to the scraper replacement port.

[0044] Referring to Figure 3, the three-dimensional tool magazine includes a tool magazine 901, a picking cylinder 902, a Z-axis lifting frame 903, a Z-axis cylinder 904, a Z-axis feeding cylinder 905, and a receiving cylinder 906. The picking cylinder 902 is the cylinder for the picking drive assembly, the Z-axis feeding cylinder 905 is the cylinder for the feeding drive assembly, and the receiving cylinder 906 is the cylinder for the receiving drive assembly. The Z-axis lifting frame 903 and the Z-axis cylinder 904 together constitute the Z-axis lifting mechanism. The tool magazine 901 is a fixed tool magazine, containing multiple rows of transverse scraper storage racks. The first row is for empty tools, and the rest are for new tools. The picking cylinder 902, the receiving cylinder 906, and the Z-axis feeding cylinder 905 are all arranged and installed on the Z-axis lifting frame 903 as shown in the figure, and all can be lifted and lowered by the Z-axis cylinder 904.

[0045] This embodiment describes a method for changing the doctor blade in an automated powder printing system, with the following steps:

[0046] Step 1: Move the scraper positioning component to the nearest scraper replacement port;

[0047] Step 2: Open the automatic door. First, push the feeding drive assembly to the bottom of the scraper replacement port through the Z-axis lifting mechanism. Then, start the feeding drive assembly so that the slot of its piston rod holds the scraper. Then, the locking drive controls the locking head to loosen the screw, so that the scraper clamping plate separates from the scraper frame under the spring reaction force, releasing the scraper and embedding it into the slot.

[0048] Step 3: Control the cylinder of the feeding drive component to retract, driving the replaced scraper downwards to be opposite the first row of storage racks in the tool magazine; then start the receiving drive component, using its cylinder to push the replaced scraper onto the first row of storage racks, completing the scraper recycling; then return the receiving drive component to its initial position.

[0049] Step 4: Push the cylinder of the picking drive component to be opposite to one of the rows of new scraper storage racks through the Z-axis lifting mechanism, and at the same time control the feeding drive component to push the end of its cylinder piston rod to the entrance of the selected row of new scraper storage racks; then, control the piston rod of the picking drive component to extend and push the corresponding row of new scrapers towards the receiving drive component until the first scraper located at the tool magazine entrance is pushed into the piston rod slot of the feeding drive component;

[0050] Step 5: Move the piston rod of the feed drive assembly upward to the scraper positioning assembly until the top reference surface of the new scraper is in contact with the reference surface of the scraper holder. Tighten the screw by controlling the locking head with the locking drive to complete the replacement of the new scraper.

[0051] Referring to Figure 3, the specific working process of the above method is as follows:

[0052] Suppose that a new scraper needs to be replaced at this time, and there is an old scraper on scraper holder 1.

[0053] The scraper holder 1 moves to the position shown in Figure 1, the automatic door 10 opens, the Z-axis cylinder pushes the Z-axis lifting frame to the highest position, the Z-axis feeding cylinder 905 extends to support the old scraper on the scraper holder 1, the locking drive 5 drives the locking head to loosen the screw 3, the scraper clamp 2 separates from the scraper holder 1 under the spring reaction force, and the scraper is dislodged. As shown in Figure 3(c), the Z-axis feeding cylinder 905 retracts, and the scraper falls into the slot along direction A due to gravity. As shown in Figure 3(a), the Z-axis cylinder pushes the Z-axis lifting frame down to the height of the empty scraper magazine layer (layer 1), the receiving cylinder 906 extends, and the scraper is pushed to position C, realizing the removal of the old scraper. The Z-axis cylinder pushes the Z-axis lifting frame down to the height of the new blade storage layer (layer 2). The piston rod end of the Z-axis feeding cylinder 905 extends to be opposite to layer 2, controlling the piston rod of the picking cylinder 902 to extend and push the scraper of layer 2, so that the first scraper on the inlet side falls into the slot of the Z-axis feeding cylinder 905. Then, the feeding cylinder 905 extends to a height appropriate greater than the height of the scraper of layer 2, controlling the picking cylinder 906 to extend and push the remaining scrapers of the current scraper storage layer (layer 2) back into the storage chamber. Then, the picking cylinder 906 retracts to prevent interference caused by the Z-axis lifting frame rising and falling. The Z-axis cylinder pushes the Z-axis lifting frame to the highest position, and the feeding cylinder 905 extends fully, realizing the picking of the scraper and pushing the scraper to point B in Figure 3(a) (i.e., the clamping position in Figure 1). As shown in Figure 1, the locking head 4 and the screw 3 are locked by the locking drive 5, the scraper clamp 2 and the scraper holder 1 are clamped, the feeding cylinder 905 is fully retracted, the automatic door 10 is closed, and the scraper replacement is realized.

[0054] The new scraper removal layer starts from the second layer and is removed sequentially. After one layer is completely removed, the next layer is used as the removal layer. The old scraper storage layer starts from the first layer and is stored sequentially. After one layer is full, the next layer is used as the storage area.

[0055] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of the present invention without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. An automated powder printing system, comprising a forming cylinder, a forming chamber cylinder, and a scraper positioning assembly disposed within the forming chamber; characterized in that: The scraper positioning component is connected to the scraper via a lockable mechanism and levels the scraper. A sealable scraper replacement port is provided on the side of the forming cylinder and connects to the three-dimensional tool magazine. The three-dimensional tool magazine automatically controls the retrieval of replaced scrapers and the installation of new scrapers. The three-dimensional tool magazine includes a tool magazine for accommodating scrapers before and after replacement, drive components for material picking, feeding, and collecting, and a Z-axis lifting mechanism for controlling the lifting of each drive component. The tool magazine contains at least two rows of scraper storage racks, with at least one row for storing replaced scrapers and at least one row for storing new scrapers. The material picking drive component transfers new scrapers from the storage racks to the feeding drive component. The feeding drive component is used to retrieve replaced scrapers... The scraper is transferred to the scraper magazine inlet, or a new scraper is transferred from the scraper magazine inlet to the scraper mounting location; the receiving drive assembly is used to transfer the replaced scraper from the scraper magazine inlet to its storage rack, or to return the remaining new scrapers located on the new scraper storage rack to their original positions; the scraper positioning assembly includes a scraper holder for pre-positioning the scraper, a scraper clamp and fastening assembly for clamping and fixing the scraper, and an elastic element for releasing the scraper; the mounting surfaces of the scraper holder and the scraper serve as positioning reference surfaces, and the scraper is clamped between the scraper clamp and the scraper holder by the fastening assembly and fastened as a whole; the elastic element is disposed between the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, and through its elastic restoring force perpendicular to the mounting surfaces of the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, it separates the unfastened scraper clamp and the scraper holder, thereby releasing the scraper.

2. The automated powder printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The drive components for picking up, feeding, and collecting materials all include cylinders. The cylinder of the feeding drive component is arranged vertically, and its piston rod end is provided with a slot for positioning the scraper. The cylinders of the picking up drive component and the collecting drive component are both arranged horizontally, and their piston rod ends are used to push the scraper.

3. The automated powder printing system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The tool magazine is equipped with multiple rows of parallel scraper storage racks arranged at equal intervals from top to bottom, with the top row being the storage rack for replaced scrapers; the tool magazine entrance is located on one side of the tool magazine and is arranged opposite to each row of storage racks; the feeding drive assembly and the receiving drive assembly are located on one side of the tool magazine entrance, and the picking drive assembly is located on the side opposite to the tool magazine entrance.

4. The automated powder printing system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The three-dimensional tool magazine also includes a sealable housing for accommodating other components, which is detachably installed below the scraper replacement port of the tool to be replaced, ensuring that the internal environmental conditions of the tool to be replaced do not change during replacement; in use, the feeding drive component is positioned opposite to the scraper replacement port of the tool to be replaced.

5. The automated powder printing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The fastening assembly includes screws for fastening the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, and a locking drive for tightening the screws; the output end of the locking drive is detachably connected to the screws coaxially via a locking head; the elastic element is a spring, with both ends connected to the mating surfaces of the scraper clamp and the scraper holder, respectively.

6. The automated powder printing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bottom of the scraper holder is provided with a first scraper mounting groove, and the bottom of the scraper clamp is provided with a second scraper mounting groove. After the scraper holder and the scraper clamp are assembled, the first scraper mounting groove and the second scraper mounting groove are spliced ​​together to form a groove structure that is consistent with the profile of the scraper clamping end. The bottom of the groove structure is parallel to the focal plane of the forming cylinder, serving as a leveling reference plane. The scraper is installed in the groove structure, and its top surface is in contact with the leveling reference plane, thus completing automatic leveling.

7. The automated powder printing system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The scraper replacement port is equipped with an automatic door that can be opened and closed as needed.

8. A method for changing the doctor blade in an automated powder printing system according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that... The steps are as follows: Step 1: Move the scraper positioning assembly to the vicinity of the scraper replacement port; Step 2: Open the automatic door, first push the feeding drive assembly below the scraper replacement port through the Z-axis lifting mechanism, then start the feeding drive assembly so that the slot of its piston rod holds the scraper, and then the locking drive controls the locking head to loosen the screw, so that the scraper clamp separates from the scraper frame under the spring reaction force, releasing the scraper and embedding it into the slot; Step 3: Control the cylinder of the feeding drive assembly to retract, driving the replaced scraper downward to be opposite the first row of storage racks in the scraper magazine; then start the receiving drive assembly, and push the replaced scraper onto the first row of storage racks through its cylinder, completing the scraper recycling; then... Step 4: The cylinder of the picking drive assembly is pushed to the opposite position of one of the rows of new scraper storage racks by the Z-axis lifting mechanism, while the feeding drive assembly pushes the piston rod end of its cylinder to the entrance of the selected row of new scraper storage racks; then, the piston rod of the picking drive assembly is extended and the corresponding row of new scrapers is pushed towards the picking drive assembly until the first scraper at the scraper magazine entrance is pushed into the piston rod slot of the feeding drive assembly; Step 5: The piston rod of the feeding drive assembly is moved upward to the scraper positioning assembly until the top reference surface of the new scraper is in contact with the reference surface of the scraper holder, and the locking head is tightened by the locking drive to complete the replacement of the new scraper.

Citation Information

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