3D printing variable diameter rotary abutment, 3D printing device and 3D printing method

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of 3D printing variable diameter rotating base and 3D printing device and 3D printing method.The rotating base includes first, second telescopic hinge ring structure, each telescopic hinge ring structure includes multiple telescopic structure units sequentially arranged along the circumference, each telescopic structure unit includes four first and last hinged together connecting rods.Each telescopic structure unit includes first and second hinge parts spaced along the circumference, and outer hinge part and inner hinge part spaced along the radial direction.The corresponding hinge part of any telescopic structure unit adjacent is hinged together.The inner hinge part of one of the telescopic structure units is also hinged with first connecting rod, and the first connecting rod is hinged with second connecting rod.The rotating base further includes drive motor in transmission connection with second connecting rod.Each outer hinge part on the first telescopic hinge ring structure and corresponding each outer hinge part on the second telescopic hinge ring structure are provided with connecting rod.The rotating base of the present application has high versatility, and also facilitates model removal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of 3D printing technology, specifically to a 3D printing variable diameter rotating base, a 3D printing apparatus using the base, and a 3D printing method. Background Technology

[0002] 3D printing technology, also known as additive manufacturing, is an emerging manufacturing technology that uses digital models as a basis to build up materials layer by layer to create a physical object. With the continuous development of 3D printing technology, in order to improve the forming efficiency, mechanical properties, and surface finish of 3D printed parts, the forming methods and equipment of 3D printing equipment are constantly being innovated. A typical example is the 3D printing forming method based on a rotating platform. For instance, Chinese invention patent application CN116277958 A discloses a 3D printing forming method and apparatus based on a linear light source. This apparatus uses a rotating platform as a rotating printing platform, and through the rotating platform structure and the scraper structure, it completes the layer-by-layer loading of resin material, while simultaneously using a UV linear light source to cure the current layer of resin material. Compared to traditional photopolymerization molding methods, this invention patent innovatively improves the molding efficiency of photopolymerization 3D printing by optimizing the photopolymerization molding steps, avoiding the need for reciprocating scraping operations for each layer, and reducing the hardware cost of the equipment while ensuring molding accuracy by adopting a linear light source structure. At the same time, this invention can realize curved surface printing, thereby improving the mechanical properties of the printed model.

[0003] This method, which uses a rotating cylindrical base as a rotary printing platform, is a commonly used 3D printing method. It can be used to manufacture rotating bodies with a certain inner diameter. However, this method is only applicable to rotating bodies with a fixed inner diameter and cannot 3D print multiple rotating bodies with different inner diameter requirements using a single rotating base, resulting in poor applicability and versatility. Moreover, after 3D printing, the printed model may completely cover the outer circumference of the rotating cylindrical base, making the disassembly of the printed model very difficult and inconvenient to use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a 3D printing variable diameter base to solve the problems of poor versatility and inconvenient disassembly of printed models in the prior art; another purpose of this invention is to provide a 3D printing device using the above-mentioned base; and yet another purpose of this invention is to provide a 3D printing method applied to the above-mentioned 3D printing device.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a 3D-printed variable-diameter base platform using the following technical solution: a 3D-printed variable-diameter rotating base platform, comprising a first telescopic hinge ring structure and a second telescopic hinge ring structure arranged in parallel and spaced apart and capable of synchronous rotation. Each telescopic hinge ring structure includes multiple telescopic structural units arranged sequentially along the circumferential direction. Each telescopic structural unit includes four connecting rods, with the ends of any two adjacent connecting rods hinged together to form a parallelogram linkage mechanism. Each telescopic structural unit includes a first hinge portion and a second hinge portion spaced apart along the circumferential direction. Each telescopic structural unit also includes an outer hinge portion and an inner hinge portion spaced apart along the radial direction. The first hinge portion of any telescopic structural unit is connected to the end of an adjacent telescopic structural unit. The second hinge is hinged, and the second hinge of any telescopic structural unit is hinged to the first hinge of the adjacent telescopic structural unit; the inner hinge of one of the telescopic structural units is also hinged to a first connecting rod, and the other end of the first connecting rod is hinged to a second connecting rod; the selection base also includes a drive motor, and the motor shaft of the drive motor is connected to the second connecting rod in a transmission manner; each outer hinge on the first telescopic hinge ring structure and each corresponding outer hinge on the second telescopic hinge ring structure are provided with a connecting rod; the connecting rod moves radially when the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure extend and retract, and each connecting rod is always located on the same cylindrical surface during movement to form a skeleton structure for the 3D printing nozzle to perform 3D printing on it.

[0006] Both the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure include a bracket, and each bracket is provided with a cross guide rail. The cross guide rail includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail. Each guide rail is used to guide the outer hinge part and the inner hinge part of the corresponding telescopic structure unit for installation.

[0007] The brackets of the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure are connected together by a fixed rod so that the two can rotate synchronously.

[0008] The parallelogram linkage mechanism is a rhomboid linkage structure.

[0009] Both the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are located inside the space enclosed by each telescopic structural unit, and the drive motor is located at the center of the space.

[0010] The 3D printing device of the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A 3D printing device includes a frame, a rotating base with a horizontally arranged rotation axis on the frame, and a 3D printing nozzle that moves horizontally along the rotation axis of the rotating base on the frame. The rotating base includes a first telescopic hinge ring structure and a second telescopic hinge ring structure arranged in parallel and can rotate synchronously. Each telescopic hinge ring structure includes multiple telescopic structural units arranged sequentially along the circumference. Each telescopic structural unit includes four links, and the ends of any two adjacent links are hinged together to form a parallelogram linkage mechanism. Each telescopic structural unit includes a first hinge portion and a second hinge portion spaced apart along the circumference. Each telescopic structural unit also includes an outer hinge portion and an inner hinge portion spaced apart along the radial direction. The first hinge of any telescopic structural unit is hinged to the second hinge of an adjacent telescopic structural unit, and the second hinge of any telescopic structural unit is hinged to the first hinge of an adjacent telescopic structural unit. One of the inner hinges of a telescopic structural unit is also hinged to a first connecting rod, and the other end of the first connecting rod is hinged to a second connecting rod. The selection base also includes a drive motor, whose motor shaft is connected to the second connecting rod. Connecting rods are provided between each outer hinge on the first telescopic hinge ring structure and each corresponding outer hinge on the second telescopic hinge ring structure. The connecting rods move radially during the telescopic expansion and contraction of the first and second telescopic hinge ring structures, and each connecting rod remains on the same cylindrical surface during movement to form a skeleton structure for 3D printing.

[0011] Both the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure include a bracket, and each bracket is provided with a cross guide rail. The cross guide rail includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail. Each guide rail is used to guide the outer hinge part and the inner hinge part of the corresponding telescopic structure unit for installation.

[0012] The brackets of the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure are connected together by a fixed rod so that the two can rotate synchronously.

[0013] The parallelogram linkage mechanism is a rhomboid linkage structure.

[0014] Both the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are located inside the space enclosed by each telescopic structural unit, and the drive motor is located at the center of the space.

[0015] A 3D printing method, employing the following technical solution: A 3D printing method, applied to the 3D printing apparatus as described in claim 6, the method comprising the following steps:

[0016] 1) Calculate the required diameter D of the rotating platform based on the size of the printed model;

[0017] 2) By controlling the rotation angle of the motor shaft of the drive motor, the second connecting rod, the first connecting rod, and the telescopic units of each telescopic hinge ring structure are deformed, so that the diameter of the cylindrical surface where the connecting rod of each telescopic hinge ring structure is located reaches the diameter D required in step 1), and each connecting rod forms a skeleton structure.

[0018] 3) 3D print the skeleton structure in step 2) to obtain a cylindrical rotating base surface;

[0019] 4) The cylindrical rotating base surface from step 3) is 3D printed;

[0020] 5) After 3D printing is completed, control the drive motor to retract the rotating base and disassemble the printed model.

[0021] In step 3), the cylindrical rotating platform surface is obtained in the following way:

[0022] A) By controlling the 3D printing nozzle, the initial skin structure is formed by winding the wire onto the skeleton structure formed on the connecting rod.

[0023] B) Then, print a side wall structure on each plane between the connecting rods of the initial skin structure to form a new skeleton structure;

[0024] C) Repeat step A), or repeat steps A), B), A), until a cylindrical rotating base surface is obtained.

[0025] In step B), the height h of the side wall is calculated as follows: First, calculate the vertical distance d between the plane of the side wall printed by the initial skin structure and the axis of the rotating base, and the distance R between the edge of any two adjacent planes on the initial skin structure and the axis of the rotating base, and obtain it through the following formula: h = Rd.

[0026] The width of the side wall structure is the width of one printing path of the 3D printing nozzle, and is obtained by printing layer by layer.

[0027] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: By simultaneously extending and retracting the first and second telescopic hinge ring structures, the connecting rods between them can expand or shrink synchronously. However, all connecting rods always remain on the same cylindrical surface, forming a skeleton structure for 3D printing. This allows for adjustment of the rotating base diameter, enabling the printing of product models of various sizes and greatly improving its versatility. Furthermore, after the model is printed, the rotating base can be detached from the model by retracting, facilitating model removal and making it very convenient to use. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one embodiment of a 3D printing device according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the rotating base;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the first telescopic hinge ring structure;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the process by which a 3D printing nozzle creates the initial skin structure on the skeleton structure formed by the connecting rod through a winding method.

[0032] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the initial skin structure;

[0033] Figure 6 Is Figure 5 A structural schematic diagram of the side walls is printed on the initial skin structure;

[0034] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 The left view;

[0035] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the obtained rotating base surface;

[0036] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1. Frame; 2. 3D printing nozzle; 3. Rotating base; 4. First telescopic hinge ring structure; 5. Second telescopic hinge ring structure; 6. Connecting rod; 7. Bracket; 8. Cross rail; 9. Telescopic structural unit; 10. Connecting rod; 11. Rotating joint; 12. First connecting rod; 13. Second connecting rod; 14. Drive motor; 15. First hinge part; 16. Second hinge part; 17. Outer hinge part; 18. Inner hinge part; 19. Initial skin structure; 20. Plane; 21. Side wall; 22. Cylindrical surface; 23. Rotating base surface. Detailed Implementation

[0037] To facilitate understanding of the present invention, a more detailed description is provided below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. Preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings. However, the invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a thorough and complete understanding of the disclosure of the invention.

[0038] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical and scientific terms used in this specification have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. The use of "attribute" in this specification is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention.

[0039] An embodiment of the 3D printing apparatus of the present invention, such as Figure 1 As shown, the device includes a frame 1, a 3D printing nozzle 2 mounted on the frame, and a rotating base 3. Specifically, the frame has a crossbeam that can be adjusted vertically along the Z-axis. The 3D printing nozzle is horizontally mounted on the crossbeam along the X-axis, enabling movement and position adjustment of the 3D printing axis in both the X and Z axes. In this embodiment, the vertical direction is defined as the Z-axis direction, and the rotation axis direction of the rotating base is defined as the X-axis direction.

[0040] In this embodiment, the rotating base 3, as shown... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the structure includes a first telescopic hinge ring structure 4 and a second telescopic hinge ring structure 5. The first and second telescopic hinge ring structures are arranged parallel to each other and can rotate synchronously. Specifically, each telescopic hinge ring structure includes multiple telescopic structural units 9 arranged sequentially along the circumference. Each telescopic structural unit includes four connecting rods 10, which are hinged end-to-end to form a parallelogram linkage mechanism. That is, the ends of any two adjacent connecting rods are hinged together, allowing deformation under external force. In this embodiment, the parallelogram linkage mechanism is a rhomboid linkage structure. The ends of any two adjacent connecting rods are hinged together by a rotary joint 11. The rotary joint 11 is prior art, and its specific structure will not be described in detail in this embodiment. Each telescopic structural unit includes a first hinge portion 15 and a second hinge portion 16 spaced apart along the circumference. Each telescopic structural unit also includes an outer hinge portion 17 and an inner hinge portion 18 spaced apart along the radial direction. Furthermore, the first hinge of any telescopic structural unit is hinged to the second hinge of the adjacent telescopic structural unit, and the second hinge of any telescopic structural unit is hinged to the first hinge of the adjacent telescopic structural unit. All telescopic structural units of each telescopic hinge ring structure are arranged in the above connection to form a ring structure circumferentially. The outer hinge of all telescopic structural units of each telescopic hinge ring structure is always located on the same cylindrical surface 22, that is, the distance from the outer hinge of all telescopic structural units of each telescopic hinge ring structure to the rotation axis of the rotating shaft base is always the same. A connecting rod 6 is provided between each outer hinge of the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the corresponding outer hinge of the second telescopic hinge ring structure, and the number of connecting rods is equal to the number of outer hinges on each telescopic hinge ring structure. The connecting rods can move radially when the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure extend or retract, and each connecting rod is always located on the same cylindrical surface to form a skeleton structure when moving. The skeleton structure is used for 3D printing nozzles to perform 3D printing on it.

[0041] In each telescopic hinge ring structure, the inner hinge portion of one of the telescopic structural units is also hinged to a first connecting rod 12. The other end of the first connecting rod is hinged to a second connecting rod 13, and the other end of the second connecting rod is driven by a drive motor 14. That is, by rotating the motor shaft of the drive motor, the first and second connecting rods can be driven to move, causing all the telescopic structural units of the telescopic hinge ring structure to extend and retract simultaneously, thereby adjusting the diameter of the cylindrical surface where all the connecting rods are located, which is to say, adjusting the radial dimension of the skeleton structure.

[0042] Both the first and second telescopic hinge ring structures include a bracket 7, and each bracket is equipped with a cross-shaped guide rail 8. The cross-shaped guide rail includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail, each with a guide groove. Each guide groove guides the outer and inner hinge parts of the corresponding telescopic structural unit for guided movement and installation. Specifically, a slider is guided and installed in the guide groove, and the aforementioned outer and inner hinge parts are connected to the slider to achieve guided movement and installation on the bracket. The brackets of the first and second telescopic hinge ring structures are connected together by a fixed rod to enable synchronous rotation, and a motor is used to achieve overall rotation of the rotating base along the X-axis. In this embodiment, the first connecting rod 12 and the second connecting rod 13 are both located inside the space enclosed by each telescopic structural unit, and the drive motor 14 is located at the center of the space. Specifically, the drive motor is located at the center of the cross-shaped guide rail.

[0043] In this embodiment, the 3D printing method applied to the above-mentioned 3D printing device includes the following steps:

[0044] 1) Calculate the required diameter D of the rotating platform based on the size of the printed model.

[0045] 2) By controlling the rotation angle of the motor shaft of the drive motor, the second connecting rod, the first connecting rod, and the telescopic units of each telescopic hinge ring structure are deformed, so that the diameter of the cylindrical surface where the connecting rod of each telescopic hinge ring structure is located reaches the diameter D required in step 1), and each connecting rod forms a skeleton structure.

[0046] 3) 3D print the skeleton structure in step 2) to obtain a cylindrical rotating base surface;

[0047] 4) The cylindrical rotating base surface in step 3) is 3D printed.

[0048] 5) After 3D printing is completed, control the drive motor to retract the rotating base and disassemble the printed model.

[0049] In step 3), the cylindrical rotating platform surface is obtained in the following way:

[0050] A) By controlling the 3D printing nozzle, the initial skin structure 19 is formed by winding wire around the skeleton structure formed on the connecting rod. The winding method is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the initial skin structure obtained is as follows: Figure 5 As shown.

[0051] B) Then, a side wall structure 21 is printed on each plane 20 between the connecting rods of the initial skin structure, forming a new skeleton structure. The structure of the side wall is as follows: Figure 6 As shown.

[0052] C) Repeat step A), or repeat steps A), B), and A), until a cylindrical rotating base surface 23 is obtained. In this step, the number of times the side walls are printed can be selected according to the actual situation. After printing the side walls, another winding process is needed to obtain a new skin structure, until a cylindrical rotating base surface is obtained. For example... Figure 8 As shown.

[0053] In step B), the height h of the side wall is calculated as follows: First, the vertical distance d between the plane of the side wall printed on the initial skin structure and the axis of the rotating base is calculated, as well as the distance R between the edge of any two adjacent planes on the initial skin structure and the axis of the rotating base. This is obtained using the following formula: h = Rd. Figure 7 As shown.

[0054] The width of the aforementioned side wall structure can be the width of one printing path of the 3D printing nozzle, and is obtained by printing layer by layer.

[0055] In the foregoing description of this specification, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "fixed," "installed," "connected," or "linked" should be interpreted broadly. For example, the term "linked" can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; or it can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Therefore, unless otherwise expressly limited in this specification, those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention based on the specific circumstances.

[0056] Based on the above description in this specification, those skilled in the art will also understand that terms used, such as "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "length," "width," "thickness," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," "center," "longitudinal," "transverse," "clockwise," or "counterclockwise," are terms indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings of this specification. They are only for the purpose of facilitating the explanation of the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not explicitly or implicitly suggest that the device or element involved must have the specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, the above-mentioned orientation or positional relationship terms should not be understood or interpreted as limitations on the present invention.

[0057] Furthermore, the terms "first" or "second," etc., used in this specification to refer to numbers or ordinal numbers are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating, explicitly or implicitly, relative importance or specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this specification, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0058] In other embodiments of the present invention, the position of the drive motor may not be set at the center position, and the position can be adjusted according to the actual installation needs, as long as the corresponding telescopic hinge ring can be extended and retracted by driving the second connecting rod and the first connecting rod; the parallelogram linkage structure can also be other parallelogram linkage structures besides the rhomboid linkage structure; the width of the side wall structure can be the width of two or more printing paths of the 3D printing nozzle, and is obtained by printing layer by layer; the rotating joint can also be replaced by rivets.

[0059] An embodiment of the 3D printing variable diameter base of the present invention has the same structure as the rotating base in the various embodiments of the 3D printing device described above, and will not be repeated here.

Claims

1. A 3D-printed variable-diameter rotating base, characterized in that: The system includes a first telescopic hinge ring structure and a second telescopic hinge ring structure that are parallel and spaced apart and capable of synchronous rotation. Each telescopic hinge ring structure includes multiple telescopic structural units arranged sequentially along the circumference. Each telescopic structural unit includes four links, and the ends of any two adjacent links are hinged together to form a parallelogram linkage mechanism. Each telescopic structural unit includes a first hinge portion and a second hinge portion spaced apart along the circumference. Each telescopic structural unit also includes an outer hinge portion and an inner hinge portion spaced apart along the radial direction. The first hinge portion of any telescopic structural unit is hinged to the second hinge portion of an adjacent telescopic structural unit, and the second hinge portion of any telescopic structural unit is hinged to the second hinge portion of an adjacent telescopic structural unit. The first hinge of the telescopic structural unit is hinged; the inner hinge of one of the telescopic structural units is also hinged to a first connecting rod, and the other end of the first connecting rod is hinged to a second connecting rod; the rotating base also includes a drive motor, the motor shaft of the drive motor is connected to the corresponding second connecting rod; a connecting rod is provided between each outer hinge on the first telescopic hinge ring structure and each corresponding outer hinge on the second telescopic hinge ring structure; the connecting rod moves radially when the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure extend and retract, and each connecting rod is always located on the same cylindrical surface to form a skeleton structure, on which the 3D printing nozzle performs 3D printing.

2. The 3D-printed variable-diameter rotating platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure include a bracket, and each bracket is provided with a cross guide rail. The cross guide rail includes a first guide rail and a second guide rail. Each guide rail is used to guide the outer hinge part and the inner hinge part of the corresponding telescopic structure unit for installation.

3. The 3D-printed variable-diameter rotating platform according to claim 2, characterized in that: The brackets of the first telescopic hinge ring structure and the second telescopic hinge ring structure are connected together by a fixed rod so that the two can rotate synchronously.

4. The 3D-printed variable-diameter rotating platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: The parallelogram linkage mechanism is a rhomboid linkage structure.

5. The 3D-printed variable-diameter rotating platform according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod are located inside the space enclosed by each telescopic structural unit, and the drive motor is located at the center of the space.

6. A 3D printing apparatus, comprising a frame, a rotating base with its rotation axis horizontally arranged on the frame, and a 3D printing nozzle that moves horizontally along the rotation axis of the rotating base, characterized in that: The rotating platform is a 3D-printed variable-diameter rotating platform as described in any one of claims 1-5.

7. A 3D printing method, applied to the 3D printing apparatus as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The method includes the following steps: 1) Calculate the required diameter D of the rotating platform based on the size of the printed model; 2) By controlling the rotation angle of the motor shaft of the drive motor, the second connecting rod, the first connecting rod, and the telescopic units of each telescopic hinge ring structure are deformed, so that the diameter of the cylindrical surface where the connecting rod of each telescopic hinge ring structure is located reaches the diameter D required in step 1), and each connecting rod forms a skeleton structure. 3) 3D print the skeleton structure in step 2) to obtain a cylindrical rotating base surface; 4) The cylindrical rotating base surface from step 3) is 3D printed; 5) After 3D printing is completed, control the drive motor to retract the rotating base and disassemble the printed model.

8. The 3D printing method according to claim 7, characterized in that: In step 3), the cylindrical rotating platform surface is obtained in the following way: A) By controlling the 3D printing nozzle, the initial skin structure is formed by winding the wire onto the skeleton structure formed on the connecting rod. B) Then, print a side wall structure on each plane between the connecting rods of the initial skin structure to form a new skeleton structure; C) Repeat step A), or repeat steps A), B), A), until a cylindrical rotating base surface is obtained.

9. The 3D printing method according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step B), the height h of the side wall is calculated as follows: First, calculate the vertical distance d between the plane on the initial skin structure where the side wall needs to be printed and the axis of the rotating base, and the distance R between the edge at the intersection of any two adjacent planes on the initial skin structure and the axis of the rotating base. The result is obtained by the following formula: h = Rd.

10. The 3D printing method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The width of the side wall structure is the width of one printing path of the 3D printing nozzle, and is obtained by printing layer by layer.

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