Soft blade automatic change device and method for selective laser melting additive manufacturing system

By designing an automatic blade replacement device for selective laser melting additive manufacturing systems, the problem of blade damage affecting print quality has been solved. Automatic replacement is achieved without affecting the equipment environment and print quality, thus improving production efficiency.

CN118513570BActive Publication Date: 2025-11-21SUZHOU ZHONGKE INNOVATION INST OF LASER INTELLIGENT MFG
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202410633178.3
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-05-21
Publication Date
2025-11-21
Estimated Expiration
2044-05-21

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In the selective laser melting process, the squeegee is easily damaged, which leads to a decrease in print quality. Furthermore, the existing squeegee replacement process requires opening the equipment compartment door, which affects the print quality and the environment.

Method used

Design an automatic soft scraper replacement device, including a scraper holder, a soft scraper storage component, a scraper clamping component, a lifting component, and a transfer component. The movement of these components is controlled by a controller to achieve automatic scraper replacement and leveling, avoiding the need to open the equipment compartment door.

Benefits of technology

It enables automatic blade replacement without affecting print quality or equipment environment, improving production efficiency and print quality while reducing manual intervention time.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present application relates to the technical fields of laser additive manufacturing, in particular to a soft scraper automatic replacement device and method for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system, comprising: a scraper holder, which can move along the guide rail direction to move to a predetermined position; a soft scraper storage component for providing a new soft scraper and storing an old soft scraper, the soft scraper storage component is provided with a storage opening and an outlet, and the outlet of the soft scraper storage component is provided with a cutting component. The present application realizes the function of automatic replacement of the scraper of the selective laser melting equipment, eliminates a series of adverse effects such as changing the atmosphere environment in the forming bin, polluting the metal powder and reducing the part forming quality during the traditional replacement operation of the scraper. This automatic replacement method of the scraper greatly improves the efficiency of the scraper replacement, not only saves a lot of time, but also reduces the difficulty of manual operation. This will improve the production efficiency of the selective laser melting equipment, speed up the production process, and improve the printing quality of the parts.
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Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of laser additive manufacturing, in particular to a soft scraper automatic replacement device and method for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system. BACKGROUND

[0002] Selective laser melting (SLM) is a main technology in metal material additive manufacturing. The technology selects laser as an energy source, and performs layer-by-layer scanning on a metal powder bed according to a planned path in a slicing file. The scanned metal powder is melted and solidified to achieve a metallurgical bonding effect, and finally a metal part designed by the model is obtained. The metal part formed by the SLM technology has higher density, strength and various physical and chemical properties, and also has excellent performance in forming precision and minimum forming structure size. The applicable materials have covered titanium alloy, iron-based alloy, nickel-based alloy and other materials. In the fields of mold manufacturing, aerospace, biomedicine and the like, the SLM technology has significant advantages, and thus has attracted more and more attention and application.

[0003] In the selective laser melting forming process, the scraper plays a role of uniformly paving the metal powder on the powder bed, and is a very important component in the powder paving system, which has a great influence on the forming quality of the printed part. The soft scraper is widely used in various selective laser melting equipment due to its strong applicability and low cost, but the problem of easy damage of the soft scraper needs to be solved. The metal part is prone to deformation and warping during the forming process due to the rapid cooling and heating characteristics of the SLM technology. The protruding part of the part warping will scratch the soft scraper during the process of the scraper paving the powder, thereby damaging the scraper. The damaged scraper will leave linear concave or convex marks on the surface of the powder bed during the subsequent powder paving process, thereby affecting the printing quality of the part, and thus the scraper must be replaced to continue printing.

[0004] At present, the scraper needs to be opened when it is replaced, and this process not only changes the atmosphere in the forming chamber, but also may contaminate the powder. The suspension of printing will also have a certain influence on the forming quality of the part. Therefore, it is very important to develop a scraper automatic replacement device for a selective laser melting equipment to improve the production efficiency of the equipment and the printing quality of the part, and has important practical value and broad market prospect. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the technical problems existing in the scraper replacement process in the prior art, a first aspect of the present application provides a soft scraper automatic replacement device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system, comprising:

[0006] a scraper holder, the scraper holder being movable along a guide rail direction;

[0007] A soft blade storage component for providing a new soft blade and storing an old soft blade, the soft blade storage component is provided with a storage opening and an outlet, the outlet of the soft blade storage component is provided with a cutting component for cutting the soft blade at the outlet;

[0008] A blade clamping component connected to the blade holder by a lifting component, the blade clamping component is used for clamping or releasing the soft blade, and the lifting component is used for controlling the lifting of the blade holder to make the soft blade at a predetermined height;

[0009] A transfer component, including a first transfer component and a second transfer component, the first transfer component is connected to the blade holder, and the second transfer component is connected to the soft blade storage component, the first transfer component has a transfer state and a non-transfer state, when the first transfer component is in the transfer state, a transfer channel can be formed, when the soft blade is in the transfer channel, it can be driven by the first transfer component to move along the extension line of the transfer channel;

[0010] A controller electrically connected to the guide rail, the blade clamping component, the lifting component and the transfer component;

[0011] The controller controls the movement of the guide rail and the lifting component, so that the soft blade clamped by the blade clamping component moves, and the soft blade, the transfer channel and the storage opening or the outlet of the soft blade storage component are aligned;

[0012] The first transfer component is used for transferring the soft blade in the transfer channel to the storage opening of the soft blade storage component, so that the old soft blade enters the soft blade storage component, and the second transfer component is used for transferring the soft blade in the soft blade storage component to the transfer channel along the direction of the outlet, and cutting the soft blade at the outlet by the cutting component.

[0013] Preferably, the soft blade storage component includes a first box body and a second box body, the first box body is provided with the storage opening and is used for storing the old soft blade, and the second box body is provided with the outlet and is used for storing the new soft blade, and the second transfer component is arranged at the outlet of the second box body.

[0014] Preferably, the transfer channel, the storage opening of the first box body and the outlet of the second box body are distributed along a linear direction, and the first box body and the second box body are respectively located at two ends of the transfer channel.

[0015] Preferably, the first transfer component comprises a plurality of transfer mechanisms, each of the transfer mechanisms comprises a conveying wheel and a pressing wheel, the axes of the conveying wheel and the pressing wheel are perpendicular to the powder laying surface, the pressing wheel can be driven to move to a first position or a second position, when the pressing wheel is in the first position, a gap for accommodating the soft blade is formed between the conveying wheel and the pressing wheel, a plurality of the gaps define the transfer channel, when the pressing wheel is in the second position, the width of the gap is increased, the soft blade can be driven to move in a direction perpendicular to the powder laying surface to change the height of the soft blade.

[0016] Preferably, the transfer mechanism further comprises a driving motor and a transverse moving motor, the driving motor is used to drive the conveying wheel to rotate, the transverse moving motor is used to drive the pressing wheel to move between the first position and the second position.

[0017] Preferably, the lifting component comprises a first lifting mechanism and a second lifting mechanism, the first lifting mechanism and the second lifting mechanism are connected to the blade clamping component.

[0018] Preferably, the blade clamping component comprises a first clamping mechanism and a second clamping mechanism, each of the clamping mechanisms comprises a pair of clamping plates, a clamping area is formed between the pair of clamping plates, the clamping area is parallel to the transfer channel.

[0019] The first lifting mechanism is connected to the first clamping mechanism and is used to control the height of the first clamping mechanism, the second lifting mechanism is connected to the second clamping mechanism and is used to control the height of the second clamping mechanism.

[0020] Preferably, a leveling plane is further included, the leveling plane is parallel to the powder laying surface, the leveling plane comprises a first pressure sensor and a second pressure sensor arranged along the length direction of the soft blade, the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor are distributed corresponding to the first lifting mechanism and the second lifting mechanism, the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor are electrically connected to the controller, when the blade holder is above the leveling plane, the height of the soft blade is adjusted by the lifting component to make the values of the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor the same.

[0021] According to the second aspect of the present application, a soft blade automatic replacement method for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system is provided, comprising the following steps:

[0022] Step 1, when the soft blade is damaged, the blade holder is controlled to move to a predetermined position;

[0023] Step 2, the soft blade is lowered to contact the forming platform by the lifting component, and the soft blade is aligned with the receiving opening and the outlet of the soft blade receiving component;

[0024] Step 3, switch the scraper holding component from the clamping state to the release state;

[0025] Step 4, switch the first transfer component and the second transfer component from the non-transfer state to the transfer state, and drive the new soft scraper to transfer from the outlet of the soft scraper storage component to below the scraper holding component, and drive the old soft scraper to transfer to the storage opening of the soft scraper storage component and enter the soft scraper storage component;

[0026] Step 5, the cutting component cuts the soft scraper at the outlet of the soft scraper storage component;

[0027] Step 6, the scraper holding component is switched from the release state to the clamping state again, and the first transfer component and the second transfer component are switched from the transfer state to the non-transfer state;

[0028] Step 7, the lifting component controls the soft scraper to rise to a predetermined height away from the forming platform, and the soft scraper replacement is completed.

[0029] Preferably, in step 7, the soft scraper is first raised to be out of contact with the forming platform, and then transferred to above the leveling plane, the soft scraper is controlled to descend until the pressures detected by the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor both reach 0.1 g, and then the soft scraper is controlled to move upward by a distance of the powder layer thickness, and the soft scraper is controlled to return to the zero position by the scraper holder.

[0030] According to the technical scheme, the soft scraper automatic replacement device for the selective laser melting additive manufacturing system is provided, the soft scraper storage component is arranged on one side of the forming substrate, the soft scraper storage component can store unused soft scrapers and damaged soft scrapers, so that the damaged soft scraper can be transferred to the soft scraper storage component without damaging the forming chamber atmosphere environment, and a new soft scraper can be replaced from the soft scraper storage component to the scraper holder, so that the whole replacement process does not pollute the metal powder and ensures the forming quality of the part.

[0031] In some embodiments, the lifting component and the transfer component are arranged below the scraper holder, the lifting component can control the height and posture of the soft scraper, when the scraper holder is controlled to be at the position corresponding to the soft scraper storage component, the transfer component can transfer the soft scraper below the scraper holder to the soft scraper storage component and from the soft scraper storage component to below the scraper holder by clamping and driving, so as to realize the automatic replacement and leveling of the soft scraper, and compared with the manual replacement of the prior art, the replacement speed and procedure of the soft scraper are more time-saving and the degree of automation is high. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the soft scraper automatic replacement device for the selective laser melting additive manufacturing system.

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic view showing the distribution of the transfer member and the lifting member below the doctor blade holder.

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic view showing the structure of the transfer member.

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the structure of the doctor blade holding member and the lifting member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] In order to better understand the technical content of the present application, specific embodiments are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] It should be understood that powder spreading printing is in an inert gas protection atmosphere in the forming bin. When the soft doctor blade is scratched by the protrusions in the powder layer, if the soft doctor blade is replaced, the door of the bin needs to be opened, the protection atmosphere in the forming bin is destroyed, which will pollute the powder, and the parts may also have quality defects due to the pause. Therefore, the present application aims to provide a soft doctor blade automatic switching device, which aims to realize the replacement of the soft doctor blade strip without opening the door and manual intervention, and to automatically complete the replacement process of the soft doctor blade strip without stopping the equipment and opening the door.

[0038]

Soft doctor blade automatic replacement device for selective laser melting additive manufacturing system

[0039] As shown in Figures 1-2 , the first aspect of the present application provides a soft doctor blade automatic replacement device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system, which comprises a doctor blade holder 2, a soft doctor blade storage member, a doctor blade holding member, a lifting member, a transfer member and a controller 1. The controller 1 is electrically connected with the guide rail 3, the doctor blade holding member, the lifting member and the transfer member. The controller 1 is used to control the movement of the guide rail 3 and the lifting member, so as to move the soft doctor blade held by the doctor blade holding member.

[0040] One side of the forming substrate is provided with a guide rail 3. The doctor blade holder 2 is installed on the guide rail 3 and can move along the direction of the guide rail 3, so as to move, for example, the zero position of powder scraping or the position of soft doctor blade replacement and above the powder supply cylinder 25 and the forming cylinder 26.

[0041] Further, the soft doctor blade storage member is used to provide a new soft doctor blade and store an old soft doctor blade. The soft doctor blade storage member is provided with a storage opening and an outlet. The outlet of the soft doctor blade storage member is provided with a cutting member, which is used to cut off the soft doctor blade at the outlet.

[0042] The soft doctor blade storage member is used to provide a new soft doctor blade and store an old soft doctor blade. The new soft doctor blade and the old soft doctor blade are stored in different areas.

[0043] In order to control the state of the soft scraper, the scraper clamping component is connected to the scraper holder 2 through the lifting component. The scraper clamping component is used to clamp or release the soft scraper, and the lifting component is used to control the lifting of the scraper holder 2 so that the soft scraper is at a predetermined height.

[0044] In this way, when changing the scraper, the requirements of moving the scraper to a specific position, a specific height, and whether it is in a positioned state can be met.

[0045] Furthermore, when the soft scraper is in a non-positioned state, the soft scraper can be moved to replace it with a new scraper. The transfer component includes a first transfer component and a second transfer component 104. The first transfer component is connected to the scraper holder 2 and is used to transfer the soft scraper below the scraper holder 2. The second transfer component 104 is connected to the soft scraper storage component and is used to transfer the soft scraper in the soft scraper storage component.

[0046] The first transfer component has a transfer state and a non-transfer state. When the first transfer component is in the transfer state, it can construct a transfer channel. When the soft scraper is in the transfer channel, it can be driven by the first transfer component to move along the extension line of the transfer channel.

[0047] In an optional embodiment, the soft scraper storage component includes a first box 22 and a second box 21. The first box 22 has a storage opening for storing old soft scrapers, and the second box 21 has an outlet for storing new soft scrapers. A second transfer component 104 is provided at the outlet of the second box 21.

[0048] In an optional embodiment, the cutting component includes a first cutting mechanism 19 and a second cutting mechanism 20, wherein the first cutting mechanism 19 is located at the receiving opening of the first box 22 and the second cutting mechanism 20 is located at the outlet of the second box 21.

[0049] like Figures 1-2 As shown, the transfer channel, the receiving port of the first box 22, and the outlet of the second box 21 are distributed in a linear direction, and the first box 22 and the second box 21 are located at the two ends of the transfer channel, respectively.

[0050] Thus, when the transfer channel is driven by the lifting component to align with the storage opening of the first box 22 and the outlet of the second box 21, the soft scraper, the transfer channel, and the storage opening or outlet of the soft scraper storage component are aligned. The soft scraper is then driven synchronously by the first and second transfer components 104, causing the soft scraper in the transfer channel to move towards the storage opening of the first box 22, allowing the old soft scraper to enter the first box 22. The second transfer component 104 then transfers the soft scraper in the second box 21 along the outlet direction into the transfer channel, and the cutting component cuts off the soft scraper at the outlet, thus replacing it with a new soft scraper.

[0051] It should be understood that the soft blade is a rubber strip, and the first box body 22 and the second box body 21 have channels for accommodating the rubber strip, and when the rubber strip is conveyed in a certain direction, the rubber strip can be deformed and turned along the track of the channel to be accommodated into or out of the box body.

[0052] In combination Figures 1-2 As shown, the first transfer component includes a plurality of transfer mechanisms, which are illustrated as three transfer mechanisms, a transfer mechanism a101, a transfer mechanism b102, and a transfer mechanism c103, and one lifting mechanism is arranged between each two transfer mechanisms, a first lifting mechanism 10 and a second lifting mechanism 9, and the first lifting mechanism 10 and the second lifting mechanism 9 are connected to the blade clamping component.

[0053] Among them, the second transfer component 103 only includes one transfer mechanism arranged in the second box body 21.

[0054] In an optional embodiment, in combination Figures 2-3 As shown, each transfer mechanism includes a conveying wheel and a pressing wheel, the axes of the conveying wheel and the pressing wheel are perpendicular to the powder laying surface, and the pressing wheel can be driven to move to a first position or a second position, when the pressing wheel is in the first position, a gap for accommodating the soft blade is formed between the conveying wheel and the pressing wheel, and a plurality of gaps are defined as transfer channels, and when the pressing wheel is in the second position, the width of the gap is increased, and the soft blade 4 can be driven to move in a direction perpendicular to the powder laying surface to change the height of the soft blade.

[0055] Thus, when the transfer mechanism is switched from the non-transfer state to the transfer state, the pressing wheel 16 is switched from the second position to the first position, and the pressing wheel and the conveying wheel can tightly abut on both sides of the soft blade 4, and when the conveying wheel rotates, the soft blade 4 can be driven to move along the length direction of the transfer channel.

[0056] Further, the transfer mechanism further includes a driving motor and a transverse movement motor, the driving motor is used to drive the conveying wheel to rotate, and the transverse movement motor is used to drive the pressing wheel to transfer between the first position and the second position.

[0057] Thus, the controller 1 can control the position of the pressing wheel through the transverse movement motor, so as to press the soft blade 4 or not.

[0058] Specifically, the transfer mechanism a101 includes a driving motor a8, a transverse movement motor a13, and a pressing wheel a16, the transfer mechanism b102 includes a driving motor a7, a transverse movement motor a14, and a pressing wheel a17, and the transfer mechanism c103 includes a driving motor a6, a transverse movement motor a15, and a pressing wheel a18.

[0059] When the soft blade 4 is transferred, the three transfer mechanisms 101, 102, and 103 are coordinated to drive the soft blade 4 to move in a predetermined direction.

[0060] In combinationFigures 2-4 As shown, the scraper holder includes a first clamping mechanism 12 and a second clamping mechanism 11, each of which includes a pair of clamping plates, and a clamping area is formed between the pair of clamping plates, and the clamping area is parallel to the transfer channel.

[0061] Thus, when the pair of clamping plates are clamped, the soft scraper 4 in the transfer channel can be fixed.

[0062] Further, the first lifting mechanism 10 is connected to the first clamping mechanism 12 and is used to control the height of the first clamping mechanism 12, and the second lifting mechanism 9 is connected to the second clamping mechanism 11 and is used to control the height of the second clamping mechanism 11.

[0063] By adjusting the height of the soft scraper 4 through the first lifting mechanism 10 and the second lifting mechanism 9, the posture of the soft scraper 4 can be controlled to be parallel to the powder laying surface.

[0064] Further, a leveling plane is also included, the leveling plane is parallel to the powder laying surface, and the leveling plane includes a first pressure sensor 23 and a second pressure sensor 24 arranged along the length direction of the soft scraper, the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 are distributed corresponding to the first lifting mechanism 10 and the second lifting mechanism 9, and the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 are electrically connected to the controller 1.

[0065] Thus, when the scraper holder 2 is above the leveling plane, the height of the soft scraper is adjusted through the lifting component, so that the values of the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 are the same, at this time, the pressure of the soft scraper 4 on the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 is the same, and since the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 are in the same plane, the bottom of the soft scraper 4 is also in the same plane, especially the leveling plane parallel to the powder laying surface.

[0066] In an optional embodiment, the leveling plane is arranged between the powder supply cylinder 25 and the forming cylinder 26, and the upper surface thereof is parallel to the horizontal plane of the forming platform.

[0067] Soft scraper automatic replacement method for selective laser melting additive manufacturing system

[0068] The soft scraper automatic replacement device disclosed in the present application is used to perform the soft scraper automatic replacement method, which includes the following steps:

[0069] Step 1: When the soft scraper is damaged, the scraper holder 2 is controlled to move to a predetermined position.

[0070] Step 2: The soft scraper is controlled to be lowered to contact the forming platform through the lifting component, so that the soft scraper is aligned with the receiving opening and the outlet of the soft scraper receiving component.

[0071] Step 3, switch the scraper holding component from the clamped state to the released state;

[0072] Step 4, switch the first transfer component and the second transfer component from the non-transfer state to the transfer state, and drive the new soft scraper to transfer from the outlet of the soft scraper storage component to below the scraper holding component, and drive the old soft scraper to transfer to the storage opening of the soft scraper storage component and enter the soft scraper storage component;

[0073] Step 5, the cutting component cuts the soft scraper at the outlet of the soft scraper storage component;

[0074] Step 6, the scraper holding component is switched from the released state to the clamped state, and the first transfer component and the second transfer component are switched from the transfer state to the non-transfer state;

[0075] Step 7, the lifting component controls the soft scraper to rise to a predetermined height from the forming platform, and the soft scraper replacement is completed.

[0076] Preferably, in step 7, the soft scraper is first lifted to be out of contact with the forming platform, and then transferred to above the leveling plane, the soft scraper is controlled to descend until the pressures detected by the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 both reach 0.1 g, then the soft scraper is controlled to move upward by a powder layer thickness, and the soft scraper is returned to the zero position by the scraper holder 2.

[0077] In an optional embodiment, an exemplary process of the automatic replacement method of the soft scraper is as follows:

[0078] S1, when the soft scraper 4 is damaged, the controller 1 controls the scraper holder 2 to move along the powder laying guide rail 3 to the leftmost side of the forming chamber, so that the soft scraper 4 in the scraper holder is aligned with the outlet of the second box body 21 and the storage opening of the first box body 22;

[0079] S2, the controller 1 controls the second lifting mechanism 9 and the first lifting mechanism 10 to move, so that the second clamping mechanism 11 and the first clamping mechanism 12 descend in the vertical direction by a powder layer thickness, so that the soft scraper 4 contacts the forming platform;

[0080] S4, the controller 1 controls the second clamping mechanism 11 and the first clamping mechanism 12 to release the soft scraper 4;

[0081] S5, the controller 1 controls the horizontal movement motors a13, a14 and a15 to move, so that the pinch rollers a16, b17 and c18 in the transfer mechanisms a101, b102 and c103 move leftward to clamp the soft scraper 4;

[0082] S6, the driving motor 5 for moving the doctor blade conveying mechanism, the driving motor a6, the driving motor b7, the driving motor c8 are started to convey the new soft doctor blade in the second box 21 to the doctor blade holder 2, and convey the damaged soft doctor blade 4 to the first box 22 at the same time;

[0083] S7, the first shearing mechanism 19 and the second shearing mechanism 20 at both ends of the doctor blade holder 2 cut off the soft doctor blade 4;

[0084] S8, the controller 1 controls the transverse movement motor a13, the transverse movement motor a14, the transverse movement motor a15 for moving the rollers in the doctor blade conveying mechanism to move rightward to release the soft doctor blade 4;

[0085] S9, the controller 1 controls the second clamping mechanism 11 and the first clamping mechanism 12 to clamp the soft doctor blade 4;

[0086] S10, the controller 1 controls the second lifting mechanism 9 and the first lifting mechanism 10 to move, so that the second clamping mechanism 11 and the first clamping mechanism 12 are lifted in the vertical direction to make the soft doctor blade 4 away from the forming platform;

[0087] S11, the controller 1 controls the doctor blade holder 2 to move along the powder laying guide rail 3 to the leveling plane between the powder supply cylinder 25 and the forming cylinder 26, and above the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24;

[0088] S12, the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 are started;

[0089] S13, the controller 1 controls the second lifting mechanism 9 and the first lifting mechanism 10 to move, so that the second clamping mechanism 11 and the first clamping mechanism 12 are lowered in the vertical direction;

[0090] S14, when the first pressure sensor 23 and the second pressure sensor 24 below the soft doctor blade 4 respectively detect that the pressure of the doctor blade strip on the sensor reaches 0.1g, the controller 1 stops the downward movement of the corresponding screw lifting mechanism, at this time, the lower end of the doctor blade strip just realizes contact with the horizontal plane of the forming platform;

[0091] S15, the controller 1 controls the second lifting mechanism 9 and the first lifting mechanism 10 to move upward in the vertical direction at the same time by a distance of a powder laying layer thickness;

[0092] S16, the controller 1 controls the doctor blade holder 2 to move leftward along the powder laying guide rail 3, and stops moving when the doctor blade holder returns to the zero point, and the automatic replacement of the doctor blade is completed.

[0093] While the application has been described by way of example with reference to preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the embodiments disclosed, but is intended to cover modifications and variations within the spirit and scope of the application. Therefore, the scope of the application is defined not by the detailed description of the application but by the following claims, wherein reference to an alternative embodiment includes reference to all features describing that embodiment.

Claims

1. An automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system, characterized in that, include: Scraper holder (2), which can move along the guide rail (3); A soft scraper storage component is provided for providing new soft scrapers and storing old soft scrapers. The soft scraper storage component has a storage opening and an outlet. The outlet of the soft scraper storage component has a cutting component for cutting off the soft scraper at the outlet. The scraper clamping component is connected to the scraper holder (2) via a lifting component. The scraper clamping component is used to clamp or release the soft scraper, and the lifting component is used to control the lifting of the scraper clamping component so that the soft scraper is at a predetermined height. The transfer component includes a first transfer component and a second transfer component (104). The first transfer component is connected to the scraper holder (2), and the second transfer component (104) is connected to the soft scraper storage component. The first transfer component has a transfer state and a non-transfer state. When the first transfer component is in the transfer state, it can construct a transfer channel. When the soft scraper is in the transfer channel, it can be driven by the first transfer component to move along the extension direction of the transfer channel. The controller (1) is electrically connected to the guide rail (3), the scraper clamping component, the lifting component and the transfer component; The controller (1) controls the scraper holder (2) to move along the guide rail (3) and controls the lifting component to move, so that the soft scraper held by the scraper clamping component moves, and the soft scraper, the transfer channel and the storage port or outlet of the soft scraper storage component are aligned. The first transfer component is used to transfer the soft scraper in the transfer channel toward the receiving port of the soft scraper receiving component, so that the old soft scraper enters the soft scraper receiving component. The second transfer component (104) is used to transfer the soft scraper in the soft scraper receiving component into the transfer channel along the direction of the outlet, and the cutting component cuts off the soft scraper at the outlet.

2. The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The soft scraper storage component includes a first box (22) and a second box (21). The first box (22) has the storage opening for storing old soft scrapers, and the second box (21) has the outlet for storing new soft scrapers. A second transfer component (104) is provided at the outlet of the second box (21).

3. The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The transfer channel, the receiving port of the first box (22), and the outlet of the second box (21) are distributed in a linear direction, and the first box (22) and the second box (21) are located at the two ends of the transfer channel, respectively.

4. The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first transfer component includes multiple transfer mechanisms, each of which includes a conveying wheel and a pressure wheel. The axes of the conveying wheel and the pressure wheel are perpendicular to the powder-spreading surface. The pressure wheel can be driven to move to a first position or a second position. When the pressure wheel is in the first position, a gap is formed between the conveying wheel and the pressure wheel to accommodate a soft scraper. The multiple gaps define the transfer channel. When the pressure wheel is in the second position, the width of the gap increases, and the soft scraper can be driven to move in a direction perpendicular to the powder-spreading surface to change the height of the soft scraper.

5. The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The transfer mechanism further includes a drive motor and a transverse motor. The drive motor is used to drive the conveyor wheel to rotate, and the transverse motor is used to drive the pressure wheel to transfer between a first position and a second position.

6. The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lifting component includes a first lifting mechanism (10) and a second lifting mechanism (9), both of which are connected to the scraper clamping component.

7. The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The scraper clamping component includes a first clamping mechanism (12) and a second clamping mechanism (11). Each clamping mechanism includes a pair of clamping plates, and a clamping area is formed between the pair of clamping plates. The clamping area is parallel to the transfer channel. The first lifting mechanism (10) is connected to the first clamping mechanism (12) and is used to control the height of the first clamping mechanism (12). The second lifting mechanism (9) is connected to the second clamping mechanism (11) and is used to control the height of the second clamping mechanism (11).

8. The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, It also includes a leveling plane, which is parallel to the powder-spreading surface. The leveling plane includes a first pressure sensor (23) and a second pressure sensor (24) arranged along the length of the soft scraper. The first pressure sensor (23) and the second pressure sensor (24) are distributed corresponding to the first lifting mechanism and the second lifting mechanism. The first pressure sensor (23) and the second pressure sensor (24) are electrically connected to the controller (1). When the scraper holder (2) is above the leveling plane, the height of the soft scraper is adjusted by the lifting component so that the values ​​of the first pressure sensor (23) and the second pressure sensor (24) are the same.

9. A method for automatically changing a soft scraper in a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system, characterized in that, The automatic soft scraper changing device for a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1-8 includes the following steps: Step 1: When the soft scraper is damaged, control the scraper holder (2) to move to the predetermined position; Step 2: Control the soft scraper to descend to contact the forming platform using the lifting component, so that the soft scraper is aligned with the storage port and outlet of the soft scraper storage component; Step 3: Switch the scraper clamping component from the clamped state to the released state; Step 4: The first transfer component and the second transfer component switch from the non-transfer state to the transfer state, and drive the new soft scraper to transfer from the outlet of the soft scraper storage component to the bottom of the scraper clamping component, while the old soft scraper is transferred to the storage port of the soft scraper storage component and enters the soft scraper storage component. Step 5: Cut the soft scraper at the exit of the soft scraper storage component; Step 6: The scraper clamping component switches from the released state back to the clamping state, and the first transfer component and the second transfer component switch from the transfer state to the non-transfer state; Step 7: The lifting component controls the soft scraper to rise to the predetermined height from the forming platform, completing the soft scraper replacement.

10. The automatic replacement method for a soft scraper in a selective laser melting additive manufacturing system according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step 7, the soft scraper is first raised to disengage from the forming platform, then moved above the leveling plane, and the soft scraper is controlled to descend until the pressure detected by the first pressure sensor (23) and the second pressure sensor (24) both reach 0.1g. Then the soft scraper is controlled to maintain this posture and move upward by the distance of the powder layer thickness. The soft scraper is controlled to return to the zero position through the scraper holder (2).

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Automatic soft scraper replacing device for selective laser melting additive manufacturing system

    CN222288811U