A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism
By setting up a sealing mechanism and powder absorbing mechanism on the forming cylinder of the metal 3D printing equipment, the problems of powder oxidation and pollution in the existing equipment during material extraction are solved, and efficient and environmentally friendly powder cleaning effect is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411441454.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-10-16
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-21
- Estimated Expiration
- 2044-10-16
AI Technical Summary
Existing metal 3D printing equipment is prone to oxidation and contamination of metal powders during material collection, and the cleaning process is cumbersome, affecting the environmental protection and efficiency of the equipment.
A 3D printing device with a powder absorbing mechanism is designed. By setting a sealing mechanism and a powder absorbing mechanism on the molding cylinder, the sealing mechanism separates the bottom space of the molding cylinder and the molding chamber, and the powder absorbing mechanism is used to clean the substrate. metal powder on it. The powder absorbing mechanism includes a powder absorbing cover, a powder absorbing cylinder and through holes. Through the design of the suction chamber and the blowing chamber, a multifunctional powder absorbing and blowing effect is achieved.
It effectively avoids oxidation and pollution of metal powder, realizes cleaning of metal powder on the substrate without opening the molding bin, simplifies the material collection process, and improves the environmental protection and efficiency of the equipment.
Smart Images

Figure CN118951052B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of metal 3D printing, in particular to a 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism. Background Art
[0002] Metal 3D printing is a new printing technology that prints complex workpieces by stacking metal materials layer by layer. It is currently widely used in the aerospace, medical and automotive industries.
[0003] Existing metal 3D printing equipment generally includes many units such as a chassis, a laser generating mechanism, a printing platform, a powder spreading mechanism, a cooling system, and a control system. Among them, there is a molding chamber inside the chassis, and a molding cylinder at the bottom of the molding chamber. A substrate positioning mechanism is provided in the molding cylinder for fixing the substrate and controlling the up and down movement of the substrate. Specifically, during the printing process, as the metal powder is stacked layer by layer, the substrate in the molding cylinder will also drop layer by layer. When printing is completed, the existing operating steps are to open the chamber door, and then the staff holds a spray gun and blows air to the surface of the substrate to clean the powder on the surface of the substrate and the surface of the product. After cleaning, the substrate is taken out together with the product.
[0004] The above-mentioned material removal step requires opening the door of the molding chamber so that the molding chamber is in contact with the outside air. Therefore, there is a possibility of oxidation of the metal powder. At the same time, when the substrate is cleaned with a spray gun, the metal powder on the substrate may float to the outside of the chassis, causing pollution to the external environment. On the other hand, after the door of the molding chamber is opened, external air will also enter the molding chamber. In order to keep the internal environment of the molding chamber as an inert gas during operation, the molding chamber needs to be washed after the material removal is completed, which is very troublesome. To this end, we propose a 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks well. Summary of the invention
[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.
[0006] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:
[0007] A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism comprises a chassis, wherein a partition plate distributed vertically is provided inside the chassis, wherein the partition plate divides the inside of the chassis into a substrate bin and a molding bin, wherein a movable bin door is provided at the bottom of the partition plate, and a molding cylinder is provided at the bottom of the molding bin, and further comprises:
[0008] A material taking robot arm, which is arranged in the molding chamber and is used to extend into the substrate chamber to take out the substrate and put the substrate into the molding cylinder;
[0009] A substrate lifting mechanism, the substrate lifting mechanism comprising a substrate seat, the substrate seat being movable and movably arranged inside the forming cylinder;
[0010] A blocking mechanism, wherein there are two blocking mechanisms, which are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the forming cylinder, respectively. The blocking mechanism comprises a containing cover and a blocking part. The left and right side walls of the top of the forming cylinder are both provided with through openings. The two containing covers are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the forming cylinder and are located at the corresponding through openings. The blocking part is movably arranged in the containing cover. When the blocking parts on both sides pass through the through openings and abut against each other, the surrounding side walls of the blocking part are sealed and fitted with the inner surface of the through opening, and the front and rear side walls of the blocking part are sealed and fitted with the inner side wall of the forming cylinder.
[0011] A powder suction mechanism, wherein there are two powder suction mechanisms, which are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outside of the forming cylinder, respectively. The powder suction mechanism comprises a powder suction cover, one side of the powder suction cover is provided with a powder suction port, a hollow hole for inserting the powder suction port is opened through the side wall of the forming cylinder, and the powder suction cover is also connected to an external air source;
[0012] The blocking part is an internal hollow structure with one end open and the other end closed, the open end of the blocking part is located inside the containing cover, a through hole is provided on the bottom wall of the blocking part, and the blocking part is also connected to the powder suction cover.
[0013] Optionally, the blocking mechanism further includes an electric push rod, which is installed inside the containing cover, and a movable end of the electric push rod is connected to the corresponding blocking portion.
[0014] Optionally, the substrate lifting mechanism also includes a lifting cylinder, the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder is fixedly arranged on the inner bottom wall of the forming cylinder, the movable end of the lifting cylinder is fixedly connected to the substrate seat, and the top surface of the substrate seat is also provided with a substrate groove for accommodating the substrate.
[0015] Optionally, a partition vertical plate is provided inside the powder suction cover, and the partition vertical plate divides the internal space of the powder suction cover into an outer cavity and an inner cavity. The powder suction port is communicated with the inner cavity, and the containing cover is communicated with the outer cavity through a connecting pipe.
[0016] Optionally, the powder suction mechanism also includes a powder suction cylinder, which is rotatably connected to the bottom wall of the powder suction cover, and the powder suction cylinder and the bottom surface of the powder suction cover are sealed and fitted, an air suction cavity and an air blowing cavity are provided inside the powder suction cylinder, an air suction pipe and an air blowing pipe are provided on the bottom wall of the powder suction cylinder, the air suction pipe is communicated with the air suction cavity, the air blowing pipe is communicated with the air blowing cavity, two air holes are penetrated through the top wall of the powder suction cylinder, the two air holes are respectively communicated with the air suction cavity and the air blowing cavity, and two transition holes are penetrated through the bottom wall of the powder suction cover, which are respectively communicated with the outer cavity and the inner cavity, and the two transition holes are respectively adapted to the two air holes.
[0017] Optionally, limiting grooves are symmetrically provided on both sides of the outer surface of the powder suction tube, and the limiting grooves are in a two-section shape consisting of a spiral section and a vertical section, the upper section is in the shape of half a spiral, and the lower section is distributed along the axial direction of the powder suction tube. A limiting sleeve is also provided on the outside of the powder suction tube, and limiting columns are symmetrically provided on both sides of the inner surface of the limiting sleeve, and the limiting columns are embedded in the corresponding limiting grooves.
[0018] Optionally, when the limiting column is located at the inner upper end of the limiting groove, the inner cavity and the blowing cavity are communicated, and the outer cavity and the suction cavity are communicated; when the limiting column is located inside the vertical section of the limiting groove, the inner cavity and the suction cavity are communicated, and the outer cavity and the blowing cavity are communicated.
[0019] Optionally, a lifting part is further provided under the forming cylinder, and the two sides of the lifting part are fixedly connected to two limit sleeves through lifting frames respectively. A telescopic rod is also provided on the lower surface of the substrate seat, and the bottom end of the telescopic rod passes through the bottom wall of the forming cylinder and is fixedly connected to the lifting part.
[0020] Optionally, the telescopic rod includes an outer rod body, an inner rod body and a limit spring, the outer rod body is a hollow structure, one end of the inner rod body is movably inserted into the inner side of the outer rod body, the two ends of the limit spring are respectively fixedly connected to the inner end of the outer rod body and the inner end of the inner rod body, and an annular flange is also provided on the outer surface of the inner rod body and located outside the outer rod body. When the annular flange abuts against the lower end of the outer rod body, the limit spring is in a stretched state.
[0021] Optionally, the side walls of the forming cylinder are symmetrically provided with material taking ports on the front and rear sides, and sealing plugs are inserted into the material taking ports. When the upper surface of the substrate seat moves to align with the lower edge of the material taking port, the limiting column abuts against the inner bottom end of the limiting groove.
[0022] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism, which has the following beneficial effects:
[0023] 1. The present invention is provided with a blocking mechanism and a powder suction mechanism on the forming cylinder. The blocking mechanism is used to prevent the bottom space of the forming cylinder and the forming bin from being communicated with each other, while the powder suction mechanism is used to clean the metal powder on the substrate. Therefore, the present invention can keep the forming bin from being polluted by the external air while cleaning the metal powder on the substrate to prevent the metal powder from floating outside the chassis.
[0024] 2. The blocking mechanism in the present invention can not only separate the bottom space of the forming cylinder and the forming chamber, but also the bottom wall of the blocking portion has a through hole, and the containing cover is also connected to the external air source, so the through hole can absorb metal powder, so that the blocking mechanism can achieve a multifunctional effect;
[0025] 3. The present invention can switch the blowing port and the suction port by rotating the powder suction cylinder, that is, the powder suction port can be used for both suction and blowing, and the through hole can also be used for both suction and blowing. Therefore, the present invention provides multiple powder suction paths, which is helpful to thoroughly clean the metal powder on the substrate and avoid cleaning dead corners;
[0026] 4. The substrate seat and the powder suction cylinder in the present invention are connected through a lifting part and a lifting frame. When the substrate seat descends, the powder suction cylinder can be driven to rotate synchronously. Specifically, when the upper surface of the substrate seat and the lower edge of the powder suction port are aligned, the powder suction port blows air from the side of the substrate seat. When the substrate seat continues to move downward, the powder suction port sucks air from the upper side of the substrate seat, thereby achieving a more reasonable powder cleaning effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention;
[0028] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the forming cylinder of the present invention;
[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the powder suction cover structure of the present invention;
[0030] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the limiting sleeve of the present invention;
[0031] Figure 5 It is a cross-sectional view of the forming cylinder of the present invention in the printing state;
[0032] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the powder-free forming cylinder of the present invention;
[0033] Figure 7 It is another cross-sectional view of the forming cylinder of the present invention in a powder-clearing state;
[0034] Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the forming cylinder of the present invention in the material taking state;
[0035] Fig. 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the powder suction cover structure of the present invention;
[0036] Fig.10 It is a schematic diagram of the telescopic rod structure of the present invention;
[0037] Fig.11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gas conversion assembly of the present invention;
[0038] Fig.12 for Fig. 9 The corresponding figure at point A is enlarged.
[0039] In the figure: 100, chassis; 101, partition; 102, substrate bin; 103, molding bin; 104, movable bin door; 200, molding cylinder; 201, through-hole; 202, material taking port; 203, sealing plug; 300, material taking mechanical arm; 400, substrate lifting mechanism; 401, lifting cylinder; 402, substrate seat; 500, blocking mechanism; 501, containing cover; 502, blocking part; 503, electric push rod; 504, through hole; 505, connecting pipe; 600, powder suction mechanism; 601, powder suction cover; 602, powder suction port; 603, partition vertical Plate; 604, powder suction cylinder; 605, suction cavity; 606, blowing cavity; 607, suction pipe; 608, blowing pipe; 609, air hole; 610, transition hole; 611, limit groove; 612, limit sleeve; 613, limit column; 614, lifting part; 615, telescopic rod; 6151, outer rod body; 6152, inner rod body; 6153, limit spring; 6154, annular flange; 616, lifting frame; 617, conversion cover; 618, conversion head; 619, inner ring groove; 620, outer ring groove; 621, inner conversion tube; 622, outer conversion tube. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0040] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.
[0041] See also Figure 1 - Fig.12 A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism includes a chassis 100. The chassis 100 is provided with a partition 101 distributed vertically inside. The partition 101 divides the inside of the chassis into a substrate bin 102 and a molding bin 103. A movable bin door 104 is also provided at the bottom of the partition 101. A molding cylinder 200 is provided at the bottom of the molding bin 103. The substrate bin 102 is used to store the substrate, and the molding bin 103 is used to perform 3D printing operations. The movable bin door 104 is an electric bin door, which is controlled to open and close by an external controller. When the movable bin door 104 is closed, the substrate bin 102 and the molding bin 103 are not connected to each other.
[0042] This embodiment also includes a material taking robot arm 300 and a substrate lifting mechanism 400. Figure 1 As shown, the material taking robot arm 300 is arranged in the molding bin 103, and is used to extend into the substrate bin 102 to take out the substrate and put it into the molding cylinder 200; the substrate lifting mechanism 400 includes a lifting cylinder 401 and a substrate seat 402, the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder 401 is fixedly arranged on the inner bottom wall of the molding cylinder 200, the movable end of the lifting cylinder 401 is fixedly connected to the substrate seat 402, and the top surface of the substrate seat 402 is also provided with a substrate groove for accommodating the substrate; the size of the substrate seat 402 is consistent with the size of the molding cylinder 200, and the substrate groove is consistent with the size of the corresponding substrate, and the lifting cylinder 401 is used to control the substrate seat 402 to move up and down. When the metal powder is printed layer by layer, the lifting cylinder 401 also controls the substrate seat 402 to descend layer by layer.
[0043] This embodiment also includes a blocking mechanism 500, and there are two blocking mechanisms 500, such as Figure 5 As shown, two blocking mechanisms 500 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the forming cylinder 200, respectively. The blocking mechanism 500 includes a containing cover 501, a blocking portion 502 and an electric push rod 503. The left and right side walls of the top of the forming cylinder 200 are both provided with through openings 201. The two containing covers 501 are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the forming cylinder 200 and are located at the corresponding through openings 201. The blocking portion 502 is movably arranged in the containing cover 501. The electric push rod 503 is installed in the containing cover 501. The interior of the housing 501 is received, and the movable end of the electric push rod 503 is connected to the blocking part 502. When the blocking parts 502 on both sides pass through the through-opening 201 and abut against each other, the surrounding side walls of the blocking part 502 are sealed with the inner surface of the through-opening 201, and the front and rear side walls of the blocking part 502 are sealed with the inner wall of the forming cylinder 200; therefore, when the two blocking parts 502 abut against each other, the bottom space of the forming cylinder 200 and the inside of the forming bin 103 are not connected to each other.
[0044] It should be noted that when performing a 3D printing operation, the blocking portion 502 is received inside the containing cover 501 , and the front end of the blocking portion 502 is located in the through opening 201 , so as to prevent the gas in the molding chamber 103 from entering the inside of the containing cover 501 .
[0045] The present embodiment further includes a powder suction mechanism 600, and there are two powder suction mechanisms 600, which are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outside of the forming cylinder 200, respectively. The powder suction mechanism 600 includes a powder suction cover 601, and the powder suction cover 601 is fixedly connected to the outer surface of the forming cylinder 200, and a powder suction port 602 is provided on one side of the powder suction cover 601. Figure 3As shown, a hollow hole for inserting a powder suction port 602 is provided through the side wall of the forming cylinder 200, and the powder suction cover 601 is also connected to an external air source; the size of the powder suction port 602 matches the hollow hole, and after the powder suction port 602 is inserted into the hollow hole, the outer surface of the powder suction port 602 and the hollow hole are sealed to prevent air leakage.
[0046] Furthermore, the blocking portion 502 is an internal hollow structure with one end open and the other end closed. Figure 6 As shown, the opening end of the blocking portion 502 is located inside the containing cover 501, and a through hole 504 is provided on the bottom wall of the blocking portion 502. The blocking portion 502 is also connected to the powder suction cover 601. A partitioning vertical plate 603 is provided inside the powder suction cover 601. The partitioning vertical plate 603 divides the internal space of the powder suction cover 601 into an outer cavity and an inner cavity. The powder suction port 602 is connected to the inner cavity, and the containing cover 501 is connected to the outer cavity through a connecting pipe 505. When the two blocking portions 502 are attached to each other, the through hole 504 is located directly above the substrate seat 402.
[0047] Specifically, the powder suction mechanism 600 further includes a powder suction cylinder 604, which is rotatably connected to the bottom wall of the powder suction cover 601. Fig. 9 As shown, the bottom surfaces of the powder suction tube 604 and the powder suction cover 601 are sealed and fitted, an air suction chamber 605 and an air blowing chamber 606 are provided inside the powder suction tube 604, and an air suction pipe 607 and an air blowing pipe 608 are provided on the bottom wall of the powder suction tube 604, wherein the air suction pipe 607 is communicated with the air suction chamber 605, and the air blowing pipe 608 is communicated with the air blowing chamber 606, and two air holes 609 are penetrated through the top wall of the powder suction tube 604, and the two air holes 609 are respectively communicated with the air suction chamber 605 and the air blowing chamber 606, and two transition holes 610 are penetrated through the bottom wall of the powder suction cover 601, which are respectively communicated with the outer cavity and the inner cavity, and the two transition holes 610 are respectively adapted to the two air holes 609. It should be noted that the suction pipe 607 is connected to the suction end of the external air source, the blowing pipe 608 is connected to the outlet end of the external air source, and a filtering mechanism (not shown in the figure) is also provided on the connecting pipeline between the suction pipe 607 and the suction end of the air source, and the filtering mechanism is used to filter metal powder.
[0048] It is worth mentioning that in another embodiment of the present application, in order to prevent the suction pipe 607 and the blowing pipe 608 from being entangled with each other when the powder suction tube 604 rotates, the present embodiment also has a gas conversion component, such as Fig.11As shown, the gas conversion assembly includes a conversion cover 617 and a conversion head 618, the conversion cover 617 is rotatably connected to the top of the conversion head 618, and the conversion cover 617 is fixedly connected to the bottom wall of the powder suction tube 604, the top surface of the conversion head 618 is in contact with the inner top surface of the conversion cover 617, and the conversion head 618 is provided with an inner ring groove 619 and an outer ring groove 620 in a ring shape, wherein the suction pipe 607 is connected to the inner ring groove 619, and the blowing pipe 608 is connected to the outer ring groove 620. In addition, the conversion cover 617 is also provided with an inner conversion pipe 621 and an outer conversion pipe 622, wherein the two ends of the inner conversion pipe 621 are respectively inserted into the inner ring groove 619 and the suction cavity 605, and the two ends of the outer conversion pipe 622 are respectively inserted into the outer ring groove 620 and the blowing cavity 606. In this way, when the powder suction tube 604 drives the conversion cover 617 to rotate, the suction pipe 607 and the blowing pipe 608 can always be connected with the suction cavity 605 and the blowing cavity 606.
[0049] On the other hand, the outer surface of the powder suction tube 604 is symmetrically provided with limiting grooves 611 on both sides. Figure 3 As shown, the limiting groove 611 is in a two-stage shape, the upper section of which is in a half spiral shape, and the lower section is distributed along the axial direction of the powder suction tube 604. The outer part of the powder suction tube 604 is also sleeved with a limiting sleeve 612, and the inner surface of the limiting sleeve 612 is symmetrically provided with limiting posts 613 on both sides, and the limiting posts 613 are embedded in the corresponding limiting groove 611. A lifting part 614 is also provided below the forming cylinder 200, and the two sides of the lifting part 614 are fixedly connected to the two limiting sleeves 612 through lifting frames 616, and a telescopic rod 615 is also provided on the lower surface of the substrate seat 402, and the bottom end of the telescopic rod 615 passes through the bottom wall of the forming cylinder 200 and is fixedly connected to the lifting part 614. Since the upper section of the limiting groove 611 is in a half spiral shape, when the limiting post 613 moves from the inner upper end of the limiting groove 611 to the inner vertical section of the limiting groove 611, the powder suction tube 604 can rotate half a circle.
[0050] It is worth mentioning that when the limiting column 613 is located at the inner upper end of the limiting groove 611, the inner cavity is connected to the blowing cavity 606, and the outer cavity is connected to the suction cavity 605; when the limiting column 613 is located in the vertical section of the limiting groove 611, the inner cavity is connected to the suction cavity 605, and the outer cavity is connected to the blowing cavity 606. That is, as the limiting sleeve 612 moves up and down, the powder suction port 602 can be indirectly controlled to switch between the suction and blowing states.
[0051] More specifically, the telescopic rod 615 includes an outer rod body 6151, an inner rod body 6152 and a limit spring 6153. Fig.10As shown, the outer rod body 6151 is a hollow structure, one end of the inner rod body 6152 is movably inserted into the inner side of the outer rod body 6151, the two ends of the limit spring 6153 are respectively fixedly connected to the inner end of the outer rod body 6151 and the inner end of the inner rod body 6152, and an annular flange 6154 is also provided on the outer surface of the inner rod body 6152 and located outside the outer rod body 6151. When the annular flange 6154 abuts against the lower end of the outer rod body 6151, the limit spring 6153 is in a stretched state. When performing the 3D printing operation, the substrate seat 402 is always located above the powder suction port 602, and the limiting column 613 is located at the inner upper end of the limiting groove 611, and the lifting part 614 abuts against the bottom wall of the molding cylinder 200; when the upper surface of the substrate seat 402 is aligned with the lower edge of the powder suction port 602, the lifting part 614 still abuts against the bottom wall of the molding cylinder 200, and the lower end of the outer rod body 6151 abuts against the annular flange 6154. It is worth mentioning that the outer rod body 6151 is fixedly connected to the substrate seat 402, the inner rod body 6152 movably penetrates the bottom wall of the molding cylinder 200, and the inner rod body 6152 and the bottom wall of the molding cylinder 200 are sealed to prevent air leakage.
[0052] In another embodiment of the present application, the side wall of the forming cylinder 200 is symmetrically provided with a material taking port 202 on both sides, the material taking port 202 is located below the powder suction port 602, and a sealing plug 203 is inserted into the material taking port 202, the sealing plug 203 is used to prevent air leakage from the material taking port 202, and when the upper surface of the substrate seat 402 moves to align with the lower edge of the material taking port 202, the limiting column 613 abuts against the inner bottom end of the limiting groove 611. Therefore, when taking materials, the upper surface of the substrate seat 402 can be moved to align with the lower edge of the material taking port 202, and then the sealing plug 203 can be removed to remove the substrate.
[0053] In summary, in the specific operation of this embodiment, after 3D printing is completed, the lifting cylinder 401 controls the substrate seat 402 to descend. When the substrate seat 402 and the substrate are lower than the blocking mechanism 500, the two blocking parts 502 abut against each other under the action of the electric push rod 503, so that the bottom of the molding cylinder 200 and the inside of the molding bin 103 are separated and do not communicate with each other. When the substrate seat 402 descends to align with the lower edge of the powder suction port 602, the movement is suspended. At this time, the external air source is started to form a positive pressure in the inner cavity and a negative pressure in the outer cavity. Therefore, the powder suction port 602 can blow out argon gas, and the through hole 504 on the bottom surface of the blocking part 502 can absorb argon gas containing metal powder, thereby playing a role in cleaning the metal powder on the surface of the substrate and the product on the upper surface of the substrate.
[0054] After cleaning for a period of time, the lifting cylinder 401 controls the substrate seat 402 to continue to move downward until the limiting column 613 moves to the vertical section of the limiting groove 611. At this time, the powder suction cylinder 604 rotates half a circle, and the inner cavity and the outer cavity are respectively connected to the suction cavity 605 and the blowing cavity 606. At this time, the through hole 504 blows air downward, and the powder suction port 602 absorbs the argon gas containing metal powder. After continuing to clean for a period of time in this state, the substrate seat 402 continues to move downward until the upper surface of the substrate seat 402 moves to align with the lower edge of the material removal port 202, and then the staff pulls out the sealing plug 203, takes out the substrate, and then reinserts the sealing plug 203 into the material removal port 202 to complete the material removal step.
[0055] It should be noted that, before taking the material, the present embodiment needs to perform two cleaning operations. One is that the powder suction port 602 blows air from the side of the substrate and the through hole 504 sucks air; the other is that the powder suction port 602 sucks air and the through hole 504 blows air from directly above the substrate. The blowing directions of the two times are completely different, so that a more thorough powder cleaning effect can be achieved. More specifically, during the first cleaning, the powder suction port 602 blows air from the side, which can lift the powder on the side of the substrate and the printed product, and at the same time make the powder gather to the middle, while the through hole 504 is located directly above the substrate, which can just suck away the lifted powder and the powder gathered in the middle; after cleaning for a period of time, since the edge of the substrate has been cleaned, there may still be metal powder remaining in the dead corner between the substrate and the product, and then the second cleaning is performed. During the second cleaning, the through hole 504 blows air downward, so that the powder between the substrate and the product can be diffused outward, and the powder suction port 602 can just absorb the powder diffused to the outside. Therefore, after two cleanings, the substrate and product surface can be cleaned more thoroughly.
[0056] Furthermore, during the two cleaning processes, the height of the substrate also changes accordingly. Specifically, during the first cleaning, the height of the upper surface of the substrate and the lower edge of the powder suction port 602 are equivalent. At this time, the powder suction port 602 is in a blowing state, so it can act on the sides of the substrate and the product. During the second cleaning, the powder suction port 602 is located above the substrate, and the distance between the through hole 504 and the substrate becomes larger. The advantage of this design is that it can expand the blowing range of the through hole 504, so as to act more evenly on the upper surface of the substrate. At the same time, the order of the two cleanings is also critical. During the first cleaning, the metal powder is gathered in the middle, and during the second cleaning, the metal powder is diffused outward. Since the shape of the product is irregular, there may be a certain cleaning dead angle in the middle of the product. If the order of the two cleanings is changed, the metal powder at the edge may be blown to the middle of the product during the second cleaning, thereby failing to achieve a better cleaning effect.
[0057] In addition, after the material is taken out, since air is mixed into the bottom of the molding cylinder 200, in order to prevent air from mixing into the molding chamber 103, the external air source needs to be opened for a period of time, so that the through hole 504 blows air and the powder suction port 602 sucks air, thereby completing the air washing step. After the air washing is completed, the electric push rod 503 controls the blocking part 502 to retract into the containing cover 501, and the lifting cylinder 401 controls the substrate seat 402 to rise, and then the material taking robot arm 300 clamps a substrate in the substrate chamber 102 and places it on the substrate seat 402, and restarts the next round of printing.
[0058] Finally, it is also necessary to explain that in order to avoid powder crossover between the inner and outer cavities during the two cleanings, that is, during the first cleaning, there may be metal powder remaining in the outer cavity, and during the second cleaning, the metal powder in the outer cavity is blown out. In order to avoid the above situation, each cleaning should be maintained for a certain period of time to ensure that the metal powder in the inner and outer cavities is basically cleaned up, reducing the adverse effects of powder crossover on substrate cleaning.
[0059] It should be noted that, in this article, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the existence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the elements.
[0060] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
Claims
1. A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism, comprising a chassis (100), wherein a partition (101) distributed vertically is provided inside the chassis (100), wherein the partition (101) divides the inside of the chassis into a substrate bin (102) and a molding bin (103), wherein a movable bin door (104) is provided at the bottom of the partition (101), and a molding cylinder (200) is provided at the bottom of the molding bin (103), wherein: Also includes: a material taking mechanical arm (300), the material taking mechanical arm (300) being arranged in the molding bin (103) and being used for extending into the substrate bin (102) to take out the substrate and place the substrate into the molding cylinder (200); A substrate lifting mechanism (400), the substrate lifting mechanism (400) comprising a substrate seat (402), the substrate seat (402) being movably arranged inside the forming cylinder (200) in a liftable manner; A blocking mechanism (500), wherein there are two blocking mechanisms (500), and the two blocking mechanisms (500) are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the molding cylinder (200), respectively. The blocking mechanism (500) comprises a containing cover (501) and a blocking portion (502). The left and right side walls of the top of the molding cylinder (200) are both provided with through openings (201). The two containing covers (501) are respectively arranged on the left and right sides of the outer surface of the molding cylinder (200) and are located at the corresponding through openings (201). The blocking portion (502) is movably arranged in the containing cover (501). When the blocking portions (502) on both sides pass through the through openings (201) and abut against each other, the surrounding side walls of the blocking portion (502) are sealed and fitted with the inner surface of the through opening (201), and the front and rear side walls of the blocking portion (502) are sealed and fitted with the inner side wall of the molding cylinder (200); A powder suction mechanism (600), wherein there are two powder suction mechanisms (600), and the two powder suction mechanisms (600) are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the outside of the forming cylinder (200), respectively, and the powder suction mechanism (600) comprises a powder suction cover (601), and a powder suction port (602) is arranged on one side of the powder suction cover (601), and a hollow hole for inserting the powder suction port (602) is opened through the side wall of the forming cylinder (200), and the powder suction cover (601) is also connected to an external air source; The blocking portion (502) is an internal hollow structure with one end open and the other end closed, the open end of the blocking portion (502) is located inside the containing cover (501), a through hole (504) is provided on the bottom wall of the blocking portion (502), and the blocking portion (502) is also connected to the powder suction cover (601); The substrate lifting mechanism (400) further comprises a lifting cylinder (401), the cylinder body of the lifting cylinder (401) being fixedly arranged on the inner bottom wall of the forming cylinder (200), the movable end of the lifting cylinder (401) being fixedly connected to the substrate seat (402), and the top surface of the substrate seat (402) being provided with a substrate groove for accommodating the substrate; A partition vertical plate (603) is provided inside the powder suction cover (601), and the partition vertical plate (603) divides the internal space of the powder suction cover (601) into an outer cavity and an inner cavity, the powder suction port (602) is in communication with the inner cavity, and the containing cover (501) is in communication with the outer cavity via a connecting pipe (505); The powder suction mechanism (600) further comprises a powder suction cylinder (604), wherein the powder suction cylinder (604) is rotatably connected to the bottom wall of the powder suction cover (601), and the bottom surfaces of the powder suction cylinder (604) and the powder suction cover (601) are sealed and fitted, and an air suction cavity (605) and an air blowing cavity (606) are provided inside the powder suction cylinder (604), and an air suction pipe (607) and an air blowing pipe (608) are provided on the bottom wall of the powder suction cylinder (604), and the air suction pipe (607) and the air suction cavity (606) are connected to each other. 05), the air blowing pipe (608) and the air blowing cavity (606) are connected, the top wall of the powder suction tube (604) is penetrated with two air holes (609), the two air holes (609) are connected with the air suction cavity (605) and the air blowing cavity (606) respectively, and the bottom wall of the powder suction cover (601) is penetrated with two transition holes (610) which are connected with the outer cavity and the inner cavity respectively, and the two transition holes (610) are adapted to the two air holes (609) respectively.
2. A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The blocking mechanism (500) further comprises an electric push rod (503), the electric push rod (503) being installed inside the containing cover (501), and the movable end of the electric push rod (503) being connected to the corresponding blocking portion (502).
3. A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surface of the powder suction tube (604) is symmetrically provided with limiting grooves (611), the limiting grooves (611) are in a two-section shape consisting of a spiral section and a vertical section, the upper section is in a half spiral shape, and the lower section is distributed along the axis direction of the powder suction tube (604), the outside of the powder suction tube (604) is also sleeved with a limiting sleeve (612), and the inner surface of the limiting sleeve (612) is symmetrically provided with limiting columns (613), and the limiting columns (613) are embedded in the corresponding limiting grooves (611).
4. A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: When the limiting column (613) is located at the upper end of the limiting groove (611), the inner cavity is in communication with the blowing cavity (606), and the outer cavity is in communication with the suction cavity (605); when the limiting column (613) is located inside the vertical section of the limiting groove (611), the inner cavity is in communication with the suction cavity (605), and the outer cavity is in communication with the blowing cavity (606).
5. A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: A lifting portion (614) is also provided below the molding cylinder (200), and two sides of the lifting portion (614) are fixedly connected to two limit sleeves (612) via lifting frames (616), respectively. A telescopic rod (615) is also provided on the lower surface of the base plate seat (402), and the bottom end of the telescopic rod (615) passes through the bottom wall of the molding cylinder (200) and is fixedly connected to the lifting portion (614).
6. A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The telescopic rod (615) comprises an outer rod body (6151), an inner rod body (6152) and a limit spring (6153); the outer rod body (6151) is a hollow structure; one end of the inner rod body (6152) is movably inserted into the inner side of the outer rod body (6151); the two ends of the limit spring (6153) are respectively fixedly connected to the inner end of the outer rod body (6151) and the inner end of the inner rod body (6152); an annular flange (6154) is further provided on the outer surface of the inner rod body (6152) and located outside the outer rod body (6151); when the annular flange (6154) abuts against the lower end of the outer rod body (6151), the limit spring (6153) is in a stretched state.
7. A 3D printing device with a powder suction mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that: The side walls of the molding cylinder (200) are symmetrically provided with material taking openings (202) on both sides thereof, and a sealing plug (203) is inserted into the material taking opening (202). When the upper surface of the base plate seat (402) moves to align with the lower edge of the material taking opening (202), the limiting column (613) abuts against the inner bottom end of the limiting groove (611).
Citation Information
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Electric sintering metal material 3D printing device and printing technology thereof
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