Laser wire and gas coaxial wire feeding and spraying additive manufacturing device and additive manufacturing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a laser wire and gas coaxial wire feeding and spraying additive manufacturing device and method. The device comprises a nozzle which is provided with a collection cavity, a wire feeding channel, a laser channel and a gas spraying structure, and the wire feeding channel, the laser channel and the gas spraying structure communicate with the collection cavity; the air inlet structure is arranged on the outer side of the air injection structure in a surrounding mode, and the air inlet structure is connected with the wire feeding channel through a pipeline; the wire protection pipe is installed in the wire feeding channel, the interior of the wire protection pipe is used for conveying wires, and a gap between the wire protection pipe and the wire feeding channel is used for conveying gas; and the laser generator emits laser to the laser channel. The output direction of the wire is the same as the airflow direction, so that only the laser focusing position needs to be adjusted; the air inlet structure is arranged on the outer side of the air injection structure, when air injection is needed, air can exchange heat with the air injection structure to complete cooling of the air injection structure, then the air flows to the collecting cavity to spray out molten wires, and compared with a traditional structure, complex improvement is not made, but the air injection structure can be effectively cooled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of laser spraying, and in particular to a laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device and an additive manufacturing method. Background Art

[0002] Laser spraying is a new material surface modification and remanufacturing technology. It sprays special materials onto the surface of the substrate, uses a high-energy laser beam to melt the material, and then uses high-speed gas to particle the molten material. It is then accelerated and sprayed onto the surface of the original substrate to form a new covering layer, thereby adding special properties that the original substrate did not originally have and extending the life of the substrate itself.

[0003] Laser spraying methods are divided into preset method and synchronous method according to the different material supply methods. The synchronous method can be divided into powder feeding method and wire feeding method according to the state of the material when it is synchronously fed. Compared with the powder feeding method, the wire feeding method has a higher material utilization rate, and the feeding process is easy to control, the additive accuracy is higher, and the coating thickness is more uniform. Therefore, it is currently more popular in the market.

[0004] At present, the wire feeding spray device still has the problems of high difficulty in melting the wire and unstable spraying state. The key to the problem lies in how to achieve the focusing of airflow, material and laser at one point during the laser spraying process. Moreover, after working for a long time, the nozzle is prone to deformation due to high temperature, which leads to unstable airflow and deviation of the material spraying direction, thus affecting the final molding effect. If a cooling system is simply added to the nozzle, the complexity of the entire device will increase, which is not conducive to the control of production costs and the subsequent maintenance work. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention proposes a laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device, which can focus the airflow, material and laser on one point during the laser spraying process, and use a simple structure to complete the cooling of the nozzle.

[0006] The present invention also proposes an additive manufacturing method based on the above-mentioned laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device.

[0007] A laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises:

[0008] A nozzle, wherein the nozzle is provided with a collecting cavity and a wire feeding channel, a laser channel and an air jet structure connected to the collecting cavity;

[0009] An air intake structure, the air intake structure is arranged around the outside of the jet structure, and the air intake structure is connected to the wire feeding channel through a pipeline;

[0010] A wire protection tube, the wire protection tube is installed in the wire feeding channel, the interior of the wire protection tube is used to transport the wire, and the gap between the wire protection tube and the wire feeding channel is used to transport gas;

[0011] a laser generator, the laser generator being connected to the laser channel and emitting laser light therein;

[0012] Among them, the gas in the air intake structure can take away the heat of the jet structure. After the gas flows through the pipeline and the wire feeding channel in sequence, it enters the collecting cavity in the same direction as the wire in the wire protection tube. The laser of the laser generator is emitted into the collecting cavity and melts the wire, and the airflow sprays the melted wire to the jet structure.

[0013] The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects: the output direction of the wire is the same as the direction of the airflow, so that only the laser focusing position needs to be adjusted to facilitate the control of the melting position of the wire; the air intake structure is arranged on the outside of the jet structure, and when jetting is required, the gas can first exchange heat with the jet structure to complete its cooling, and then flow into the collecting cavity to spray out the molten wire. Compared with the traditional structure, no complicated improvements are made, but the jet structure can be effectively cooled.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present invention, a flow direction of the airflow in the air intake structure is opposite to a flow direction of the airflow in the air ejection structure.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present invention, two or more pipes are connected between the air intake structure and the wire feeding channel, and the pipes are distributed in a circular array around the wire feeding channel.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the jet structure is located on an extension line of the wire feeding channel, and an extension line of the laser channel intersects with an extension line of the wire feeding channel in the collecting cavity.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there are multiple laser channels and they are distributed in a circular array around the wire feeding channel.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the wire protection tube is fixed to the center of the wire feeding channel through a support rod.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present invention, there are multiple support rods and they are distributed in a circular array around the wire protection tube.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the jet structure is specifically a Rafale structure, and the inner diameter of the jet structure gradually decreases and then gradually increases along the airflow direction therein.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spray additive manufacturing device also includes a wire feeding mechanism, which is connected to the wire protection tube. The wire feeding mechanism includes two conveying rollers, which jointly clamp the wire, and the rotation of the conveying rollers can feed the wire into the wire protection tube.

[0022] The additive manufacturing method according to the second aspect of the present invention is based on the above-mentioned laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device, and comprises the following steps:

[0023] Installing the wire to the wire feeding mechanism, and starting the wire feeding mechanism to feed the wire into the wire protection tube;

[0024] Direct the output end of the jet structure toward the substrate to be processed;

[0025] Connect the air intake end of the air intake structure to the air tank;

[0026] The laser generator is started, and the laser is irradiated to the collecting cavity through the laser channel, and irradiates the wire material to melt it;

[0027] Open the gas storage tank, and the gas enters the collecting chamber through the gas intake structure, the pipeline, and the wire feeding channel, and drives the melted wire to enter the jet structure;

[0028] The melted wire is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate under the influence of the airflow in the spray structure to complete the spraying of the material;

[0029] The airflow in the air intake structure continuously removes the heat from the air injection structure, thereby playing a role in cooling the air injection structure.

[0030] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein:

[0032] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of a laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Cross-sectional view at AA in the middle;

[0034] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the airflow direction of the pipeline 210 in the laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spray additive manufacturing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Cross-sectional view at BB.

[0036] Figure numerals: 100 - nozzle, 110 - collecting chamber, 120 - wire feeding channel, 130 - laser channel, 140 - jet structure, 200 - air intake structure, 210 - pipeline, 300 - wire protection tube, 310 - support rod, 400 - laser generator, 500 - wire feeding mechanism, 600 - wire. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0038] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientations, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., and orientations or positional relationships indicated are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, "several" means more than one, "many" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed", etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within", etc. are understood to include the number itself. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing the technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0041] In the description of the present invention, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "illustrative embodiments", "examples", "specific examples", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the schematic representation of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0042] At present, the wire feeding spray device still has the problems of high difficulty in melting the wire and unstable spraying state. The key to the problem lies in how to achieve the focusing of airflow, material and laser at one point during the laser spraying process. Moreover, after working for a long time, the nozzle is prone to deformation due to high temperature, which leads to unstable airflow and deviation of the material spraying direction, thus affecting the final molding effect. If a cooling system is simply added to the nozzle, the complexity of the entire device will increase, which is not conducive to the control of production costs and the subsequent maintenance work.

[0043] In this regard, the present application proposes a laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device and an additive manufacturing method. In the present device, the output direction of the wire 600 is the same as the airflow direction, so that only the laser focusing position needs to be adjusted to facilitate the control of the melting position of the wire; the air intake structure 200 is arranged on the outside of the jet structure 140. When jetting is required, the gas can first exchange heat with the jet structure 140 to complete its cooling, and then flow into the collecting chamber 110 to spray out the molten wire. Compared with the traditional structure, no complicated improvements are made, but the jet structure can be effectively cooled.

[0044] Reference Figure 1 The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device in the embodiment of the first aspect of the present application comprises a nozzle 100, an air intake structure 200, a wire protection tube 300 and a laser generator 400. The nozzle 100 is the main structure of the laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device. The air intake structure 200 is used to guide the gas to be injected into the nozzle 100, and also plays a role in heat exchange with the nozzle 100 to dissipate heat and cool it. The wire protection tube 300 is used to guide the wire 600 into the nozzle 100. The laser generator 400 is used to emit a laser to melt the wire 600.

[0045] Specifically, the nozzle 100 is provided with a collecting chamber 110 and a wire feeding channel 120, a laser channel 130 and an injection structure 140 connected to the collecting chamber 110. The air intake structure 200 is arranged outside the injection structure 140, and after the external gas enters the air intake structure 200, heat exchange and cooling of the injection structure 140 can be achieved. The air intake structure 200 is connected to the wire feeding channel 120 through a pipeline 210, so as to guide the gas into the wire feeding channel 120.

[0046] The wire protection tube 300 is installed in the wire feeding channel 120. The inside of the wire protection tube 300 is used to transport the wire 600. The gap between the wire protection tube 300 and the wire feeding channel 120 is used to transport gas. The laser generator 400 is connected to the laser channel 130 and emits laser therein. The laser is projected into the collecting cavity 110 along the laser channel 130 and melts the wire 600.

[0047] Among them, the gas in the air intake structure 200 can take away the heat of the jet structure 140. The gas flows through the pipeline 210 and the wire feeding channel 120 in sequence and enters the collecting chamber 110 in the same direction as the wire 600 in the wire protection tube 300. The laser of the laser generator 400 is emitted into the collecting chamber 110 and melts the wire 600. The airflow ejects the melted wire 600 to the jet structure 140, and finally the jet structure 140 ejects the wire 600.

[0048] Specifically, the gas output to the gas inlet structure 200 in the present application is an inert gas, including but not limited to argon and helium, which is used to drive the melted wire 600 to move while preventing the gas from reacting or deflagrating at high temperature.

[0049] Furthermore, the jet structure 140 is located on the extension line of the wire feeding channel 120, so that the airflow ejected from the wire feeding channel 120 can smoothly drive the melted wire into the jet structure 140 and eject it in accordance with the guidance of the channel in the jet structure 140. The extension line of the laser channel 130 and the extension line of the wire feeding channel 120 intersect in the collection chamber 110, thereby ensuring that the laser and the wire 600 intersect in the collection chamber 110.

[0050] Further, refer to Figure 2 There are multiple laser channels 130 and they are distributed in a circular array around the wire feeding channel 120. A laser generator 400 is installed in each laser channel 130, so that the wire 600 is heated by a multi-light source structure.

[0051] Furthermore, two or more pipes 210 are connected between the air intake structure 200 and the wire feeding channel 120, and the pipes 210 are distributed in a circular array around the wire feeding channel 120, so that the airflow can be evenly fed into the wire feeding channel 120 through the multiple pipes 210. In this embodiment, the number of pipes 210 is two, and it is easy to understand that the number of pipes 210 can be increased or decreased according to actual conditions.

[0052] Furthermore, the flow direction of the airflow in the air intake structure 200 is opposite to the flow direction of the airflow in the air injection structure 140, so that the heat exchange between the two is more sufficient.

[0053] Specifically, refer to Figure 3 The pipe 210 is a "U"-shaped pipe, which guides the airflow in the air intake structure 200 to the wire feeding channel 120 and makes the airflow direction consistent with the wire feeding direction.

[0054] Furthermore, the wire protection tube 300 is fixed to the center of the wire feeding channel 120 through the support rod 310, so that the wire 600 is located in the center of the airflow ejected from the wire feeding channel 120, which is conducive to the subsequent ejection of the wire 600 through the airflow.

[0055] Reference Figure 4 There are multiple support rods 310 and they are distributed in a circular array around the wire protection tube 300 , thereby providing stable support for the wire protection tube 300 .

[0056] Optionally, the jet structure 140 is specifically a Rafael structure, and the inner diameter of the jet structure 140 gradually decreases along the airflow direction and then gradually increases, so that when the airflow flows through the smallest inner diameter of the jet structure 140, the pressure and flow rate are increased, which facilitates accurate spraying to the substrate surface. The Rafael structure is a prior art, and its specific structure and working principle are not repeated here.

[0057] Furthermore, the laser wire gas coaxial wire feeding spray additive manufacturing device also includes a wire feeding mechanism 500, which is connected to the wire protection tube 300. The wire feeding mechanism 500 includes two conveying rollers, which clamp the wire 600 together, and the conveying rollers rotate to feed the wire 600 into the wire protection tube 300.

[0058] An additive manufacturing method in an embodiment of the second aspect of the present application is performed based on the above-mentioned laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spray additive manufacturing device, comprising the following steps:

[0059] S100. Install the wire 600 to the wire feeding mechanism 500, and start the wire feeding mechanism 500 to feed the wire 600 into the wire protection tube 300;

[0060] S200. The output end of the jet structure 140 is directed toward the substrate to be processed;

[0061] S300. Connecting the air intake end of the air intake structure 200 to the air storage tank;

[0062] S400. Start the laser generator 400, irradiate the laser through the laser channel 130 to the collecting cavity 110, and irradiate the wire 600 to melt it;

[0063] S500. Open the gas tank, the gas enters the collecting chamber 110 through the air intake structure 200, the pipeline 210, and the wire feeding channel 120, and drives the melted wire 600 into the jet structure 140;

[0064] S600. The melted wire 600 is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate under the influence of the airflow in the jet structure 140, completing the spraying of the material;

[0065] S700 . The airflow in the air intake structure 200 continuously removes the heat from the air injection structure 140 , thereby cooling the air injection structure 140 .

[0066] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Various changes can be made within the knowledge of ordinary technicians in the relevant technical field without departing from the purpose of the present invention. In addition, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other without conflict.

Claims

1. A laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device, It is characterized in that include: A nozzle, wherein the nozzle is provided with a collecting cavity and a wire feeding channel, a laser channel and an air jet structure connected to the collecting cavity; An air intake structure, the air intake structure is arranged around the outside of the jet structure, and the air intake structure is connected to the wire feeding channel through a pipeline; A wire protection tube, the wire protection tube is installed in the wire feeding channel, the interior of the wire protection tube is used to transport the wire, and the gap between the wire protection tube and the wire feeding channel is used to transport gas; a laser generator, the laser generator being connected to the laser channel and emitting laser light therein; Among them, the gas in the air intake structure can take away the heat of the jet structure. After the gas flows through the pipeline and the wire feeding channel in sequence, it enters the collecting cavity in the same direction as the wire in the wire protection tube. The laser of the laser generator is emitted into the collecting cavity and melts the wire, and the airflow sprays the melted wire to the jet structure.

2. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, Features: The flow direction of the airflow in the air intake structure is opposite to the flow direction of the airflow in the air ejection structure.

3. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, Features: Two or more pipelines are connected between the air intake structure and the wire feeding channel, and the pipelines are distributed in a circular array around the wire feeding channel.

4. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, Features: The jet structure is located on the extension line of the wire feeding channel, and the extension line of the laser channel and the extension line of the wire feeding channel intersect in the collecting cavity.

5. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 4, Features: There are multiple laser channels, which are distributed in a circular array around the wire feeding channel.

6. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, Features: The wire protection tube is fixed at the center of the wire feeding channel through a support rod.

7. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 6, Features: There are multiple support rods, which are distributed in a circular array around the wire protection tube.

8. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, Features: The jet structure is specifically a Rafale structure, and the inner diameter of the jet structure gradually decreases and then gradually increases along the airflow direction thereof.

9. The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spraying additive manufacturing device according to claim 1, Features: The laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spray additive manufacturing device also includes a wire feeding mechanism, which is connected to the wire protection tube. The wire feeding mechanism includes two conveying rollers, which clamp the wire together. The conveying rollers can rotate to feed the wire into the wire protection tube.

10. An additive manufacturing method, based on the laser wire-gas coaxial wire feeding spray additive manufacturing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, It is characterized in that include: Installing the wire to the wire feeding mechanism, and starting the wire feeding mechanism to feed the wire into the wire protection tube; Direct the output end of the jet structure toward the substrate to be processed; Connect the air intake end of the air intake structure to the air tank; The laser generator is started, and the laser is irradiated to the collecting cavity through the laser channel, and irradiates the wire material to melt it; Open the gas storage tank, and the gas enters the collecting chamber through the gas intake structure, the pipeline, and the wire feeding channel, and drives the melted wire to enter the jet structure; The melted wire is sprayed onto the surface of the substrate under the influence of the airflow in the spray structure to complete the spraying of the material; The airflow in the air intake structure continuously removes the heat from the air injection structure, thereby playing a role in cooling the air injection structure.

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