Multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and manufacturing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and manufacturing method, and relates to the technical field of powder additive manufacturing, the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system comprises a main controller module, a motor module, a limit switch module, an operation control display module, a communication module, a data storage module, an extruder unit module and a forming environment module, the main controller module is a core control unit of the powder additive manufacturing system, a program is stored in a Flash of a main controller, after a power supply is switched on, the main controller can execute a series of operations such as motor control, information display and communication according to the program, and the motor module is used for driving key components of each component to move and is divided into an X axis, a Y axis, a Z axis and an E axis. According to the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system, through mutual cooperation between the communication module and the data storage module, the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system can automatically store the printing data after being in data connection with a computer, and even if the system is connected with a middle end, the printing work can be continued according to the printing data in the data storage module.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of powder additive manufacturing, and in particular to a multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and a manufacturing method. Background Art

[0002] At present, most of the polymer-based multi-material additive manufacturing systems are limited to thermoplastic materials. Although the current polymer manufacturing technology can produce parts with a variety of properties, there are still many limitations. One of the limitations is that the use temperature cannot be higher than the melting point. When the temperature is close to the melting point, the parts begin to soften. Thermosetting polymers cannot melt and plasticize after solidification, nor are they soluble in solvents. The thermal stability is better than that of thermoplastic materials. Additive manufacturing technology is an effective multi-material part processing method that can avoid the shortcomings of traditional manufacturing such as pressure processing, powder metallurgy, casting, welding, etc., which are difficult to obtain complex shapes and flexible material layouts, and realize customized production of multi-material parts. The following problems exist in the existing technology:

[0003] Because the existing multi-material additive manufacturing system needs to be connected to the computer by wire or wirelessly, once the computer loses power unexpectedly or the connection with the multi-material additive manufacturing system is accidentally interrupted, the printing and manufacturing process of the multi-material additive manufacturing system will be suspended, thereby affecting the manufacturing efficiency. At the same time, the existing multi-material additive manufacturing method often mixes the multi-material powder unevenly, resulting in the quality of the printed parts cannot be guaranteed, and the existing multi-material additive manufacturing system cannot effectively ensure the quality of the multi-material additive manufactured parts after forming, and there is a problem of defective parts. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides a multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and a manufacturing method to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0006] A multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and manufacturing method, including a main controller module, a motor module, a limit switch module, an operation control display module, a communication module, a data storage module, an extruder unit module, and a molding environment module.

[0007] The main controller module is the core control unit of the powder additive manufacturing system. The program is stored in the Flash of the main controller. After the power is turned on, the main controller will execute a series of operations such as controlling the motor, displaying information and communicating according to the program. The motor module is a key component used to drive the movement of each part. It is divided into XYZE axes, among which the XYZ axes are responsible for controlling the movement of the print head in three-dimensional space to ensure that the print head can accurately locate every point of the printed model. The E axis is responsible for controlling the extrusion and retraction of multi-material powder. The motor uses a stepper motor to ensure the accuracy and stability of the movement.

[0008] The limit switch module is used to ensure that the print head and platform move within the allowed space to avoid hitting the edge of the machine. When the print head or platform moves to the extreme position, the limit switch will be triggered. After receiving the signal, the main controller will stop the relevant movement to protect the equipment and prevent damage. The limit switch adopts the photoelectric switch type. The operation control and display module is responsible for the operation control and status display of the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system, and the display device is an LED display.

[0009] The communication module uses Wi-Fi wireless connection to enable the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system to connect and communicate with a computer or other devices. The user can send manufacturing tasks to the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system, monitor the manufacturing progress and obtain the status information of the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system through the computer. The data storage module can be used to store files that need to be printed, which is convenient for offline printing and can avoid printing failures caused by the computer being turned on for a long time or the interruption of communication with the computer.

[0010] The extruder unit module is responsible for extruding the molten multi-material powder and depositing it onto the printing platform to form various layers of the model. The extruder unit module includes a heating rod and a temperature measuring element, which are used to heat the multi-material powder to a molten state and extrude the material through the rotation of the extrusion motor. The molding environment module includes a heating and cooling module. The heating module is used to preheat the printing platform and the extruder unit module to ensure that the material is in a molten state during extrusion, and the cooling module is used to cool the model after printing and manufacturing is completed to prevent the model from deformation or collapse.

[0011] A further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention is that it comprises the following steps:

[0012] Step 1: Powder selection and preparation;

[0013] Step 2: Powder supply;

[0014] Step 3: Molding technology selection;

[0015] Step 4: layer-by-layer deposition and solidification;

[0016] Step 5: Post-processing of molded parts;

[0017] Step 6: Quality control and testing.

[0018] A further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention is that: step one includes preparing titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel materials, and using mechanical ball milling ion rotating electrode method to ensure uniform powder particle size distribution, high sphericity, and good fluidity to meet high-precision deposition requirements, and then uniformly mixing them in a mixer for thirty minutes to ensure that the various materials are fully mixed.

[0019] A further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention is that: in step 2, the mixing ratio of the various powders is accurately controlled by a vibrating feeder, so as to achieve continuous and uniform supply of multi-material powders and improve the powder supply accuracy and flexibility.

[0020] A further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention is that the step three utilizes selective laser melting technology to quickly print the required material shape, thereby achieving high-precision, high-performance metal forming.

[0021] A further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention is that: in step 4, the local melting or solidification of the powder layer is achieved through the precise action of the laser high-energy beam, and a predetermined shape is formed layer by layer, and the energy input, scanning path and strategy are controlled to ensure the uniformity of the forming accuracy and material properties.

[0022] A further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention is that: step five means that after the part is formed in step four, it is necessary to remove unmelted powder, perform heat treatment and surface treatment on the part to improve the surface quality of the part, remove internal stress and improve material properties.

[0023] A further improvement of the technical solution of the present invention is that: the step six refers to the raw material inspection, process parameter monitoring, online non-destructive testing and final performance testing after the manufactured parts are finally obtained.

[0024] Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, the present invention has the following technical advances compared with the prior art:

[0025] 1. The present invention provides a multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and a manufacturing method. Through the cooperation between the communication module and the data storage module, the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system will automatically store the printing data after the data is connected with the computer. Even if the middle end is connected, the printing work can continue according to the printing data in the data storage module.

[0026] 2. The present invention provides a multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and a manufacturing method. Through the mutual cooperation between the extruder unit module and the molding environment module, the quality of parts manufactured by multi-material powder additive manufacturing is improved. At the same time, multi-parameter detection of the molded parts can be performed to improve the quality of the parts.

[0027] 3. The present invention provides a multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and manufacturing method. Through the cooperation between the mechanical ball milling ion rotating electrode method and the vibrating feeder, the multi-material powder can be fully ground and mixed before manufacturing, thereby improving the mixing uniformity of the multi-material powder material, thereby making the performance of the manufactured parts more stable. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the system of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the method flow of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with embodiments:

[0031] Example 1

[0032] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the present invention provides a multi-material powder additive manufacturing system and manufacturing method, including a main controller module, a motor module, a limit switch module, an operation control display module, a communication module, a data storage module, an extruder unit module, and a molding environment module;

[0033] The main controller module is the core control unit of the powder additive manufacturing system. The program is stored in the Flash of the main controller. After the power is turned on, the main controller will execute a series of operations such as controlling the motor, displaying information and communicating according to the program. The motor module is a key component used to drive the movement of each part. It is divided into XYZE axis. The XYZ axis is responsible for controlling the movement of the print head in three-dimensional space to ensure that the print head can accurately locate every point of the printed model. The E axis is responsible for controlling the extrusion and retraction of multi-material powder. The motor adopts a stepper motor to ensure the accuracy and stability of the movement.

[0034] The limit switch module is used to ensure that the print head and platform move within the allowed space to avoid hitting the edge of the machine. When the print head or platform moves to the limit position, the limit switch will be triggered. After receiving the signal, the main controller will stop the relevant movement to protect the equipment and prevent damage. The limit switch adopts the photoelectric switch type. The operation control display module is responsible for the operation control and status display of the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system. The display device is an LED display;

[0035] The communication module uses Wi-Fi wireless connection to enable the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system to connect and communicate with computers or other devices. Users can send manufacturing tasks to the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system, monitor the manufacturing progress and obtain the status information of the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system through the computer. The data storage module can be used to store files that need to be printed, which is convenient for offline printing and can avoid printing failures caused by long-term computer startup or interruption of communication with the computer.

[0036] The extruder unit module is responsible for extruding the molten multi-material powder and depositing it onto the printing platform to form various layers of the model. The extruder unit module includes a heating rod and a temperature measuring element, which are used to heat the multi-material powder to a molten state and extrude the material through the rotation of the extrusion motor. The molding environment module includes a heating and cooling module. The heating module is used to preheat the printing platform and the extruder unit module to ensure that the material is in a molten state during extrusion, and the cooling module is used to cool the model after printing and manufacturing is completed to prevent the model from deformation or collapse.

[0037] In this embodiment, the main controller module can control the motors, communications and other equipment included in the overall system, which facilitates the control of the XYZE axis to improve the accuracy and stability of manufacturing. At the same time, during mobile printing, the photoelectric switch included in the limit switch module can be used to effectively prevent multiple shafts from colliding with the edge of the machine. At the same time, the communication module can be used to quickly connect to data terminals such as computers, and the data storage module can be used to temporarily store data information of materials needed to be printed after connecting to the computer, so that the machine can always perform stable printing and manufacturing work. The main controller module can also control the extruder unit module to heat the multi-material mixed powder and then extrude it, and use the molding environment module to preheat the platform to improve printing efficiency. At the same time, after printing is completed, the cooling module can be used to quickly cool the parts to complete the additive manufacturing printing of multi-material powder parts.

[0038] Example 2

[0039] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, based on Example 1, the present invention provides a technical solution: preferably, comprising the following steps:

[0040] Step 1: Powder selection and preparation;

[0041] Step 2: Powder supply;

[0042] Step 3: Molding technology selection;

[0043] Step 4: layer-by-layer deposition and solidification;

[0044] Step 5: Post-processing of molded parts;

[0045] Step 6: Quality control and testing.

[0046] Example 3

[0047] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, on the basis of Example 1, the present invention provides a technical solution: preferably, step one includes preparing titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel materials, and respectively using a mechanical ball milling ion rotating electrode method to ensure that the powder particle size distribution is uniform, the sphericity is high, and the fluidity is good to meet the high-precision deposition requirements, and then uniformly mixing the materials in a mixer for thirty minutes to fully and evenly mix the various materials; step two uses a vibrating feeder to accurately control the mixing ratio of the various powders to achieve continuous and uniform supply of multi-material powders, thereby improving the powder supply accuracy and flexibility; step three uses selective laser melting technology to quickly print the required material shape, which can achieve high-precision, high-performance metal forming; step four uses the precise action of a laser high-energy beam to achieve local melting or solidification of the powder layer, accumulate layer by layer to form a predetermined shape, and control the energy input, scanning path and strategy to ensure the uniformity of forming accuracy and material properties.

[0048] In this embodiment, the powdering effect of multiple materials in additive manufacturing can be ensured, and the mixing effect of these multi-material powders can also be improved. The powder materials are mixed evenly before extrusion molding, so that the quality stability of the molded parts is better.

[0049] Example 4

[0050] like Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, based on Example 1, the present invention provides a technical solution: preferably, step five means that after the part is formed in step four, it is necessary to remove unmelted powder, perform heat treatment, and surface treatment on the part to improve the surface quality of the part, remove internal stress, and improve material properties; step six means that after the finished part is finally obtained, raw material inspection, process parameter monitoring, online non-destructive testing, and final performance testing are performed.

[0051] In this embodiment, step six can monitor parameters such as temperature, pressure, powder flow rate, etc. during the printing process in real time, and adjust these parameters as needed.

[0052] The following is a detailed description of the working principle of the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system.

[0053] like Figure 1 , Figure 2As shown, the main controller module can control the motors, communications and other equipment included in the overall system, making it convenient to control the XYZE axis to improve the accuracy and stability of manufacturing. At the same time, the photoelectric switch included in the limit switch module can be used in conjunction with mobile printing to effectively prevent multiple axes from colliding with the edge of the machine. At the same time, the communication module can be used to quickly connect to data terminals such as computers, and the data storage module can be used to temporarily store data information of materials needed to be printed after connecting to the computer, so that the machine can always perform stable printing and manufacturing work. The main controller module can also control the extruder unit module to heat and extrude the multi-material mixed powder, and use the molding environment module to preheat the platform to improve printing efficiency. At the same time, after printing is completed, the cooling module can be used to quickly cool the parts to complete the additive manufacturing printing of multi-material powder parts.

[0054] The above generally describes the present invention in detail, but it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that some modifications or improvements can be made to the present invention. Therefore, modifications or improvements that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-material powder additive manufacturing system, characterized in that: It includes a main controller module, a motor module, a limit switch module, an operation control display module, a communication module, a data storage module, an extruder unit module, and a molding environment module; The main controller module is the core control unit of the powder additive manufacturing system. The program is stored in the Flash of the main controller. After the power is turned on, the main controller will execute a series of operations such as controlling the motor, displaying information and communicating according to the program. The motor module is a key component used to drive the movement of each component. It is divided into XYZE axis, where the XYZ axis is responsible for controlling the movement of the print head in three-dimensional space to ensure that the print head can accurately locate every point of the printed model, and the E axis is responsible for controlling the extrusion and retraction of multi-material powder. The motor adopts a stepper motor to ensure the accuracy and stability of the movement; The limit switch module is used to ensure that the print head and the platform move within the allowed space to avoid hitting the edge of the machine. When the print head or the platform moves to the limit position, the limit switch will be triggered. After receiving the signal, the main controller will stop the relevant movement, thereby protecting the equipment and preventing damage. The limit switch adopts the photoelectric switch type. The operation control display module is responsible for the operation control and status display of the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system, and the display device is an LED display; The communication module uses Wi-Fi wireless connection to enable the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system to connect and communicate with a computer or other devices. Users can send manufacturing tasks to the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system, monitor the manufacturing progress and obtain the multi-material powder additive manufacturing system status information through the computer. The data storage module can be used to store files that need to be printed, which is convenient for offline printing and can avoid printing failures caused by long-term computer startup or interruption of communication with the computer; The extruder unit module is responsible for extruding the molten multi-material powder and depositing it onto the printing platform to form various layers of the model. The extruder unit module includes a heating rod and a temperature measuring element, which are used to heat the multi-material powder to a molten state and extrude the material through the rotation of the extrusion motor. The molding environment module includes a heating and cooling module. The heating module is used to preheat the printing platform and the extruder unit module to ensure that the material is in a molten state during extrusion, and the cooling module is used to cool the model after printing and manufacturing is completed to prevent the model from deformation or collapse.

2. A multi-material powder additive manufacturing method, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Powder selection and preparation; Step 2: Powder supply; Step 3: Molding technology selection; Step 4: layer-by-layer deposition and solidification; Step 5: Post-processing of molded parts; Step 6: Quality control and testing.

3. A multi-material powder additive manufacturing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step 1 includes preparing titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel materials, and using the mechanical ball milling ion rotating electrode method to ensure that the powder particle size distribution is uniform, the sphericity is high, and the fluidity is good to meet the high-precision deposition requirements, and then uniformly mixing them in a mixer for 30 minutes to ensure that the various materials are fully mixed.

4. A multi-material powder additive manufacturing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the step 2, the mixing ratio of the various powders is precisely controlled by a vibrating feeder, so as to realize continuous and uniform supply of multi-material powders and improve the powder supply accuracy and flexibility.

5. The multi-material powder additive manufacturing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step three utilizes selective laser melting technology to quickly print the required material shape, thereby achieving high-precision, high-performance metal forming.

6. A multi-material powder additive manufacturing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: In step 4, the precise action of the laser high-energy beam is used to achieve local melting or solidification of the powder layer, and a predetermined shape is formed layer by layer. The energy input, scanning path and strategy are controlled to ensure the uniformity of the forming accuracy and material properties.

7. The multi-material powder additive manufacturing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step five means that after the part is formed in step four, it is necessary to remove unmelted powder, perform heat treatment, and perform surface treatment on the part to improve the surface quality of the part, remove internal stress, and improve material properties.

8. The multi-material powder additive manufacturing method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step six refers to the raw material inspection, process parameter monitoring, online non-destructive testing and final performance testing after the finished parts are finally obtained.

Images