Automatic powder feeder

Abstract

The invention discloses an automatic powder feeder which comprises a shell, a stock bin arranged in the shell, a hopper and a powder feeding assembly, the hopper and the powder feeding assembly are arranged in the stock bin, and the interior of the stock bin is divided into a feeding cavity and a discharging cavity through the powder feeding assembly; the powder feeding assembly comprises a first movable disc, a fixed disc and a second movable disc, the first movable disc is provided with at least one feeding hole communicated with the feeding cavity, the fixed disc is provided with at least one set of discharging holes evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the fixed disc, and the second movable disc is provided with at least one discharging hole communicated with the discharging cavity. The projections of the feeding hole, the blanking hole and the discharging hole in the vertical direction are located on the same circumference, and the feeding hole and the discharging hole are staggered all the time. By arranging the powder feeding assembly, dynamic, uniform and continuous powder feeding of superfine powder can be achieved, meanwhile, the natural state of metal powder can be guaranteed, and the problems of density change and shape variation of the metal powder due to physical extrusion are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of new materials, and in particular to an automatic powder feeder. Background Art

[0002] 3D printing technology, also known as three-dimensional printing technology, is a technology that uses laser or electron beam to melt metal powder or polymer material powder at high temperature based on digital model files, and constructs objects by printing layer by layer. It can generate parts of any shape directly from computer graphics data without mechanical processing or any molds, thereby greatly shortening the product development cycle, improving productivity and reducing production costs. The disadvantages of polymer materials such as low operating temperature and poor mechanical properties greatly limit their application scope, while metal materials have excellent mechanical properties and high temperature properties. Various high-performance metal structural components manufactured by 3D printing technology have greatly promoted the development of multidisciplinary technology fields. High-performance metal powder is the key raw material for 3D printing technology to manufacture high-performance metal structural components, and its performance directly restricts the development of 3D printing metal component technology.

[0003] The commonly used powder feeders are mainly of the following types: screw type, scraper type, drum type and fluidized type. Among them, the scraper type powder feeding principle is simple, the structure is stable, and the application range is relatively wide. For ultrafine powder (nano-level), due to its poor flowability and high viscosity, it is difficult for the above powder feeders to transport ultrafine powder. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide an automatic powder feeder. By arranging a powder feeding component, dynamic, uniform and continuous powder feeding of ultrafine powder can be achieved under positive pressure, normal pressure and negative pressure conditions. At the same time, the natural state of the metal powder can be ensured, and the problems of density change and shape variation of the metal powder due to physical extrusion can be avoided.

[0005] The objective of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: An automatic powder feeder comprises a housing, a silo (fixedly) arranged in the housing, a hopper arranged in the silo, and a powder feeding assembly, wherein the powder feeding assembly divides the interior of the silo into a feeding chamber and a discharging chamber; The top of the silo is provided with an upper balance air channel, and the bottom is provided with a lower balance air channel, the upper balance air channel and the lower balance air channel are connected with the inside of the shell, the top of the silo is connected with the hopper through the powder inlet, the top of the shell is provided with an air inlet pipe, and the bottom of the shell is provided with a conical powder outlet; The powder feeding assembly comprises a first movable disc, a fixed disc and a second movable disc, the first movable disc is provided with at least one feed hole connected to the feed cavity, the fixed disc is provided with at least one group of drop holes evenly distributed along its circumference, the second movable disc is provided with at least one discharge hole connected to the discharge cavity, the vertical projections of the feed hole, drop hole and discharge hole are located on the same circumference, and the feed hole and the discharge hole are always staggered; The fixed plate is statically arranged and physically connected relative to the silo, and the first movable plate and the second movable plate are rotatably arranged relative to the silo; the first movable plate and the second movable plate are driven by a driving assembly.

[0006] Furthermore, the drive assembly includes a drive motor fixedly arranged in the silo, the first output shaft of the drive motor sequentially passes through the second moving disk, the fixed disk, and extends to the feed chamber, and the first moving disk and the second moving disk are connected to the first output shaft of the drive motor.

[0007] Furthermore, a blanking piece is provided in the feed cavity, the blanking piece is a conical structure, the tip of the blanking piece is arranged away from the first moving disk, and the plane end of the blanking piece is coaxially fixedly connected to the first output shaft of the drive motor.

[0008] Furthermore, the plane end of the blanking piece fits with the surface of the first moving disk.

[0009] Furthermore, at least one first horizontal scraper is provided on the blanking piece.

[0010] Furthermore, the driving motor is a dual-shaft motor, the second output shaft of the driving motor extends to the blanking cavity, and the second output shaft of the driving motor is connected to a second scraper.

[0011] Furthermore, a mounting portion is provided in the silo, a mounting cavity is provided in the mounting portion, the drive motor is sealably disposed in the mounting cavity, and the mounting portion is circumferentially provided with a plurality of arc-shaped through grooves communicating with the discharge cavity.

[0012] Furthermore, there is one feed hole and one discharge hole, and the vertical projections of the feed hole and the discharge hole are arranged at intervals.

[0013] Furthermore, a gap is provided between the first moving disk and the fixed disk, and between the fixed disk and the second moving disk.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1) Since the blanking holes are evenly distributed along the circumference, when the second moving disc rotates to blank, each blanking hole arranged in the circumference blanks in turn, thereby realizing dynamic uniform and continuous blanking (powder delivery) and avoiding material accumulation caused by single-point blanking.

[0015] 2) Whether the metal powder enters the feed hole from the feed cavity or enters the discharge cavity from the drop hole through the discharge hole, the powder falls naturally without physical extrusion. Therefore, fluffy powder feeding can be achieved to ensure the natural state of the metal powder and avoid density changes and shape variations of the metal powder due to physical extrusion.

[0016] 3) If you need to change the powder feeding efficiency, you only need to adjust the speed of the first moving disk and the second moving disk. If you need to feed powder quickly, increase the speed of the two to increase the alignment rate of the feed hole and the drop hole, and the alignment rate of the drop hole and the discharge hole. That is, the higher the speed of the drive motor below the drive component, the higher the powder feeding efficiency.

[0017] 4) The airtight shell and the balanced air channel are set to ensure that the air pressure of each part of the powder feeder maintains a dynamic balance, does not interfere with the basic working state of mechanical and gravity powder feeding adopted by the powder feeder, and enables the powder feeding device to deliver powder normally under positive pressure, normal pressure and negative pressure conditions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the automatic powder feeder in the embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the automatic powder feeder; Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the automatic powder feeder in a three-dimensional state; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the automatic powder feeder when the first moving disk and the second moving disk are hidden in a three-dimensional state; In the figure, 1, silo; 2, feed chamber; 3, discharge chamber; 4, first moving plate; 5, fixed plate; 6, second moving plate; 7, feed hole; 8, drop hole; 9, discharge hole; 10, drive motor; 11, drop part; 12, first scraper; 13, second scraper; 14, mounting part; 15, arc-shaped through groove; 16, outer shell; 17, upper balance air channel; 18, lower balance air channel; 19, air inlet pipe; 20, powder outlet; 21, hopper; 22, observation window. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] See also Figure 1-Figure 4 , the present invention provides a technical solution: Example: like Figure 1-Figure 4As shown, an automatic powder feeder comprises a housing, a silo 1 fixedly arranged in the housing, a hopper 21 arranged in the silo 1, and a powder feeding assembly, wherein the powder feeding assembly divides the interior of the silo 1 into a feeding chamber 2 and a discharging chamber 3; The top of the silo 1 is provided with an upper balance air channel 17, and the bottom is provided with a lower balance air channel 18, the upper balance air channel 17 and the lower balance air channel 18 are connected with the inside of the shell 16, the top of the silo 1 is connected with the hopper through the feed inlet, the top of the shell 16 is provided with an air inlet pipe 19, and the bottom of the shell is provided with a conical powder outlet 20; The powder feeding assembly includes a first moving disk 4, a fixed disk 5, and a second moving disk 6. The first moving disk 4 is provided with at least one feeding hole 7 connected to the feeding chamber 2. The fixed disk 5 is provided with at least one group of dropping holes 8 evenly distributed along its circumference. The second moving disk 6 is provided with at least one discharge hole 9 connected to the discharge chamber 3. The vertical projections of the feeding hole 7, the dropping hole 8, and the discharge hole 9 are located on the same circumference, and the feeding hole 7 and the discharge hole 9 are always staggered. The fixed plate 5 is arranged stationary relative to the silo 1, and the first movable plate 4 and the second movable plate 6 are arranged rotatably relative to the silo 1; the first movable plate 4 and the second movable plate 6 are driven by a driving assembly.

[0021] There is one feed hole 7 and one discharge hole 9, and the feed hole 7 and the discharge hole 9 are arranged at a 180-degree interval in the vertical projection. When two feed holes 7 and two discharge holes 9 are arranged on the same circumference, the two feed holes 7 and the two discharge holes 9 are arranged at a 90-degree interval in the vertical projection.

[0022] Among them, the blanking holes 8 can also be set in two or even three groups. When there are two groups, the two groups of blanking holes 8 are concentric in the circumference and have a larger and smaller diameter. At this time, two feed holes 7 are radially arranged on the first movable disk 4, and two discharge holes 9 are radially arranged on the second movable disk 6. The two feed holes 7 and the two discharge holes 9 correspond to the two groups of blanking holes 8 in the vertical projection. The feed chamber 2 is set as two annular cavities corresponding to the two groups of blanking holes 8, and the corresponding discharge chamber 3 is set as two annular cavities; and different powders are set in the annular cavities of the two feed chambers 2, so that two different types of metal powders can be transported at the same time.

[0023] Among them, 1. The silo 1 in this embodiment can be but not limited to a cylindrical structure, and the top and bottom of the silo 1 are respectively provided with through holes connected to the feed cavity 2 and the discharge cavity 3. 2. Among them, in this embodiment, the feed hole 7, the discharge hole 8 and the discharge hole 9 have the same aperture, and the depth of the feed hole 7 and the discharge hole 8 can be the same or different. It is only necessary to ensure that the time for the feed hole 7 and the discharge hole 8 to align each time is the same, so that the amount of powder in the discharge hole 8 is the same each time. 3. An observation window 22 is provided on the outer shell.

[0024] Working principle: Ultrafine metal powder enters the hopper from the feed port and then enters the feed chamber 2, the drive assembly is started, and the drive assembly drives the first moving disk 4 and the second moving disk 6 to rotate.

[0025] The metal powder in the feed cavity 2 enters the feed hole 7. When the feed hole 7 is coaxially aligned with one of the drop holes 8, the metal powder in the feed hole 7 automatically falls into the drop hole 8 under the action of gravity. When the feed hole 7 is in a powder-free state, the metal powder in the feed cavity 2 will fall into the feed hole 7 to automatically replenish the powder; when the feed hole 7 is coaxially aligned with the next drop hole 8, the above drop action is repeated, and it is repeated to ensure that each drop hole 8 falls into the metal powder.

[0026] When the metal powder enters the drop hole 8, since the feed hole 7 and the discharge hole 9 are staggered, the bottom of the drop hole 8 is blocked by the surface of the second moving disk 6 to prevent the drop. When the drop of the feed hole 7 is completed (the metal powder in the feed hole 7 completely enters the drop hole 8), with the movement of the drive assembly, the first moving disk 4 and the second moving disk 6 continue to rotate. When the second moving disk 6 moves to the discharge hole 9 and the drop hole 8 containing the metal powder is coaxially corresponding to the upper and lower sides, the material (ultrafine metal powder) in the drop hole 8 enters the discharge cavity 3 through the discharge hole 9.

[0027] In the above process, (1) since the material dropping holes 8 are evenly distributed along the circumference, when the second moving disk 6 rotates to drop the material, each material dropping hole 8 arranged in the circumference drops the material in turn, thereby realizing dynamic uniform and continuous material dropping (powder delivery), avoiding material accumulation caused by single-point dropping. (2) Whether the metal powder enters the feed hole 7 from the feed cavity 2 or enters the discharge cavity 3 from the material dropping hole 8 through the discharge hole 9, the powder dropping is natural, and there is no physical extrusion throughout the process. Therefore, fluffy powder delivery can be achieved, ensuring the natural state of the metal powder, and avoiding the problem of density change and shape variation of the metal powder due to physical extrusion. (3) If the present invention needs to change the powder delivery efficiency, it only needs to adjust the rotation speed of the first moving disk 4 and the second moving disk 6. If fast powder delivery is required, the rotation speed of the two is increased to increase the alignment rate of the feed hole 7 and the material dropping hole 8, and the alignment rate of the material dropping hole 8 and the discharge hole 9. That is, the greater the rotation speed of the drive motor 10 below the drive component, the higher the powder delivery efficiency.

[0028] There are three states in the powder delivery process: (1) Positive pressure state: the air inlet pipe is connected to the external air source, and the gas enters the shell through the air inlet pipe. Part of the gas enters the feed chamber through the upper balance air channel. The gas entering the feed chamber carries the powder for transportation, and the gas at the bottom of the shell enters the discharge chamber through the lower balance air channel, ensuring that the gas pressure of the components composed of the silo and powder delivery assembly is stable and there is no pressure difference. The input gas can be any gas. When conveying flammable powder, inert gas is introduced for protection; when conveying non-flammable powder, air can be introduced.

[0029] (2) Zero pressure state: There is no gas input at the air inlet pipe, and the powder is transported only by its own gravity.

[0030] (3) Negative pressure state: gas is input at the air inlet pipe, and the powder is transported to the powder outlet by its own gravity and then enters the negative pressure device, and is transported to the target location by the negative pressure device.

[0031] The present invention can realize dynamic, uniform and continuous powder feeding of ultrafine powder by arranging a powder feeding component, and can ensure the natural state of metal powder, and avoid the problems of density change and shape variation of metal powder due to physical extrusion.

[0032] Furthermore, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, the driving assembly includes a driving motor 10 fixedly arranged in the silo 1, the first output shaft of the driving motor 10 passes through the second moving plate 6 and the fixed plate 5 in sequence, and extends to the feeding chamber 2, and the first moving plate 4 and the second moving plate 6 are connected to the first output shaft of the driving motor 10. Among them, the first output shaft of the driving motor 10 directly passes through the coaxial hole in the middle of the fixed plate 5, or a bearing is arranged in the coaxial hole, so that the first output shaft of the driving motor 10 is rotatably connected with the fixed plate 5, providing support for the first output shaft of the driving motor 10.

[0033] With such arrangement, the first movable disc 4 and the second movable disc 6 can be synchronously rotated and driven by the rotation of the driving motor 10. During the driving process, the first movable disc 4 and the second movable disc 6 rotate synchronously to ensure that the position of the feed hole 7 relative to the discharge hole 9 remains unchanged.

[0034] Furthermore, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, a blanking piece 11 is provided in the feed cavity 2 , and the blanking piece 11 is a conical structure. The tip of the blanking piece 11 is arranged away from the first moving disk 4 , and the plane end of the blanking piece 11 is coaxially fixedly connected to the first output shaft of the driving motor 10 .

[0035] The blanking piece 11 rotates synchronously with the first moving disc 4 and the second moving disc 6. The conical blanking piece 11 can ensure that the material is evenly dispersed at the bottom of the blanking piece 11. When the bottom material enters the feed hole 7, it is ensured that the material can automatically fall down to fill the gap.

[0036] Furthermore, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, the plane end of the blanking piece 11 is in contact with the surface of the first moving disk 4. Such an arrangement can prevent the accumulation of materials between the blanking piece 11 and the first moving disk 4.

[0037] Furthermore, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, at least one horizontal first scraper 12 is provided on the blanking member 11. The first scraper 12 is arranged to rotate synchronously with the blanking member 11, so that when the first scraper 12 rotates, the metal powder in the feed chamber 2 is stirred and the accumulated materials are broken.

[0038] Furthermore, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, the driving motor 10 is a dual-shaft motor, the second output shaft of the driving motor 10 extends to the blanking cavity, and the second output shaft of the driving motor 10 is connected to the second scraper 13 .

[0039] The second scraper 13 is arranged to rotate to prevent the metal powder in the blanking cavity from building up.

[0040] Furthermore, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, the silo 1 is provided with a mounting portion 14, the mounting portion 14 is provided with a mounting cavity, the drive motor 10 is sealed and arranged in the mounting cavity, and the mounting portion 14 is provided with four arc-shaped through grooves 15 in the circumferential direction that are connected with the discharge cavity 3. The spacing between two adjacent arc-shaped grooves is not greater than the spacing between two adjacent blanking holes 8, and the connection between two adjacent arc-shaped grooves is located between two adjacent blanking holes 8, so that the material can be prevented from falling on the connection between two adjacent arc-shaped grooves.

[0041] Such arrangement is for sealing the driving motor 10 in the compartment to prevent the driving motor 10 from being exposed. The arc groove is arranged to ensure that the metal powder enters the blanking cavity.

[0042] Furthermore, if Figure 2-Figure 4 As shown, gaps are provided between the first moving disk 4 (bottom surface) and the fixed disk 5 (upper surface), and between the fixed disk 5 (lower surface) and the second moving disk 6 (top surface).

[0043] The set gap can ensure that there is no friction between the first moving disk 4 and the second moving disk 6 and the fixed disk 5 when they rotate, thereby avoiding wear and tear and increasing the service life of the three.

[0044] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the form disclosed herein, and should not be regarded as excluding other embodiments, but can be used in various other combinations, modifications and environments, and can be modified within the scope of the concept described herein through the above teachings or the technology or knowledge of the relevant field. The changes and modifications made by those skilled in the art shall not deviate from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and shall be within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. An automatic powder feeder, characterized in that: It comprises a shell, a silo arranged in the shell, a hopper arranged in the silo and a powder delivery component, wherein the powder delivery component divides the interior of the silo into a feed chamber and a discharge chamber; The top of the silo is provided with an upper balance air channel, and the bottom is provided with a lower balance air channel, the upper balance air channel and the lower balance air channel are connected with the inside of the shell, the top of the silo is connected with the hopper through the feed inlet, the top of the shell is provided with an air inlet pipe, and the bottom of the shell is provided with a conical powder outlet; The powder feeding assembly comprises a first movable disc, a fixed disc and a second movable disc, the first movable disc is provided with at least one feed hole connected to the feed cavity, the fixed disc is provided with at least one group of drop holes evenly distributed along its circumference, the second movable disc is provided with at least one discharge hole connected to the discharge cavity, the vertical projections of the feed hole, drop hole and discharge hole are located on the same circumference, and the feed hole and the discharge hole are always staggered; The fixed plate is arranged stationary relative to the material bin, and the first movable plate and the second movable plate are arranged rotatably relative to the material bin; the first movable plate and the second movable plate are driven by a driving assembly.

2. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving assembly includes a driving motor fixedly arranged in the silo, the first output shaft of the driving motor sequentially passes through the second moving disk and the fixed disk and extends to the feeding chamber, and the first moving disk and the second moving disk are connected to the first output shaft of the driving motor.

3. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that: A blanking piece is arranged in the feeding cavity. The blanking piece is a conical structure. The tip of the blanking piece is arranged away from the first moving disk. The plane end of the blanking piece is coaxially fixedly connected to the first output shaft of the driving motor.

4. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that: The plane end of the blanking piece is in contact with the surface of the first moving plate.

5. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 3, characterized in that: At least one first horizontal scraper is arranged on the blanking piece.

6. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that: The driving motor is a dual-shaft motor, the second output shaft of the driving motor extends to the blanking cavity, and the second output shaft of the driving motor is connected to a second scraper.

7. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 2, characterized in that: A mounting portion is provided in the silo, a mounting cavity is provided in the mounting portion, the drive motor is sealed in the mounting cavity, and a plurality of arc-shaped through grooves communicating with the discharge cavity are provided in the mounting portion along the circumferential direction.

8. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least one feed hole and one discharge hole are provided, and the vertical projections of the feed hole and the discharge hole are arranged at intervals.

9. The automatic powder feeder according to claim 1, characterized in that: Gaps are provided between the first moving disk and the fixed disk, and between the fixed disk and the second moving disk.

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