Mobile fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment

Abstract

The present invention relates to the technical field of 3D printing equipment, and provides a movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment, which includes a feeding storage box, a filtering device, a cyclone separation device, a feeding pipeline, an electric control device and an equipment box, wherein the feeding storage box, the filtering device and the cyclone separation device are connected through the feeding pipeline, the cyclone separation device is connected to the equipment box, and the electric control device is arranged on the mobile box of the filtering device; the hopper drop-out port at the bottom of the storage hopper can be detachably connected with the feeding port of the feeding pipe; the two ends of the feeding pipe are respectively connected with the air outlet of the high-pressure fan and the feeding port of the cyclone separation device; the two ends of the first return pipe are respectively connected with the air inlet of the high-pressure fan and the air outlet of the filter barrel, and the two ends of the second return pipe are respectively connected with the air inlet of the filter barrel and the air outlet of the cyclone separation device. The present invention can avoid the scattering of powder during the feeding process, not only realizes fully enclosed automatic feeding, but also improves the safety factor.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of 3D printing, and in particular relates to a movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment. Background Art

[0002] The basic principle of the metal selective melting process is: before the laser beam starts scanning, the powder spreading device first pushes the metal powder onto the base plate of the forming cylinder, and the laser beam then follows the filling scanning line of the current layer to selectively melt the powder on the base plate to process the current layer. The forming cylinder then descends a layer thickness, and the powder spreading device spreads the metal powder on the processed current layer. The equipment then calls in the data of the next layer contour for processing, and this process is repeated layer by layer until the entire part is completed.

[0003] During the printing process, a large amount of metal powder will be consumed, and it is necessary to continuously add powder to the metal 3D printing equipment to ensure the normal progress of the entire printing. Most of the existing metal 3D printing equipment relies on manual metal powder addition. The printing equipment works for a long time, and the operator must always pay attention to whether the metal 3D printing equipment is short of material when working. Manual operation is laborious and can neither guarantee that the entire printing process will not stop, nor can it guarantee that the added powder is evenly distributed in the material box. Moreover, during the powder adding process, powder will float and pollute the environment, and will cause waste of metal powder. If different types of powders exist at the same time in the workshop, it will not only cause cross-contamination of different powders, but also there is a safety hazard of dust reaction and explosion. Therefore, a movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment is proposed to solve the above problems. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention aims to provide a movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment. By setting a movable feeding storage box and connecting the feeding pipeline with a filtering device and a cyclone separation device through a fully enclosed pipeline, the structure is optimized, so that the present invention can avoid the dispersion of powder during the feeding process, which not only realizes fully enclosed automatic feeding but also improves the safety factor.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0006] A movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment, comprising a feeding storage box, a filter device, a cyclone separation device, a feeding pipeline, an electric control device and an equipment box, wherein the feeding storage box, the filter device and the cyclone separation device are all connected through the feeding pipeline, and the electric control device is arranged on a movable box of the filter device;

[0007] The loading storage box includes a mobile storage rack, a storage hopper, a storage box cover and a first blanking assembly. The storage hopper is arranged inside the mobile storage rack and a hopper blanking port is arranged at the bottom of the storage hopper. A level meter is arranged on the outer wall of the storage hopper. The storage box cover is arranged on the top of the storage hopper. The first blanking assembly is arranged below the storage box cover. The first blanking assembly includes a first mounting portion, a first bracket and a first blanking portion. The first mounting portion is connected to the storage box cover. A plurality of first sieve holes are distributed on the surface of the first blanking portion. The first blanking portion is connected to the first mounting portion through the first bracket.

[0008] The filtering device includes a mobile box, a high-pressure fan, a filter barrel and a recovery barrel. The filter barrel and the high-pressure fan are both arranged inside the mobile box. The outer wall of the filter barrel is provided with a high-pressure detection port and a low-pressure detection port connected to a pressure difference sensor. The filter barrel is provided with a filter element and a partition plate inside. The partition plate forms a cavity with an opening at the bottom with the filter barrel wall at the high-pressure detection port. The recovery barrel is arranged at the bottom of the filter barrel.

[0009] The feeding pipeline includes a feed pipe and a return pipe connected in a closed loop, the first end of the feed pipe is connected to the air outlet of the high-pressure blower, and the second end of the feed pipe is connected to the feed inlet of the cyclone separation device; the feed pipe is provided with a feed pipe fitting, an exhaust port, a wash air inlet and a temperature sensor; the feed pipe inlet on the upper part of the feed pipe fitting is connected to the hopper discharge port; a second electric butterfly valve is provided at the feed pipe inlet, and a fourth electric butterfly valve is provided at the exhaust port;

[0010] The return pipe includes a first return pipe and a second return pipe, the first end of the first return pipe is connected to the air inlet of the high-pressure blower, the second end of the first return pipe is connected to the air outlet of the filter barrel, and the first return pipe is provided with a pressure sensor and an oxygen content sensor; the first end of the second return pipe is connected to the air inlet of the filter barrel, the second end of the second return pipe is connected to the air outlet of the cyclone separation device, and the second return pipe is provided with a third electric butterfly valve;

[0011] The bottom of the cyclone separation device is connected to the feed pipe at the top of the equipment material box through the first electric butterfly valve, and the feed pipe runs through the equipment material box cover of the equipment material box;

[0012] The equipment material box includes a fixed box body, an equipment hopper, a second blanking component, an equipment material box cover and a material level sensor. The equipment hopper is arranged inside the fixed box body and multiple groups of material level monitoring points are arranged inside the equipment hopper; the equipment material box cover is arranged on the top of the fixed box body; the material level sensor is symmetrically arranged on the equipment material box cover; the second blanking component is arranged below the equipment material box cover, the second blanking component includes a second mounting part, a second bracket and a second blanking part, the second mounting part is connected to the equipment material box cover, a plurality of second sieve holes are distributed on the surface of the second blanking part, and the second blanking part is connected to the second mounting part through the second bracket.

[0013] Preferably, the first blanking assembly and the second blanking assembly have the same structure and their sizes are set according to the size of the storage hopper or equipment hopper that matches them; the first blanking part and the second blanking part are both umbrella-shaped structures and extend into the storage hopper and the equipment hopper respectively, and the first sieve holes and the second sieve holes are distributed in a radial shape from the top of the umbrella surface to the edge thereof; there are gaps between the edge of the umbrella-shaped structure and the inner wall of the storage hopper and the inner wall of the equipment hopper.

[0014] Preferably, the feed pipe fitting is provided with three openings interconnected with each other, the opening located on the upper side of the feed pipe fitting is the feed pipe feed port, and the openings located on both sides of the feed pipe feed port are symmetrically arranged and sealedly connected to the feed pipe; an inclined plate for connecting the feed pipe fitting body is provided inside the feed pipe feed port; the inclination angle of the inclined plate to the horizontal plane is set to be greater than or equal to 36 degrees.

[0015] Preferably, the middle part of the feed pipe is respectively connected to the bottom of the mobile storage rack, the bottom of the mobile box and the first side wall of the mobile box; the first return pipe is respectively connected to the filter barrel and the recovery barrel; the second return pipe is connected to the first side wall of the mobile box; the feed pipe and the return pipe are both fixed by a pipe support frame.

[0016] Preferably, the material level monitoring points are set to be a first material level, a second material level and a third material level that are symmetrical in pairs. The first material level is set at two-thirds of the height of the equipment hopper as a stop feeding monitoring point; the second material level is set at one-third of the height of the equipment hopper as a start feeding monitoring point; the third material level is set at one-fifth of the height of the equipment hopper as a level alarm monitoring point.

[0017] Preferably, the mobile storage rack, the mobile box and the fixed box are all rectangular structures, and pulleys are provided at the bottom of the mobile storage rack and the mobile box.

[0018] Preferably, the electric control device is arranged inside the second side of the mobile box, and a display screen is arranged outside the electric control device, an indicator light and a start / stop button are arranged on the display screen, and an external power socket is arranged below the display screen.

[0019] Preferably, the mobile box is provided with a first inspection door located at the top, a second inspection door located at the third side wall, a third inspection door located below the first side wall and a feed pipe outlet located at the bottom.

[0020] Preferably, it also includes a back-blowing device arranged on the upper part of the filter barrel, the back-blowing device includes a back-blowing head, a back-blowing air bag, a back-blowing air pipe and a pulse valve, the back-blowing air bag is connected to the mobile box; the first end of the back-blowing air pipe is connected to the back-blowing air bag through the pulse valve, and the second end of the back-blowing air pipe is connected to the back-blowing head.

[0021] Preferably, the material discharge port of the hopper and the material inlet of the feed pipe, and the material delivery pipe port on the storage box cover and the external material pipe are all sealed and connected by a rotary wrench.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0023] 1. The present invention is provided with a movable feeding storage box, and is connected with the filtering device and the cyclone separation device through a fully closed pipeline, which can effectively avoid the dispersion of powder during the feeding process, avoid environmental pollution, and solve safety hazards.

[0024] 2. The present invention is connected with the electronic control device to realize real-time monitoring of the pressure, oxygen content, pressure difference and other states of each link in the entire feeding system, and real-time monitoring of the material level of the equipment material box and the feeding storage box, thereby improving the safety factor, and realizing automatic feeding throughout the process, and automatic start and stop without operator intervention.

[0025] 3. The present invention arranges a blanking assembly in the loading storage box and the equipment box, and ensures that the powder material falls from the middle and the edge in multiple directions through the sieve holes in the blanking part of the umbrella-shaped structure and the blanking channels at the edge, thereby achieving uniform distribution of the powder material in the material box, and at the same time making the material level monitoring data more accurate, thereby improving work efficiency.

[0026] 4. The present invention can ensure smooth downward flow of different types of powders and prevent the feed pipe from being blocked throughout the entire process by providing a three-opening feed pipe and an inclined plate provided inside the feed pipe feed port.

[0027] 5. The present invention can be freely moved through the detachable connection between the feeding storage box and the feeding pipeline, and the installation and disassembly are fast and convenient, and can flexibly meet the feeding needs of printing equipment in various occasions and specifications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a front view of the overall structure of the movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 It is a side view of the overall structure of the movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the filtering device of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the connection structure between the filtering device and the feeding pipeline of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the internal connection structure of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the filtering device of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the filter device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 8 It is a cross-sectional view of a loading storage box of the present invention;

[0036] Fig. 9 It is a schematic diagram of the connection between the back-blowing air bag and the filtering device of the present invention;

[0037] Fig.10 It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the first blanking assembly of the present invention;

[0038] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the first blanking assembly and the material storage box cover of the present invention;

[0039] Fig.12 It is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the second blanking assembly and the equipment material box cover of the present invention;

[0040] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of the partition structure of the filter barrel of the present invention;

[0041] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of the distribution of material level monitoring points inside the equipment material box of the present invention;

[0042] Fig.15 It is a cross-sectional view of the internal structure of the feed pipe of the present invention;

[0043] Fig.16 It is a schematic structural diagram of the feeding pipe of the present invention.

[0044] Description of the markings in the figure:

[0045] 1. Equipment material box; 101. First material level; 102. Second material level; 103. Third material level; 104. Equipment material box cover; 105. Equipment hopper; 111. First material level sensor; 112. Second material level sensor; 2. Cyclone separation device; 211. First electric butterfly valve; 212. Low pressure detection port; 213. High pressure detection port; 214. Air inlet of filter barrel; 215. Air outlet of filter barrel; 311. Material level meter; 312. Storage hopper; 313. Storage box cover; 314. Mobile storage rack; 315. Hopper drop port; 316. Rotary wrench; 317. Pulley; 4. Display screen; 41. External power socket; 5. Mobile box; 51. Material pipe support frame; 52. First inspection door; 53. Second inspection door; 54. Third inspection door; 55. Feed pipe outlet; 6. Feed pipe; 601. Feed pipe inlet; 602. Feed pipe fittings; 60 3. Inclined plate; 611. First return pipe; 612. Second return pipe; 7. Pressure difference sensor; 8. Second electric butterfly valve; 9. Third electric butterfly valve; 10. Filter device; 11. Air washing inlet; 12. Back-blowing air bag; 13. Pressure sensor; 14. High-pressure fan; 15. Temperature sensor; 16. Oxygen content sensor; 17. Exhaust port; 18. Fourth electric butterfly valve; 19. Back-blowing head; 20. Filter element; 21. Filter barrel; 22. Recovery barrel; 23. Back-blowing air pipe; 24. Pulse valve; 25. Solenoid valve; 26. Pressure gauge; 27. First mounting part; 28. First bracket; 29. ​​First blanking part; 270. Second mounting part; 280. Second bracket; 290. Second blanking part; 201. Partition. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] In order to fully describe the technical content, structural features, objectives and beneficial effects of the present invention, a detailed description will be given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0047] The present invention provides a movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, it includes a loading storage box, a filter device 10, a cyclone separation device 2, a loading pipeline, an electric control device and an equipment box 1. The loading storage box, the filter device 10 and the cyclone separation device 2 are all connected through the loading pipeline, the electric control device is arranged on the mobile box of the filter device, and the equipment box 1 is connected with the cyclone separation device 2. Specifically, the electric control device is arranged inside the second side of the mobile box 5, and a display screen 4 is arranged outside the electric control device, an indicator light and a start / stop button are arranged below the display screen 4, and an external power socket 41 is arranged at the bottom of the display screen 4.

[0048] like Figure 8As shown, the loading storage box includes a mobile storage rack 314, a storage hopper 312, a storage box cover 313 and a first blanking assembly. The mobile storage rack 314 is a rectangular structure and a pulley 317 is provided at the bottom thereof for easy free movement.

[0049] The storage hopper 312 is arranged inside the mobile storage rack 314, and a hopper drop port 315 is arranged at the bottom of the storage hopper 312. A level meter 311 connected to the electronic control device is arranged on the outer wall of the storage hopper 312 to facilitate real-time monitoring of the material level in the storage hopper 312, which is used to alarm and prompt to stop the feeding system and replenish the material in the storage hopper 312 in time.

[0050] A material storage box cover 313 is provided on the top of the material storage hopper 312 , and a material delivery pipe opening on the material storage box cover 313 is sealedly connected to an external material pipe via a rotating wrench 316 .

[0051] like Fig.10 and Fig.11 As shown, the first blanking assembly is arranged below the storage box cover 313, and the first blanking assembly includes a first mounting portion 27, a first bracket 28 and a first blanking portion 29. The first mounting portion 27 is fixedly connected to the storage box cover 313 by bolts, and the first blanking portion 29 is connected to the first mounting portion 27 by means of the first bracket 28. A plurality of first sieve holes are distributed on the surface of the first blanking portion 29. Specifically, the first blanking portion 29 is an umbrella-shaped structure and extends into the storage hopper 312. The first sieve holes on the umbrella-shaped structure are distributed in a radial shape from the top of the umbrella surface to its edge. A gap is provided between the edge of the umbrella-shaped structure and the inner wall of the storage hopper 312, that is, the first blanking portion 29 has no contact with the inner wall of the storage hopper 312 for the powder to fall. When the powder flows into the storage hopper 312 through the first dropping component, a part of the powder falls vertically through the first sieve hole, and a part of the powder flows down through the edge of the umbrella-shaped structure, thereby achieving dispersed and uniform dropping of the powder, which ensures the distribution of the powder at the edge of the storage hopper and the distribution of the powder in the middle position of the storage hopper just below the powder inlet, making the monitoring result of the level meter more accurate.

[0052] like Figure 2-Figure 7 As shown, the filtering device 10 is arranged on one side of the feeding storage box, and the filtering device 10 includes a moving box body 5, a high-pressure fan 14, a filtering barrel 21, a back-blowing device and a recovery barrel 22.

[0053] The mobile box 5 is a rectangular structure and a freely movable pulley 317 is provided at the bottom thereof. The mobile box 5 is provided with a plurality of inspection doors and a feed pipe outlet 55 at the bottom of the mobile box 5. After the first end of the feed pipe is connected to the high-pressure blower 14, it extends from the feed pipe outlet 55 to the bottom of the loading storage box. There are three inspection doors, all of which are used to inspect and maintain the internal problems of the filtering device. The three inspection doors are respectively a first inspection door 52 located at the top of the mobile box 5, a second inspection door 53 located at the third side wall of the mobile box 5, and a third inspection door 54 located below the first side wall. The function of the third inspection door 54 is to make it easier to observe the internal material level of the recovery barrel 22 and to facilitate the disassembly and assembly of the recovery barrel 22.

[0054] The filter barrel 21 and the high-pressure blower 14 are both arranged inside the mobile box 5 and are arranged adjacent to each other. Figure 6 As shown, a high pressure detection port 213 and a low pressure detection port 212 are provided on the outer wall of the filter barrel 21, and a pressure difference sensor 7 is connected between the high pressure detection port 213 and the low pressure detection port 212 through an air pipe to monitor the internal pressure of the filter barrel 21 in real time. Figure 7 and Fig.13 As shown, the filter element 20 and the partition 201 are adjacently arranged inside the filter barrel 21, and the partition 201 and the filter barrel wall where the high-pressure detection port 213 is located form a cavity, and the bottom of the cavity is in an open state. Specifically, the partition 201 is an arc-shaped panel, and its upper edge and left and right edges are sealed with the inner wall of the filter barrel, and the bottom of the partition 201 is in an open state. The opening can not only ensure that the high-pressure detection port 213 and the low-pressure detection port 212 are connected to the gas inside the filter barrel 21, but also effectively prevent the powder generated by backblowing from directly clogging the high-pressure detection port 213, affecting the accuracy of the detection of the differential pressure sensor 7.

[0055] The recovery barrel 22 is disposed at the bottom of the filter barrel 21 and is detachably connected to the filter barrel 21 by rotating the wrench 316 , and is used to collect the powder that falls from the filter device after backblowing.

[0056] The movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment of the present invention further comprises a backflush device, which is arranged at the upper part of the filter barrel 21. Specifically, Figure 5 and Fig. 9 As shown, the back-blowing device includes a back-blowing head 19, a back-blowing air bag 12, a back-blowing air pipe 23 and a pulse valve 24. The back-blowing air bag 12 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the mobile box 5. The back-blowing air pipe 23 is arranged above the back-blowing air bag 12 and its first end is connected to the back-blowing air bag 12 through the pulse valve 24. The second end of the back-blowing air pipe 23 is connected to the back-blowing head 19 arranged inside the filter barrel 21. The gas is blown into the filter device 10 through the back-blowing air pipe 23 to back-blow the filter element 20, so that the powder hanging on the filter element 20 is removed in time, thereby extending the service life of the filter element.

[0057] The feeding pipeline includes a feed pipe 6 and a return pipe connected in a closed loop, the first end of the feed pipe 6 is connected to the air outlet of the high-pressure blower 14, and a temperature sensor 15 is provided on the feed pipe 6 located at the air outlet. The second end of the feed pipe 6 is connected to the feed port at the lower part of the cyclone separation device 2. Specifically, the middle part of the feed pipe 6 is fixed to the bottom of the mobile storage rack 314, the bottom of the mobile box 5, and the first side wall of the mobile box 5 through the feed pipe support frame 51.

[0058] The feed pipe 6 at the bottom of the mobile storage rack 314 is provided with a feed pipe 602 and an exhaust port 17 for exhausting argon gas. Fig.15 and Fig.16 As shown, the feed pipe fitting 602 is a connecting pipe fitting of a special structural design, which is also called a feed tee pipe fitting in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the feed pipe fitting 602 is provided with three openings that are interconnected. The opening located on one side above the feed pipe fitting 602 is the feed pipe feed port 601, and the openings located on both sides of the feed pipe feed port 601 are symmetrically arranged and are both sealed and connected to the feed pipe 6. An inclined plate 603 connected to the tube body of the feed pipe fitting 602 is arranged inside the feed pipe feed port 601 to facilitate the downward flow of the powder. The inclined angle between the inclined plate 603 and the horizontal plane is set to be greater than or equal to 36 degrees, and the present invention is preferably set to 36 degrees. This angle is the minimum angle of powder fluidity, which can ensure that the powder flows smoothly downward. The feed pipe inlet 601 is biased to one side. Once the second electric butterfly valve 8 set at the feed pipe inlet 601 fails, the high-pressure fan 14 is not started, and the powder falls directly into the feed pipe inlet 601 and blocks the feed pipe inlet 601. According to the minimum angle of powder fluidity, half of the space in the transverse channel of the feed pipe fitting 602 with three openings can still be ventilated. After the high-pressure fan 14 is started, the powder in the pipe can be taken away by the effect of wind circulation, which can ensure that the feed pipe is not blocked and increase the safety factor in feeding.

[0059] The feed pipe inlet 601 matches and can be detachably connected with the hopper opening 315 at the bottom of the storage hopper 312. Specifically, the hopper opening 315 is sealed and connected with the feed pipe inlet 601 through a rotating wrench 316.

[0060] A second electric butterfly valve 8 is provided at the feed pipe inlet 601. According to the different fluidity of different powders, the second electric butterfly valve 8 can be set at different feeding angles to ensure that the conveying efficiency of different powders can be used for printing. A fourth electric butterfly valve 18 is provided at the exhaust port 17. A wash gas inlet 11 is provided on the feed pipe 6 at the bottom of the mobile box 5 to allow argon gas to enter the feed pipeline.

[0061] The return pipe includes a first return pipe 611 and a second return pipe 612. The first end of the first return pipe 611 is connected to the air inlet of the high-pressure blower 14, and a pressure sensor 13 is provided on the first return pipe 611 located at the air inlet. The second end of the first return pipe 611 is connected to the air outlet 215 of the filter barrel, and an oxygen content sensor 16 is provided on the first return pipe 611. Specifically, the first return pipe 611 is respectively fixed to the filter barrel 21 and the recovery barrel 22 through the material pipe support frame 51. The first end of the second return pipe 612 is connected to the air inlet 214 of the filter barrel, and the second end of the second return pipe 612 passes through the mobile box 5 and is connected to the air outlet of the cyclone separation device 2 outside the first side wall of the mobile box 5, and a third electric butterfly valve 9 is provided on the second return pipe 612. Specifically, the second return pipe 612 is fixed to the first side wall of the mobile box 5 through the material pipe support frame 51.

[0062] The bottom of the cyclone separation device 2 is connected to the feed pipe at the top of the equipment material box 1 through the first electric butterfly valve 211 and can be disassembled. The equipment material box 1 in the present invention is a part of the 3D printer device. The equipment material box 1 includes a fixed box body, an equipment hopper 105, a second material drop assembly, an equipment material box cover 104 and a material level sensor. The equipment hopper 105 is arranged inside the fixed box body and multiple groups of material level monitoring points are arranged inside the equipment hopper. The equipment material box cover 104 is arranged on the top of the fixed box body and the feed pipe runs through the center of the equipment material box cover 104. The material level sensor is a liquid level type material level sensor, including a first material level sensor 111 and a second material level sensor 112 symmetrically arranged on the equipment material box cover 104.

[0063] like Fig.12 As shown, the second blanking assembly is arranged below the equipment bin cover 104, and includes a second mounting portion 270, a second bracket 280 and a second blanking portion 290. The second mounting portion 270 is connected to the equipment bin cover 104. A plurality of second sieve holes are distributed on the surface of the second blanking portion 290 and the second mounting portion 270 is connected to the second bracket 280. Specifically, the second blanking portion 290 is an umbrella-shaped structure and extends into the interior of the equipment hopper 105. The second sieve holes on the umbrella-shaped structure are distributed in a radial shape from the top of the umbrella surface to its edge. A gap is provided between the edge of the umbrella-shaped structure and the inner wall of the equipment hopper 105, that is, the second blanking portion 290 has no contact with the inner wall of the equipment hopper 105, and is used for the powder to fall. When the powder flows into the equipment hopper 105 through the second dropping component, a part of the powder falls vertically through the second sieve hole, and a part of the powder flows down through the edge of the umbrella-shaped structure, thereby achieving dispersed and uniform dropping of the powder, which not only ensures the distribution of the powder at the edge of the equipment hopper, but also ensures the distribution of the powder in the middle position of the equipment hopper just below the powder inlet, making the monitoring results of the first level sensor and the second level sensor more accurate.

[0064] The second blanking assembly in the present invention has the same structure as the first blanking assembly, but its size needs to be set according to the size of the storage hopper and the equipment hopper that match it. That is, the edge diameter of the first blanking part 29 is smaller than the top inner diameter of the storage hopper 312, and the edge diameter of the second blanking part 290 is smaller than the top diameter of the equipment hopper 105.

[0065] like Fig.14 As shown, according to the second blanking assembly and the size of the equipment material box, multiple groups of material level monitoring points corresponding to the monitoring positions of the two material level sensors are arranged inside the equipment material box 1. Specifically, the material level monitoring points are set to be the first material level 101, the second material level 102 and the third material level 103, which are symmetrical in pairs. The first material level 101 is set at two-thirds of the height of the equipment material box 1 as a stop feeding monitoring point. The second material level 102 is set at one-third of the height of the equipment material box 1 as a start feeding monitoring point. The third material level 103 is set at one-fifth of the height of the equipment material box 1 as a material level alarm monitoring point.

[0066] The specific embodiments of the present invention are further described below. Figure 1-16 As shown, the working principle of the present invention is as follows:

[0067] The equipment material box 1 is connected to the metal 3D printing equipment, and the feeding pipeline is connected to the equipment material box 1. The entire feeding process is carried out in a fully enclosed argon protection environment to ensure the safety of the entire process. The present invention includes an automatic mode and a manual mode. In either mode, the printing device can achieve non-stop printing.

[0068] Automatic mode: When the liquid level of any one of the first material level sensor 111 and the second material level sensor 112 is at the lower limit monitoring point, the material loading storage box automatically starts feeding. When the liquid level of any one of the first material level sensor 111 and the second material level sensor 112 is at the upper limit monitoring point, the material loading storage box automatically stops feeding.

[0069] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, three groups of material level monitoring points are arranged inside the equipment material box 1. The first material level 101 is the upper limit monitoring point. When the height of the powder reaches the position of the first material level 101, the feeding system automatically stops feeding. The second material level 102 is the lower limit monitoring point. When the powder reaches the position of the second material level 102, the feeding system automatically starts to feed. The third material level 103 is an alarm point, that is, when the powder in the equipment material box 1 reaches the position of the third material level 103, the feeding system is in an abnormal operating state. Therefore, the third material level 103 is used as a safety monitoring point for the equipment. Once the powder in the equipment material box 1 reaches the third material level 103, the printing device immediately stops and alarms, forcing the user to intervene and check whether there is a fault in the automatic feeding system or manually add powder.

[0070] Manual mode: When the liquid level of any one of the first material level sensor 111 and the second material level sensor 112 is at the lower limit monitoring point, press the start / stop button on the display screen 4 of the electronic control device, and the feeding storage box starts feeding. When the liquid level of any one of the first material level sensor 111 and the second material level sensor 112 is at the upper limit monitoring point, the feeding system stops automatically, or press the start / stop button on the display screen 4 again to end feeding.

[0071] The hopper drop port 315 at the bottom of the loading storage box filled with material powder is connected to the feed pipe inlet 601 arranged on the feed pipe 6. The argon gas enters the loading pipeline from the gas scrubbing inlet 11 arranged on the feed pipe 6, and then from the feed pipe to the second return pipe 612, then to the first return pipe 611, and then to the feed pipe 6 and is discharged from the exhaust port 17 arranged on the feed pipe 6.

[0072] Specifically, the fourth electric butterfly valve 18 and the third electric butterfly valve 9 are opened at the same time, and the high-pressure fan 14 is started at this time to realize the internal circulation of the feeding pipeline of this system. The first electric butterfly valve 211 and the second electric butterfly valve 8 are opened at the same time, and the powder in the feeding storage box is dispersed and evenly dropped into the storage hopper 312 through the first sieve hole on the first blanking part 29 of the first blanking component and the blanking channel on its edge. The high-pressure fan 14 blows the powder into the feeding pipe 6 and enters the feeding port of the cyclone separation device 2. A large amount of powder then enters the equipment box 1 through the second sieve hole on the second blanking part 290 of the second blanking component and the blanking channel on its edge. A small amount of powder returns with the gas from the air outlet of the cyclone separation device 2, enters the filter device 10 through the second return pipe 612, and returns to the high-pressure fan 14 through the first return pipe 611 after filtering, thereby forming a gas cycle to achieve the purpose of protecting the feeding pipeline.

[0073] When the material level meter 311 on the storage hopper 312 detects that there is no material in the feeding storage box, the feeding system automatically stops feeding and alarms to prompt timely addition of powder. The differential pressure sensor 7, pressure sensor 13, temperature sensor 15, and oxygen content sensor 16 monitor the system pressure difference, pressure, temperature, and oxygen content in real time. When the set value is exceeded, the alarm stops, which can ensure the safe and stable operation of the feeding system, thereby further ensuring the normal operation of the metal 3D printing equipment.

[0074] Filtration system introduction:

[0075] The circulating gas enters the filter device 10 through the air inlet 214 of the filter barrel, and the filter element 20 filters the impure gas, which is then discharged from the air outlet 215 of the filter barrel and enters the high-pressure blower 14, and the gas continues to circulate. The gas required by the back-blowing head 19 on the upper part of the filter device is set at the required pressure at the external pressure gauge 26, and enters the back-blowing air bag 12 through the solenoid valve 25. Through the action of the pulse valve 24, the gas enters through the back-blowing air pipe 23, and then enters the filter barrel 21 through the back-blowing head 19. According to the action principle of the back-blowing head 19, the airflow is expanded and amplified, and the airflow quickly impacts the filter element 20, which plays a role in back-blowing. The back-blowing gas is discharged from the exhaust port 17, thereby realizing the back-blowing action, increasing the service life of the filter element 20, and the powder that falls off by back-blowing falls directly into the recovery barrel 22 for next use. Specifically, a partition 201 is provided on one side of the filter element 20, and the upper edge and left and right edges of the partition 201 are sealed and connected to the inner wall of the filter barrel 21, and the bottom edge of the partition 201 is in an open state to prevent the high-pressure detection port 213 from being blocked by powder when the back-blowing device is started to back-blow the filter element, thereby affecting the accuracy of the pressure difference detection in the filter barrel 21 by the pressure difference sensor 7.

[0076] In the actual operation of the embodiment of the present invention, the automatic feeding protection is exemplified as follows:

[0077] Low point fault point detection: After the automatic feeding system starts feeding, within 5 minutes, the material level height increase value of the material box of the detection equipment is detected. If the increase value of any material level sensor on both sides exceeds 2%, it means that the feeding is normal. Otherwise, the feeding is abnormal, the automatic feeding system will stop and alarm, forcing the user to intervene and check the fault.

[0078] High point fault point detection: After the automatic feeding system starts feeding, 45 minutes later, the powder inside the equipment material box has not reached the highest point, and the feeding system automatically stops.

[0079] Low-point fault point detection and high-point fault point detection form a closed-loop fault detection for the automatic feeding system, which reduces the failure rate, ensures the stability of the printing equipment operation, and increases overall safety.

[0080] The embodiments described above are only descriptions of the preferred implementation modes of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Without departing from the design spirit of the present invention, various modifications and improvements made to the technical solutions of the present invention by ordinary technicians in this field should all fall within the protection scope determined by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment, characterized in that: It includes a feeding storage box, a filtering device, a cyclone separation device, a feeding pipeline, an electric control device and an equipment box. The feeding storage box, the filtering device and the cyclone separation device are all connected through the feeding pipeline, and the electric control device is arranged on the mobile box of the filtering device. The loading storage box includes a mobile storage rack, a storage hopper, a storage box cover and a first blanking assembly. The storage hopper is arranged inside the mobile storage rack and a hopper blanking port is arranged at the bottom of the storage hopper. A level meter is arranged on the outer wall of the storage hopper. The storage box cover is arranged on the top of the storage hopper. The first blanking assembly is arranged below the storage box cover. The first blanking assembly includes a first mounting portion, a first bracket and a first blanking portion. The first mounting portion is connected to the storage box cover. A plurality of first sieve holes are distributed on the surface of the first blanking portion. The first blanking portion is connected to the first mounting portion through the first bracket. The filtering device includes a mobile box, a high-pressure fan, a filter barrel and a recovery barrel. The filter barrel and the high-pressure fan are both arranged inside the mobile box. The outer wall of the filter barrel is provided with a high-pressure detection port and a low-pressure detection port connected to a pressure difference sensor. The filter barrel is provided with a filter element and a partition plate inside. The partition plate forms a cavity with an opening at the bottom with the filter barrel wall at the high-pressure detection port. The recovery barrel is arranged at the bottom of the filter barrel. The feeding pipeline includes a feed pipe and a return pipe connected in a closed loop, the first end of the feed pipe is connected to the air outlet of the high-pressure blower, and the second end of the feed pipe is connected to the feed inlet of the cyclone separation device; the feed pipe is provided with a feed pipe fitting, an exhaust port, a wash air inlet and a temperature sensor; the feed pipe inlet on the upper part of the feed pipe fitting is connected to the hopper discharge port; a second electric butterfly valve is provided at the feed pipe inlet, and a fourth electric butterfly valve is provided at the exhaust port; The return pipe includes a first return pipe and a second return pipe, the first end of the first return pipe is connected to the air inlet of the high-pressure blower, the second end of the first return pipe is connected to the air outlet of the filter barrel, and the first return pipe is provided with a pressure sensor and an oxygen content sensor; the first end of the second return pipe is connected to the air inlet of the filter barrel, the second end of the second return pipe is connected to the air outlet of the cyclone separation device, and the second return pipe is provided with a third electric butterfly valve; The bottom of the cyclone separation device is connected to the feed pipe at the top of the equipment material box through the first electric butterfly valve, and the feed pipe runs through the equipment material box cover of the equipment material box; The equipment material box includes a fixed box body, an equipment hopper, a second blanking assembly, an equipment material box cover and a material level sensor. The equipment hopper is arranged inside the fixed box body and multiple groups of material level monitoring points are arranged inside the equipment hopper; the equipment material box cover is arranged on the top of the fixed box body; the material level sensor is symmetrically arranged on the equipment material box cover; the second blanking assembly is arranged below the equipment material box cover, the second blanking assembly includes a second mounting portion, a second bracket and a second blanking portion, the second mounting portion is connected to the equipment material box cover, a plurality of second sieve holes are distributed on the surface of the second blanking portion, and the second blanking portion is connected to the second mounting portion through the second bracket; The first blanking assembly and the second blanking assembly have the same structure and their sizes are set according to the size of the storage hopper or equipment hopper matched therewith; the first blanking part and the second blanking part are both umbrella-shaped structures and extend into the storage hopper and the equipment hopper respectively, and the first sieve holes and the second sieve holes are both distributed in a radial shape from the top of the umbrella surface to the edge thereof; there is a gap between the edge of the umbrella structure and the inner wall of the storage hopper and the inner wall of the equipment hopper; The middle part of the feed pipe is respectively connected to the bottom of the mobile storage rack, the bottom of the mobile box and the first side wall of the mobile box; the first return pipe is respectively connected to the filter barrel and the recovery barrel; the second return pipe is connected to the first side wall of the mobile box; the feed pipe and the return pipe are both fixed by a pipe support frame; The material level monitoring points are set to be the first material level, the second material level and the third material level which are symmetrical in pairs. The first material level is set at two-thirds of the height of the equipment hopper as the stop feeding monitoring point; the second material level is set at one-third of the height of the equipment hopper as the start feeding monitoring point; the third material level is set at one-fifth of the height of the equipment hopper as the material level alarm monitoring point.

2. The movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feed pipe fitting is provided with three openings which are interconnected. The opening located on the upper side of the feed pipe fitting is the feed pipe feed port, and the openings located on both sides of the feed pipe feed port are symmetrically arranged and sealedly connected to the feed pipe. An inclined plate for connecting the feed pipe fitting body is provided inside the feed pipe feed port. The inclination angle of the inclined plate to the horizontal plane is set to be greater than or equal to 36 degrees.

3. The movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile material storage rack, the mobile box body and the fixed box body are all rectangular structures, and pulleys are arranged at the bottom of the mobile material storage rack and the mobile box body.

4. The movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electric control device is arranged inside the second side of the mobile box body, and a display screen is arranged outside the electric control device. The display screen is provided with indicator lights and start / stop buttons, and an external power socket is arranged below the display screen.

5. The movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mobile box body is provided with a first inspection door located at the top, a second inspection door located at the third side wall, a third inspection door located below the first side wall and a feed pipe outlet located at the bottom.

6. The movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a backblowing device arranged on the upper part of the filter barrel, the backblowing device includes a backblowing head, a backblowing air bag, a backblowing air pipe and a pulse valve, the backblowing air bag is connected to the mobile box; the first end of the backblowing air pipe is connected to the backblowing air bag through the pulse valve, and the second end of the backblowing air pipe is connected to the backblowing head.

7. The movable fully enclosed automatic feeding system for 3D metal printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material discharge port of the hopper and the material inlet of the feeding pipe, the material delivery pipe port on the material storage box cover and the external material pipe are all sealed and connected through a rotating wrench.

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