Color mixing 3D printer based on Internet of Things

Abstract

The invention discloses a color mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things. The color mixing 3D printer comprises a 3D printer body, a front end assembly, a material storage mechanism and a local control terminal. The front end assembly is arranged in the 3D printer body; the front end assembly comprises a feeding mechanism, a material melting mechanism, a color mixing mechanism, a printing head and a gas conveying mechanism. The feeding mechanism comprises a servo motor, a gear set and a guide pipe, and the guide pipe is communicated with the interior of the melting mechanism; the color mixing mechanism is connected with the material melting mechanism and the printing head, a mixing groove is formed in the color mixing mechanism, a feeding electromagnetic valve is arranged at the joint of the color mixing mechanism and the material melting mechanism, and a discharging electromagnetic valve is arranged at the joint of the color mixing mechanism and the printing head. According to the multi-color printing device, the input amount of the printing material wires of different colors is controlled through the feeding mechanism, the multi-color printing requirement is met, the color mixing process and the printing process are mutually independent, the color mixing waiting time is shortened, and the multi-color printing efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of 3D printers, and in particular to a color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things. Background Art

[0002] A 3D printer, also known as a three-dimensional printer, is a device that uses layer-by-layer printing to manufacture three-dimensional objects. Its basic principle is to place the model data and raw materials in the 3D printer, which will then divide the model into layers and plan the printing path based on the morphological characteristics of the layers, thereby printing the object layer by layer according to the printing path. With the rapid development of 3D printing technology, 3D printing technology has gradually been applied to model manufacturing, industrial design and many other fields.

[0003] The main structures of a 3D printer are the body, printing platform, print head, control system and material system. The print head, also known as the front end, can soften and extrude the raw materials, and move with the power mechanism to complete the printing task.

[0004] As the application areas of 3D printing gradually expand, traditional monochrome 3D printing is gradually unable to meet people's actual needs. In order to improve the aesthetics of 3D printed parts and save time for subsequent coloring, multi-color printing has begun to be used. However, today's multi-color printing is only achieved by inputting raw materials of specific colors. The types of selected colors are limited, and the step of replacing raw materials of different colors is also cumbersome. It also requires a reserve of raw materials of multiple colors, and the flexibility in color adjustment is poor.

[0005] Secondly, when performing multi-color printing, the color adjustment effect can be achieved by mixing raw materials of different colors, but before printing, it is necessary to wait for the raw materials to be fully mixed to achieve the expected color effect. When printing multiple color raw materials alternately, the interval time between different color printing strokes is long, which reduces the printing efficiency. Summary of the invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a color mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things to solve the problems raised in the above background technology.

[0007] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention provides the following technical solutions: a color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things, comprising a 3D printer body, a front-end component, a material storage mechanism and a local control terminal;

[0008] The front end component is arranged inside the 3D printer body;

[0009] The front-end assembly includes a feeding mechanism, a melting mechanism, a plurality of color mixing mechanisms, a print head and an air delivery mechanism;

[0010] The feeding mechanism includes a plurality of servo motors, a plurality of gear sets and a plurality of guide tubes, and the plurality of guide tubes are all connected to the interior of the melting mechanism;

[0011] Each color mixing mechanism is connected to the melting mechanism and the print head, a mixing tank is provided inside each color mixing mechanism, a feed solenoid valve is provided at the connection between each color mixing mechanism and the melting mechanism, and a discharge solenoid valve is provided at the connection between each color mixing mechanism and the print head.

[0012] Preferably, the material storage mechanism includes a plurality of material trays, and the number of the material trays is the same as the number of the servo motors.

[0013] Preferably, each gear set is connected to the output end of the servo motor;

[0014] Each gear set is composed of two gears meshing with each other, and the surface of the gear is provided with a groove adapted to the printing filament.

[0015] Preferably, a first heating block is installed on the surface of the melting mechanism, and a second heating block is installed on the surface of each of the plurality of color mixing mechanisms;

[0016] The first heating block and the second heating block are both plugged with heating rods and thermocouples.

[0017] Preferably, a first gas delivery valve is provided at the connection between the gas delivery mechanism and the material melting mechanism;

[0018] A second gas delivery valve is provided at the connection between the gas delivery mechanism and the plurality of color mixing mechanisms.

[0019] Preferably, the gas delivery mechanism is connected to an air pump, and a throttle valve is provided at the connection between the gas delivery mechanism and the air pump.

[0020] Preferably, the local control terminal includes a data processor, an action control module, a color mixing control module, a scheduling module, a temperature control module and a gas control module;

[0021] The motion control module is connected to the driving mechanism of the 3D printer body;

[0022] The color mixing control module is connected to a plurality of servo motors in the feeding mechanism;

[0023] The scheduling module is connected with a plurality of discharging solenoid valves and a plurality of feeding solenoid valves in a plurality of color mixing mechanisms;

[0024] The temperature control module is connected with the heating rod and the thermocouple;

[0025] The gas control module is connected with the air pump, the throttle valve, the first gas delivery valve and the second gas delivery valve.

[0026] Preferably, the local control terminal is connected to a server, and the server and the remote control terminal establish a network connection.

[0027] Preferably, the server uses a switch to establish a network connection with the Internet, and the remote control terminal accesses the operation page of the server through the network connection.

[0028] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0029] 1. The present invention adopts a feeding mechanism to independently convey printing material filaments of multiple colors, thereby achieving the effect of flexibly adjusting the mixed colors. The feeding mechanism can independently convey white, red, green and blue printing material filaments. Through the flexible ratio between the white, red, green and blue printing material filaments, different colors of printing materials can be obtained after mixing, which can be used for multi-color printing, and the color ratio is more flexible.

[0030] 2. The present invention is provided with multiple color mixing mechanisms, which achieves the effect of reducing the waiting time for color mixing and improving printing continuity. The color mixing mechanism can store a variety of color ratios, and the melting mechanism injects the matched printing materials into different color mixing mechanisms respectively. The color mixing mechanism discharges the printing materials in sequence according to the printing order, which is conducive to continuous multi-color printing. The melting mechanism is independent of the printing process, and the effect of mixing colors while printing can be achieved, which effectively saves the waiting time for color mixing and improves printing efficiency.

[0031] 3. The present invention can achieve the effects of remote monitoring and remote issuance of printing instructions. The 3D printer body can not only issue printing, adjustment, and monitoring instructions through the local control terminal, but also access the server through the remote control terminal and issue instructions in a remote control manner, effectively improving the convenience of practical applications. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance structure of the 3D printer body in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance structure of the front-end component in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the front-end component in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance structure of the feeding mechanism in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the connection structure of the material melting mechanism, the color mixing mechanism and the gas transmission mechanism in the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 6 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a melting mechanism in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 7 It is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a color mixing mechanism in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 8 is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of a print head in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0040] Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the control system structure in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0041] In the figure:

[0042] 100. 3D printer body;

[0043] 200, front end assembly; 210, feeding mechanism; 211, servo motor; 212, gear set; 213, guide tube; 220, melting mechanism; 221, first heating block; 230, color mixing mechanism; 231, second heating block; 232, discharge solenoid valve; 233, feed solenoid valve; 234, mixing tank; 240, print head; 250, gas delivery mechanism; 251, first gas delivery valve; 252, second gas delivery valve; 260, heating rod; 270, thermocouple;

[0044] 300, material storage mechanism; 301, material tray;

[0045] 400, local control terminal; 500, server; 600, remote control terminal. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0047] See also Figures 1 to 9 The present invention provides the following three embodiments:

[0048] Embodiment 1:

[0049] See also Figures 1 to 8 A color mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things includes a 3D printer body 100, a front-end component 200, a material storage mechanism 300 and a local control terminal 400.

[0050] When the local control terminal 400 is used to issue a printing instruction to the 3D printer body 100 , the local control terminal 400 analyzes and processes the printing data to obtain color mixing data, and issues the color mixing data to the 3D printer body 100 .

[0051] The local control terminal 400 includes a data processor, an action control module, a color mixing control module, a scheduling module, a temperature control module and a gas control module.

[0052] See also Figure 1 The front-end component 200 is disposed inside the 3D printer body 100 , the motion control module is connected to the driving mechanism of the 3D printer body 100 , the material storage mechanism 300 includes a plurality of material trays 301 , and the number of the material trays 301 is the same as the number of the servo motors 211 .

[0053] When performing multi-color printing, the staff will place white, red, green and blue printing filaments on the material tray 301 in advance, and let the printing filaments of different colors enter the feeding mechanism 210 through the guide tube 213. Red, green and blue are three primary colors, and different colors are obtained by mixing red, green and blue in different proportions. White is a blending color, and it is impossible to mix white only by red, green and blue. Therefore, white, red, green and blue are used as the four primary colors in this embodiment, and printing materials of different colors are obtained by mixing white, red, green and blue in different proportions.

[0054] See also Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 The front-end component 200 includes a feeding mechanism 210 , a melting mechanism 220 , a plurality of color mixing mechanisms 230 , a print head 240 and an air delivery mechanism 250 .

[0055] The feeding mechanism 210 includes a plurality of servo motors 211, a plurality of gear sets 212 and a plurality of guide tubes 213. Each gear set 212 is connected to the output end of the servo motor 211. Each gear set 212 is composed of two mutually meshing gears, and a groove adapted to the printing filament is provided on the surface of the gear. Each guide tube 213 is connected to the inside of the melting mechanism 220. The color mixing control module is connected to the plurality of servo motors 211 in the feeding mechanism 210.

[0056] The servo motor 211 is used to independently transmit the white, red, green and blue printing filaments. The color mixing control module adopts the PID control algorithm to accurately control the conveying length of the printing filaments. The PID algorithm is an algorithm widely used in industrial control. It is adjusted through three parts: proportional, integral and differential. According to the cross-sectional area and conveying speed of the printing filaments, the volume of the printing filaments input into the melting mechanism 220 is calculated, and then the proportion of the multiple printing filaments is accurately controlled to achieve accurate control of the color mixing ratio.

[0057] A first heating block 221 is installed on the surface of the melting mechanism 220, and a second heating block 231 is arranged on the surface of each color mixing mechanism 230. A heating rod 260 and a thermocouple 270 are plugged into the first heating block 221 and the second heating block 231. A temperature control module is connected to the heating rod 260 and the thermocouple 270. The temperature control module can control the heating temperature of the heating rod 260 and perform feedback adjustment on the heating rod 260 through the temperature feedback from the thermocouple 270.

[0058] The printing material filament enters the melting mechanism 220 through the feeding mechanism 210, and the first heating block 221 generates heat to act on the melting mechanism 220, and the conducted heat melts the printing material filament. The heat generated by the second heating block 231 acts on the surface of the color mixing mechanism 230, and the heat is conducted to the printing material in the color mixing mechanism 230 to keep the printing material in a melted state.

[0059] See also Figure 7 Each color mixing mechanism 230 is connected to the melting mechanism 220 and the print head 240, a mixing groove 234 is opened inside each color mixing mechanism 230, a feed solenoid valve 233 is provided at the connection between each color mixing mechanism 230 and the melting mechanism 220, a discharge solenoid valve 232 is provided at the connection between each color mixing mechanism 230 and the print head 240, and the scheduling module is connected to multiple discharge solenoid valves 232 and multiple feed solenoid valves 233 in multiple color mixing mechanisms 230.

[0060] The melted printing material is distributed through the scheduling module. The scheduling module controls the feed solenoid valve 233 belonging to the color mixing mechanism 230 to open, thereby injecting the printing material into the color mixing mechanism 230. When the printing material passes through the mixing tank 234 inside the color mixing mechanism 230, the fluid printing material flows along the inner wall of the mixing tank 234, and the printing materials flow with each other to achieve sufficient mixing of the printing materials, thereby forming printing materials of specific colors.

[0061] The scheduling module injects printing materials of different colors into the color mixing mechanism 230 in sequence according to the printing plan. The color mixing mechanism 230 discharges the printing materials in sequence according to the printing order, which is conducive to continuous multi-color printing. The melting mechanism 220 is independent of the printing process, and can achieve the effect of mixing colors while printing, effectively saving the waiting time for color mixing and improving printing efficiency.

[0062] A first air delivery valve 251 is provided at the connection between the air delivery mechanism 250 and the melting mechanism 220. When printing is completed, the first air delivery valve 251 is opened to squeeze the residual printing material in the melting mechanism 220 into the color mixing mechanism 230, and cooperate with the color mixing mechanism 230 and the print head 240 to completely drain the residual printing material.

[0063] The connection between the gas delivery mechanism 250 and the plurality of color mixing mechanisms 230 is provided with a second gas delivery valve 252. The scheduling module opens the material discharging solenoid valves 232 of the color mixing mechanisms 230 in sequence according to the printing sequence, and the printing material can be injected into the print head 240. At the same time, the air pressure control module controls the second gas delivery valve 252 to open, and the external gas is input into the color mixing mechanism 230 to extrude the printing material, and the print head 240 moves with the front-end assembly 200 to perform the printing operation.

[0064] The gas delivery mechanism 250 is connected to an air pump, and a throttle valve is provided at the connection between the gas delivery mechanism 250 and the air pump. The gas control module is connected to the air pump, the throttle valve, the first gas delivery valve 251 and the second gas delivery valve 252. The gas control module can adjust the pressure of the gas in the gas delivery mechanism 250 by controlling the throttle valve, thereby controlling the speed of printing material extrusion.

[0065] Embodiment 2:

[0066] When performing monochrome printing, the staff can place the printing material of the corresponding color on the material tray 301, and the printing material filament enters the feeding mechanism 210 through the guide tube 213. The servo motor 211 drives the gear set 212 to rotate, and transmits the printing material filament to the melting mechanism 220. The first heating block 221 generates heat to act on the melting mechanism 220. The conducted heat melts the printing material filament, and the melted printing material is distributed through the scheduling module.

[0067] The scheduling module distributes the monochrome printing material to the idle color mixing mechanism 230 and keeps the discharge solenoid valve 232 and the feed solenoid valve 233 of the color mixing mechanism 230 open.

[0068] The monochrome printing material can flow from the material melting mechanism 220 to the color mixing mechanism 230, and then flow from the color mixing mechanism 230 to the print head 240, so as to directly perform monochrome printing.

[0069] Embodiment three:

[0070] See also Fig. 9 The local control terminal 400 is connected to the server 500, and the server 500 is connected to the remote control terminal 600. The server 500 is connected to the Internet through a switch, and the remote control terminal 600 accesses the operation page of the server 500 through the network connection.

[0071] When remote control is adopted, the server 500 establishes a network connection through a network switch, and the server 500 builds a web page to generate a remote operation page of the 3D printer body 100. The remote control terminal 600 can be a mobile phone terminal, a networked computer terminal, etc. The Internet is accessed through the remote control terminal 600, and operation instructions are issued on the web page. The operation instructions are transmitted downstream from the Internet to the server 500, and the server 500 feeds back data values ​​to the local control terminal 400, and the local control terminal 400 issues commands to the 3D printer body 100 and executes the commands.

[0072] Secondly, a camera can be set in the 3D printer body 100, and the camera is connected to the local control terminal 400. When remote monitoring is performed, the image captured by the camera is converted into data, uploaded to the server 500 through the local control terminal 400, and transmitted to the remote control terminal 600 by the server 500. Now the operating status of the 3D printer body 100 can be remotely controlled and monitored, greatly improving convenience.

[0073] Working principle: In actual application, the staff puts white, red, green and blue printing filaments on the material tray 301 in advance, and respectively passes the printing filaments of different colors into the feeding mechanism 210 through the guide tube 213. The servo motor 211 drives the printing filaments of different colors respectively, and by controlling the operation of the servo motor 211, the input amount of the printing filament can be independently controlled.

[0074] The printing material filament enters the melting mechanism 220 through the feeding mechanism 210, and the first heating block 221 generates heat to act on the melting mechanism 220. The conducted heat melts the printing material filament, and the melted printing material is distributed through the scheduling module. The scheduling module controls the feed solenoid valve 233 belonging to the color mixing mechanism 230 to open, thereby injecting the printing material into the color mixing mechanism 230. When the printing material passes through the mixing tank 234 inside the color mixing mechanism 230, the fluid printing material flows along the inner wall of the mixing tank 234, and the printing materials flow with each other to achieve full mixing of the printing materials, thereby forming a printing material of a specific color. During the mixing process, the heat generated by the second heating block 231 acts on the surface of the color mixing mechanism 230, and the heat is conducted to the printing material in the color mixing mechanism 230 to keep the printing material in a melted state.

[0075] The scheduling module injects printing materials of different colors into the color mixing mechanism 230 in sequence according to the printing plan. The color mixing mechanism 230 discharges the printing materials in sequence according to the printing order, which is conducive to continuous multi-color printing. The melting mechanism 220 is independent of the printing process, and can achieve the effect of mixing colors while printing, effectively saving the waiting time for color mixing and improving printing efficiency.

[0076] The scheduling module opens the discharge solenoid valve 232 of the color mixing mechanism 230 in sequence according to the printing order, and the printing material can be injected into the print head 240. At the same time, the air pressure control module controls the second air supply valve 252 to open, and the external gas is input into the color mixing mechanism 230 to extrude the printing material. The print head 240 follows the front-end component 200 to move and perform the printing operation.

[0077] The staff can not only input printing data to the 3D printer body 100 through the local control terminal 400, but also access the server 500 through the remote control terminal 600 to remotely control and monitor the operating status of the 3D printer body 100, thereby greatly improving convenience.

[0078] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description, and it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the invention. Any reference numeral in a claim should not be considered as limiting the claim to which it relates.

Claims

1. A color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things, characterized in that: It comprises a 3D printer body (100), a front-end component (200), a material storage mechanism (300) and a local control terminal (400); The front end component (200) is arranged inside the 3D printer body (100); The front-end component (200) comprises a material feeding mechanism (210), a material melting mechanism (220), a plurality of color mixing mechanisms (230), a print head (240) and an air delivery mechanism (250); The feeding mechanism (210) comprises a plurality of servo motors (211), a plurality of gear sets (212) and a plurality of guide tubes (213), and each of the guide tubes (213) is connected to the interior of the melting mechanism (220); Each color mixing mechanism (230) is connected to the material melting mechanism (220) and the print head (240), a mixing tank (234) is provided inside each color mixing mechanism (230), a material feeding solenoid valve (233) is provided at the connection between each color mixing mechanism (230) and the material melting mechanism (220), and a material discharging solenoid valve (232) is provided at the connection between each color mixing mechanism (230) and the print head (240).

2. The color mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material storage mechanism (300) comprises a plurality of material trays (301), and the number of the material trays (301) is the same as the number of the servo motors (211).

3. The color mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each gear set (212) is connected to the output end of the servo motor (211); Each gear set (212) is composed of two gears meshing with each other, and a groove adapted to the printing filament is provided on the surface of the gear.

4. The color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first heating block (221) is installed on the surface of the material melting mechanism (220), and a second heating block (231) is installed on the surfaces of the plurality of color mixing mechanisms (230); A heating rod (260) and a thermocouple (270) are inserted into the first heating block (221) and the second heating block (231).

5. The color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first gas delivery valve (251) is provided at the connection between the gas delivery mechanism (250) and the material melting mechanism (220); A second gas delivery valve (252) is provided at the connection between the gas delivery mechanism (250) and the plurality of color mixing mechanisms (230).

6. The color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to claim 5, characterized in that: The gas delivery mechanism (250) is connected to an air pump, and a throttle valve is provided at the connection between the gas delivery mechanism (250) and the air pump.

7. A color mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The local control terminal (400) comprises a data processor, an action control module, a color mixing control module, a scheduling module, a temperature control module and a gas control module; The motion control module is connected to the driving mechanism of the 3D printer body (100); The color mixing control module is connected to a plurality of servo motors (211) in the feeding mechanism (210); The scheduling module is connected to a plurality of discharge solenoid valves (232) and a plurality of feed solenoid valves (233) in a plurality of color mixing mechanisms (230); The temperature control module is connected to the heating rod (260) and the thermocouple (270); The gas control module is connected to the gas pump, the throttle valve, the first gas delivery valve (251) and the second gas delivery valve (252).

8. The color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to claim 7, characterized in that: The local control terminal (400) is connected to a server (500), and the server (500) and the remote control terminal (600) establish a network connection.

9. The color-mixing 3D printer based on the Internet of Things according to claim 8, characterized in that: The server (500) uses a switch to establish a network connection with the Internet, and the remote control terminal (600) accesses the operation page of the server (500) through the network connection.

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