Multi-material powder spreading device, additive manufacturing equipment with powder spreading device and method
By designing a multi-material powder laying device, using electric field to control powder deposition, the precise deposition and patterning of multiple materials is solved, and the problem of difficulty in realizing multi-material gradient deposition in the same layer in the prior art is solved, and the multi-material is satisfied Structural manufacturing requirements.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202411592909.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-08
- Publication Date
- 2025-02-11
AI Technical Summary
The existing powder bed melting technology is difficult to achieve continuous or gradient deposition of multiple materials in the same layer, and cannot meet the manufacturing needs of multi-material structures.
A multi-material powder laying device is designed to achieve precise deposition and patterning of multiple powder materials through electric field control, and material gradient is realized in the same construction layer. The device includes a powder container, a screening unit and an electrode control unit to control the layer thickness and deposition rate of the powder deposition region by adjusting the electric field parameters.
The precise deposition and patterning of a variety of powder materials is achieved, and the material gradient is realized in the same construction layer to meet the manufacturing needs of multi-material structures.
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Figure CN119407207A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and more specifically to a multi-material powder spreading device for powder bed fusion technology, an additive manufacturing device equipped with the powder spreading device, and a powder spreading method. Background Art
[0002] With the development of additive manufacturing technology (such as laser powder bed melting, electron beam melting, etc.), additive manufacturing technology has gradually been applied to high-end manufacturing fields such as aerospace, automobile manufacturing, and biomedicine. It is especially suitable for the processing of complex structures and high-precision metal parts. The core process of additive manufacturing is to use layer-by-layer stacked powder materials to generate three-dimensional objects through laser or electron beam melting scanning.
[0003] Powder bed fusion (PBF), as one of the typical technologies of additive manufacturing, is a process of constructing three-dimensional objects by melting metal or polymer powder layer by layer through high-energy laser or electron beam. In the PBF process, the 3D printing equipment will first evenly lay the powder material on the forming platform, and then selectively melt the laid powder to form the target shape according to the preset scanning path; after each layer of powder is melted and solidified, the platform will drop a certain height (ie, layer thickness), the powder feeding device will continue to lay a new layer of powder, and repeat the melting scanning process until the construction is completed.
[0004] However, the existing powder bed fusion technology can usually only lay down powder materials of a single material, and it is difficult to achieve a combination of multiple materials in a single layer, that is, it is difficult to achieve continuous or gradual deposition of different materials in the same layer, thus failing to meet the manufacturing needs of multi-material structures;
[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a powder spreading device that can achieve precise deposition of a variety of powder materials and realize material gradients in different areas. Summary of the invention
[0006] The present application provides a multi-material powder laying device that can control the laying of powder through an electric field, achieve precise deposition and patterning of multiple powder materials, and achieve multi-material deposition in the same building layer, and can realize material gradients in different regions.
[0007] In a first aspect, the present application provides a multi-material powder spreading device, comprising:
[0008] one or more powder containers loaded with a number of different powder materials;
[0009] One or more screening units, each of which has one or more powder screening holes, and the one or more screening units correspond to one or more powder spreading intervals of the forming platform respectively;
[0010] One or more electrode control units are installed in the forming chamber, and the one or more electrode control units correspond to the one or more screening units respectively, and are used to control the electric field parameters to send different powder materials to the one or more screening units, so as to form the same or different powder deposition areas in the one or more powder spreading intervals; wherein, by adjusting the electric field parameters, the powder layer thickness and / or deposition rate of the powder deposition area is controlled and the gradient deposition of powder materials in the one or more powder spreading intervals is achieved.
[0011] In an optional solution of the first aspect, one or more powder storage cavities are provided in the one or more powder containers, and the one or more powder storage cavities are respectively loaded with one or more powder materials.
[0012] In an optional solution of the first aspect, a single powder storage cavity is provided in each powder container, and the single powder storage cavity is loaded with a type of powder material.
[0013] In an optional solution of the first aspect, it also includes: a material switching unit, which is connected to the powder container and is used to control the powder container to switch different powder materials.
[0014] In an optional solution of the first aspect, one screening unit corresponds to a plurality of powder containers, which are provided with one or more powder screening holes.
[0015] In an optional solution of the first aspect, the one screening unit corresponds to a plurality of powder spreading intervals of the forming platform, and is used to deposit powder dropped by one or more electrode control units into the plurality of powder spreading intervals.
[0016] In an optional scheme of the first aspect, an electrode control unit corresponds to the multiple powder spreading intervals, and the electrode control unit sends the powder material to the one screening unit by controlling the electric field parameters to form the same or different powder deposition areas in the multiple powder spreading intervals.
[0017] In an optional solution of the first aspect, each screening unit corresponds to a powder container and is provided with one or more powder screening holes.
[0018] In an optional scheme of the first aspect, each screening unit corresponds to a powder spreading interval of the forming platform, and is used to deposit the powder dropped by one or more electrode control units into the powder spreading interval.
[0019] In an optional scheme of the first aspect, each electrode control unit corresponds to one of the powder spreading intervals, and the electrode control unit sends the powder material to each of the screening units by controlling the electric field parameters to form a powder deposition area with a preset layer thickness in the one of the powder spreading intervals.
[0020] In an optional scheme of the first aspect, the multi-material powder spreading device is installed on the powder spreading machine and moves synchronously with the powder spreading machine. The powder spreading machine can drive the multi-material powder spreading device to realize powder deposition in the one or more powder spreading intervals according to the set scanning path information.
[0021] In an optional solution of the first aspect, it also includes: a moving part, which is installed in the forming chamber and is used to provide movement in a preset direction according to the set scanning path information.
[0022] In an optional solution of the first aspect, the multi-material powder spreading device is installed on the moving part and moves synchronously with the moving part along a preset direction, and the multi-material powder spreading device realizes powder deposition in the one or more powder spreading intervals through the moving part.
[0023] In an optional solution of the first aspect, it also includes: an angle adjustment unit, which is installed in the forming chamber and connected to one or more electrode control units, and is used to control the angle of one or more electrode control units.
[0024] In an optional scheme of the first aspect, the multi-material powder spreading device is located on one side or multiple sides of the powder spreading roller. After the multi-material powder spreading device forms the same or different powder deposition areas, the powder spreading roller is used to improve the flatness of the same or different powder deposition areas.
[0025] In the second aspect, the present application provides an additive manufacturing device equipped with the powder spreading device, which also includes: a forming platform, which divides the forming area into one or more powder spreading intervals; a powder spreader, which is installed in the forming bin and is used to flatten the powder material in the powder deposition area for the second time.
[0026] In an optional solution of the second aspect, the powder spreading device adopts a powder spreading roller to improve the flatness of the powder deposition area after the powder deposition area is formed.
[0027] In the third aspect, the present application provides a powder spreading method using the additive manufacturing equipment, the method comprising: generating an electric field of preset strength and using the positive pole of the electromagnet and the negative pole of the powder material to form electric field adsorption; delivering different powder materials to one or more screening units and depositing the different powder materials into one or more powder spreading intervals of the forming platform through one or more powder screening holes; wherein, by adjusting the electric field parameters, powder deposition areas with the same or different powder layer thicknesses are formed in the one or more powder spreading intervals to achieve gradient deposition of powder materials in the one or more powder spreading intervals.
[0028] In an optional scheme of the third aspect, when adjusting the electric field parameters, the method includes: forming the same or different powder deposition areas in the one or more powder spreading intervals by adjusting the first electric field parameters; controlling the powder deposition amount and / or deposition rate of each powder deposition area by adjusting the second electric field parameters to form a gradient deposition of powder materials with the same or different powder layer thicknesses.
[0029] In an optional scheme of the third aspect, after achieving powder gradient deposition in one or more powder spreading intervals, the method includes: moving the powder spreading roller along the powder deposition area of the one or more powder spreading intervals to improve the flatness of the powder material after gradient deposition.
[0030] It should be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary only and are not restrictive of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application and to enable one of ordinary skill in the relevant art to make and use the present application.
[0032] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0033] Figure 2 It is a connection diagram of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0034] Figure 3 It is a first cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0035] Figure 4 It is a second cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0036] Figure 5 is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary single powder container and screening unit according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0037] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary plurality of single-cavity powder containers and a plurality of single-hole screening units according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0038] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary plurality of multi-cavity powder containers and a plurality of porous screening units according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0039] Figure 8This is a first structural schematic diagram of an exemplary single electrode control unit according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0040] Fig. 9 This is a second structural schematic diagram of an exemplary single electrode control unit according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0041] Fig.10 This is a first structural schematic diagram of an exemplary plurality of electrode control units according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0042] Fig.11 This is a second structural schematic diagram of an exemplary plurality of electrode control units according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0043] Fig.12 FIG. 1 is a third structural schematic diagram of an exemplary plurality of electrode control units according to some embodiments of the present application. FIG.
[0044] Fig.13 This is a schematic diagram of the first combined structure of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0045] Fig.14 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary single powder spreading interval according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0046] Fig.15 This is a schematic diagram of the second combined structure of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0047] Fig.16 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of multiple powder spreading intervals according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0048] Fig.17 This is a schematic diagram of the third combined structure of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0049] Fig.18 It is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device installation moving part according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0050] Fig.19 It is a structural schematic diagram of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device for angle adjustment according to some embodiments of the present application.
[0051] Fig. 20 This is a schematic structural diagram of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device installed with a powder spreading roller according to some embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0052] Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, example embodiments can be implemented in a variety of forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the present application will be more comprehensive and complete and fully convey the concepts of the example embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, many specific details are provided to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present application.
[0053] To facilitate understanding, we first briefly introduce the additive manufacturing equipment for melting metal materials.
[0054] The forming chamber is the processing area of the additive manufacturing equipment, which is responsible for accommodating metal powder and three-dimensional objects. In this area, the metal powder is laid layer by layer, and the energy beam selectively melts it to form a three-dimensional structure stacked layer by layer; the forming chamber is airtight to prevent outside air from affecting the printing quality and to avoid oxidation of the metal powder; further, the forming platform 30 is usually located in the forming chamber, and the forming platform 30 descends layer by layer to cooperate with the powder laying and carry the three-dimensional formed object.
[0055] The energy sources used in additive manufacturing equipment mainly include lasers or electron beam emitters. Laser powder bed melting uses high-power lasers, while electron beam melting uses electron beams to achieve rapid melting of metal powder. The beam of the energy source is projected onto the laid metal powder layer through a focusing and control device, providing sufficient energy to melt it. Different types of energy sources are suitable for different materials and manufacturing requirements. Laser melting is suitable for high-precision parts, while electron beam melting is suitable for large size and thick layer forming.
[0056] The powder spreader is used to evenly spread metal powder on the forming platform 30 to ensure that the thickness of each layer of powder bed is uniform, which directly affects the forming accuracy and part quality. The powder spreader usually adopts a scraper structure, a roller structure, etc. The powder spreader (such as a scraper or a roller) moves laterally and spreads the powder evenly on the surface of the forming platform 30 by pushing, scraping or rolling. The movement speed, pressure, vibration and other parameters of the powder spreader are precisely controlled to ensure that the powder layer maintains a consistent thickness; and the unmelted powder is recovered into the powder storage tank for reuse.
[0057] The control system is responsible for coordinating the operation of each component. It receives and processes data from the design model, slices the three-dimensional model into multiple two-dimensional planes, and directs the printing of each component layer by layer. The control system ensures the stability and high precision of the entire printing process by adjusting parameters such as powder laying position, powder flow, laser or electron beam power, and vibration frequency. In addition, the control system usually cooperates with sensors to monitor parameters such as temperature, stress, and melt pool status during the printing process in real time, so as to make timely adjustments to abnormal situations.
[0058] Furthermore, the present application also combines an electrostatic powder spreading method, which generates an electric field between a powder container and an electrode so that powder material particles move between the two electrodes and are deposited on a forming platform to achieve laying of the powder material.
[0059] Therefore, reference Figure 1-Figure 4 As shown, the present application relates to a multi-material powder spreading device for metal material molten additive manufacturing equipment, including one or more powder containers 20, one or more powder containers 20 are loaded with several different powder materials; one or more screening units 21, which are provided with one or more powder screening holes 210, and one or more screening units 21 respectively correspond to one or more powder spreading intervals 300 of the forming platform 30; one or more electrode control units 22, which are installed in the forming bin, and one or more electrode control units 22 respectively correspond to one or more screening units 21, and are used to control electric field parameters to send different powder materials to one or more screening units 21, so as to form the same or different powder deposition areas in one or more powder spreading intervals 300; wherein, by adjusting the electric field parameters, the powder layer thickness and / or deposition rate of the powder deposition area are controlled and the gradient deposition of powder materials in one or more powder spreading intervals 300 is achieved.
[0060] Specifically, one or more powder containers 20 are grounded through the grounding connection line 12 and one or more powder storage chambers 200 are set in the one or more powder containers 20. The specific number of powder storage chambers 200 can correspond to the number of powder types, and can also be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, that is, at least the number of powder storage chambers 200 is ensured to be greater than or equal to the number of powder types; further, multiple spare powder storage chambers 200 can be set to avoid malfunction of the powder storage chamber 200 for storing commonly used powder materials and affect the operation efficiency; further, an automatic slide rail can be set under the powder container 20, and the powder container 20 is driven by the automatic slide rail to perform X or Y axis movement. The automatic slide rail can adopt an existing reciprocating linear motion structure, including but not limited to an electric slide rail, a hydraulic slide rail or a pneumatic slide rail structure.
[0061] Specifically, one or more screening units 21 correspond to one or more powder containers 20 and one or more powder spreading intervals 300 of the forming platform 30 respectively, and one or more screening units 21 are provided with one or more powder screening holes 210, and the number of each powder screening hole 210 can correspond to the number of powder spreading intervals 300, and can also be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, and at least ensure that the number of powder screening holes 210 is greater than or equal to the number of powder spreading intervals 300; further, a plurality of spare powder screening holes 210 can also be set to avoid blockage of the powder screening holes 210 and affect the operating efficiency.
[0062] Specifically, one or more electrode control units 22 correspond to one or more powder containers 20 and one or more screening units 21, respectively, and one or more electrode control units 22 can be set to be fixed or angle-adjustable; after the high voltage is passed through the high voltage connection line 11, the electrode control unit 22 forms a strong electric field, and uses the positive electrode of the strong electric field and the negative electrode of the powder material to form an adsorption effect, so as to adsorb the powder material on the electrode 220 of the electrode control unit 22. When the powder material accumulates, the negative electrode of the powder material is neutralized with the positive electrode of the strong electric field, and falls on the screening unit 21, and is deposited in the powder spreading interval 300 corresponding to the forming platform 30 through the powder screening holes 210 of a specific size or pattern of the screening unit 21, so as to form a powder deposition area. In the actual implementation process, by adjusting the electric field parameters, such as voltage, frequency, switch, etc., the powder layer thickness and deposition rate of the powder deposition area are controlled, and the gradient deposition of the powder material in one or more powder spreading intervals 300 is realized, and two-dimensional patterning of multiple materials can be realized in the same powder layer.
[0063] Therefore, the principle of the electrostatic powder adsorption method is: the electrode control unit 22 is connected to high voltage through the high-voltage connecting line 11 to establish a strong electric field, so that the electrode 220 of the electrode control unit 22 generates a positive electrode to adsorb the negative electrode powder material, and then the negative electrode of the powder material is neutralized under the action of the strong electric field positive electrode, and thus falls into the screening unit 21, and falls through the powder screening hole 210 of the screening unit 21 to the powder spreading interval 300, and is deposited in the powder spreading interval 300 to form a powder deposition area until the powder laying is completed.
[0064] refer to Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary single multi-cavity powder container 20 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in some examples of the present application, a single powder container 20 is provided and the powder container 20 is provided with a plurality of powder storage cavities 200. The number of powder storage cavities 200 may correspond to the number of powder types, or may be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, that is, at least the number of powder storage cavities 200 is ensured to be greater than or equal to the number of powder types; further, a powder container 20 with a plurality of spare powder storage cavities 200 may be provided to avoid failure of the powder storage cavity 200 storing commonly used powder materials and affect the operating efficiency, and the spare powder storage cavity 200 may be used as a replacement.
[0065] refer to Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6A schematic diagram of the structure of a plurality of single-cavity powder containers 20 in some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in other examples of the present application, a plurality of powder containers 20 are provided and each powder container 20 is provided with a separate powder storage cavity 200. The number of powder storage cavities 200 may correspond to the number of powder types, or may be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, that is, at least the number of powder storage containers is ensured to be greater than or equal to the number of powder types; further, a plurality of spare powder containers 20 may be provided to avoid failure of a powder container 20 storing commonly used powder materials that affects the operating efficiency, and the spare powder container 20 may be used as a replacement.
[0066] Exemplarily, for example, there are three powder containers 20, and the powder containers 20 are numbered as container I20a, container II20b and container III20c, respectively. Container I20a is provided with a powder storage chamber I, container II20b is provided with a powder storage chamber II, and container III20c is provided with a powder storage chamber III. Powder storage chamber I, powder storage chamber II and powder storage chamber III can store the same or different powder materials. The number of powder containers 20 can also be adjusted according to actual needs.
[0067] refer to Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of a plurality of multi-cavity powder containers 20 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in other examples of the present application, a plurality of powder containers 20 are provided and each powder container 20 is provided with a plurality of powder storage cavities 200. The number of powder storage cavities 200 may correspond to the number of powder types, or may be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, that is, at least the number of powder storage cavities 200 is ensured to be greater than or equal to the number of powder types; further, a plurality of powder containers 20 with a plurality of spare powder storage cavities 200 may be provided to avoid failure of the powder storage cavities 200 storing commonly used powder materials and affect the operating efficiency, and the spare powder storage cavities 200 may be used as replacements.
[0068] Exemplarily, for example, there are three powder containers 20, which are numbered as container I20a, container II20b and container III20c, respectively. Container I20a is provided with powder storage chamber I, powder storage chamber II and powder storage chamber III, container II20b is provided with powder storage chamber IV, powder storage chamber V and powder storage chamber VI, and container III20c is provided with powder storage chamber VII, powder storage chamber VIII and powder storage chamber IX. Powder storage chamber I, powder storage chamber II, powder storage chamber III, powder storage chamber IV, powder storage chamber V, powder storage chamber VI, powder storage chamber VII, powder storage chamber VIII and powder storage chamber IX can store the same or different powder materials, and one or more powder storage chambers 200 can be used as spare powder storage chambers 200, and the number of powder containers 20 and powder storage chambers 200 can also be adjusted according to actual needs.
[0069] refer to Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4 The schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary single porous screening unit 21 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in some examples of the present application, a screening unit 21 is provided and a plurality of powder screening holes 210 are provided in the screening unit 21. The number of the powder screening holes 210 corresponds to the number of the powder storage chamber 200 or the powder spreading interval 300, and can also be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, at least to ensure that the number of the powder screening holes 210 is greater than or equal to the number of the powder storage chamber 200 or the powder spreading interval 300; and the powder screening hole 210 can be any hole shape or a pattern shape. If a discontinuous pattern is used, the discontinuous pattern is defined as a powder screening hole 210, and the powder material is deposited to a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300 through the powder screening hole 210.
[0070] refer to Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a plurality of single-hole screening units 21 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in other examples of the present application, a plurality of screening units 21 are provided and each screening unit 21 is provided with a separate powder screening hole 210, the number of screening units 21 corresponds to the number of powder storage chambers 200 or powder spreading intervals 300, and can also be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, at least to ensure that the number of screening units 21 is greater than or equal to the number of powder storage chambers 200 or powder spreading intervals 300; and the powder screening hole 210 can be any hole shape or a pattern shape. If a discontinuous pattern is used, the discontinuous pattern is defined as a powder screening hole 210, and the powder material is deposited to a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300 through the powder screening hole 210.
[0071] Exemplarily, for example, there are three screening units 21, and the screening units 21 are numbered as screening I21a, screening II21b and screening III21c, respectively. Screening I21a is provided with powder screening holes 210I, screening II21b is provided with powder screening holes 210I, and screening III21c is provided with powder screening holes 210III. Powder screening holes 210I, powder screening holes 210II and powder screening holes 210III can have the same size or pattern, or different sizes and patterns. Furthermore, the number of screening units 21 can also be adjusted according to actual needs.
[0072] refer to Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6A schematic diagram of the structure of a plurality of porous screening units 21 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in other examples of the present application, a plurality of screening units 21 are provided and each screening unit 21 is provided with a plurality of powder screening holes 210, the number of screening units 21 corresponds to the number of powder storage chambers 200 or powder spreading intervals 300, and can also be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, at least to ensure that the number of screening units 21 is greater than or equal to the number of powder storage chambers 200 or powder spreading intervals 300; and the powder screening hole 210 can be any hole shape or a pattern shape. If a discontinuous pattern is used, the discontinuous pattern is defined as a powder screening hole 210, and the powder material is deposited to a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300 through the powder screening hole 210.
[0073] Exemplarily, for example, there are three screening units 21, and the screening units 21 are numbered as screening I21a, screening II21b and screening III21c, respectively. Screening I21a is provided with screening holes I, screening holes II and screening holes III, screening II21b is provided with screening holes IV, screening holes V and screening holes VI, and screening III21c is provided with screening holes VII, screening holes VIII and screening holes IX. Screening holes I, screening holes II, screening holes III, screening holes IV, screening holes V, screening holes VI, screening holes VII, screening holes VIII and screening holes IX can adopt the same size or pattern, or different sizes and patterns. One or more of the screening holes can be used as spare screening holes, and the number of screening units 21 and screening holes can be adjusted according to actual needs.
[0074] In other examples of the present application, when the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application is installed on a moving structure, such as a powder spreader or a separate moving part 40, a single screening unit 21 can be provided and the screening unit 21 is provided with a powder screening hole 210, and the powder screening hole 210 can be any hole shape or a pattern shape. If a discontinuous pattern is used, the discontinuous pattern is defined as a powder screening hole 210, and the powder material is deposited to a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300 through the powder screening hole 210. After each deposition in a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300, the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application follows the movement of the moving structure and moves to the next specific area of the powder spreading interval 300, and so on.
[0075] refer to Figure 8 and Fig. 9 As shown, Figure 8 and Fig. 9The schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary single electrode control unit 22 using an electrode array in some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in some examples of the present application, an electrode control unit 22 is set and a plurality of electrodes 220 are set in the electrode control unit 22 to form an electrode array, and the electrode array corresponds to the powder spreading area 300 of the forming platform 30; the electrode control unit 22 uses an electrostatic powder laying method to achieve powder adsorption and send the powder to the screening unit 21, and the powder is deposited to the characteristic area of the powder spreading area 300 through the screening unit 21 to achieve non-physical contact powder material deposition; and the electrode array controls the voltage of each electrode 220 through electric field switching to control the powder material deposition rate and / or powder layer thickness of the corresponding powder spreading area 300.
[0076] Exemplarily, for example, the electrode control unit 22 has three electrodes 220, which are numbered as electrode I, electrode II and electrode III respectively. Electrode I, electrode II and electrode III can use the same or different electric field parameters; further, the number of electrodes 220 can also be adjusted according to actual needs.
[0077] refer to Figure 10-12 As shown, Figure 10-12 A schematic diagram of a structure in which a plurality of electrode control units 22 form an electrode array in some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in other examples of the present application, a plurality of electrode control units 22 are provided and one or more electrodes 220 are provided in each electrode control unit 22, and the plurality of electrode control units 22 form an electrode array, the electrode array corresponds to the powder spreading interval 300 of the forming platform 30, and the electrode array controls the voltage of each electrode 220 through electric field switching to control the powder material deposition rate and / or the powder layer thickness of the corresponding powder spreading interval 300.
[0078] Exemplarily, for example, there are three electrode control units 22, and the electrode control units 22 are numbered as control I 22a, control II 22b and control III 22c, respectively. Control I 22a is provided with electrode I, electrode II and electrode III, control II 22b is provided with electrode IV, electrode V and electrode VI, and control III 22c is provided with electrode VII, electrode VIII and electrode IX. Electrode I, electrode II, electrode III, electrode IV, electrode V, electrode VI, electrode VII, electrode VIII and electrode IX can adopt the same or different electric field parameters, one or more of the electrodes can be used as spare electrodes, and the number of electrode control units 22 and electrodes 220 can also be increased according to actual needs.
[0079] Further, refer to Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8A schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary single electrode 220 control unit 22 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, in other examples of the present application, when the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application is installed on a moving structure, such as a powder spreader or a separate moving part 40, a single electrode control unit 22 with only one electrode 220 can be set and the electrode control unit 22 corresponds to the powder container 20 and the screening unit 21 respectively. After the single electrode control unit 22 adsorbs the powder material and deposits it in a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300, the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application follows the movement of the moving structure and moves to the next specific area of the powder spreading interval 300, and so on to perform powder adsorption.
[0080] Therefore, the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application can have various combinations, for example:
[0081] A single multi-cavity powder container, a single single-hole screening unit, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, a single single-hole screening unit, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; a single multi-cavity powder container, a single single-hole screening unit, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, a single single-hole screening unit, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; a single multi-cavity powder container, a single porous screening unit, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, a single porous screening unit, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; a single multi-cavity powder container, a single porous screening unit, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, a single porous screening unit, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals ; A single multi-cavity powder container, multiple single-hole screening units, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, multiple single-hole screening units, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; a single multi-cavity powder container, multiple single-hole screening units, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, multiple single-hole screening units, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; a single multi-cavity powder container, multiple porous screening units, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, multiple porous screening units, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; a single multi-cavity powder container, multiple porous screening units, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; a single multi-cavity powder container, multiple porous screening units, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals.
[0082] Multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; Multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple single-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals.
[0083] Multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single single-hole screening unit, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, a single multi-porous screening unit, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; Multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple single-hole screening units, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, a single electrode control unit and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, a single electrode control unit and multiple powder-spreading intervals; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, multiple electrode control units and a single powder-spreading interval; multiple multi-cavity powder containers, multiple porous screening units, multiple electrode control units and multiple powder-spreading intervals.
[0084] Therefore, from the above permutations and combinations, several combinations are selected for specific description:
[0085] refer to Fig.13 and Fig.14 As shown, Fig.13 and Fig.14 The schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary single multi-cavity powder container 20, a single single-hole screening unit 21, a single electrode control unit 22 and a single powder spreading area 300 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, when this setting is adopted, the multi-material powder spreading device of this embodiment is installed on the powder spreading device of the additive manufacturing equipment and moves synchronously with the powder spreading device. Therefore, in some examples of the present application:
[0086] A powder container 20 is provided and a plurality of powder storage chambers 200 are provided on the powder container 20. The number of powder storage chambers 200 may correspond to the number of powder types, or may be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, that is, at least the number of powder storage chambers 200 is ensured to be greater than or equal to the number of powder types; further, a plurality of spare powder storage chambers 200 may be provided to avoid failure of the powder storage chamber 200 storing commonly used powder materials and affect the operation efficiency. Exemplarily, for example, if three kinds of powder materials are required for additive manufacturing, of which two kinds of powder materials are most commonly used, the powder container 20 is provided with at least or equal to three powder storage chambers 200, or five or more powder storage chambers 200 may be provided, wherein the extra powder storage chambers 200 are used as spares, so as to facilitate replacement after the powder container 20 is damaged or the powder container 20 is empty.
[0087] A screening unit 21 is provided and corresponds to the above-mentioned one powder container 20, and the screening unit 21 is provided with a powder screening hole 210, and the powder screening hole 210 corresponds to a powder spreading section 300 of the forming platform 30, and the operator sets the powder screening hole 210 to a required size or required pattern shape. An electrode control unit 22 is provided and corresponds to the above-mentioned one powder container 20 and one screening unit 21.
[0088] Therefore, the specific implementation process is as follows: the powder spreader moves the multi-material powder spreading device to the first area position of the powder spreading interval 300, and then the electrode 220 of an electrode control unit 22 is connected to high voltage through the high-voltage connecting line 11 to establish a strong electric field and adjust the strong electric field to the adsorption strength of the first powder, and then the powder container 20 switches to open the powder storage chamber 200 of the first powder material and an electrode control unit 22 uses the positive electrode of the strong electric field to adsorb the negative first powder material, and then the negative electrode of the first powder material is neutralized under the action of the positive electrode of the strong electric field and falls into a screening unit 21. The powder falls through a powder screening hole 210 of a screening unit 21 to the first area position of the powder spreading interval 300 and is deposited in the first area of the powder spreading interval 300. After the deposition is completed, the powder spreader moves the multi-material powder spreading device to the second area position of the powder spreading interval 300, and then passes high voltage electricity through the high-voltage connecting line 11 to the electrode 220 of an electrode control unit 22 to establish a strong electric field and adjust the strong electric field to the adsorption strength of the second powder. Thus, this process is repeated by analogy until the powder deposition in the powder spreading interval 300 is completed, so as to realize the deposition of multiple materials in a single powder layer.
[0089] Specifically, when a single multi-cavity powder container 20, a single porous screening unit 21, a single electrode control unit 22 and a single powder spreading section 300 are used, the multi-material powder spreading device of this embodiment is installed on the powder spreading device of the additive manufacturing equipment and moves synchronously with the powder spreading device. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present application:
[0090] A screening unit 21 is provided and corresponds to the above-mentioned one powder container 20, and the screening unit 21 is provided with a plurality of powder screening holes 210, and the plurality of powder screening holes 210 correspond to a powder spreading area 300 of the forming platform 30. An electrode control unit 22 is provided and corresponds to the above-mentioned one powder container 20 and one screening unit 21.
[0091] Therefore, the specific implementation process of this embodiment is similar to the above embodiment, but the difference is that: the powder material falls into a screening unit 21, falls into a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300 through multiple powder screening holes 210 of a screening unit 21, and is deposited in the specific area of the powder spreading interval 300. The deposition rate can be improved through the porous setting, and each hole can be set to a different size and / or pattern shape.
[0092] refer to Fig.15 and Fig.16 As shown, Fig.15 and Fig.16 The schematic diagram of the structure of some exemplary embodiments of the present application includes multiple single-cavity powder containers 20, a single porous screening unit 21, multiple electrode control units 22, and multiple powder spreading intervals 300. Specifically, when the configuration is adopted, the multi-material powder spreading device of this example can be selectively installed on the powder spreading device of the additive manufacturing equipment to move synchronously with the powder spreading device; the multi-material powder spreading device of this example can also be fixedly installed on the forming platform 30; thus, in some examples of the present application:
[0093] A plurality of powder containers 20 are provided and a single powder storage cavity 200 is provided for the powder container 20. Each powder storage cavity 200 stores a type of powder material separately. The specific number of powder containers 20 may correspond to the number of powder types, or may be adjusted by the operator according to actual needs, that is, at least the number of powder containers 20 is ensured to be greater than or equal to the number of powder types; further, a plurality of spare powder containers 20 may be provided to avoid the failure of the powder container 20 storing the commonly used powder materials and affect the operation efficiency. Exemplarily, for example, if four kinds of powder materials are required for additive manufacturing, of which two kinds of powder materials are the most commonly used, at least four or more powder containers 20 are provided, and six or more powder containers 20 may also be provided, wherein the extra powder containers 20 are used as spares, so as to facilitate replacement after the powder container 20 is damaged or the powder container 20 is empty.
[0094] A screening unit 21 is provided and a plurality of powder screening holes 210 of the screening unit 21 are matched with the plurality of powder containers 20, and the plurality of powder screening holes 210 are matched with a plurality of powder spreading intervals 300 of the forming platform 30. Specifically, the number of the powder screening holes 210 is greater than or equal to the number of powder containers 20 or the number of powder spreading intervals 300. Furthermore, the plurality of powder screening holes 210 are set by the operator to the required size or required pattern shape. A plurality of electrode control units 22 are provided and each electrode control unit 22 is matched with a powder container 20 and a powder screening hole 210, respectively.
[0095] Exemplarily, for example, there are four powder spreading intervals 300, and each powder spreading interval 300 is numbered as the first interval, the second interval, the third interval and the fourth interval, the powder container 20 uses the same as the powder spreading interval 300 and is numbered as the first container, the second container, the third container and the fourth container respectively, the powder screening holes 210 are numbered as the first screening hole, the second screening hole, the third screening hole and the fourth screening hole respectively, and the electrode control unit 22 is numbered as the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode and the fourth electrode; thus, the first interval, the first container, the first screening hole and the first electrode correspond to each other, and so on, until the fourth interval, the fourth container, the fourth screening hole and the fourth electrode correspond to each other.
[0096] Therefore, the specific implementation process is:
[0097] Adjust the positions of the powder container 20, the screening unit 21 and the electrode control unit 22. After adjusting them to correspond to each other, control the first electrode to pass high voltage electricity through the high voltage connecting line 11 to establish a strong electric field and adjust the strong electric field to the adsorption strength of the first powder. Then, the first electrode uses the positive electrode of the strong electric field to adsorb the first powder material of the negative electrode in the first container. Then, the negative electrode of the first powder material is neutralized under the action of the positive electrode of the strong electric field and falls to the first screening hole area of the screening unit 21. It falls from the first screening hole to a specific area of the first interval and is deposited in the first interval. When the deposition is completed, control the second .... The connecting line 11 passes high voltage electricity to establish a strong electric field and adjust the strong electric field to the adsorption strength of the second powder. Thus, this process is repeated by analogy until the powder materials in the first interval, the second interval, the third interval and the fourth interval are deposited, so as to realize the deposition of multiple materials in a single powder layer; if the density of the powder materials in each powder container 20 is greatly different, they can be quickly adsorbed separately through different electric fields, and the first electrode, the second electrode, the third electrode and the fourth electrode can be turned on at the same time to quickly adsorb and deposit the powder materials. The operator shall adjust or turn off the function of turning on at the same time according to actual needs.
[0098] refer to Fig.16 and Fig.17 As shown, Fig.16 and Fig.17 The schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary single multi-cavity powder container 20, multiple screening units 21, multiple electrode control units 22 and multiple powder spreading intervals 300 in some embodiments of the present application is shown. Specifically, when this setting is adopted, the multi-material powder spreading device of this example can be selectively installed on the powder spreading device of the additive manufacturing equipment to move synchronously with the powder spreading device; the multi-material powder spreading device of this example can also be fixedly installed on the forming platform 30. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present application:
[0099] A plurality of screening units 21 are provided and correspond to the plurality of powder containers 20, each screening unit 21 is provided with a powder screening hole 210, and each powder screening hole 210 corresponds to a powder spreading section 300 of the forming platform 30. A plurality of electrode control units 22 are provided and correspond to the plurality of powder containers 20 and the plurality of screening units 21. Exemplarily, for example, there are three powder spreading intervals 300, and each powder spreading interval 300 is numbered as the first interval, the second interval and the third interval, the powder container 20 uses the same as the powder spreading interval 300 and is numbered as the first container, the second container and the third container respectively, the screening units 21 are numbered as the first screening, the second screening, the third screening, the fourth screening and the fifth screening respectively, and the electrode control unit 22 is numbered as the first electrode, the second electrode and the third electrode; thus, the first interval, the first container, the first screening hole and the first electrode correspond to each other, and so on, until the third interval, the third container, the third screening hole and the third electrode correspond to each other, and the remaining fourth screening and fifth screening are used as backup screening options.
[0100] Therefore, the specific implementation process of this embodiment is similar to the above embodiment, but the difference is that:
[0101] The powder material falls into the first sieve, passes through the powder sieve holes 210 of the first sieve and falls to a specific area of the first interval, and is deposited in the specific area of the first interval, and so on, the process is repeated; by independently setting multiple screening units 21, mutual interference between powder materials can be reduced, thereby further improving the deposition rate, and the powder sieve holes 210 of the screening unit 21 can be further set to a more complex pattern or increase the size.
[0102] Therefore, the principle of realizing multi-material distributed deposition through the electrostatic powder adsorption method and combining with the above-mentioned technical scheme is as follows: first, the forming platform 30 is divided into several powder spreading intervals 300, and the powder container 20 is divided into several numbers corresponding to the powder spreading intervals 300; then, a first powder material (exemplarily, such as iron powder) is spread in a specific powder spreading interval 300 divided by the forming platform 30 through a specific powder container 20, and the first powder material is deposited only in the powder spreading interval 300 by controlling the electric field to a first parameter value, and then the powder container 20 or the powder chamber is switched, and the electric field is controlled to a second parameter value through the electrode control unit 22, and another powder material (exemplarily, such as copper powder) is used to be deposited in another powder spreading interval 300; and so on, the above process is repeated to realize multi-material deposition within a single powder layer. Furthermore, by selectively turning on or off the electric field, precise deposition of different powder materials in a two-dimensional pattern is achieved in a specific powder-laying interval 300 of the forming platform 30, so as to realize patterning of different materials in the same powder layer; illustratively, for example: if the first type of powder material is laid, the corresponding electric field is turned on in the first powder-laying interval 300, and other areas are closed, and then the second type of powder material is switched to, the corresponding electric field is turned on in the second powder-laying interval 300, and other areas are closed, and so on, and the above process is repeated to achieve precise deposition of different powder materials in a two-dimensional pattern.
[0103] Furthermore, by adjusting the intensity of the electric field to control the deposition thickness and density of the powder layer, the material properties of the material can be gradually changed. For example, the electric field intensity can be gradually reduced or increased to control the powder laying in different powder laying intervals 300, forming a material gradient layer, which can be used for gradient manufacturing of three-dimensional objects with different characteristics in different regions. For example, increasing the electric field intensity increases the particle deposition density of the powder material, making the powder layer more compact, which is suitable for areas requiring high strength; reducing the electric field intensity reduces the deposition density, making the powder layer looser, which is suitable for areas requiring lightweight or other characteristics.
[0104] refer to Fig.18 As shown, Fig.18 A schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary moving part 40 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. In some embodiments of the present application, it includes any or more of the above embodiments, and also includes a moving part 40, using the moving part 40 to replace the powder spreader of the additive manufacturing equipment, and installing the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application on the moving end of the moving part 40, and using the moving part 40 to drive the material powder spreading device of the present application to move along a preset direction according to the set scanning path information, wherein the preset direction can be the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction, which is selected by the operator according to actual needs.
[0105] Specifically, the moving part 40 can adopt the same driving method as the powder spreader of the additive manufacturing equipment, including but not limited to hydraulic drive, pneumatic drive, motor-driven screw, cam and other drive structures that provide reciprocating linear motion power. Specifically, in this application, reference is made to stepper motor drive to ensure that the multi-material powder spreading device can move along a fine path to complete high-precision printing tasks; wherein, the moving part 40 generally includes a support frame for installing a drive component and a multi-material powder spreading device.
[0106] refer to Fig.19 As shown, Fig.19 The schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary angle adjustment unit 41 of some embodiments of the present application is shown. In some embodiments of the present application, it includes any or more of the above embodiments, and also includes an angle adjustment unit 41, which is installed in the forming chamber and connected to one or more electrode control units 22, and is used to control the angle of one or more electrode control units 22.
[0107] Specifically, the number of angle adjustment units 41 can correspond to the number of electrode control units 22, or one angle adjustment unit 41 can adjust one or more motor control units, or one angle adjustment unit 41 can adjust all electrode control units 22, which is specifically set by the operator according to actual needs; in the present application, the angle adjustment unit 41 includes but is not limited to hydraulic, electric or pneumatic adjustment mechanisms, such as stepper motors, servo motors, hydraulic / pneumatic drives, and specifically in the present application, reference is made to stepper motors driving worm gears to achieve angle adjustment; and, the angle adjustment unit 41 is made of insulating material or the angle adjustment unit 41 is subjected to existing insulation treatment to prevent powder from entering the angle adjustment unit 41 and affecting its use during use.
[0108] refer to Fig. 20 As shown, Fig. 20 A schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary multi-material powder spreading device installed on a powder spreading roller in some embodiments of the present application is shown. In some embodiments of the present application, including any or more of the above embodiments, when the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application is installed at the powder spreading device position of the additive manufacturing equipment, and the powder spreading device adopts a powder spreading roller 50, the multi-material powder spreading device of the present application is located on one side or multiple sides of the powder spreading roller 50, and after the multi-material powder spreading device forms the same or different powder deposition areas, the powder spreading roller 50 is used to move along the powder deposition areas of one or more powder spreading intervals 300 to improve the flatness of the powder material deposition area.
[0109] Specifically, after the multi-material powder spreading device completes spreading in the powder deposition area, the rotational movement of the powder spreading roller 50 can improve the uniformity of the powder layer and avoid the formation of raised or recessed areas; wherein, by adjusting the pressure of the roller, the different density control of the powder can be further improved to meet different printing requirements; wherein, the material, rotation speed and surface texture of the powder spreading roller 50 will affect the deposition effect of the powder, so the material, rotation speed and surface texture of the powder spreading roller 50 need to be set by the operator according to actual needs.
[0110] Furthermore, if the multi-material powder spreading device is installed on one side of the powder spreading roller 50, after the multi-material powder spreading device completes the laying of the powder deposition area, the powder spreading roller 50 is moved along the powder deposition area to improve the flatness of the powder material deposition area; then the powder spreading roller 50 is reset and the process is repeated.
[0111] Furthermore, if the multi-material powder spreading device is installed on multiple sides of the powder spreading roller 50, then after the multi-material powder spreading device completes the laying of the powder deposition area, the powder spreading roller 50 is used to move along the powder deposition area to improve the flatness of the powder material deposition area; then the multi-material powder spreading device on the other side is used to deposit the powder of the next powder layer, and then the powder spreading roller 50 returns to move to reduce the impact of the reset of the powder spreading roller 50 on the working efficiency, and the process is repeated.
[0112] Therefore, the present application also relates to a powder laying method using the above-mentioned additive manufacturing device, which includes one or more of the above-mentioned embodiments, and the method includes:
[0113] Generate an electric field of a preset strength and use the positive electrode of the electromagnet to form electric field adsorption with the negative electrode of the powder material;
[0114] Send different powder materials into one or more screening units 21 and deposit the different powder materials into one or more powder spreading areas 300 of the forming platform 30 through one or more powder screening holes 210;
[0115] Wherein, powder deposition areas with the same or different powder layer thicknesses are formed in the one or more powder spreading intervals 300 by adjusting the electric field parameters, so as to achieve gradient deposition of powder material in the one or more powder spreading intervals 300 .
[0116] Furthermore, when adjusting the electric field parameters, the method includes: forming the same or different powder deposition areas in the one or more powder spreading intervals 300 by adjusting the first electric field parameters.
[0117] Among them, the first electric field parameters include the intensity, direction, frequency and duration of the electric field, etc. These parameters jointly determine the shape, distribution and stratification of the powder deposition area; for example, by adjusting the electric field intensity, the attraction of the powder material can be increased, so that the powder is more concentrated in a specific area of the powder spreading interval 300, thereby forming a powder material deposition area with different characteristics. When different powder materials are used in different areas or different powder deposition characteristics are adjusted, the first electric field parameters can achieve precise guidance of the powder material and selectively form different types of powder deposition areas at different locations. For example, one material is laid in the center of the forming area, and another material is used at the edge or transition zone. By finely adjusting the electric field parameters, especially the electric field intensity and direction, the boundary of the powder deposition area can be controlled to avoid powder overflow or uneven distribution.
[0118] The powder deposition amount and / or deposition rate of each powder deposition area is controlled by adjusting the second electric field parameter to form a gradient deposition of powder materials with the same or different powder layer thicknesses.
[0119] Among them, the second electric field parameters include the intensity, direction, frequency and duration of the electric field. By controlling the deposition amount, rate and layer thickness, the properties of the powder material, such as strength, toughness, hardness, etc., can be affected. By fine-tuning the second electric field parameters, precise control of material properties can be achieved in different regions. For example, the core area has higher strength, while the external transition area has better toughness.
[0120] By adjusting the first electric field and the second electric field parameters simultaneously, accurate powder material gradient deposition can be achieved on the forming platform 30. The specific implementation process is as follows:
[0121] By adjusting the first electric field and the second electric field parameters, the deposition amount and deposition rate of the powder are first controlled on each layer. The powder materials stacked layer by layer will form a structure with gradual physical properties. For example, the inner core area can have a larger powder deposition amount and a higher deposition rate, while the surface area deposits less powder to form a thinner layer.
[0122] During the layer-by-layer printing process, the parameters of the first electric field and the second electric field (such as electric field strength and direction) will gradually change to achieve a gradual transition of the powder material from one area to another. For example, a stronger electric field is used in the inner core area, and a weaker electric field is used in the outer layer area, thereby forming a gradual change in material properties.
[0123] Further, after achieving powder gradient deposition in one or more powder spreading intervals 300, the method includes:
[0124] The powder spreading roller 50 is moved along the powder deposition area of the one or more powder spreading intervals 300 to improve the flatness of the powder material after gradient deposition.
[0125] Specifically, after the multi-material powder spreading device completes spreading in the powder deposition area, the rotational movement of the powder spreading roller 50 can improve the uniformity of the powder layer and avoid the formation of raised or recessed areas; wherein, by adjusting the pressure of the roller, the different density control of the powder can be further improved to meet different printing requirements; wherein, the material, rotation speed and surface texture of the powder spreading roller 50 will affect the deposition effect of the powder, so the material, rotation speed and surface texture of the powder spreading roller 50 need to be set by the operator according to actual needs.
[0126] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art who is familiar with the present technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be based on the protection scope of the claims.
[0127] Description of the Figures in the Specification:
[0128] 10. Mounting frame
[0129] 11 High voltage connecting wire
[0130] 12 Ground connection wire
[0131] 20 Powder Container
[0132] 21 Screening unit
[0133] 22 Electrode control unit
[0134] 30 Forming platform
[0135] 40 Sports Department
[0136] 41 Angle adjustment unit
[0137] 50 Powder Roller
[0138] 20a Container I
[0139] 20b Container II
[0140] 20c Container III
[0141] 21a Screening I
[0142] 21b Screening II
[0143] 21c Screening III
[0144] 21d Screening IV
[0145] 21e Screening V
[0146] 22a Control I
[0147] 22b Control II
[0148] 22c Control III
[0149] 200 Powder storage chamber
[0150] 210 Powder sieving holes
[0151] 220 Electrode
[0152] 300 powder spreading area.
Claims
1. A multi-material powder spreading device for additive manufacturing equipment, characterized in that: include: one or more powder containers (20) loaded with a plurality of different powder materials; One or more screening units (21) are provided with one or more powder screening holes (210), and the one or more screening units (21) respectively correspond to one or more powder spreading areas (300) of the forming platform (30); One or more electrode control units (22) are installed in the forming chamber, and the one or more electrode control units (22) respectively correspond to the one or more screening units (21) and are used to control the electric field parameters to send different powder materials to the one or more screening units (21) to form the same or different powder deposition areas in the one or more powder spreading intervals (300); wherein, by adjusting the electric field parameters, the powder layer thickness and / or deposition rate of the powder deposition area is controlled and the gradient deposition of the powder material in the one or more powder spreading intervals (300) is achieved.
2. The powder spreading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: One or more powder storage chambers (200) are provided in the one or more powder containers (20), and the one or more powder storage chambers (200) are respectively loaded with one or more types of powder materials.
3. The powder spreading device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A single powder storage cavity (200) is provided in each powder container (20), and the single powder storage cavity (200) is loaded with a type of powder material.
4. The powder spreading device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that: Also includes: A material switching unit is connected to the powder container (20) and is used to control the powder container (20) to switch between different powder materials.
5. The powder spreading device according to claim 4, characterized in that: One screening unit (21) corresponds to a plurality of powder containers (20), which are provided with one or more powder screening holes (210).
6. The powder spreading device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The one screening unit (21) corresponds to a plurality of powder spreading intervals (300) of the forming platform (30), and is used to deposit powder dropped from one or more electrode control units (22) to the plurality of powder spreading intervals (300).
7. The powder spreading device according to claim 6, characterized in that: An electrode control unit (22) corresponds to the multiple powder spreading intervals (300), and the electrode control unit (22) sends the powder material to the one screening unit (21) by controlling the electric field parameters, so as to form the same or different powder deposition areas in the multiple powder spreading intervals (300).
8. The powder spreading device according to claim 4, characterized in that: Each screening unit (21) corresponds to a powder container (20) and is provided with one or more powder screening holes (210).
9. The powder spreading device according to claim 8, characterized in that: Each screening unit (21) corresponds to a powder spreading section (300) of the forming platform (30), and is used to deposit powder dropped from one or more electrode control units (22) into the powder spreading section (300).
10. The powder spreading device according to claim 9, characterized in that: Each electrode control unit (22) corresponds to one of the powder spreading intervals (300), and the electrode control unit (22) controls electric field parameters to deliver powder material to each of the screening units (21), so as to form a powder deposition area with a preset layer thickness in the one of the powder spreading intervals (300).
11. The powder spreading device according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that: The multi-material powder spreading device is installed on the powder spreading machine and moves synchronously with the powder spreading machine. The powder spreading machine can drive the multi-material powder spreading device to achieve powder deposition in the one or more powder spreading intervals (300) according to the set scanning path information.
12. The powder spreading device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: The moving part (40) is installed in the forming chamber and is used to provide movement in a preset direction according to the set scanning path information.
13. The powder spreading device according to claim 12, characterized in that: The multi-material powder spreading device is installed on the moving part (40) and moves synchronously with the moving part (40) along a preset direction. The multi-material powder spreading device realizes powder deposition in the one or more powder spreading intervals (300) through the moving part (40).
14. The powder spreading device according to claim 1, 7 or 10, characterized in that: Also includes: An angle adjustment unit (41) is installed in the forming chamber and connected to one or more electrode control units (22) and is used to control the angle of one or more electrode control units (22).
15. The powder spreading device according to claim 1 or 13, characterized in that: The multi-material powder spreading device is located on one side or multiple sides of the powder spreading roller (50). After the multi-material powder spreading device forms the same or different powder deposition areas, the powder spreading roller (50) is used to improve the flatness of the same or different powder deposition areas.
16. An additive manufacturing device having a powder spreading device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, characterized in that: Also includes: A forming platform (30), which divides the forming area into one or more powder spreading areas (300); The powder spreader is installed in the forming bin and is used to flatten the powder material in the powder deposition area for a second time.
17. The additive manufacturing device according to claim 16, characterized in that: The powder spreading device adopts a powder spreading roller (50) which is used to improve the flatness of the powder deposition area after the powder deposition area is formed.
18. A powder spreading method using the additive manufacturing device according to claim 17, characterized in that: The method comprises: Generate an electric field of a preset strength and use the positive electrode of the electromagnet to form electric field adsorption with the negative electrode of the powder material; Sending different powder materials into one or more screening units (21) and passing through one or more powder screening holes (210), and depositing the different powder materials into one or more powder spreading areas (300) of a forming platform (30); Wherein, by adjusting the electric field parameters, powder deposition areas with the same or different powder layer thicknesses are formed in the one or more powder spreading intervals (300), so as to achieve gradient deposition of powder material in the one or more powder spreading intervals (300).
19. A powder spreading method using the additive manufacturing device according to claim 18, characterized in that: When adjusting the electric field parameters, the method includes: Forming the same or different powder deposition areas in the one or more powder spreading intervals (300) by adjusting the first electric field parameters; The powder deposition amount and / or deposition rate of each powder deposition area is controlled by adjusting the second electric field parameter to form a gradient deposition of powder materials with the same or different powder layer thicknesses.
20. A powder spreading method using the additive manufacturing device according to claim 18, characterized in that: After achieving powder gradient deposition in one or more powder spreading intervals (300), the method comprises: The powder spreading roller (50) is moved along the powder deposition area of the one or more powder spreading intervals (300) to improve the flatness of the powder material after gradient deposition.
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Powder bed laser additive manufacturing apparatus and method for heterogeneous materials
WO2026179168A1