3D printing device and method capable of conducting rapid switching through multiple materials

Abstract

According to the 3D printing device and method capable of conducting rapid switching through the multiple materials, by designing the mode that the positions of the spray heads are fixed, the spray heads are switched in a rotating disc mode, and then the printing position of the base is adjusted, the materials needed for printing can be rapidly switched, meanwhile, different types of materials can be adopted for combined printing, and the printing efficiency is improved. Such as a magnetized metal material and magnetized mortar, the bonding strength of the two materials can be further enhanced, and underwater printing construction can be carried out. The problems that different substance boundary models cannot be conveniently and rapidly manufactured through current 3D printing, so that the manufactured models contain single substances, or the manufacturing process is tedious and complex are effectively solved, and wide engineering practical significance and application prospects are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of 3D printing, and specifically relates to a 3D printing device and method capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials. Background Art

[0002] In rock engineering, the traditional technology is restricted in the production of physical models of rock masses due to the complex joint layers, pores and other structures inside natural rock masses. 3D printing technology can be combined with CT scanning results to print reserved pores in rock masses, and 3D printing technology can realize alternating printing of materials, which allows rock models with different internal structures that require different materials to be formed at one time. The difficulty of rock model production is significantly reduced, which has a great advantage in rock physical model tests.

[0003] In reality, natural rock masses contain complex materials, but traditional 3D printers cannot quickly switch materials during printing, and cannot easily and quickly make models of the interfaces between different materials, which makes the materials contained in the manufactured models single, or the production process is cumbersome and complicated; and the connection between layers of traditional 3D printed models is relatively weak. When the model is too large and too high, the weak points are easily damaged. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings and provide a 3D printing device and method that can use a variety of materials for rapid switching. The device can solve the problem that traditional 3D printers cannot quickly switch materials during printing, cannot easily and quickly make models with different material interfaces, and the materials contained in the manufactured models are single, or the manufacturing process is cumbersome and complicated; and the printing material can adopt a liquid-solid combination, and gold material can be added to the model to improve the strength of the printed model.

[0005] In order to realize the above-mentioned technical features, the object of the present invention is realized as follows: a 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between a variety of materials, comprising a 3D printer frame, a spraying device, a base device, a lifting device, a driving device and a computer system; the 3D printer frame protects the working areas of the spraying device and the base device; the spraying device performs 3D printing on the base device under the control of the computer system, and rotates the nozzle turntable to switch the printing nozzle under the driving action of the driving device; the base device is placed on the lifting device, and under the driving action of the driving device, the bottom plate in the base device is 3D printed under the printing nozzle; the lifting device adjusts the height of the base device under the driving action of the driving device; the driving device provides driving force for the movement of the spraying device, the base device and the lifting device; the computer system converts the pattern model of the object to be printed into information recognizable by the 3D printer, and controls the printing nozzle to perform 3D printing. The 3D printer frame is made of aluminum alloy material, which carries and protects the material spraying device and the base device.

[0006] The material spraying device consists of a printing nozzle, a fixing bracket, a material tank, a feeding pipe, a nozzle turntable, a rotating shaft and a mechanical rod; the printing nozzle is placed inside the nozzle turntable, and the rotating shaft is driven to rotate by the mechanical rod to quickly switch materials; the mechanical rod and the fixing bracket are fixed on the top of the 3D printer frame, and materials are transported from each material tank to the printing nozzle through the feeding pipe for 3D printing.

[0007] The printing nozzle can perform simultaneous printing of several different materials. The rotating shaft inside the turntable is driven by the mechanical rod to switch the printing nozzles containing different materials. The computer system controls the printing nozzles containing different materials to perform 3D printing, and the printing method adopts the jet type or the pressing type.

[0008] The fixing bracket is made of stainless steel material and is used to fix the material spraying device; Different types of printing materials are stored in the material tank, including metal material forms, and the metal material forms include needle shape, nail shape, cylindrical shape, U shape or I shape, and the metal material forms are prefabricated; the printing materials can also adopt magnetized metal materials and magnetic mortar to enhance the bonding strength of the two materials and are applied to underwater printing construction; when the printing nozzle works, the printing materials in the material tank are transported by the feeding pipe into their corresponding printing nozzles for 3D printing.

[0009] The inside of the nozzle turntable is provided with a turntable empty slot for placing the printing nozzle; when preparing materials, a nozzle turntable with a corresponding number of turntable empty slots is selected according to needs, so as to place the printing nozzles with the corresponding number of materials inside the nozzle turntable; the nozzle turntable is driven by a driving device to drive the mechanical rod to drive the rotating shaft inside the turntable to rotate and switch. The rotating shaft is a component that converts the mechanical energy in the mechanical rod into the mechanical energy inside the nozzle turntable, and the rotating angle of the rotating shaft is 180 degrees, and it can rotate forward or backward to avoid the winding of the feeding pipe.

[0010] The base device consists of a bottom plate, a first slider, a first guide rail, a second slider, a second guide rail and a bottom frame; the bottom plate is placed on the first slider and is driven to slide by the first guide rail, and the second slider is located below the first slider and is driven to slide by the second guide rail; the sliding direction of the first slider is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second slider; The first guide rail and the second guide rail are controlled to move by a driving device.

[0011] The lifting device is composed of a lifting frame, a lift and a telescopic rod; a plurality of lifts and a plurality of telescopic rods are installed in the lifting frame, the telescopic rods are installed in the center of the lifting frame, and a base device is installed on the lifting rod and the telescopic rod of the lift; The lifting frame supports the base device and controls the height of the base device under the action of the lift and the telescopic rod; The driving device is controlled by a computer system to drive the spraying device, the base device and the lifting device to work in coordination with each other.

[0012] The computer system identifies the pattern model of the required printing object, converts the pattern model into information that the computer system can recognize and establishes the pattern model information. The computer system converts the pattern model information into an electrical signal and transmits it to the driving device for operation.

[0013] A method for 3D printing using a 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials comprises the following steps: Step 1: Material preparation: prepare the materials needed for printing, place the required number of print heads in the head turntable, and input the positions of the head turntables corresponding to the types of materials into the computer system; Step 2: Model preparation: input the rock model to be printed into the computer system for identification and conversion into electrical signals for transmission to the drive device; Step 3: The driving device generates power and transmits it to the lifting device, so that the lift and the telescopic rod raise the lifting frame, so that the base device is in a position convenient for spraying; Step 4: The driving device positions the base plate under the printing nozzle by adjusting the positions of the first slider and the second slider in the base device on the first guide rail and the second guide rail, so as to prepare for 3D printing; Step 5: The driving device drives the mechanical rod to rotate, so that the print head containing the required material switches to the printing position; Step 6: During printing, the drive device controls the corresponding print head to transport the required material from the material tank through the material delivery pipe, and performs 3D printing by using a jetting or pressing method; Step 7: After each material or layer of model is printed, the driving device will adjust the rotation of the nozzle turntable accordingly, so that the printing nozzle can be quickly switched, and at the same time adjust the height of the lifting device and the position of the base device to enable rapid material switching; Step 8: After printing, peel the model off the base to obtain the required rock model.

[0014] The present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The present invention innovatively breaks the traditional working mode of 3D printers. During the printing process, instead of adjusting the movement of the nozzle, the printing base is adjusted to move, creating conditions for setting more printing nozzles.

[0015] 2. The invention innovatively applies a turntable design and uses the turntable to quickly switch printing nozzles containing different materials, making the material combinations available during printing rich and diverse.

[0016] 2. The invention innovatively sets multiple printing nozzles. When printing a complex - composition rock mass model, there is no need to frequently switch printing materials manually, shortening the printing time and reducing the operation difficulty.

[0017] 3. The invention innovatively uses a variety of materials, enabling rapid alternate printing of materials when printing a rock mass model and simplifying the production process.

[0018] 4. The invention innovatively designs an adjustable and movable base, enabling the device to perform 3D printing with rapid material switching using a variety of materials.

[0019] 5. Compared with traditional methods of printing rock mass models, this method can quickly switch materials during printing, more conveniently and quickly produce models with different material interfaces, making the substances contained in the model diverse and the production process simple.

[0020] 6. The invention can use different combinations of material types for combined printing, such as: concrete plus metal, slurry plus magnetic nails, etc. The metal materials printed have forms such as needle - shaped, nail - shaped, cylindrical, C - shaped, I - shaped, etc. For example, the I - shaped can be pre - fabricated or printed separately. The printing methods include jetting, pressing, etc. The addition of metal materials can greatly improve the strength of the materials and enable printing of larger and higher models to meet the needs of engineering practice.

[0021] 7. The printing materials of the invention can also use magnetized metal materials and magnetic mortar, which can further enhance the bonding strength between the two materials and enable underwater printing construction.

[0022] 8. The invention can also be used for printing models of the same type, printing inclusion materials to make the model transparent or opaque, or capable of forming models with different light paths. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The following further describes the present invention in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the whole of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic top - view sectional view of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 3 It is a front cutaway schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 4 It is a side schematic diagram of the present invention.

[0028] In the figure: 1 3D printer frame, 2 spray device, 21 print nozzle, 22 fixed bracket, 23 material tank, 24 feed pipe, 25 nozzle turntable, 26 shaft, 27 mechanical rod, 3 base device, 31 bottom plate, 32 first slider, 33 first guide rail, 34 second slider, 35 second guide rail, 36 bottom frame, 4 lifting device, 41 lifting frame, 42 lift, 43 telescopic rod, 5 driving device, 6 computer system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The embodiments of the present invention are further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0030] Embodiment 1: See also Figure 1-4 , a device for 3D printing that can use multiple materials for rapid switching, including a 3D printer frame 1, a spraying device 2, a base device 3, a lifting device 4, a driving device 5, and a computer system 6. The 3D printer frame 1 protects the working area of ​​the spraying device 2 and the base device 3; the spraying device 2 performs 3D printing on the base device 3 under the control of the computer system 6, and rotates the nozzle turntable 25 to switch the printing nozzle 21 under the driving action of the driving device 5; the base device 3 is placed on the lifting device 4, and under the driving action of the driving device 5, the bottom plate 31 in the base device 3 performs 3D printing under the printing nozzle 21; the lifting device 4 adjusts the height of the base device 3 under the driving action of the driving device 5; the driving device 5 provides driving force for the movement of the spraying device 2, the base device 3 and the lifting device 4; the computer system 6 converts the pattern model of the object to be printed into information recognizable by the 3D printer, and controls the printing nozzle 21 to perform 3D printing.

[0031] Furthermore, the 3D printer frame 1 is made of aluminum alloy material to protect the spraying device 2 and the base device 3.

[0032] Furthermore, the spray device 2 is composed of a printing nozzle 21, a fixed bracket 22, a material tank 23, a feed pipe 24, a nozzle turntable 25, a rotating shaft 26 and a mechanical rod 27; the printing nozzle 21 is placed in the nozzle turntable 25, and the rotating shaft 26 is driven to rotate by the mechanical rod 27 to quickly switch materials; the mechanical rod 27 and the fixed bracket 22 are fixed on the top of the 3D printer frame 1, and the feed pipe 24 transports materials from each material tank 23 to the printing nozzle 21 for 3D printing.

[0033] Furthermore, the print head 21 can print several different materials at the same time, and the print head 21 is placed in a nozzle turntable 25. The mechanical lever 27 drives the rotating shaft 26 in the turntable to switch the print heads 21 containing different materials. The computer system 6 controls the print heads 21 containing different materials to perform 3D printing, and the printing method can be jet type, press-in type, etc.

[0034] Furthermore, the fixing bracket 22 is made of stainless steel and plays a role in fixing the print head 21 .

[0035] Furthermore, the material tank 23 stores various materials, including printed metal materials in the shape of needles, nails, cylinders, tubes, and tools. The tools can be prefabricated or printed separately. The printing materials can also use magnetized metal materials and magnetic mortar to further enhance the bonding strength of the two materials, and can be printed underwater. When the print nozzle 21 is working, the different materials in the material tank 23 are transported by the feed pipe 24 into the corresponding print nozzles 21 for 3D printing.

[0036] Furthermore, the material delivery pipe 24 delivers different materials from the material tank 24 to the corresponding printing nozzle 21 for printing under the control of the computer system 6.

[0037] Furthermore, the nozzle turntable 25 is used to place the printing nozzles 21. The turntable has a number of empty slots. When preparing materials, a turntable component with a corresponding number of empty slots can be selected as needed to facilitate placing the corresponding number of printing nozzles 21 of the material in the turntable; the nozzle turntable 25 is driven by the driving device 5 to drive the mechanical rod 27 to drive the rotating shaft 26 in the turntable to rotate and switch.

[0038] Furthermore, the rotating shaft 26 is a component for converting the mechanical energy in the mechanical rod 27 into the mechanical energy in the nozzle turntable 25, and the rotating shaft 26 has a rotation angle of 180 degrees and can perform forward or reverse rotation to prevent the feed pipe 24 from being entangled.

[0039] Furthermore, the mechanical rod 27 is driven to move by the driving device 5 and is fixed to the top of the 3D printer frame 1 together with the fixing bracket 22 .

[0040] Furthermore, the base device 3 is composed of a bottom plate 31, a first slider 32, a first guide rail 33, a second slider 34, a second guide rail 35 and a bottom frame 36; the bottom plate 31 is placed on the first slider 32 and is driven to slide by the first guide rail 33, and the second slider 34 is located at the lower part of the first slider 32 and is driven to slide by the second guide rail 35; the sliding direction of the first slider 32 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second slider 34.

[0041] Furthermore, the bottom plate 31 is driven by the first slider 32 and the second slider 34 to control the movement under each printing nozzle 21 .

[0042] Furthermore, the first slider 32 is driven to slide by the first guide rail 33; the second slider 34 is located at the lower part of the first slider 32 and is driven to slide by the second guide rail 35; the sliding direction of the first slider 32 is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second slider 34; the first guide rail 33 and the second guide rail 35 are controlled to move by the driving device 5.

[0043] Furthermore, the lifting device 4 is composed of a lifting frame 41, a lift 42 and a telescopic rod 43; a plurality of lifts 42 and a plurality of telescopic rods 43 are installed in the lifting frame 41, and the telescopic rod 43 is installed at the center of the lifting frame 41, and the base device 3 is installed on the lifting rod of the lift 42 and the telescopic rod 43.

[0044] Furthermore, the lifting frame 41 supports the base device 3 and controls the height of the base device 3 under the action of the lifter 42 and the telescopic rod 43 .

[0045] Furthermore, the driving device 5 is controlled by the computer system 6 to drive the spraying device 2, the base device 3 and the lifting device 4 to work in coordination with each other.

[0046] Furthermore, the computer system 6 identifies the pattern model of the desired printing object, converts the pattern model into information that can be recognized by the computer system 6 and establishes the pattern model information. The computer system 6 converts the pattern model information into an electrical signal and transmits it to the drive device 5 for operation.

[0047] Embodiment 2: A method for 3D printing that can use multiple materials for rapid switching includes the following steps: Step 1: Material preparation, prepare the materials required for printing, place the required number of print heads 21 in the head turntable 25, and input the positions of the head turntable 25 where the corresponding material types are located into the computer system 6; Step 2: Model preparation, inputting the rock model to be printed into the computer system 6 for identification and converting it into an electrical signal for transmission to the driving device 5; Step 3: The driving device 5 generates power and transmits it to the lifting device 4, so that the lift 42 and the telescopic rod 43 raise the lifting frame 41, so that the base device 3 is in a position convenient for spraying; Step 4: The driving device 5 adjusts the positions of the first slider 32 and the second slider 34 in the base device 3 on the first guide rail 33 and the second guide rail 35 to position the bottom plate 31 under the printing nozzle 21, and prepares for 3D printing; Step 5: The driving device 5 drives the mechanical rod 27 to rotate, so that the printing head 21 containing the required material switches to the printing position; Step 6: During printing, the drive device 5 controls the corresponding print head 21 to deliver the required material from the material tank 23 through the material delivery pipe 24, and performs 3D printing by using a jetting method or a pressing method; Step 7: After each material or layer of model is printed, the driving device 5 will adjust the nozzle turntable 25 to rotate accordingly, so that the printing nozzle 21 can be quickly switched, and at the same time adjust the height of the lifting device 4 and the position of the base device 3 to enable rapid material switching; Step 8: After printing, the model is peeled off from the base 31 to obtain the required rock model.

Claims

1. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials, characterized in that: It includes a 3D printer frame (1), a material spraying device (2), a base device (3), a lifting device (4), a driving device (5) and a computer system (6); the 3D printer frame (1) protects the working areas of the material spraying device (2) and the base device (3); the material spraying device (2) performs 3D printing on the base device (3) under the control of the computer system (6), and rotates the nozzle turntable (25) to switch the printing nozzle (21) under the driving action of the driving device (5); the base device (3) is placed on the lifting device (4), and under the driving action of the driving device (5), the bottom plate (31) in the base device (3) performs 3D printing under the printing nozzle (21); the lifting device (4) adjusts the height of the base device (3) under the driving action of the driving device (5); the driving device (5) provides driving force for the movements of the material spraying device (2), the base device (3) and the lifting device (4); the computer system (6) converts the pattern model of the object to be printed into information recognizable by the 3D printer and controls the printing nozzle (21) to perform 3D printing.

2. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The 3D printer frame (1) is made of aluminum alloy material, carrying and protecting the material spraying device (2) and the base device (3).

3. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material spraying device (2) consists of a printing nozzle (21), a fixing bracket (22), a material tank (23), a feeding pipe (24), a nozzle turntable (25), a rotating shaft (26) and a mechanical rod (27); the printing nozzle (21) is placed in the nozzle turntable (25), and the rotating shaft (26) is rotated by the mechanical rod (27) to quickly switch materials; the mechanical rod (27) and the fixing bracket (22) are fixed to the top of the 3D printer frame (1), and the feeding pipe (24) transports the materials from each material tank (23) into the printing nozzle (21) for 3D printing.

4. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: The printing nozzle (21) can perform simultaneous printing of several different materials. The rotating shaft (26) in the turntable is driven by the mechanical rod (27) to switch the printing nozzles (21) containing different materials. The computer system (6) controls the printing nozzles (21) containing different materials to perform 3D printing, and the printing method adopts the jet type or the pressing type.

5. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: The fixing bracket (22) is made of stainless steel material and is used to fix the material spraying device (2). The material tank (23) stores different types of printing materials, including metal material forms. The metal material forms include needle shape, nail shape, cylindrical shape, C shape or I shape, and the metal material forms are prefabricated; the printing materials can also adopt magnetized metal materials and magnetic mortar to strengthen the bonding strength of the two materials and are applied to underwater printing construction; when the printing nozzle (21) works, the feeding pipe (24) transports the printing materials in the material tank (23) into the corresponding printing nozzles (21) for 3D printing.

6. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: The nozzle turntable (25) is provided with empty turntable slots for placing the printing nozzles (21); when preparing materials, a nozzle turntable (25) with a corresponding number of empty turntable slots is selected according to needs, so as to place the printing nozzles (21) of a corresponding number of materials in the nozzle turntable (25); the nozzle turntable (25) is driven by the driving device (5) so that the mechanical rod (27) drives the rotating shaft (26) in the turntable to rotate and switch; The rotating shaft (26) is a component that converts mechanical energy in the mechanical rod (27) into mechanical energy in the nozzle rotating disk (25), and the rotating shaft (26) has a rotation angle of 180 degrees and can rotate forward or backward to avoid entanglement of the material conveying pipe (24).

7. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 3, characterized in that: The base device (3) is composed of a bottom plate (31), a first slider (32), a first guide rail (33), a second slider (34), a second guide rail (35) and a bottom frame (36); the bottom plate (31) is placed on the first slider (32) and is driven to slide by the first guide rail (33); the second slider (34) is located below the first slider (32) and is driven to slide by the second guide rail (35); the sliding direction of the first slider (32) is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second slider (34); The movement of the first guide rail (33) and the second guide rail (35) is controlled by a driving device (5).

8. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 7, characterized in that: The lifting device (4) is composed of a lifting frame (41), a lift (42) and a telescopic rod (43); a plurality of lifts (42) and a plurality of telescopic rods (43) are installed in the lifting frame (41); the telescopic rods (43) are installed at the center of the lifting frame (41); and the lifting rods of the lifts (42) and the telescopic rods (43) are both installed with a base device (3); The lifting frame (41) supports the base device (3) and controls the height of the base device (3) under the action of the lift (42) and the telescopic rod (43); The driving device (5) is controlled by a computer system (6) to drive the spraying device (2), the base device (3) and the lifting device (4) to work in coordination with each other.

9. A 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials according to claim 7, characterized in that: The computer system (6) identifies the pattern model of the object to be printed, converts the pattern model into information that can be recognized by the computer system (6), and establishes pattern model information by the computer system (6). The computer system (6) converts the pattern model information into an electrical signal and transmits it to the drive device (5) for operation.

10. A method for 3D printing using a 3D printing device capable of rapidly switching between multiple materials as claimed in any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: Step 1: Material preparation, preparing the materials required for printing, placing the required number of printing nozzles (21) in the nozzle turntable (25), and inputting the positions of the nozzle turntable (25) where the corresponding material types are located into the computer system (6); Step 2: Model preparation, inputting the rock model to be printed into the computer system (6) for identification and conversion into electrical signals for transmission to the drive device (5); Step 3: The driving device (5) generates power and transmits it to the lifting device (4), so that the lift (42) and the telescopic rod (43) raise the lifting frame (41), so that the base device (3) is in a position convenient for spraying; Step 4: The driving device (5) adjusts the positions of the first slider (32) and the second slider (34) in the base device (3) on the first guide rail (33) and the second guide rail (35) to position the base plate (31) under the printing nozzle (21) to prepare for 3D printing; Step 5: The driving device (5) drives the mechanical rod (27) to rotate, so that the printing head (21) containing the required material is switched to the printing position; Step 6: During printing, the drive device (5) controls the corresponding printing nozzle (21) to transport the required material from the material tank (23) through the material delivery pipe (24), and performs 3D printing by using a jetting method or a pressing method; Step 7: After each material or layer of a model is printed, the driving device (5) will adjust the nozzle turntable (25) to rotate accordingly, so that the printing nozzle (21) can be quickly switched, and at the same time, the height of the lifting device (4) and the position of the base device (3) can be adjusted to enable rapid material switching; Step 8: After printing, the model is peeled off from the base (31) to obtain the required rock model.

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