Consumable conveying buffer device of 3D printer

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of 3D printers, and provides a consumable conveying buffer device of a 3D printer, which comprises a base and a rotating part, the base is provided with a first consumable channel; the rotating part is rotatably arranged on the base; the rotating part is provided with a second consumable channel; the second consumable channel and the first consumable channel can be conducted at different angles; an elastic element is arranged between the rotating part and the base, and the elastic force of the elastic element always promotes the second consumable channel on the rotating part to be communicated with the first consumable channel along a straight line; when the consumables push the rotating part to overcome the elasticity of the elastic element to rotate, the arc length change generated by the rotation of the rotating part plays a role in buffering the transmission of the consumables. The problem that conveying is unstable due to the fact that all stages of conveying devices are not synchronous in the multi-stage conveying process of 3D printer consumables can be effectively solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of 3D printers, and in particular relates to a consumable material transmission buffer device of a 3D printer. Background Art

[0002] FDM 3D printing is a molding method that melts linear consumables and then deposits them layer by layer. During the process of conveying consumables, the printing effect is often not ideal due to various resistances in the conveying structure. Therefore, adding a graded conveying device to the conveying structure can effectively reduce the above risks. However, in actual applications, since the control of each level of conveying devices cannot be completely synchronized, the conveying devices generate forces between each other, which seriously affects the stability of the transmission. Therefore, adding a buffer device between different conveying devices can effectively solve this problem and ensure good printing quality. Summary of the invention

[0003] In order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a consumables transmission buffer device for a 3D printer, which can effectively solve the problem of unstable transmission caused by the asynchronism of each stage of the transmission device during the multi-stage transmission of consumables of the 3D printer.

[0004] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve the technical problem is:

[0005] A consumables transmission buffer device for a 3D printer, comprising a base and a rotating component;

[0006] The base is provided with a first consumable material channel, and the first consumable material channel is used to connect to the upper-level material guiding device;

[0007] The rotating component can be rotatably arranged on the base; the rotating component is provided with a second consumable channel, and the second consumable channel is used to connect the next-level material guiding device; the second consumable channel and the first consumable channel can be connected at different angles; an elastic element is provided between the rotating component and the base, and the elastic force of the elastic element always causes the second consumable channel on the rotating component to be connected with the first consumable channel along a straight line;

[0008] When the consumables push the rotating component to overcome the elastic force of the elastic element and rotate, the change in arc length of the rotating component caused by the rotation has a buffering effect on the transmission of the consumables.

[0009] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the second consumables channel includes a first straight segment and an arc segment; the arc segment is connected to one end of the first straight segment close to the first consumables channel; an arc-shaped feed port is provided on the outer side of the arc segment, and the feed port is always connected to one end of the first consumables channel close to the second consumables channel; when the consumables do not push the rotating component, the elastic force of the elastic element causes the first straight segment to align with the first consumables channel to form a straight transmission. By providing such a feed port, the rotating component can maintain the connection between the second consumables channel and the first consumables channel during the rotation process, and the consumables can enter the second consumables channel from different angles.

[0010] Preferably, the second consumable material channel further includes a second straight line segment tangent to the arc segment, one end of the second straight line segment is connected to the arc segment; and the feed port corresponds to the second straight line segment and the arc segment.

[0011] Preferably, the base is provided with an arc-shaped seat body, and the feed port is adapted to the arc-shaped seat body; the first consumable material channel is arranged on the arc-shaped seat body, and the port of the first consumable material channel close to the feed port is arranged on the side wall of the arc-shaped seat body.

[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the rotating component includes a connecting seat and a channel seat, and the channel seat is located on a side of the connecting seat; the connecting seat is rotatably connected to the base, and the second consumable channel is arranged on the channel seat.

[0013] Preferably, the base is provided with a boss, the connecting seat is provided with a circular hole, the boss is located in the circular hole and is concentric with the circular hole; a bearing is provided between the boss and the circular hole.

[0014] Preferably, the base is provided with a first limit portion and a second limit portion for limiting the rotation angle of the rotating component; when the rotating component rotates to the first limit angle, the first limit portion blocks the rotating component; when the rotating component rotates to the second limit angle, the second limit portion blocks the rotating component.

[0015] A preferred embodiment of the present invention further includes a detection component for detecting the rotation angle of the rotating component, wherein the detection component transmits the rotation angle information of the rotating component to the control module of the 3D printer, and the control module of the 3D printer adjusts the transmission speed of the upper-level material guiding device and / or the lower-level material guiding device according to the rotation angle information.

[0016] Preferably, the elastic element is a torsion spring, which is sleeved on the boss; a stopper is provided on the top of the boss, and the stopper is located in the circular hole of the connecting seat; one end of the torsion spring is restricted to the stopper, and the other end of the torsion spring is restricted to the connecting seat.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a first interface is provided at one end of the first consumable channel away from the second consumable channel, and the first interface is used to connect with the upper-level material guiding device; a second interface is provided at one end of the second consumable channel away from the first consumable channel, and the second interface is used to connect with the next-level material guiding device.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0019] The present invention can buffer the problem caused by the asynchronous operation between transmission structures of various levels in a 3D printer, effectively improve the transmission stability of consumables, and thus improve the printing quality.

[0020] Specifically, when the upper and lower material guide devices are not synchronized, especially when the feed throughput of the upper material guide device is greater than that of the lower material guide device, the consumables between the two material guide devices will gradually increase, and because the entire consumable channel is a coherent whole, when the consumables between the two material guide devices increase, a force will be generated between the two material guide devices, and this force will drive the rotating component to rotate, causing the rotating component to produce an arc length change due to rotation, that is, the length of the second consumable channel will become longer, thereby achieving the purpose of offsetting the increase in consumables and achieving a buffering effect. On the contrary, when the feed throughput of the upper material guide device is less than that of the lower material guide device, the consumables in the consumable channel of the buffer device located between the two material guide devices will gradually decrease, and the rotation angle originally generated due to the buffering need will be pulled back to become smaller, and at the same time, combined with the elastic force of the elastic element, the rotating component is reset.

[0021] The consumable transmission buffer device of the present invention innovatively adopts arc motion generated by rotation (angular displacement) to solve the consumable buffering problem, which has a certain decomposition pressure effect on the next-level material guiding device (PTFE tube). The rotational buffering method can distribute part of the force to the inner wall of the second consumable channel. In particular, compared with the linear buffering method in which all the impact force acts on the inner wall of the PTFE tube at the turning point, the present invention is beneficial to the longer service life of the consumable channel inside the entire buffer structure (including the upper and lower material guiding devices). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these accompanying drawings without paying any creative work.

[0023] Figure 1 It is a three-dimensional exploded view of the consumable material transmission buffer device of the 3D printer of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional diagram of the consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer of the present invention with the cover hidden (in a non-buffering state).

[0025] Figure 3 This is a top view of the consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer of the present invention with the cover hidden (in a non-buffering state).

[0026] Figure 4 It is a top view of the consumable material transmission buffer device of the 3D printer of the present invention (in the buffer state).

[0027] Figure 5 This is a top view of the consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer of the present invention with the cover hidden (in the buffer state).

[0028] Figure 6 It is a three-dimensional diagram of the rotating component of the consumable material transmission buffer device of the 3D printer of the present invention.

[0029] in:

[0030] 1-base, 101-arc-shaped seat body, 102-boss, 2-rotating component, 201-connecting seat, 2011-round hole, 202-channel seat, 2021-step, 203-cover plate, 205-arc-shaped surface, 204-feeding port, 3-first interface, 4-second interface, 5-first consumable channel, 6-second consumable channel, 601-first straight line segment, 602-second straight line segment, 603-arc-shaped segment, 7-cover body, 8-elastic element, 9-stopper, 10-first limiting part, 11-second limiting part, 12-first detection component, 13-second detection component, 14-bearing. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to more clearly understand the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present application and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. In the following description, many specific details are set forth in order to fully understand the present invention, and the embodiments described are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the art without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art of the present invention. The terms used in the specification of the present invention herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] See also Figure 1-Figure 6 , this embodiment discloses a consumable material transmission buffer device for a 3D printer, comprising a base 1, a rotating component 2 and a cover body 7. Among them, the base 1 is provided with a first consumable material channel 5. The rotating component 2 can be rotatably set on the base 1; the rotating component 2 is provided with a second consumable material channel 6; the second consumable material channel 6 and the first consumable material channel 5 can be connected at different angles; an elastic element 8 is provided between the rotating component 2 and the base 1, and the elastic force of the elastic element 8 always causes the second consumable material channel 6 on the rotating component 2 to be connected with the first consumable material channel 5 along a straight line. When the transmission speed of the upper-level material guiding device is too fast, resulting in a large amount of consumables being accumulated in the first consumable material channel 5 and the second consumable material channel 6, the consumables will push the rotating component 2 to overcome the elastic force of the elastic element 8 and rotate, and the arc length change caused by the rotation of the rotating component 2 plays a buffering role in the transmission of the consumables.

[0035] A first interface 3 is provided at one end of the first consumable channel 5 away from the second consumable channel 6, and the first interface 3 is used to connect to the upper-level material guiding device; a second interface 4 is provided at one end of the second consumable channel 6 away from the first consumable channel 5, and the second interface 4 is used to connect to the next-level material guiding device.

[0036] Further, the second consumables channel 6 of the present embodiment includes a first straight segment 601, a second straight segment 602 and an arc segment 603, one end of the second straight segment 602 is connected to and tangent to the arc segment 603, the other end of the arc segment 603 is connected to one end of the first straight segment 601 close to the first consumables channel 5, and the arc segment 603 is concentric with the rotation point of the rotating component 2. The arc segment 603 and the outer side of the second straight segment 602 are provided with an arc-shaped feed port 204 at the corresponding position, and the feed port 204 is always connected to one end of the first consumables channel 5 close to the second consumables channel 6. When the consumables do not push the rotating component 2, the elastic force of the elastic element 8 causes the first straight segment 601 to align with the first consumables channel 5 to form a straight transmission. By providing such a feed port 204, the rotating component 2 can maintain the connection between the second consumables channel 6 and the first consumables channel 5 during the rotation process, and the consumables can enter the second consumables channel 6 from different angles.

[0037] The rotating component 2 of this embodiment includes a connecting seat 201 and a channel seat 202, and the channel seat 202 is located on the side of the connecting seat 201; in this embodiment, the entire cross-section of the connecting seat 201 is circular, and the channel seat 202 is located on the circumferential side of the connecting seat 201; the connecting seat 201 is rotatably connected to the base 1, and the second consumable channel 6 is arranged on the channel seat 202. The channel seat 202 of this embodiment is provided with an arc surface 205, and the feed port 204 is located on the arc surface 205, and the arc surface 205 is concentric with the rotation point of the rotating component 2. The channel seat 202 of this embodiment is provided with a cover plate 203, and the cover plate 203 is assembled on the channel seat 202, and the second consumable channel 6 is formed between the cover plate 203 and the channel seat 202.

[0038] The base 1 of this embodiment is provided with an arc-shaped seat body 101, and the arc-shaped surface 205 on the channel seat 202 and the feed port 204 thereon are adapted to the arc-shaped seat body 101. The first consumable channel 5 is provided on the arc-shaped seat body 101, and the port of the first consumable channel 5 close to the feed port 204 is provided on the side wall of the arc-shaped seat body 101. Through the provision of the arc-shaped seat body 101, on the one hand, it can be more adapted to the rotation of the rotating component 2, and can protect the feed port 204 to prevent the consumables from running out, and on the other hand, the outlet of the first consumable channel 5 can also be arc-shaped, which cooperates with the arc-shaped feed port 204, so that the consumables can smoothly enter the second consumable channel 6 from the first consumable channel 5.

[0039] Furthermore, the base 1 is provided with a boss 102, the connecting seat 201 is provided with a circular hole 2011, the boss 102 is located in the circular hole 2011 and is concentric, and a bearing 14 is provided between the boss 102 and the circular hole 2011. In this embodiment, the bearing 14 can be a thrust ball bearing, which can generate less friction when the rotating component 2 rotates relative to the base 1.

[0040] Furthermore, the base 1 is provided with a first limit portion 10 and a second limit portion 11 for limiting the rotation angle of the rotating part 2; when the rotating part 2 rotates to the first limit angle, the first limit portion 10 blocks the rotating part 2; when the rotating part 2 rotates to the second limit angle, the second limit portion 11 blocks the rotating part 2.

[0041] Specifically, in this embodiment, the first limiting portion 10 is a protruding structure on the base 1. When the rotating component 2 rotates and rotates to the first limit angle, one side of the channel seat 202 abuts against the protruding structure, and the rotation angle of the rotating component 2 is limited by the protruding structure. An extension portion is provided on the arc-shaped seat body 101 of this embodiment, and the end surface of the extension portion constitutes the second limiting portion 11; a protruding step 2021 is provided at the corresponding part of the channel seat 202 and the extension portion, and the step 2021 cooperates with the second limiting portion 11 to form a positioning of the second limit angle of the rotating component 2. When the elastic force of the elastic element 8 causes the rotating component 2 to rotate in the opposite direction and reset, the positioning can be achieved by the cooperation of the second limiting portion 11 and the step 2021.

[0042] Of course, the structural form and the setting position of the first limiting portion 10 and the second limiting portion 11 in this embodiment can be flexibly adjusted, and the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned method. For example, the first limiting portion 10 and the second limiting portion 11 can limit the connection seat 201, and limiting the rotation angle of the connection seat 201 can also achieve the same purpose.

[0043] The consumable material transmission buffer device of this embodiment also includes a detection component for detecting the rotation angle of the rotating component 2. The detection component can transmit the rotation angle information of the rotating component 2 to the control module of the 3D printer, and the control module of the 3D printer adjusts the transmission speed of the upper-level material guide device and / or the lower-level material guide device according to the rotation angle information. The control module can refer to the existing technology, for example, it can be a controller, a processor, or other electronic components with functions such as information reception, transmission, and transmission.

[0044] Specifically in this embodiment, there are two detection components, namely, the first detection component 12 and the second detection component 13. Among them, the first detection component 12 and the second detection component 13 detect and monitor two different angles of the rotating component 2. When the first detection component 12 detects that the rotating component 2 rotates to the first angle, that is, there are more consumables temporarily stored in the second consumable channel 6, or the rotating component 2 has rotated to the limit angle, the rotation angle information at this time is fed back to the control module, and the control module will suspend the transmission action of the upper-level material guide device; and when the rotating component 2 rotates in the opposite direction and resets to the second angle, it is sensed and detected by the second detection component 13. At this time, after the control module receives the rotation angle information detected by the second detection component 13, it controls the upper-level material guide device to restart and continue the consumable transmission action. The first detection component 12 and the second detection component 13 of this embodiment both include a first sensing member and a second sensing member. The first sensing member can be set on the rotating component 2, and the second sensing member can be set on the base 1. Position detection can be achieved through the cooperation of the two. For example, photoelectric sensors, Hall sensors and other sensors can be selected to detect position information; when photoelectric sensors are used, the optocoupler trigger device can be set on the cover 203 of the channel seat 202, and the optocoupler switch detection board can be set on the base 1; when Hall sensors are used, the magnet can be set on the cover 203 of the channel seat 202, and the Hall detection board can be set on the base 1.

[0045] Furthermore, the elastic element 8 of the present embodiment is a torsion spring, which is sleeved on the boss 102. The boss 102 of the present embodiment is set to be cylindrical, which is more conducive to matching with the torsion spring; a stopper 9 is provided on the top of the boss 102, and the stopper 9 is located in the circular hole 2011 of the connecting seat 201; one end of the torsion spring is limited to the stopper 9, and the other end of the torsion spring is limited to the connecting seat 201. In order to facilitate the matching with the torsion spring, the connecting seat 201 of the present embodiment is provided with a first limiting groove, and the stopper 9 is provided with a second limiting groove, and the two ends of the torsion spring are correspondingly inserted into the first limiting groove and the second limiting groove. When the rotating part 2 rotates in the buffer state, the two ends of the torsion spring are compressed to a smaller angle. When the rotating part 2 is reset or not pushed by the consumables, the two ends of the torsion spring rebound to the initial angle.

[0046] During the operation of the 3D printer, each level of the material guide device transmits the consumables. The consumable transmission buffer device of this embodiment can be set between the material guide devices at each level to buffer the transmission speed of the upper and lower level material guide devices, so that the consumables can be transmitted to the print head more stably. Among them, when the upper and lower levels of the material guide devices are not synchronized, especially when the feed throughput of the upper level of the material guide device is greater than the feed throughput of the lower level, the consumables between the two levels of the material guide devices will gradually increase, and because the entire consumable channel belongs to a coherent whole, when the consumables between the two levels of the material guide devices increase, a force will be generated between the two levels of the material guide devices, and this force will drive the rotating part 2 to rotate, so that the rotating part 2 will produce an arc length change due to the rotation, that is, the length of the second consumable channel 6 will become longer, thereby achieving the purpose of offsetting the increase in the amount of consumables and achieving a buffering effect. On the contrary, when the feed throughput of the upper-level material guiding device is smaller than that of the lower-level material guiding device, the consumables in the consumable channel of the buffer device located between the two-level material guiding devices will gradually decrease, and the rotation angle originally generated due to the buffering needs will be pulled back and become smaller. At the same time, combined with the elastic force of the elastic element 8, the rotating part 2 is reset.

[0047] In combination with the consumable material transmission buffer device of this embodiment, the upper-level material guide device can transmit the consumable material at a faster speed (this speed is much higher than the feeding speed of the lower-level material guide device) during the printing process, so that a certain length of consumable material is accumulated in the buffer device to cause the rotating part 2 to rotate, and a certain length of consumable material buffer is provided through the change of arc length. In combination with the use of the detection component, specifically in this embodiment, the first detection component 12 detects the rotation angle of the rotating part 2, at this time, the upper-level material guide device can suspend transmission, and the lower-level material guide device continues to feed and print. When the consumable material buffered in the first consumable material channel 5 or / and the second consumable material channel 6 is almost consumed, the rotating part 2 rotates in the opposite direction under the action of the elastic element 8 to reset, and when the second detection component 13 detects the rotation angle of the rotating part 2, the upper-level material guide device transmits the consumable material at a faster speed again, the rotating part 2 rotates again, and the consumable material transmission buffer device temporarily stores a certain length of consumable material again. After the first detection component 12 detects the rotation angle of the rotating part 2, the upper-level material guide device suspends transmission, and the lower-level material guide device continues to work, and the consumable material transmission is repeated in this way.

[0048] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and does not limit the present invention in any form. Therefore, any modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiment according to the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the technical solution of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A consumables transmission buffer device for a 3D printer, characterized in that: Includes a base and a rotating part; The base is provided with a first consumable material channel, and the first consumable material channel is used to connect to the upper-level material guiding device; The rotating component can be rotatably arranged on the base; the rotating component is provided with a second consumable channel, and the second consumable channel is used to connect the next-level material guiding device; the second consumable channel and the first consumable channel can be connected at different angles; an elastic element is provided between the rotating component and the base, and the elastic force of the elastic element always causes the second consumable channel on the rotating component to be connected with the first consumable channel along a straight line; When the consumables push the rotating component to rotate by overcoming the elastic force of the elastic element, the change in arc length of the rotating component caused by the rotation has a buffering effect on the transmission of the consumables.

2. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second consumable channel includes a first straight segment and an arc segment; the arc segment is connected to one end of the first straight segment close to the first consumable channel; an arc-shaped feed port is provided on the outer side of the arc segment, and the feed port is always connected to one end of the first consumable channel close to the second consumable channel; when the consumable does not push the rotating part, the elastic force of the elastic element causes the first straight segment to align with the first consumable channel to form a linear transmission.

3. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second consumable material channel also includes a second straight line segment tangent to the arc segment, and one end of the second straight line segment is connected to the arc segment; the feed port corresponds to the second straight line segment and the arc segment.

4. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 2, characterized in that: The base is provided with an arc-shaped seat body, and the feed port is adapted to the arc-shaped seat body; the first consumable material channel is arranged on the arc-shaped seat body, and the port of the first consumable material channel close to the feed port is arranged on the side wall of the arc-shaped seat body.

5. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 2 or 4, characterized in that: The rotating component includes a connecting seat and a channel seat, the channel seat is located on the side of the connecting seat; the connecting seat is rotatably connected to the base, and the second consumable channel is arranged on the channel seat; an arc surface is provided on the channel seat, and the feed port is located on the arc surface.

6. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The base is provided with a boss, the connecting seat is provided with a circular hole, the boss is located in the circular hole and is concentric with the circular hole; a bearing is provided between the boss and the circular hole.

7. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base is provided with a first limit portion and a second limit portion for limiting the rotation angle of the rotating component; when the rotating component rotates to a first limit angle, the first limit portion blocks the rotating component; when the rotating component rotates to a second limit angle, the second limit portion blocks the rotating component.

8. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a detection component for detecting the rotation angle of the rotating component, and the detection component transmits the rotation angle information of the rotating component to the control module of the 3D printer. The control module of the 3D printer adjusts the transmission speed of the upper-level material guiding device and / or the lower-level material guiding device according to the rotation angle information.

9. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 6, characterized in that: The elastic element is a torsion spring, which is sleeved on the boss; a stopper is provided on the top of the boss, and the stopper is located in the circular hole of the connecting seat; one end of the torsion spring is restricted by the stopper, and the other end of the torsion spring is restricted by the connecting seat.

10. The consumables transmission buffer device of the 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first interface is provided at one end of the first consumable channel away from the second consumable channel, and the first interface is used to connect to the upper-level material guiding device; a second interface is provided at one end of the second consumable channel away from the first consumable channel, and the second interface is used to connect to the next-level material guiding device.

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