Powder supply device, additive manufacturing apparatus, and powder supply method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and particularly discloses a powder supply device, additive manufacturing equipment and a powder supply method. The powder supply device comprises a powder weighing platform, a filtering assembly, a driving assembly, a powder feeding assembly, a powder spreading assembly and a control system. The powder weighing platform is arranged on one side of the powder laying platform; the filtering assembly comprises a filtering part, and the filtering part and the powder weighing platform are provided with a first working position and a second working position which are matched with each other; the driving assembly is used for driving the powder weighing platform and the filtering part to be switched between a first working position and a second working position; the powder feeding assembly is arranged above the powder weighing platform and used for supplying powder to the powder weighing platform. And the powder spreading assembly is used for pushing the remaining powder after the upper layer is formed to the filtering part located at the first working position and pushing the powder on the powder weighing platform located at the second working position to the powder spreading platform. According to the powder supply device, residual powder after upper-layer forming can be recycled after being filtered, and the powder utilization rate is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and in particular to a powder supply device, additive manufacturing equipment and a powder supply method. Background Art

[0002] Powder bed electron beam additive manufacturing equipment is one of the mainstream equipment in the current 3D metal printing field. It can print high-melting-point refractory metals and alloys such as titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, and niobium into metal parts. It mainly uses electron beam selective melting forming technology.

[0003] At present, powder bed electron beam additive manufacturing equipment mainly adopts a volume-controlled powder supply mode to provide close to the volume of powder for each layer. However, due to factors such as the inconsistent amount of powder required for different layers and the change of powder properties caused by high temperature, it is impossible to accurately supply the powder amount of a single layer of the powder bed. Therefore, in order to ensure that there is no powder loss during the printing process, most of them adopt the method of supplying excess powder. After the powder is laid, the scraper sweeps the remaining powder into the collection device. The powder utilization rate of this powder supply method is low, so a large amount of powder needs to be prepared to print a part. In addition, after the powder is laid, pre-sintering will form powder residue and sintered blocks. The powder mixed with powder residue and sintered blocks cannot be reused again, resulting in powder waste, which in turn makes the printing cost higher.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to propose a powder supply device, additive manufacturing equipment and powder supply method to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a powder supply device is provided, which can filter and reuse the powder remaining after the upper layer is formed, thereby improving the powder utilization rate and reducing the printing cost.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A powder supply device is used to supply powder to the powder spreading platform, and the powder supply device comprises:

[0008] A powder weighing platform is arranged on one side of the powder spreading platform, and the powder weighing platform can weigh the weight of the powder thereon;

[0009] The filter assembly comprises a filter element, the filter element is used to filter impurities in the powder, the filter element and the powder weighing platform have a first working position and a second working position that cooperate with each other; in the first working position, the filter element can receive the powder falling from the powder spreading platform and is located above the powder weighing platform, and in the second working position, the powder weighing platform is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform, and the filter element is in a slag pouring state;

[0010] a driving assembly connected to the powder weighing platform and the filter element, and used for driving the powder weighing platform and the filter element to switch between the first working position and the second working position;

[0011] A powder feeding assembly is arranged above the powder weighing platform and is used for supplying powder to the powder weighing platform;

[0012] A powder spreading component, used for pushing the powder remaining after the upper layer is formed onto the filter element located at the first working position, and for pushing the powder on the powder weighing platform located at the second working position onto the powder spreading platform;

[0013] A control system is communicatively connected with the powder weighing platform, the driving component, the powder feeding component and the powder spreading component. The control system is used to control the operation of the powder spreading component and to control the powder feeding component to transport powder according to the target powder amount on the powder spreading platform and the weighing result of the powder weighing platform.

[0014] Optionally, the powder supply device further comprises a base, and the drive assembly comprises:

[0015] A crank, comprising a first transmission section and a second transmission section arranged at an angle, wherein a connection between the first transmission section and the second transmission section is rotatably connected to the base, and an end of the first transmission section is rotatably connected to a first end of the filter element;

[0016] A first connecting rod, one end of which is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the second end of the filter element, wherein the second end is arranged diagonally to the first end;

[0017] A second connecting rod, one end of which is rotatably connected to the end of the second transmission section, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the bottom of the powder weighing platform. The powder weighing platform is slidably attached to the side wall of the forming cylinder in the vertical direction on one side close to the powder spreading platform, and the forming cylinder is supported below the powder spreading platform;

[0018] The first rotating driving member is arranged on the base, and the output end of the first rotating driving member is connected to the connection between the first transmission section and the second transmission section, so as to drive the crank to rotate.

[0019] Optionally, at the bottom of the powder weighing platform, a connecting plate is provided in the middle of the powder weighing platform, the connecting plate is vertically arranged with the powder weighing platform, and the connecting plate is rotatably connected with the other end of the second connecting rod.

[0020] Optionally, the powder supply device further comprises a base, and the drive assembly comprises:

[0021] A third connecting rod, one end of which is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the filter element;

[0022] A second rotating driving member is disposed on the base, and is used to drive the third connecting rod to rotate so that the filter is placed above the powder weighing platform or in the slag pouring state;

[0023] A lifting drive component is arranged on the base, and an output end of the lifting drive component is connected to the powder weighing platform, and is used to drive the powder weighing platform to rise and fall, so that the powder weighing platform is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform, or the powder weighing platform is lower than the powder spreading platform.

[0024] Optionally, a limiting groove is provided on one side of the powder weighing platform close to the powder spreading platform, the bottom wall of the limiting groove can abut against the bottom of the powder spreading platform, and the side wall of the limiting groove can fit against the side wall of the powder spreading platform.

[0025] Optionally, the filter assembly further comprises a powder residue receiving bucket, which is arranged on a side of the filter element away from the powder spreading platform and is used for receiving powder residue dumped from the filter element.

[0026] Optionally, a weighing sensor is provided on the powder weighing platform.

[0027] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides an additive manufacturing device, including a forming chamber, and a forming cylinder, a powder spreading platform and a powder supply device as described in any of the above technical solutions arranged in the forming chamber, wherein the powder supply device is used to supply powder to the powder spreading platform.

[0028] Optionally, the powder supply device is provided on opposite sides of the powder spreading platform.

[0029] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides a powder supply method, using the powder supply device described in any of the above technical solutions to supply powder to the powder spreading platform, the powder supply method comprising:

[0030] The control system controls the driving assembly to drive the powder weighing platform and the filter element to move to a first working position that cooperates with each other;

[0031] The control system controls the powder spreading component to push the remaining powder on the upper layer of the powder spreading platform onto the filter element, and the powder falls onto the powder weighing platform after being filtered by the filter element;

[0032] The control system controls the driving assembly to drive the powder weighing platform and the filter element to move to a second working position that cooperates with each other;

[0033] The control system obtains the target powder amount currently required by the powder spreading platform, obtains the weighing result of the powder weighing platform in real time, and controls the powder feeding component to supply powder to the powder weighing platform until the weighing result of the powder weighing platform is equal to the target powder amount;

[0034] The control system controls the powder spreading component to push the powder on the powder weighing platform to the powder spreading platform and perform powder spreading.

[0035] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0036] The present invention provides a powder supply device, comprising a powder weighing platform, a filter component, a drive component, a powder delivery component, a powder spreading component and a control system. When the powder supply device is in use, the control system first controls the powder spreading component to push the powder (with residue) remaining after the upper layer is formed onto the filter element of the filter component for filtering, and the powder without residue after filtering will fall onto the powder weighing platform located below the filter element, and the residue remains on the filter element; then the control system controls the drive component to drive the filter element to move to the residue pouring state to pour out the residue, and drives the powder weighing platform to rise to be flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform; then the control system controls the powder delivery component to transport powder to supplement the powder amount on the powder weighing platform until the powder amount is equal to the target powder amount on the powder spreading platform; finally, the control system controls the powder spreading component to push the powder of the target powder amount on the powder weighing platform onto the powder spreading platform, and spread the powder. That is, when the powder supply device supplies powder in each layer, the powder remaining after the upper layer is formed can be filtered and reused, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the powder, thereby reducing the waste of powder, and reducing the total amount of powder that needs to be prepared during the printing process, thereby reducing the printing cost.

[0037] The present invention also provides an additive manufacturing device, comprising a forming chamber, a forming cylinder, a powder spreading platform and the above-mentioned powder supply device arranged in the forming chamber. The additive manufacturing device has a low printing cost because it adopts the above-mentioned powder supply device to supply powder.

[0038] The present invention also provides a powder supply method, which can use the above-mentioned powder supply device to supply powder to the powder spreading platform to reduce printing costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0039] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the contents of the embodiments of the present invention and these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an additive manufacturing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a powder weighing platform and a filter element provided in an embodiment of the present invention when they are in a first working position that cooperates with each other;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a powder weighing platform and a filter element provided in an embodiment of the present invention when they are in a second working position that cooperates with each other;

[0043] Figure 4-Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the working process of the powder supply device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the powder supply method provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] In the figure:

[0046] 10. forming chamber; 20. forming cylinder; 21. side wall; 30. powder spreading platform;

[0047] 100, powder weighing platform; 110, limiting groove; 200, filter element; 300, driving assembly; 310, crank; 311, first transmission section; 312, second transmission section; 320, first connecting rod; 330, second connecting rod; 340, connecting plate; 350, rotating shaft; 400, powder feeding assembly; 500, powder spreading assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the drawings here can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0049] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the invention claimed for protection, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0050] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters denote similar items in the following drawings, and therefore, once an item is defined in one drawing, further definition and explanation thereof is not required in subsequent drawings.

[0051] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the positions or positional relationships in which the inventive product is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise specified, "multiple" means two or more.

[0052] In the description of the present invention, it is also necessary to explain that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "disposed" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0053] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, a first feature being "above" or "below" a second feature may include that the first and second features are in direct contact, or may include that the first and second features are not in direct contact but are in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, a first feature being "above", "above" and "above" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. A first feature being "below", "below" and "below" a second feature includes that the first feature is directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0054] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and cannot be understood as limiting the present invention.

[0055] Embodiment 1

[0056] This embodiment provides a powder supply device for supplying powder to a powder spreading platform. The powder supply device can filter and reuse the powder remaining after the upper layer on the powder spreading platform is formed, thereby improving the powder utilization rate and reducing the printing cost.

[0057] Specifically, Figure 1-Figure 3As shown, the powder supply device includes a powder weighing platform 100, a filtering assembly, a driving assembly 300, a powder feeding assembly 400, a powder spreading assembly 500 and a control system (not shown in the figure).

[0058] The powder weighing platform 100 is arranged on one side of the powder spreading platform 30, and the powder weighing platform 100 can weigh the weight of the powder thereon. The filter assembly includes a filter 200, and the filter 200 is used to filter impurities in the powder to remove the residue in the powder remaining after the upper layer is formed, so that the filtered powder can be used for printing again. The filter 200 and the powder weighing platform 100 have a first working position and a second working position that cooperate with each other; in the first working position, the filter 200 can receive the powder falling from the powder spreading platform 30 and is located above the powder weighing platform 100, and in the second working position, the powder weighing platform 100 is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform 30, and the filter 200 is in a slag pouring state. The driving assembly 300 is connected to the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter 200, and is used to drive the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter 200 to switch between the first working position and the second working position. The powder feeding assembly 400 is arranged above the powder weighing platform 100, and is used to supply powder to the powder weighing platform 100. The powder spreading component 500 is used to push the remaining powder after the upper layer is formed onto the filter element 200 located at the first working position, and to push the powder on the powder weighing platform 100 located at the second working position onto the powder spreading platform 30. The control system is communicatively connected with the powder weighing platform 100, the driving component 300, the powder feeding component 400 and the powder spreading component 500. The control system is used to control the operation of the powder spreading component 500, and to control the powder feeding component 400 to convey powder according to the target powder amount on the powder spreading platform 30 and the weighing result of the powder weighing platform 100.

[0059] For ease of understanding, the working process of the powder supply device is briefly introduced:

[0060] like Figure 2 As shown, when printing is performed on the powder spreading platform 30, the filter element 200 and the powder weighing platform 100 are located at a first working position that cooperates with each other. At this time, the filter element 200 is lower than the powder spreading platform 30, and the powder weighing platform 100 is located below the filter element 200 to receive the powder filtered by the filter element 200;

[0061] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, after the printing of this layer is completed, the control system will control the powder spreading component 500 to push the remaining powder on the powder spreading platform 30 onto the filter element 200, and the powder will fall onto the powder weighing platform 100 after being filtered by the filter element 200. The powder will be used again for the next layer of powder spreading through the powder weighing platform 100, and the filtered residue will remain on the filter element 200;

[0062] like Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, after the filter element 200 has filtered the remaining powder after the previous layer is formed, the control system controls the driving assembly 300 to drive the filter element 200 and the powder weighing platform 100 to move to the second working position that cooperates with each other. At this time, the powder weighing platform 100 is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform 30, and the filter element 200 is in a slag pouring state to pour out the residue on it for easy use for filtering again;

[0063] Continue to see Figure 6 After the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 move to their proper positions, the control system controls the powder feeding assembly 400 to feed powder to the powder weighing platform 100 until the amount of powder on the powder weighing platform 100 is equal to the target amount of powder required by the powder spreading platform 30;

[0064] Continue to see Figure 6 After the powder feeding component 400 finishes feeding the powder, the control system controls the powder spreading component 500 to push the powder on the powder weighing platform 100 onto the powder spreading platform 30 and spread the powder.

[0065] like Figure 7 As shown, during the process of the powder spreading component 500 spreading powder, the control system controls the driving component 300 to drive the filter element 200 and the powder weighing platform 100 to move to the first working position that cooperates with each other, waiting for the next powder supply.

[0066] When supplying powder to each layer, the powder supply device can filter and reuse the remaining powder after the upper layer is formed, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the powder, thereby reducing the waste of powder and reducing the total amount of powder that needs to be prepared during the printing process, thereby reducing the printing cost.

[0067] Optionally, the powder spreading assembly 500 may include a scraper and a driving member for driving the scraper to move horizontally.

[0068] Optionally, in this embodiment, the powder feeding assembly 400 includes a powder feeding box and a powder roller shaft, and the control system controls the rotation angle of the powder roller shaft to control the powder feeding of the powder feeding box. Since the structure in which the powder feeding box and the powder roller shaft cooperate with each other to achieve powder feeding is an existing technology, its structure will not be described in detail.

[0069] Optionally, a weighing sensor may be provided on the powder weighing platform 100 to realize a weighing function, and the weighing sensor is communicatively connected with a control system to transmit the weighing result to the control system in real time.

[0070] Optionally, the filter element 200 is a filter net.

[0071] Further, see Figure 4-Figure 7In this embodiment, a limiting groove 110 is provided on one side of the powder weighing platform 100 close to the powder spreading platform 30, and the bottom wall of the limiting groove 110 can abut against the bottom of the powder spreading platform 30, and the side wall of the limiting groove 110 can fit the side wall of the powder spreading platform 30. Through the mutual cooperation between the bottom wall of the limiting groove 110 and the bottom of the powder spreading platform 30, the position of the symmetrical powder platform 100 can be limited, and the reliability of the movement of the powder weighing platform 100 to the second working position is improved. The side wall of the limiting groove 110 fits with the side wall of the powder spreading platform 30 to achieve the flushness and connection between the powder weighing platform 100 and the powder spreading platform 30, which has a simple structure and is easy to control.

[0072] Furthermore, the filter element 200 further includes a powder slag receiving bucket (not shown in the figure), which is arranged on a side of the filter element 200 away from the powder spreading platform 30 and is used to receive the powder slag dumped by the filter element 200. By providing the powder slag receiving bucket, the filtered powder slag can be collected centrally for easy recycling.

[0073] Further, see Figure 1-Figure 7 In one possible embodiment, the powder supply device further includes a base (not shown in the figure). The drive assembly 300 includes a crank 310, a first connecting rod 320, a second connecting rod 330 and a first rotating driving member (not shown in the figure). The crank 310 includes a first transmission section 311 and a second transmission section 312 arranged at an angle, the connection between the first transmission section 311 and the second transmission section 312 is rotatably connected to the base, and the end of the first transmission section 311 is rotatably connected to the first end of the filter element 200. One end of the first connecting rod 320 is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end is rotatably connected to the second end of the filter element 200, and the second end is arranged diagonally to the first end. One end of the second connecting rod 330 is rotatably connected to the end of the second transmission section 312, and the other end is rotatably connected to the bottom of the powder weighing platform 100. The powder weighing platform 100 is slidably attached to the side wall portion 21 of the vertical direction of the forming cylinder 20 near the powder spreading platform 30, and the forming cylinder 20 is supported below the powder spreading platform 30. The first rotation driving member is disposed on the base, and an output end of the first rotation driving member is connected to the connection between the first transmission section 311 and the second transmission section 312 for driving the crank 310 to rotate.

[0074] In this embodiment, if the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 are located in the second working position that cooperates with each other, at this time, the first rotating driving member drives the crank 310 to rotate counterclockwise, the powder weighing platform 100 will drop, and the filter element 200 will rotate close to the powder spreading platform 30 until the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 move to the first working position that cooperates with each other. If the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 are located in the first working position that cooperates with each other, at this time, the first rotating driving member drives the crank 310 to rotate clockwise, the powder weighing platform 100 will rise, and the filter element 200 will rotate toward the slag pouring state until the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 move to the second working position that cooperates with each other. That is, by controlling the forward and reverse rotation of the first rotating driving member, the filter element 200 and the powder weighing platform 100 can be switched between the first working position and the second working position, and the structure is simple and the control is convenient.

[0075] Optionally, the first rotation driving member may be a motor.

[0076] Optionally, continue to see Figure 2-Figure 7 In order to facilitate the connection between the powder weighing platform 100 and the second connecting rod 330, a connecting plate 340 is provided at the bottom of the powder weighing platform 100 and in the middle of the powder weighing platform 100. The connecting plate 340 is vertically arranged with the powder weighing platform 100, and the connecting plate 340 is rotatably connected with the other end of the second connecting rod 330.

[0077] Optionally, continue to see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The second connecting rod 330 and the second transmission section 312 can be rotatably connected via the rotating shaft 350 , which has a simple structure and good rotation smoothness.

[0078] Further, in another possible embodiment, the powder supply device also includes a base. The drive assembly 300 includes a third connecting rod, a second rotating drive member and a lifting drive member. Among them, one end of the third connecting rod is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end is rotatably connected to the filter 200. The second rotating drive member is arranged on the base, and the second rotating drive member is used to drive the third connecting rod to rotate so that the filter 200 is placed above the powder weighing platform 100, or placed in a slag pouring state. The lifting drive member is arranged on the base, and the output end of the lifting drive member is connected to the powder weighing platform 100, which is used to drive the powder weighing platform 100 to rise and fall, so that the powder weighing platform 100 is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform 30, or the powder weighing platform 100 is lower than the powder spreading platform 30. The movement of the filter 200 and the powder weighing platform 100 is controlled respectively by the second rotating drive member and the lifting drive member, and the structure is also relatively simple and easy to control.

[0079] Optionally, the second rotation driving member may be a motor.

[0080] Optionally, the lifting drive member may be a pneumatic cylinder or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0081] Embodiment 2

[0082] like Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides an additive manufacturing device, including a forming chamber 10, and a forming cylinder 20, a powder spreading platform 30 and a powder supply device provided in the first embodiment, which is used to supply powder to the powder spreading platform 30.

[0083] Since the additive manufacturing equipment adopts the above-mentioned powder supply device to supply powder, the printing cost is relatively low.

[0084] Optionally, continue to see Figure 1 In this embodiment, powder supply devices are provided on opposite sides of the powder spreading platform 30. With such a configuration, powder feeding can be achieved on both sides.

[0085] Embodiment 3

[0086] This embodiment provides a powder supply method, which uses the powder supply device provided in the first embodiment to supply powder to the powder spreading platform 30, thereby reducing printing costs.

[0087] Specifically, Figure 8 As shown, the powder supply method comprises the following steps:

[0088] S100, the control system controls the driving assembly 300 to drive the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 to move to a first working position that cooperates with each other;

[0089] At this time, the filter element 200 can receive the powder falling from the powder spreading platform 30 and is located above the powder weighing platform 100. That is, after the powder remaining after the upper layer on the powder spreading platform 30 is formed falls onto the filter element 200, it can fall onto the powder weighing platform 100 after being filtered by the filter element 200. Through the cooperation of the filter element 200 and the powder weighing platform 100, the powder remaining after the upper layer is formed is reused, the utilization efficiency of the powder is improved, and the amount of powder required to be supplemented for the next layer of printing is reduced, so that the total amount of powder required to be prepared during the printing process is reduced, thereby reducing the printing cost.

[0090] S200, the control system controls the powder spreading component 500 to push the remaining powder after the upper layer of the powder spreading platform 30 is formed onto the filter element 200, and the powder falls onto the powder weighing platform 100 after being filtered by the filter element 200;

[0091] S300, the control system controls the driving assembly 300 to drive the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 to move to a second working position that cooperates with each other;

[0092] At this time, the powder weighing platform 100 is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform 30, and the filter element 200 is in a slag pouring state. That is, the powder weighing platform 100 is in a powder pre-supply state, and the filter element 200 pours out the filter residue to prepare for the next powder filtering to ensure the filtering effect.

[0093] S400, the control system obtains the target powder amount currently required by the powder spreading platform 30, and obtains the weighing result of the powder weighing platform 100 in real time, and controls the powder feeding component 400 to supply powder to the powder weighing platform 100 until the weighing result of the powder weighing platform 100 is equal to the target powder amount;

[0094] When the weighing result of the powder weighing platform 100 is equal to the target powder amount, it indicates that the powder amount on the powder weighing platform 100 is equal to the powder amount required by the powder spreading platform 30, and the powder feeding component 400 is not required to continue feeding powder.

[0095] S500, the control system controls the powder spreading component 500 to push the powder on the powder weighing platform 100 to the powder spreading platform 30, and spread the powder.

[0096] It is worth mentioning that while the powder spreading component 500 is spreading powder, the control system can control the driving component 300 to drive the powder weighing platform 100 and the filter element 200 to move to the first working position that cooperates with each other, so as to prepare for the next powder screening, which is conducive to making full use of time and improving printing efficiency.

[0097] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A powder supply device for supplying powder to a powder spreading platform (30), characterized in that: The powder supply device comprises: A powder weighing platform (100) is arranged on one side of the powder spreading platform (30), and the powder weighing platform (100) is capable of weighing the weight of the powder thereon; A filter assembly comprises a filter element (200), wherein the filter element (200) is used to filter impurities in powder, and the filter element (200) and the powder weighing platform (100) have a first working position and a second working position that cooperate with each other; in the first working position, the filter element (200) can receive powder dropped from the powder spreading platform (30) and is located above the powder weighing platform (100); in the second working position, the powder weighing platform (100) is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform (30), and the filter element (200) is in a slag pouring state; a driving assembly (300), connected to the powder weighing platform (100) and the filter element (200), and used for driving the powder weighing platform (100) and the filter element (200) to switch between the first working position and the second working position; A powder feeding assembly (400) is arranged above the powder weighing platform (100) and is used to supply powder to the powder weighing platform (100); a powder spreading component (500) for pushing the powder remaining after the upper layer is formed onto the filter element (200) located at the first working position, and for pushing the powder on the powder weighing platform (100) located at the second working position onto the powder spreading platform (30); A control system is communicatively connected to the powder weighing platform (100), the driving component (300), the powder delivery component (400) and the powder spreading component (500), and the control system is used to control the operation of the powder spreading component (500), and to control the powder delivery component (400) to convey powder according to the target powder amount on the powder spreading platform (30) and the weighing result of the powder weighing platform (100).

2. The powder supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder supply device further comprises a base, and the drive assembly (300) comprises: A crank (310) comprising a first transmission section (311) and a second transmission section (312) arranged at an angle, wherein a connection between the first transmission section (311) and the second transmission section (312) is rotatably connected to the base, and an end portion of the first transmission section (311) is rotatably connected to a first end of the filter element (200); A first connecting rod (320), one end of which is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the second end of the filter element (200), the second end being arranged diagonally to the first end; A second connecting rod (330), one end of which is rotatably connected to the end of the second transmission section (312), and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the bottom of the powder weighing platform (100), and a side of the powder weighing platform (100) close to the powder spreading platform (30) is slidably attached to a side wall (21) of the forming cylinder (20) in the vertical direction, and the forming cylinder (20) is supported below the powder spreading platform (30); A first rotating driving member is arranged on the base, and an output end of the first rotating driving member is connected to the connection between the first transmission section (311) and the second transmission section (312) for driving the crank (310) to rotate.

3. The powder supply device according to claim 2, characterized in that: A connecting plate (340) is provided at the bottom of the powder weighing platform (100) and in the middle of the powder weighing platform (100). The connecting plate (340) is vertically arranged with respect to the powder weighing platform (100), and the connecting plate (340) is rotatably connected with the other end of the second connecting rod (330).

4. The powder supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder supply device further comprises a base, and the drive assembly (300) comprises: A third connecting rod, one end of which is rotatably connected to the base, and the other end of which is rotatably connected to the filter element (200); a second rotating driving member, arranged on the base, and used for driving the third connecting rod to rotate so that the filter element (200) is placed above the powder weighing platform (100) or is placed in the slag pouring state; A lifting drive member is arranged on the base, and an output end of the lifting drive member is connected to the powder weighing platform (100) for driving the powder weighing platform (100) to rise and fall, so that the powder weighing platform (100) is flush with and connected to the powder spreading platform (30), or the powder weighing platform (100) is lower than the powder spreading platform (30).

5. The powder supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder weighing platform (100) is provided with a limiting groove (110) on one side close to the powder spreading platform (30); the bottom wall of the limiting groove (110) can abut against the bottom of the powder spreading platform (30); and the side wall of the limiting groove (110) can fit against the side wall of the powder spreading platform (30).

6. The powder supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The filter assembly further comprises a powder residue receiving bucket, which is arranged on a side of the filter element (200) away from the powder spreading platform (30) and is used to receive the powder residue dumped from the filter element (200).

7. The powder supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The powder weighing platform (100) is provided with a weighing sensor.

8. Additive manufacturing equipment, characterized in that It comprises a forming chamber (10), a forming cylinder (20) arranged in the forming chamber (10), a powder spreading platform (30) and a powder supplying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the powder supplying device is used to supply powder to the powder spreading platform (30).

9. The additive manufacturing device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The powder supply devices are provided on opposite sides of the powder spreading platform (30).

10. A powder supply method, using the powder supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 to supply powder to a powder spreading platform (30), characterized in that: The powder supply method comprises: The control system controls the driving component (300) to drive the powder weighing platform (100) and the filter element (200) to move to a first working position in which they cooperate with each other; The control system controls the powder spreading component (500) to push the powder remaining after the upper layer of the powder spreading platform (30) is formed onto the filter element (200), and the powder falls onto the powder weighing platform (100) after being filtered by the filter element (200); The control system controls the driving component (300) to drive the powder weighing platform (100) and the filter element (200) to move to a second working position that cooperates with each other; The control system obtains the target powder amount currently required by the powder spreading platform (30), obtains the weighing result of the powder weighing platform (100) in real time, and controls the powder feeding component (400) to supply powder to the powder weighing platform (100) until the weighing result of the powder weighing platform (100) is equal to the target powder amount; The control system controls the powder spreading component (500) to push the powder on the powder weighing platform (100) to the powder spreading platform (30) and perform powder spreading.

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