Blood vessel printing spray head with dynamically adjustable inner diameter and outer diameter

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of 3D printing, and discloses an inner and outer diameter dynamically adjustable blood vessel printing spray head which comprises an inner diameter control mechanism, an outer diameter control mechanism and a machine base. The inner diameter control mechanism is driven by an internal push-pull type motor, the push-pull type motor is fixed to the installation frame, the lower end of the push-pull type motor is connected with a slidable push rod, and the push rod can push the inner diameter control mechanism so as to control the inner diameter. The outer diameter control mechanism is controlled through an external motor gear mechanism, a motor gear drives the control cover to rotate so as to drive the blades at the bottom of the spray head to be opened and closed, and the blades are opened and closed by changing the rotation angle so as to change the outer diameter size. According to the blood vessel printing spray head capable of dynamically adjusting the inner diameter and the outer diameter, the inner diameter and outer diameter parameters can be changed in real time in the printing process, blood vessels with variable tube diameters and wall thicknesses can be integrally printed, the customization flexibility and adaptability of blood vessel printing are improved, and the printing efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of 3D printing, and in particular to a blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters. Background Art

[0002] As an advanced manufacturing technology, 3D printing has demonstrated its unique advantages in many fields. In the biomedical field, 3D printing technology is used to print models of human tissues and organs to assist in medical research and surgical planning. Blood vessels are important channels for transporting blood, and the precise printing of their models is of great significance for studying vascular diseases and developing new medical devices.

[0003] Blood vessel printing usually uses extrusion printing technology. One common printing strategy is to use a coaxial print head or cylindrical extrusion curing technology. When printing a single blood vessel model, a traditional coaxial print head can only print a blood vessel structure with a fixed diameter. If blood vessels with different diameters need to be printed, the operator must replace the coaxial print head with the corresponding specifications, which not only limits the printing flexibility, but also increases the complexity and cost of the printing process. For blood vessel models with tapered changes that need to be printed, traditional coaxial print heads are even more powerless. Although the cylindrical extrusion curing blood vessel printing process has advantages in customization and can print blood vessel structures of different shapes, it also requires the design and manufacture of the corresponding cylindrical forming mold according to the shape of the required blood vessel in advance. This process undoubtedly increases the design and manufacturing time, and also pushes up the overall production cost.

[0004] In order to overcome these limitations, it is necessary to develop a more flexible and efficient printing technology to achieve the printing of vascular models with different diameters and even with tapered changes, while reducing production costs and time and improving the adaptability and economy of the printing process. Summary of the invention

[0005] 1. Technical issues to be solved

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides a vascular printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters, which has the advantages of printing vascular models with different diameters and even with tapered changes. It solves the problem that traditional coaxial printing heads can only print vascular structures with fixed diameters when printing a single vascular model. If blood vessels with different diameters need to be printed, the operator must replace the coaxial printing head with the corresponding specifications, which not only limits the printing flexibility, but also increases the complexity and cost of the printing process.

[0007] (II) Technical solution

[0008] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of printing blood vessel models with different diameters or even with tapered changes, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0009] A blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters, wherein the push rod is composed of an axial inner end bracket, an axial bracket, and an axial outer end bracket to form a four-bar linkage, the shaft end of the sleeve pressure plate is connected to the four-bar linkage through a swing rod, the rubber tube is clamped and fixed by the sleeve pressure plate end and the fixed seat, the fixed seat, the rubber tube, and the sleeve pressure plate are fixed by a mounting frame, the push-pull motor is passed through and fixed by the mounting bracket, the blade is connected to the fixed seat through a hinge, and the control cover is positioned and matched with the fixed seat through the hinge on the blade. The upper end of the connecting rod is fixed to the bracket.

[0010] Preferably, the variable inner diameter movable support component of the vascular printing nozzle is made of a metal material with good wear resistance.

[0011] Preferably, a shoulder limiter is provided on the push rod to prevent the mechanism from self-locking.

[0012] Preferably, the variable inner diameter elastic structure of the blood vessel printing nozzle is made of a rubber material with good elastic properties.

[0013] Preferably, the rubber tube is designed to be integrated to prevent leakage inside the mechanism and the integrated feed port reduces the manufacturing cost of the component.

[0014] Preferably, the feed inlet feeding mechanism has controllable pressure feeding characteristics to ensure the uniformity of blood vessel printing and the controllability of printing speed.

[0015] Preferably, a feed port through hole and a mounting frame assembly hole are reserved at the end of the sleeve pressure plate, and the movement direction of the push rod is limited by a central reserved channel.

[0016] Preferably, both ends of the mounting frame are tapped with threads to connect the bracket and the fixing seat.

[0017] Preferably, the fixing seat has an opening and is threaded, and the rubber tube and the shaft sleeve pressure plate are fixed and positioned by cooperating with the threads between the mounting frame.

[0018] Preferably, the inner wall of the fixing seat is coated with a hydrophobic layer to ensure the extrusion performance of the light-curing gel.

[0019] Preferably, the rotating cover is provided with gears, and the gears are driven by an external gear motor to control the rotation angle of the rotating cover.

[0020] Preferably, the variable outer diameter of the blood vessel of the blood vessel printing nozzle is controlled by a controllable blade, and the rotation of the control cover drives the blade angle to change the hole diameter, so that the outer diameter of the blood vessel is controlled.

[0021] Preferably, a curing lamp is provided below the vascular printing nozzle, and the curing lamp can be used to shape the blood vessels according to the properties of the vascular printing material and the curing method.

[0022] Preferably, a receiving container is provided below the curing lamp, and the interior of the receiving container can be filled with corresponding liquid according to the properties of the printing material to receive and temporarily store the printed blood vessels.

[0023] (III) Beneficial effects

[0024] Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters, which has the following beneficial effects:

[0025] 1. The vascular printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters constructs a vascular printing support structure through the cooperation of a rubber hose and a mechanical structure, thereby printing a hollow vascular structure. An outer diameter control mechanism is constructed through a rotating blade mechanism to achieve control of the output amount. At the same time, this mechanism integrates the vascular printing curing and temporary storage functions, simplifies the vascular printing process, and improves the efficiency of on-demand vascular customization.

[0026] 2. The blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters can print multiple blood vessels at one head through the inner and outer diameter control system of the outlet. There is no need to replace the print head multiple times when printing blood vessels of different diameters, which eliminates the need for customization and storage of multiple print heads. In addition, the inner and outer diameter control system can be controlled in real time, and blood vessels with varying diameters can be printed according to demand. Controlling the changes in the inner and outer diameters can also control the thickness of the printed blood vessels in real time. Dynamic control enhances the integrity of the printed blood vessels and facilitates the customization of blood vessel printing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the appearance of a blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters proposed by the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 Assemble drawings for internal structures;

[0029] Figure 3 It is the structural assembly drawing;

[0030] Figure 4 A blood vessel outer diameter control mechanism for a blood vessel printing nozzle;

[0031] Figure 5 for Figure 3 Bottom view of the outer diameter control mechanism;

[0032] Figure 6 The assembly diagram of the blood vessel inner diameter control mechanism of the blood vessel printing nozzle;

[0033] Figure 7 for Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure enlargement in the middle;

[0034] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of the rubber tube structure;

[0035] Fig. 9It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shaft sleeve pressure plate;

[0036] Fig.10 for Fig. 9 Enlarged schematic diagram of the structure at point B in the middle.

[0037] In the figure: 1. mounting frame; 2. rubber hose; 21. rubber hose feed port; 22. bracket sleeve; 3. push-pull motor; 4. outer diameter control mechanism; 41. control cover; 42. fixing seat; 43. blade; 5. inner diameter control mechanism; 61. push rod; 62. rocker rod; 63. axial inner end bracket; 64. axial bracket; 65. axial outer end bracket; 7. shaft sleeve pressure plate; 71. shaft sleeve pressure plate upper plate; 72. shaft sleeve; 8. gear motor; 9. machine base; 10. curing lamp; 11. receiving container. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0038] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0039] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating the orientation or position relationship are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying 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 a limitation on the present invention.

[0040] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", 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 direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be the internal communication of two components. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0041] See also Figure 1-10A blood vessel printing nozzle device with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters includes a mounting frame 1, the mounting frame 1 is connected to the print head and the machine base 9 by threads at both ends, a gear motor 8 and a receiving container 11 are fixed on the machine base 9, the mounting frame 1 is fixed to the print head by threaded cooperation with the fixing seat 42, a sleeve pressure plate 7 and a disc end of a rubber hose 2 are sandwiched between the mounting frame 1 and the fixing seat 42, the sleeve pressure plate 7 is used to fix and support the disc end of the rubber hose 2 and prevent the mounting frame 1 from breaking the rubber hose 2 due to too small a force area between the fixing seat 42, and the rubber hose 2 is composed of a push rod 61, a swing rod 62, an axial inner end bracket 63, an axial bracket 64, The mechanical structure composed of the axial outer end bracket 65 and the sleeve 72 supports and constitutes the inner diameter control mechanism 5. The bracket sleeve 22 is covered on the axial bracket 64. The sleeve pressure plate upper plate 71 and the sleeve 72 are of integrated design. The inner diameter control mechanism 5 drives the push rod 61 through the push-pull motor 3 to form the opening and closing of the internal part of the bracket, thereby supporting the diameter change of the rubber hose 2, thereby changing the inner diameter of the blood vessel. 12 blades 43 are clamped at the bottom of the control cover 41 and the fixed seat 42. The blades 43 are connected to the control cover 41 and the fixed seat 42 and change the angle of the control cover 41 through the external gear motor 8 to change the external aperture and control the outer diameter of the blood vessel.

[0042] It should be noted that during assembly, the mounting bracket 1 must first pass through the reserved hole of the sleeve pressure plate 7 and the mechanical structure for inner diameter control, then pass through the reserved hole of the rubber hose 2, and finally be screwed together with the fixing seat 42 to prevent the rubber hose 2 from being damaged due to the wrong order, causing leakage of printing materials and affecting the air tightness of the print head mechanism.

[0043] It should be noted that a shoulder limiter is provided on the push rod 61 to prevent the four-bar linkage in the inner diameter control mechanical structure from self-locking.

[0044] It should be noted that during printing, the rubber hose feed port 21 needs to feed material evenly under pressure to ensure printing quality.

[0045] It should be noted that a circle of light curing lamps 10 are provided at the print head outlet to timely cure the extruded printed blood vessels to ensure the molding quality. When in use, the distance between the outlet and the curing lamps 10 needs to be adjusted according to the actual curing situation.

[0046] It should be noted that the device needs to pre-discharge the material when printing, and printing can be carried out normally when the discharge is uniform and stable.

[0047] It should be noted that the variable inner diameter movable support component of the vascular printing nozzle is made of a metal material with good wear resistance, so that it can withstand multiple mechanical movements.

[0048] It should be noted that the inner wall of the fixing seat 42 is coated with a hydrophobic layer to ensure smooth extrusion of the light-curing gel.

[0049] The operation method of the print head is to drive the mechanical structure to control the inner diameter of the printed blood vessel by setting the push-pull distance of the push-pull motor 3, and to control the outer diameter by setting the rotation angle of the control cover 41. After the material is extruded, turn on the light curing lamp 10 for curing after the material is extruded evenly. After printing is completed, the uneven part of the initial extrusion is cut off.

[0050] After printing is completed, separate the rubber hose feed port 21 from the feeding device as soon as possible, then adjust the outer diameter control mechanism 4 to the maximum, then adjust the inner diameter control mechanism 5 to the maximum, and finally start to slowly reduce the aperture of the outer diameter control mechanism 4 until it lightly touches the rubber hose 2, and pump the cleaning agent and water mixture into the rubber hose feed port 21 through a syringe at a speed ranging from small to large, and clean it multiple times until it is clean, and place the cleaned print head on a normal temperature air flow dryer to quickly dry it to prevent rust on the internal precision mechanism. Hot air drying should be avoided to prevent rubber cracking.

[0051] To maintain the print head, drip a small amount of lubricating oil into the push rod to ensure the sustainable operation of the print head mechanism.

[0052] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, and that the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters, comprising a mounting frame (1) and a machine base (9), wherein the mounting frame (1) and the machine base (9) are fixed to each other; Features: The lower end of the mounting frame is fixedly connected to a push-pull motor (3), and a push rod (61) is slidable at the lower end of the push-pull motor (3). The push rod (61) can push the inner diameter control mechanism (5) to control the inner diameter of the printed blood vessel. The inner diameter control mechanism (5) is provided below the push-pull motor (3). The inner diameter control mechanism (5) is connected to a shaft sleeve pressure plate (7). The outer wall of the shaft sleeve pressure plate (7) is sleeved with an outer diameter control mechanism (4). A curing lamp (10) is fixed to the outer wall surface of the machine base (9). The curing lamp (10) is located below the outer diameter control mechanism (4). A receiving container (11) is provided at the bottom of the curing lamp (10). The right side of the receiving container (11) is fixed to the machine base (9).

2. According to claim 1, a blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters, characterized in that: The inner diameter control mechanism (5) is composed of a shaft sleeve pressure plate (7), a movable support frame (6), and a rubber hose (2). The upper part of the rubber hose (2) of the inner diameter control mechanism (5) is also designed with an integrated rubber hose feed port (21). The movable support frame (6) includes a push rod (61), a rocker arm (62), an axial inner end bracket (63), an axial bracket (64), and an axial outer end bracket (65). The push rod (61) is arranged in the middle of the shaft sleeve pressure plate (7), the rocker arm (62) is arranged at the left and right ends of the outer wall of the push rod (61), the axial inner end bracket (63) is movably installed on the connection between the push rod (61) and the axial bracket (64), the axial bracket (64) is fixedly installed at the bottom of the axial inner end bracket (63), and the axial outer end bracket (65) is sleeved on the surface of the axial inner end bracket (63).

3. According to claim 2, a blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters, characterized in that: The shaft sleeve pressure plate (7) comprises a shaft sleeve pressure plate upper plate (71) and a shaft sleeve (72), wherein the shaft sleeve (72) is arranged at the bottom of the shaft sleeve pressure plate upper plate (71), and the shaft sleeve (72) is sleeved on the outer wall of the push rod (61), and the push rod (61) can slide axially within the limit of the shaft sleeve (72), and the axial inner end bracket (63) is movably installed on the hinge at the end of the shaft sleeve (72), and the bracket sleeve (22) on the rubber hose (2) is covered on the axial bracket (64).

4. The blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters according to claim 2, characterized in that: The rocker rod (62) and the axial support (64) form a connecting rod, and the rocker rod (62) and the axial support (64) are limited by an axially sliding push rod (61) and a shaft shoulder on the shaft sleeve (72).

5. The blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer diameter control mechanism (4) is composed of a control cover (41), a fixed seat (42), and a blade (43); the fixed seat (42) is mounted on a mounting frame (1); the blade (43) is movably mounted on the fixed seat (42); and the control cover (41) is rotatably mounted on the fixed seat (42).

6. The blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters according to claim 5, characterized in that: A gear motor (8) is arranged on the left side of the top of the outer diameter control mechanism (4), and the output gear on the gear motor (8) is meshed with the control cover (41).

7. The blood vessel printing nozzle with dynamically adjustable inner and outer diameters according to claim 5, characterized in that: The blades (43) are composed of twelve fan blades. The movement of the blades (43) is controlled by a control cover (41). The control cover (41) can also limit the movement of the blades (43).

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