Multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method and device

Abstract

The invention provides a multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method and device.The device is composed of a heating mechanism, a sand paving and printing mechanism, a laser cladding mechanism, a sand suction and powder falling mechanism, a 3D printing platform and an overall control motion system, the heating mechanism is used for curing molding sand for spraying resin, the sand paving and printing mechanism is used for paving sand on the printing platform, and the laser cladding mechanism is used for laser cladding. According to a sand mold three-dimensional model slice, resin spraying on a sand paving surface is achieved, the laser cladding mechanism is mainly used for conducting laser heating cladding forming on paved metal powder, molding sand particles in a quantitative metal powder falling area are sucked, quantitative falling of the metal powder is achieved, and the metal powder and the molding sand particles are placed on the printing platform. Composite metal powder-molding sand particle forming is achieved, and the overall control system achieves cooperative control over all mechanisms in the overall device. The forming speed and the forming quality of the multi-material metal are improved, a new thought is developed for forming of the multi-material metal, and effective sand paving in additive manufacturing of the multi-material metal is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of sand mold 3D printing sand laying and metal 3D printing, relates to the field of multi-material composite printing, and particularly to a multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method and device. Background Art

[0002] The advantages of sand mold 3D printing technology in the manufacturing field are obvious. It can produce sand molds with complex geometric shapes at a faster speed, providing flexibility and customization for the casting process. Compared with traditional manufacturing methods, sand mold 3D printing can not only greatly shorten the mold manufacturing cycle, but also reduce material waste and labor costs. At the same time, through customized design and precise control, sand mold 3D printing technology can also improve the quality and production efficiency of casting products, bringing significant competitive advantages to the manufacturing industry.

[0003] Multi-material metal 3D printing technology gives the manufacturing industry unprecedented design freedom, enabling complex geometric shapes and structures, and stimulating the possibility of design innovation. Its material-saving characteristics reduce resource waste, while the high degree of customization enables production to be more adaptable to personalized needs. The advantages of rapid manufacturing are particularly suitable for small-batch production, while lightweight design reduces the weight of parts while maintaining strength, thereby saving costs.

[0004] Multi-material metal 3D printing technology has many advantages, but its cost is still relatively high, including the cost of equipment and metal powder materials, which may limit its application in certain fields. The manufacturing speed is relatively slow, especially for large parts or batch production. At present, multi-material metal 3D printing mainly adopts different metal powders in different areas for layered overall forming, but because metal powder is expensive and the powder laying process is complicated and time-consuming, by combining the characteristics of sand mold 3D printing, while metal 3D printing is being formed, a part of the area is selected as the cavity part of the sand mold 3D printing sand mold, and multi-material metal forming is achieved by pouring after printing. This method can combine the advantages of the two printing methods, greatly reduce the cost required for multi-material metal printing, and shorten the forming time, providing a new method for multi-material metal forming and promoting the development of multi-process composite metal forming. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention discloses a multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming device, which consists of a heating mechanism, a sand-laying printing mechanism, a laser cladding mechanism, a sand suction and powder dropping mechanism, a printing platform and an overall control motion system. The heating mechanism is mainly composed of an infrared temperature-adjustable heater and a fixed bracket, and is mainly used to solidify the molding sand of the sprayed resin; the sand-laying printing mechanism is mainly composed of a sand-laying device and a printing system, the sand-laying device realizes the sand-laying of the printing platform, and the printing system realizes the resin spraying on the sand-laying surface according to the slices; the laser cladding mechanism is composed of a laser generator, and is mainly used to realize the laser heating and cladding forming of the laid metal powder; the sand suction and powder dropping mechanism is composed of a sand-absorber and a quantitative powder dropper, and is mainly used to absorb the molding sand particles in the quantitative metal powder falling area and quantitatively drop the metal powder; the printing platform mainly holds metal powder and molding sand particles to realize the forming of composite metal powder-molding sand particles; the overall control system is composed of an overall support frame, a motion system one, a motion system two, and a motion system three, and is mainly used to realize the coordinated control of various mechanisms in the overall device.

[0006] Furthermore, the infrared temperature-adjustable heater in the heating mechanism needs to be adjusted according to the ambient temperature to ensure that the molding sand particles can condense after heating; Furthermore, the sand suction mechanism is composed of a sand suction device and an external negative pressure device, and the sand suction port of the sand suction device is about 2 mm away from the sand-laying surface; the powder dropping mechanism is composed of a metal powder box, a micro-vibration device, a screen, and a powder dropper, and the powder dropper is about 1 mm away from the sand-laying surface. The micro-vibration device uses a micro-vibrator, which is welded to the powder dropper, and the screen is fixed between the powder dropper and the metal powder box; Furthermore, motion system one provides motion system two and motion system three for movement in the sand-laying direction, motion system two provides the inkjet system for movement perpendicular to the sand-laying direction, and motion system three provides the sand suction and powder dropping mechanism and the laser cladding mechanism for movement perpendicular to the sand-laying direction.

[0007] A multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method, the method is: to analyze the performance of the cast casting, determine the metal materials in different areas of the casting, divide the three-dimensional model of the casting according to the material to obtain three-dimensional models of different materials - determine the sand mold printing model and the metal printing model, and slice the model. Put the molding sand particles mixed with the curing agent into the sand spreader, control the motion system one to spread the sand, and at the same time control the motion system two inkjet system to spray resin according to the sand mold printing model slices, and the heating device to heat and solidify. Control the motion system three to absorb sand and drop powder in the metal printing area according to the metal printing model slices, and after the powder dropping is completed, use the laser cladding device to melt and solidify the metal powder according to the metal printing model slices. The above method is circulated until the entire metal-molding sand composite is formed, and the molding sand in the cavity is taken out and discharged. Pour the molten metal into the composite cavity and cool it to form a multi-material metal casting; Furthermore, the melting point of the metal material used for metal printing is 50-80°C lower than the temperature of the cast metal solution, ensuring that the printed forming area will not be melted and deformed during the casting process, and the two metal materials can be well fused in the contact area; Furthermore, the area that needs to be cast belongs to the majority, and the metal printing area belongs to a small part; Furthermore, after the metal powder is melted and formed, it is necessary to wait until the melted metal powder is completely formed before the next sanding.

[0008] Furthermore, some printed metal areas are prone to displacement when waste sand is subsequently removed, so a protruding mechanism is set on the metal printing area to fix it; the metal printing area is not fixed in the horizontal direction, and the metal printing area is easily affected and tilted during the process of removing waste sand, so a horizontal fixing mechanism needs to be added to fix the metal printing area. The protruding mechanism can be of any shape, and its main function is to fix the metal printing area on the surrounding molding sand.

[0009] After adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. Through the reasonable model division of multi-material metals, metal 3D printing can be realized in a small area, sand casting can be realized in many areas, and finally integrated overall forming can be achieved; 2. The device can realize the composite forming of metal 3D printing and sand mold 3D printing, accelerate the forming speed and forming quality of multi-material metals, and save costs; 3. This method and device realize multi-material metal composite forming, open up new ideas for multi-material metal forming, are conducive to the effective sand laying in multi-material metal additive manufacturing, and further promote the development of multi-material composite 3D printing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of a multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming device; Figure 2 Front view of the multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming device; Figure 3 for Figure 2 The cross-sectional view at A-A in the middle; Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the overall multi-metal in the multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method; Figure 5 A flow chart of a single-layer printing process in a multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method; Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a fixed metal printing area in a multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method; List of reference numerals: 1. Heating mechanism; 2. Sand-laying and printing mechanism; 3. Laser cladding mechanism; 4. Sand-absorbing and powder-dropping mechanism; 5. Printing platform; 6. Overall control motion system; 101. Infrared temperature-adjustable heater; 102. Fixed bracket; 201. Sand-laying device; 202. Printing system; 401. Sand-absorbing device; 402. Quantitative powder-dropping device; 601. Overall support frame; 602. Motion system one; 603. Motion system two; 604. Motion system three. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] The present invention is further explained below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the following specific embodiments are only used to illustrate the present invention and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the words "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper" and "lower" used in the following description refer to directions in the accompanying drawings, and the words "inner" and "outer" refer to directions toward or away from the geometric center of a specific component, respectively.

[0012] A multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming device, the device consists of a heating mechanism 1, a sand-laying printing mechanism 2, a laser cladding mechanism 3, a sand-absorbing and powder-dropping mechanism 4, a printing platform 5 and an overall control motion system 6. The heating mechanism 1 is mainly composed of an infrared temperature-adjustable heater 101 and a fixed bracket 102, and is mainly used to solidify the molding sand sprayed with resin; the sand-laying printing mechanism 2 is mainly composed of a sand-laying device 201 and a printing system 202. The sand-laying device 201 is used to lay sand on the printing platform 5, and the printing system 202 is used to spray resin on the sand-laying surface according to the slicing of the three-dimensional model of the sand mold. ; The laser cladding mechanism 3 mainly realizes the laser heating cladding forming of the laid metal powder; the sand suction and powder dropping mechanism 4 is composed of a sand suction device 401 and a quantitative powder dropper 402, which mainly realizes the absorption of molding sand particles in the quantitative metal powder falling area and the quantitative falling of metal powder; the printing platform mainly holds metal powder and molding sand particles to realize the forming of composite metal powder-molding sand particles; the overall control system is composed of an overall support frame, a motion system 1 602, a motion system 2 603, and a motion system 3 604, which mainly realizes the coordinated control of various parts of the overall device.

[0013] Among them, the infrared temperature-adjustable heater 101 in the heating mechanism needs to be adjusted according to the ambient temperature to ensure that the molding sand particles can condense after heating; The sand suction and powder dropping mechanism is composed of a sand suction device 401 and an external negative pressure device. The sand suction port of the sand suction device 401 is about 2 mm away from the sand-laying surface. The powder dropping mechanism is composed of a metal powder box, a micro-vibration device, a screen, and a powder dropper. The quantitative powder dropper 402 is about 1 mm away from the sand-laying surface. The micro-vibration device uses a micro-vibrator, which is welded to the powder dropper, and the screen is fixed between the powder dropper and the metal powder box. Among them, motion system one provides motion system two and motion system three to move in the sand-laying direction, motion system two provides the inkjet system to move perpendicular to the sand-laying direction, and motion system three provides the sand-sucking and powder-dropping mechanism and the laser cladding mechanism to move perpendicular to the sand-laying direction; A multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method, the method is: to analyze the performance of the cast casting, determine the metal materials in different areas of the casting, divide the three-dimensional model of the casting according to the material to obtain three-dimensional models of different materials - determine the sand mold printing model and the metal printing model, and classify and slice the model. Put the molding sand particles mixed with the curing agent into the sand spreader, control the motion system one to spread the sand, and at the same time control the motion system two inkjet system to spray resin according to the sand mold printing model slices, and the heating device to heat and solidify the molding sand particles. Control the motion system three to absorb sand and drop powder in the metal printing area according to the metal printing model slices, and after the powder dropping is completed, use the laser cladding device to melt and solidify the metal powder according to the metal printing model slices. The above method is circulated until the entire metal-molding sand composite is formed, and the molding sand in the cavity is taken out and discharged. Pour the metal solution into the composite cavity and cool it to form a multi-material metal casting; Among them, the melting point of the metal material of metal printing is 50~80℃ lower than the temperature of the pouring metal solution, ensuring that the printed forming area will not be melted and deformed during the pouring process, and the two metal materials can be well fused in the contact area; Among them, the area that needs to be cast is the majority, and the metal printing area is a small part; After the metal powder is melted and formed, it is necessary to wait until the melted metal powder is completely cooled and formed before the next sanding can be carried out.

[0014] Among them, some printed metal areas are prone to displacement when the waste sand is removed later, so a protruding mechanism is set in the metal printing area to fix it. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method needs to analyze the materials according to the gear operation requirements according to the operation requirements of a machine. The high-strength 7075 aluminum alloy is set in the gear frequent running-in area, and the other areas are set to aluminum-copper-magnesium alloy. The three-dimensional model of the casting is divided according to the material to obtain three-dimensional models of different materials - the sand mold printing model and the metal printing model are determined, and the model is classified and sliced. The molding sand particles mixed with the curing agent are placed in the sand spreader, and the motion system 1 is controlled to spread the sand. At the same time, the motion system 2 inkjet system is controlled to spray resin according to the sand mold printing model slice, and the heating device is used to heat and solidify the molding sand particles. The motion system 3 is controlled to absorb sand and drop 7075 aluminum alloy metal powder in the metal printing area according to the metal printing model slice. After the powder dropping is completed, the laser cladding device is used to melt and solidify the metal powder according to the metal printing model slice. The above method is circulated until the entire metal-molding sand composite is formed, and the molding sand in the cavity is taken out and discharged. The aluminum-copper-magnesium alloy metal solution is poured into the composite cavity and cooled to form a multi-material metal gear casting.

[0015] The technical means disclosed in the scheme of the present invention are not limited to the technical means disclosed in the above-mentioned implementation mode, but also include technical schemes composed of any combination of the above technical features.

Claims

1. A multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming device, characterized in that: The device consists of a heating mechanism, a sand-laying and printing mechanism, a laser cladding mechanism, a sand suction and powder dropping mechanism, a printing platform and an overall control motion system. The heating mechanism is mainly composed of an infrared temperature-adjustable heater and a fixed bracket. The sand-laying and printing mechanism is mainly composed of a sand spreader and a printing system. The printing system realizes resin injection on the sand-laying surface according to the slicing of the sand mold three-dimensional model; the laser cladding mechanism mainly realizes laser heating and cladding forming of the laid metal powder; the sand suction and powder dropping mechanism is composed of a sand absorber and a quantitative powder dropper; the printing platform mainly holds metal powder and molding sand particles to realize the forming of composite metal powder-molding sand particles; the overall control system is composed of an overall support frame, motion system one, motion system two and motion system three, and mainly realizes the coordinated control of various mechanisms in the overall device.

2. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sand suction mechanism consists of a sand suction device and an external negative pressure device, and the sand suction port of the sand suction device is about 2 mm away from the sand-laying surface; the powder dropping mechanism consists of a metal powder box, a micro-vibration device, a screen, and a powder dropper, and the powder dropper is about 1 mm away from the sand-laying surface. The micro-vibration device uses a micro-vibrator, which is welded to the powder dropper, and the screen is fixed between the powder dropper and the metal powder box.

3. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Motion system one provides motion system two and motion system three for movement in the sand-laying direction, motion system three provides the inkjet system for movement perpendicular to the sand-laying direction, and motion system three provides the sand-sucking and powder-dropping mechanism and the laser cladding mechanism for movement perpendicular to the sand-laying direction.

4. A multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method, characterized in that: The specific steps are as follows: Step 1: Analyze the performance of the cast casting, determine the metal materials in different areas of the casting, divide the casting 3D model according to the material to obtain 3D models of different materials - determine the sand mold printing model and metal printing model, and classify and slice the model; Step 2: Put the molding sand particles mixed with the curing agent into the sand spreader, control the motion system 1 to spread the sand, and at the same time control the motion system 2 inkjet system to spray resin according to the sand mold printing model slices, and the heating device to heat and solidify the molding sand particles; Step 3: Control the motion system 3 to absorb sand and drop powder in the metal printing area according to the metal printing model slices. After the powder drop is completed, the laser cladding device is used to melt and solidify the metal powder according to the metal printing model slices; Step 4: Repeat the above method until the entire metal-sand composite is formed, and then remove the sand and discharge the sand in the cavity. Pour the molten metal into the composite cavity and cool it to form a multi-material metal casting.

5. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The melting point of the printed metal material is 50~80℃ lower than the temperature of the poured metal solution, ensuring that the printed forming area will not be melted and deformed during the pouring process, and the two metal materials can be well fused in the contact area.

6. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The area that needs to be poured is the majority, and the metal printing area is a small part.

7. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The area that needs to be poured is the majority, and the metal printing area is a small part.

8. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: After the metal powder is melted and formed, it is necessary to wait until the melted metal powder is completely cooled and formed before the next sanding can be carried out.

9. The multi-metal additive manufacturing composite forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Some printed metal areas are prone to displacement during subsequent removal of waste sand, so a protruding mechanism is provided in the metal printing area to fix it.

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