Tire mold based on additive manufacturing and method for manufacturing same

Abstract

In view of the burr problem caused by exhaust setting in the tire vulcanization process, the application discloses a tire mold based on additive manufacturing and a manufacturing method thereof, and relates to the field of tire mold processing and manufacturing. The tire mold comprises a mold shell, a mold core and a support structure, a ventilation hole is arranged on the mold shell, the mold core and the support structure, a ventilation column is arranged in the ventilation hole, and an exhaust micro-hole is arranged on the ventilation column. Meanwhile, the mold shell, the mold core, the support structure, the ventilation hole, the ventilation column and the exhaust micro-hole are integrally printed and manufactured through an additive manufacturing process. The application also provides a method for manufacturing the tire mold. The tire mold provided by the application is beneficial to exhaust during the tire vulcanization process without burr. The tire mold manufacturing method provided by the application can improve the forming precision of the tire mold, greatly shorten the tire mold manufacturing time, improve the production efficiency of the tire mold manufacturing, and realize the rapid manufacturing of the required tire mold.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of mold manufacturing, in particular, to a tire mold based on additive manufacturing and a manufacturing method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the production process of the tire, the vulcanization process is a very important process, which plays a decisive role in the physical properties of the tire. The vulcanization of the tire is mainly carried out in the tire mold, and the rubber is vulcanized and filled in the tire mold by heating and pressurizing the tire blank in the tire mold. During the vulcanization process of the rubber tire, the gas between the rubber tire blank and the mold needs to be discharged.

[0003] To solve this problem, the method provided by the prior art generally sets an exhaust hole on the tire mold. However, during the tire vulcanization process, after the tire blank discharges the gas, the rubber will also protrude from the exhaust hole and harden to form burrs on the surface of the tire. These burrs affect the performance of the tire. To remove these burrs, additional work is required, which affects the processing efficiency of tire manufacturing and increases the processing cost. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the problem that the existing tire mold produces burrs on the surface due to the exhaust setting during the tire vulcanization process, the technical scheme of the present application provides a tire mold based on additive manufacturing, which can meet the exhaust requirements of the tire during the vulcanization process and also will not produce burrs.

[0005] The tire mold based on additive manufacturing provided by the embodiments of the present application comprises:

[0006] A mold shell, an upwardly concave cavity is formed on the upper surface of the mold shell, the cavity is used to accommodate tire rubber, a plurality of protrusions are arranged in the cavity, and grooves are formed between the plurality of protrusions, the protrusions and the grooves are used to form tire surface patterns;

[0007] A mold core, the upper surface shape of the mold core is adapted to the lower surface shape of the mold shell and is attached to the lower surface of the mold shell;

[0008] A support structure, the support structure is connected to the lower surface of the mold core and is used to support the mold shell and the mold core during printing;

[0009] A plurality of air vents, a plurality of air vents are formed through the mold shell, the mold core and the support structure in the direction of the mold core at the grooves of the mold shell;

[0010] A venting column is arranged in each of the venting holes and completely fills the venting hole, and a plurality of exhaust micro-holes are arranged on the venting column and communicate with the outside of the tire mold along the venting column.

[0011] The mold shell, the mold core, the support structure, the venting hole and the venting column are integrally manufactured by an additive manufacturing process.

[0012] The tire mold based on additive manufacturing provided by the embodiments of the present application has the mold shell providing molding support during tire vulcanization, the mold core providing support to the mold shell, and the support structure providing support to the entire mold shell and the mold core during the additive manufacturing process. The venting hole arranged in the mold shell, the mold core and the support structure, and the venting column filled into the venting hole, are connected to the outside of the tire mold through the exhaust micro-holes arranged on the venting column. During tire vulcanization, the air between the tire blank and the mold shell can be exhausted to the outside of the tire mold through the exhaust micro-holes. Since the area of the exhaust micro-holes is relatively small, the rubber will not protrude out of the tire mold through the exhaust micro-holes, so that burrs will not be formed on the surface of the vulcanized tire, the molding quality of the tire surface during tire vulcanization is improved, the process flow of removing the burrs is reduced, and the tire production efficiency is improved. The venting hole penetrating through the mold shell, the mold core and the support structure has the filled venting column arranged therein, and the venting column plays a supporting role for the rubber during tire vulcanization. At the same time, the venting column is arranged at multiple positions of the mold shell and the mold core, plays a role of a support column, and plays a role of structural reinforcement for the mold shell and the mold core. The venting hole, the venting column arranged therein and the exhaust micro-holes arranged on the venting column can also serve the heat exchange function, timely exhaust the heat on the rubber tire and the mold shell to the outside of the tire mold, and improve the heat dissipation effect during vulcanization. At the same time, the mold shell, the mold core, the support structure, the venting hole and the venting column of the present application are integrally manufactured by an additive manufacturing process, which can improve the forming precision of the tire mold, greatly shorten the manufacturing time of the tire mold, improve the production efficiency of the tire mold, and realize the rapid manufacturing of the required tire mold.

[0013] Preferably, the center axis of each venting hole intersects with the upper surface of the cavity at an intersection point, a tangent plane of the upper surface of the cavity is made through the intersection point, the center axis of the venting hole is perpendicular to the tangent plane, and the extension path of the exhaust micro-hole in the venting column is parallel to the center axis of the venting hole.

[0014] Preferably, the mold core body comprises a core upper surface, a core lower surface, and four core side surfaces enclosed by the core upper surface and the core lower surface, the core upper surface is attached to the lower surface of the mold shell and is concave shaped according to the shape of the lower surface of the mold shell to form a cavity, the core upper surface, the core lower surface, and the four core side surfaces enclose a cavity inside the mold core body, the core upper surface and the core lower surface are provided with a plurality of corresponding air permeable holes, and the air permeable column is arranged between the corresponding air permeable holes and communicates the air permeable holes on the core upper surface and the core lower surface.

[0015] Preferably, the core lower surface comprises a core first lower surface, a core second lower surface, and a core third lower surface.

[0016] The core first lower surface is located in the middle of the core lower surface and is arranged in a long strip shape.

[0017] The core second lower surface and the core third lower surface are arranged in a stepped manner on one side of the core first lower surface; the core second lower surface and the core third lower surface are also arranged in a stepped manner on the other side of the core first lower surface.

[0018] The core second lower surfaces on both sides of the core first lower surface are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the core first lower surface.

[0019] The core third lower surfaces on both sides of the core first lower surface are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the core first lower surface.

[0020] Preferably, the support structure comprises an upper support surface, the upper support surface comprises a first upper support surface, a second upper support surface, and a third upper support surface.

[0021] The first upper support surface is located in the middle of the upper support surface and is arranged in a long strip shape.

[0022] The second upper support surface and the third upper support surface are arranged in a stepped manner on one side of the first upper support surface; the second upper support surface and the third upper support surface are also arranged in a stepped manner on the other side of the first upper support surface.

[0023] The second upper support surfaces on both sides of the first upper support surface are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the first upper support surface.

[0024] The third upper support surfaces on both sides of the first upper support surface are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the first upper support surface.

[0025] and when the mold core body is combined with the support structure, the core body first lower surface is adapted to fit with the first upper support surface, the core body second lower surface is adapted to fit with the second upper support surface, and the core body third lower surface is adapted to fit with the third upper support surface.

[0026] Preferably, four mold shell sides are formed around the mold shell from the lower surface of the mold shell in the direction of the support structure, and the mold shell sides are provided with protruding structures that are adapted to fit with the first upper support surface, the second upper support surface, and the third upper support surface in a stepped manner. The mold shell is accommodated in the first accommodation cavity formed by the mold shell and the support structure by assembling and matching with the upper support surface of the support structure.

[0027] Preferably, support structure sides are formed around the upper support surface of the support structure in the direction away from the mold core body, and the support structure sides form a second accommodation cavity with the upper support surface. A honeycomb structure is formed in the direction away from the mold core body from the back surface of the upper support surface, and the honeycomb structure is located in the second accommodation cavity. The bottom surface of the honeycomb structure is flush with the bottom edge of the support structure sides, and the honeycomb structure and the back surface of the upper support surface are connected by a tapered structure.

[0028] Preferably, a plurality of rows of powder distribution holes are arranged in parallel in the direction parallel to the bottom surface of the honeycomb structure. The powder distribution holes penetrate the side walls in the vertical direction of the honeycomb structure and the support structure sides.

[0029] Based on the same inventive purpose, the embodiments of the present application also provide a tire mold manufacturing method, comprising the following steps:

[0030] S10, constructing a three-dimensional model of a tire mold; wherein the tire mold is the tire mold as described above;

[0031] S20, importing the three-dimensional model of the tire mold into the software of an additive manufacturing device, and performing slicing and printing parameter setting on the three-dimensional model;

[0032] S30, integrally printing and forming each component structure of the tire mold based on the slicing and printing parameters of the three-dimensional model by the additive manufacturing device;

[0033] S40, post-processing the integrally printed and formed tire mold.

[0034] The tire mold manufacturing method provided in this application uses additive manufacturing to integrally manufacture a mold shell, mold core, support structure, vent holes, vent columns, and venting micropores on the vent columns. This improves the forming accuracy of the tire mold, significantly shortens the tire mold manufacturing time, increases the production efficiency of tire mold manufacturing, and enables rapid production of the required tire mold. Simultaneously, the manufactured tire mold meets the venting requirements during the tire vulcanization process, improving the processing efficiency after tire vulcanization and further enhancing the production efficiency of tire manufacturing.

[0035] Preferably, in step S10, in the tire mold established, overlapping areas are provided at the junction of the mold shell and the mold core, the junction of the mold core and the support structure, and the junction of the vent column with the mold shell, the mold core, and the support structure. Attached Figure Description

[0036] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall combined state of the mold shell, mold core, and support structure in the embodiments of this application;

[0038] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the combined state of the mold core and the supporting structure;

[0039] Figure 3 For along Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure after cutting along line AA;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the bottom structure of the mold shell;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the mold core;

[0042] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the overall structure supporting the support structure;

[0043] Figure 7 For the reason Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall structure of the assembled tire mold;

[0044] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the tire mold manufacturing process.

[0045] In the figure: 1, mold shell; 11, protrusion; 12, groove; 13, lower surface of the mold shell; 14, side surface of the mold shell; 2, mold core; 21, upper surface of the core; 22, lower surface of the core; 221, first lower surface of the core; 222, second lower surface of the core; 223, third lower surface of the core; 23, side surface of the core; 3, support structure; 31, upper support surface; 311, first upper support surface; 312, second upper support surface; 313, third upper support surface; 32, side surface of the support structure; 33, honeycomb structure; 34, tapered structure; 35, powder discharge hole; 4, air vent hole; 5, air vent column; 6, air discharge micro-hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] Hereinafter, only certain exemplary embodiments are simply described. As those skilled in the art can recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various different ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and the description are considered to be exemplary in nature rather than limiting.

[0047] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", "symmetric", "array" and the like are only used for distinguishing description and position description purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "symmetric" and the like can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features; similarly, for some features that are not limited in number by the words "two", "three" and the like, it should be noted that the features also belong to explicitly or implicitly including one or more features.

[0048] In the present application, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "mounting", "connection", "fixing" and the like should be understood broadly; for example, it can be fixed connection, or detachable connection, or integral molding; it can be mechanical connection, it can be direct connection, it can be welding, it can be indirect connection through intermediate medium, it can be the internal communication of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the description and drawings in combination with specific circumstances.

[0049] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] Embodiment 1:

[0051] As Figures 1 to 7 shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a tire mold based on additive manufacturing.

[0052] As Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3As shown, the tire mold provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a mold body for supporting and curing the rubber tire during the tire vulcanization process, and a support structure 3 (also referred to as a support rib) for supporting the mold body when the mold body is manufactured using an additive manufacturing (also referred to as 3D printing) process. In the tire mold provided by the present application, the mold body includes a mold shell 1 and a mold core 2, wherein the upper surface of the mold shell 1 is formed with a downwardly recessed cavity for accommodating the tire rubber, and a plurality of protrusions 11 are arranged in the cavity, and a plurality of grooves 12 are formed between the protrusions 11, which are used to form the tire surface pattern. The overall size and shape of the cavity, as well as the size, number and specific position distribution of the protrusions 11 arranged on the surface of the cavity, are determined according to the size and shape of the tire to be cured by the tire mold during the tire vulcanization process, and the pattern design on the surface of the tire. The upper surface of the mold core 2 is shaped to fit and adhere to the lower surface of the mold shell 1, so that the contact area between the mold core 2 and the mold shell 1 is maximized. During the tire vulcanization process, the space enclosed by the mold shell 1 for accommodating the tire blank needs to be heated and pressurized, and the mold shell 1 needs to withstand very high pressure. By providing the mold core 2, especially by integrally printing and firmly connecting the mold core 2, the ability of the mold shell 1 to withstand pressure can be enhanced, and the deformation of the mold shell 1 caused by pressure during the vulcanization process can be reduced.

[0053] The tire mold provided by the embodiments of the present application further includes a support structure 3 connected to the lower surface of the mold core 2 for supporting the mold shell 1 and the mold core 2 during printing.

[0054] The air vents 4 are formed through the mold shell 1, the mold core 2 and the support structure 3 in the direction of the mold core 2 at the grooves 12 of the mold shell 1. The diameter of the air vents 4 is between 3mm and 5mm, and the number and distribution position of the air vents 4 in the tire mold are mainly related to the tire to be accommodated in the tire mold to meet the standard design that the tire mold does not deform during the vulcanization process and can discharge gas therein. Based on the technical solutions provided by the present application, those skilled in the art can determine the number and distribution position of the air vents 4 through reasonable experiments.

[0055] The air permeable column 5 is arranged in each air permeable hole 4 and fully fills the air permeable hole 4, and a plurality of air exhaust micro-holes 6 are arranged on the air permeable column 5. The diameter of the air exhaust micro-hole 6 is preferably 0.1-0.3 mm. If the diameter of the air exhaust micro-hole 6 is too large, the rubber is easy to enter the air exhaust micro-hole 6 during vulcanization, forming burrs. If the diameter of the air exhaust micro-hole 6 is too small, the air exhaust is affected. The number of air exhaust micro-holes 6 arranged on each air permeable column 5 can be adjusted as required, and 5-10 is appropriate. The arrangement of the air exhaust micro-holes 6 in the air permeable column 5 can be regular arrangement, such as rectangular array or circular ring array, or random arrangement, and the application preferably adopts random arrangement. The air exhaust micro-holes 6 are connected to the outside space of the tire mold through the air permeable column 5, that is, the air inlet end of the air exhaust micro-hole 6 is connected to the cavity of the mold shell 1, the air exhaust micro-hole 6 extends from the air inlet end along the air permeable column 5, and the air outlet end is formed at one end of the tire mold located on the support structure 3.

[0056] The mold shell 1, the mold core 2, the support structure 3, the air permeable hole 4, the air permeable column 5 and the like in the tire mold provided by the application are integrally manufactured by the additive manufacturing process.

[0057] The 3D printing material and technology used in the application can be selected by comprehensively considering the existing optional 3D printing technology. Metal material can be preferably used as the printing material for manufacturing the tire mold, and selective laser sintering (SLS) or electron beam melting (EBM) technology can be selected for manufacturing, and the application preferably adopts laser selective melting forming technology (SLM).

[0058] In a preferred embodiment provided by the application, the mold shell 1 is as shown in Figure 4 , the mold core 2 is as shown in Figure 5 , and the support structure 3 is as shown in Figure 6 . As shown in Figures 1 to 6 , the mold core 2 includes a core upper surface 21, a core lower surface 22, and four core side surfaces 23 formed by surrounding the core upper surface 21 and the core lower surface 22, the core upper surface 21 is attached to the mold shell lower surface 13 and is concave to form a cavity according to the shape of the mold shell lower surface 13, the core upper surface 21, the core lower surface 22 and the four core side surfaces 23 surround the cavity in the mold core 2, the core upper surface 21 and the core lower surface 22 are provided with a plurality of air permeable holes 4 corresponding to each other, and the air permeable column 5 is arranged between the corresponding air permeable holes 4 and connects the air permeable holes 4 on the core upper surface 21 and the core lower surface 22.

[0059] The core lower surface 22 includes a core first lower surface 221, a core second lower surface 222 and a core third lower surface 223; the core first lower surface 221 is located in the middle of the core lower surface 22 and is arranged in a long strip shape;

[0060] The core second lower surface 222 and the core third lower surface 223 are arranged in a stepped manner on one side of the core first lower surface 221; the core second lower surface 222 and the core third lower surface 223 are also arranged in a stepped manner on the other side of the core first lower surface 221; the core second lower surfaces 222 on both sides of the core first lower surface 221 are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the core first lower surface 221; and the core third lower surfaces 223 on both sides of the core first lower surface 221 are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the core first lower surface 221.

[0061] Corresponding to the above structure design of the mold core 2, the support structure 3 provided by the embodiment of the application comprises an upper support surface 31, the upper support surface 31 comprises a first upper support surface 311, a second upper support surface 312 and a third upper support surface 313; the first upper support surface 311 is located in the middle of the upper support surface 31 and arranged in a long strip shape; the second upper support surface 312 and the third upper support surface 313 are arranged in a stepped manner on one side of the first upper support surface 311; the second upper support surface 312 and the third upper support surface 313 are also arranged in a stepped manner on the other side of the first upper support surface 311; the second upper support surfaces 312 on both sides of the first upper support surface 311 are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the first upper support surface 311; the third upper support surfaces 313 on both sides of the first upper support surface 311 are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the first upper support surface 311; and when the mold core 2 is combined with the support structure 3, the core first lower surface 221 is adapted and fitted with the first upper support surface 311, the core second lower surface 222 is adapted and fitted with the second upper support surface 312, and the core third lower surface 223 is adapted and fitted with the third upper support surface 313.

[0062] The mold shell 1 provided by the embodiment of the application extends from the four peripheries of the lower surface 13 of the mold shell to the support structure 3 to form four mold shell side surfaces 14, the mold shell side surface 14 is provided with a protruding structure which is steppedly adapted to the first upper support surface 311, the second upper support surface 312 and the third upper support surface 313; and the mold shell 1 is matched by assembling with the upper support surface 31 of the support structure 3, so as to accommodate the mold core 2 in the first accommodating cavity formed by the mold shell 1 and the support structure 3.

[0063] The above structure can better realize the supporting effect of the support structure 3 on the mold core body 2 and the mold shell 1 during the overall printing process by using the 3D printing technology. After printing by the 3D technology, the mold body formed by the mold core body 2 and the mold shell 1 can better maintain the structural stability during the tire vulcanization process.

[0064] In the further preferred embodiment of the support structure 3 in the tire mold based on additive manufacturing provided by the embodiment of the present application, the upper support surface 31 of the support structure 3 extends in the direction away from the mold core body 2 to form a support structure side surface 32 around the upper support surface 31, the support structure side surface 32 and the upper support surface 31 form a second accommodating cavity, a honeycomb structure 33 is formed in the direction away from the mold core body 2 from the back surface of the upper support surface 31, the honeycomb structure 33 is located in the second accommodating cavity, the bottom surface of the honeycomb structure 33 is flush with the bottom edge of the support structure side surface 32, and the honeycomb structure 33 and the back surface of the upper support surface 31 are connected through a tapered structure 34. A plurality of rows of powder discharge holes 35 are arranged in the direction parallel to the bottom surface of the honeycomb structure 33; the powder discharge holes 35 penetrate the side wall in the vertical direction of the honeycomb structure 33 and the support structure side surface 32. The transverse structure (i.e., the structure in contact with the printing support bottom during printing) of the support structure 3 of the embodiment of the present application adopts the honeycomb structure 33, which increases the support area of the support rib and the mold bottom, improves the heat transfer effect, reduces stress concentration under the condition of circulating thermal load, and reduces uncontrollable deformation during mold printing. The honeycomb structure 33 and the back surface of the upper support surface 31 are connected through the tapered structure 34 to realize self-supporting effect. The arrangement of the powder discharge holes 35 is beneficial to discharging powder during printing and after printing.

[0065] The bottom layer of the honeycomb structure 33 of the support structure 3 and the bottom of the support structure side surface 32 are provided with rounded corners, which can reduce stress concentration and increase the stability of the entire support structure 3.

[0066] In the embodiment of the present application, the center axis of each of the air vents 4 intersects with the upper surface of the cavity of the mold shell 1 at a point M, a tangent plane of the upper surface of the cavity is drawn through the point M, the center axis of the air vent 4 is perpendicular to the tangent plane, and the extension path of the exhaust micro-holes 6 in the air vent column 5 is parallel to the center axis of the air vent 4. The air vent column 5 in the embodiment 1 of the present application is arranged according to the air vent 4. Therefore, the shape and structure of the air vent column 5 are closely related to the arrangement of the air vent 4. The arrangement of the air vent 4 of the present application is a straight hole as a whole. In the process of modeling, first, a three-dimensional model of the mold shell 1, the mold core 2 and the support structure 3 is constructed, and then the above models are combined to form an assembly. Based on the above assembly, from the position where the air vent 4 needs to be arranged in the groove 12 of the mold shell 1, a straight hole is formed in the direction of the mold core 2, which penetrates the mold shell 1, the mold core 2 and the support structure 3, forming the air vent 4. The extension direction of the straight hole is based on the cavity curve in the groove 12 of the mold shell 1. The cavity curve has a point M with the center axis of the air vent 4, and a tangent plane of the cavity curve can be drawn through the point M, that is, the tangent plane of the cavity curve, which is arranged so that the center axis of the air vent 4 is perpendicular to the tangent plane and perpendicular to the point M. Since the air vent column 5 is arranged according to the shape of the air vent 4, and the extension direction of the exhaust micro-holes 6 is along the air vent column 5 and parallel to the center axis of the air vent 4, the air vent column 5 is arranged perpendicularly to the surface of the tire mold in the shape of the tire mold, which can effectively reduce the processing and manufacturing time of removing burrs (tire burrs) after producing tires.

[0067] The tire mold manufactured in the embodiment 1 of the present application is a part of the whole tire mold, which is a demonstrative example for facilitating the explanation of the present application. A complete tire mold can be formed by assembling a plurality of tire mold parts provided by the present application to form a tire mold capable of completely accommodating the entire tire blank, such as Figure 7As shown; the technology of assembling multiple components into an integral part belongs to the prior art of mechanical field, which is not described here. The complete tire mold that can accommodate the entire tire blank can also be based on the partial tire mold provided in the present application, and based on the same modeling method and 3D printing technology, the printing of the entire tire mold is continued, that is, based on the existing provided mold shell 1, mold core 2 and support structure 3, and the air vent hole 4 provided on the mold shell 1, mold core 2 and support structure 3, and the air vent column 5 filling the air vent hole 4 and the exhaust micro-hole 6 provided on the air vent column 5, continue to print the complete, so that the mold shell 1 used to form the cavity accommodating the tire blank on the mold shell 1 is a complete annular cavity. The mold shell 1 and the mold core 2 part, and all the mold shell 1 and the mold core 2 are provided with air vent holes 4 and air vent columns 5 as provided in the embodiments of the present application, and exhaust micro-holes 6 provided on the air vent column 5. The 3D printing technology for printing the entire tire mold is exactly the same as the technology for printing the partial structure of the present application, which is not described here.

[0068] Embodiment 2:

[0069] As Figure 8 shown, the embodiments of the present application also provide a method for manufacturing a tire mold by an additive manufacturing process, comprising the following steps:

[0070] S10, constructing a three-dimensional model of a tire mold; wherein the tire mold is the tire mold provided in embodiment 1.

[0071] The three-dimensional model of the tire mold in the embodiments of the present application is mainly based on the existing software for 3D printing modeling, such as solidworks, maya, etc., which is not limited in the present application.

[0072] In the established tire mold, as Figures 1 to 7 shown. Among them, the combination of the mold shell 1 and the mold core 2, the combination of the mold core 2 and the support structure 3, and the combination of the air vent column 5 and the mold shell 1, the mold core 2 and the support structure 3 are provided with overlapping areas.

[0073] In the 3D modeling software, the mold shell 1, the mold core 2 and the support structure 3 are generally established respectively, and they are combined into an assembly, and the through air holes 4 penetrating the mold shell 1, the mold core 2 and the support structure 3 are set on the combined assembly, and then the air permeable column 5 with the exhaust micro hole 6 is assembled in the through air hole 4. Generally, during the assembly of parts, interference between various parts needs to be avoided, that is, there should be no overlapping area between different parts. The tire mold provided in the application is integrally printed by additive manufacturing process, rather than single part printing, and does not need to be assembled after printing, so when assembling in the software, the overlapping area is set, which will not affect the subsequent assembly. Moreover, due to the overlapping area between them, the software can detect these overlapping areas during subsequent layer slicing, and keep the modeling parameters of the overlapping areas in the sliced layers, and print them out completely during subsequent layer-by-layer printing. The overlapping area of the combination part of each part is equivalent to structural reinforcement, which is beneficial to improve the structural strength of the whole tire mold, maintain its stability during the subsequent tire vulcanization process, and improve the quality of the tire mold. In order to make each part have an overlapping area during assembly, one implementation method is to set the assembly reference surface, select the reference surface with overlapping area, or set the assembly reference surface inside a certain part instead of the surface.

[0074] S20, import the three-dimensional model of the tire mold into the software of the additive manufacturing equipment, and set the slicing and printing parameters of the three-dimensional model.

[0075] The three-dimensional model of the tire mold in the embodiment of the application is imported into the software of the additive manufacturing equipment, which includes importing the established three-dimensional model of the tire mold from other modeling software into the software for 3D printing process, such as cura, and also includes importing the tire mold model established in the 3D printing software into the module specially for 3D printing process. Such as slicing, printing parameter setting module, etc. Among them, the three-dimensional model is detected, modified, sliced, and printing parameter setting is set, such as layer thickness 40mm, laser power 280W, filling interval 0.15mm, scanning speed 1500mm / s, etc. (such as printing material setting, printing equipment selection) using mature technology in additive manufacturing, which will not be repeated here.

[0076] S30, integrally print and form each component structure of the tire mold based on the slicing and printing parameters of the three-dimensional model by the additive manufacturing equipment.

[0077] In the embodiments of the present application, the additive manufacturing equipment is preferably a selective laser sintering (SLS) equipment or an electron beam melting (EBM) equipment. When a three-dimensional modeling software is used to model the entire tire mold, the support structure 3 is arranged at the lower part of the mold body, and when the 3D printing technology is used to print the tire mold, the printing starts from the bottom layer of the support structure 3 and is layer by layer until the uppermost mold body is printed.

[0078] S40, post-processing the integrally printed tire mold.

[0079] The post-processing includes, but is not limited to, cleaning and curing, polishing, mechanical polishing, chemical polishing, coloring, etc. of the 3D printed tire mold, which belongs to the conventional processing procedure of the mold and will not be described here.

[0080] The same parts in the embodiments 2 as in the embodiments 1, such as the specific component structure of the tire mold, including the mold shell 1, the mold core 2, the support structure 3, the air permeable hole 4, the air permeable column 5, the exhaust micro-hole 6, etc., are specifically referred to the description in the embodiments 1.

[0081] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various changes or replacements within the technical range disclosed by the present application, which should be covered within the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A tire mold based on additive manufacturing, comprising a mold shell, wherein a downwardly concave cavity is formed on the upper surface of the mold shell for accommodating tire rubber, the cavity having a plurality of protrusions and grooves formed between the protrusions, the protrusions and grooves being used to form tire surface patterns, characterized in that, Also includes: A mold core, the shape of the upper surface of the mold core is adapted to and fits the shape of the lower surface of the mold shell; the mold core includes an upper surface, a lower surface, and four side surfaces surrounding the upper and lower surfaces; the upper surface fits the lower surface of the mold shell and is recessed to form a cavity according to the shape of the lower surface; the upper surface, lower surface, and four side surfaces enclose and form an internal cavity of the mold core; the upper and lower surfaces are provided with a plurality of corresponding vent holes; vent columns are arranged between the corresponding vent holes and connect the vent holes on the upper and lower surfaces; A support structure is provided, which is connected to the lower surface of the mold core, for supporting the mold shell and the mold core during printing. Ventilation holes are formed at the groove of the mold shell, extending through the mold shell, the mold core, and the support structure towards the mold core. A venting column is provided in each of the venting holes to completely fill the venting holes. The venting column is provided with a number of exhaust micro-holes, which are connected to the external space of the tire mold along the venting column. The mold shell, mold core, support structure, vent holes, and vent columns are integrally manufactured using additive manufacturing processes.

2. The tire mold based on additive manufacturing as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The central axis of each of the vent holes intersects the upper surface of the cavity at a point. A tangent plane is drawn through the intersection point to the upper surface of the cavity. The central axis of the vent hole is perpendicular to the tangent plane. The extension path of the exhaust micropore in the vent column is parallel to the central axis of the vent hole.

3. The tire mold based on additive manufacturing as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The lower surface of the core includes a first lower surface, a second lower surface, and a third lower surface; The first lower surface of the core is located in the middle of the lower surface of the core and is arranged in a long strip shape; A second lower surface and a third lower surface of the core are sequentially arranged in a stepped manner on one side of the first lower surface of the core; a second lower surface and a third lower surface of the core are also sequentially arranged in a stepped manner on the other side of the first lower surface of the core. The second lower surfaces of the core, located on both sides of the first lower surface of the core, are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center line of the first lower surface of the core. The third lower surfaces of the core, located on either side of the first lower surface of the core, are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center line of the first lower surface of the core.

4. The tire mold based on additive manufacturing as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The support structure includes an upper support surface, which includes a first upper support surface, a second upper support surface, and a third upper support surface. The first upper support surface is located in the middle of the upper support surface and is arranged in a long strip shape; A second upper support surface and a third upper support surface are sequentially arranged in a stepped manner on one side of the first upper support surface; a second upper support surface and a third upper support surface are also sequentially arranged in a stepped manner on the other side of the first upper support surface. The second upper support surfaces, located on both sides of the first upper support surface, are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line of the first upper support surface. The third upper support surfaces, located on both sides of the first upper support surface, are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line of the first upper support surface. Furthermore, when the mold core is combined with the support structure, the first lower surface of the core is adapted to fit the first upper support surface, the second lower surface of the core is adapted to fit the second upper support surface, and the third lower surface of the core is adapted to fit the third upper support surface.

5. The tire mold based on additive manufacturing as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The mold housing extends from its lower surface toward the support structure to form four mold housing sides. The mold housing sides are provided with protruding structures that are stepped and adapted to the first upper support surface, the second upper support surface and the third upper support surface. The mold housing is assembled and matched with the upper support surface of the support structure to accommodate the mold core in the first accommodating cavity formed by the mold housing and the support structure.

6. The tire mold based on additive manufacturing as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The upper support surface of the support structure extends around its perimeter in a direction away from the mold core to form a side surface of the support structure. The side surface of the support structure and the upper support surface form a second receiving cavity. A honeycomb structure extends from the back of the upper support surface in a direction away from the mold core. The honeycomb structure is located in the second receiving cavity, and the bottom surface of the honeycomb structure is flush with the bottom edge of the side surface of the support structure. The honeycomb structure is connected to the back of the upper support surface through a tapered structure.

7. The tire mold based on additive manufacturing as described in claim 6, characterized in that, Several rows of parallel powder discharge holes are provided along the direction parallel to the bottom surface of the honeycomb structure; the powder discharge holes penetrate the side wall of the honeycomb structure in the vertical direction and the side of the supporting structure.

8. A method for manufacturing a tire mold, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S10. Construct a three-dimensional model of the tire mold; wherein the tire mold is the tire mold as described in any one of claims 1 to 7; S20. Import the three-dimensional model of the tire mold into the software of the additive manufacturing equipment, and slice and set the printing parameters for the three-dimensional model. S30. Using the additive manufacturing equipment, based on the slicing and printing parameters of the three-dimensional model, the various components of the tire mold are integrally printed. S40. Post-processing of the one-piece printed tire mold.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, In step S10, overlapping areas are provided at the junction of the mold shell and the mold core, the junction of the mold core and the support structure, and the junction of the vent column with the mold shell, the mold core, and the support structure in the established tire mold.

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