A modular combined seawater tank landscaping product

Abstract

The present invention discloses a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product, which is characterized by: modular design, free splicing through standardized interfaces, and unlimited combinations according to usage requirements; environmentally friendly materials and processes: 3D printing consumables, resins, plastics, mineral materials and other materials are selected, and produced through 3D printing, silicone mold, injection molding, sintering and other processes; bionic functionalization: surface texture simulates the natural environment, and internal pores cultivate nitrifying bacteria growth; scalability: additional functions such as water flow channels and coral growth base platforms can be integrated. Compared with existing sea tank landscaping products, it has the advantages of easy material acquisition, mature manufacturing process, low production cost, and is conducive to protecting marine live rock resources.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of aquarium landscaping, and in particular to a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product, which is mainly suitable for landscaping of seawater coral tanks and FOT tanks. Background Art

[0002] The landscaping of traditional seawater aquariums relies on natural live rocks (such as seafloor live rocks, Java stones, and Key Largo dry rocks) or artificial stones, which are bonded together using skeleton glue or quick-drying cement. There are the following defects: 1. The mining of natural live rocks damages the marine ecological environment, and illegal mining has been banned by the state; 2. Imported stones are expensive, have a long transportation cycle, and there is a risk of biological invasion; 3. The manufacturing process of artificial stones requires high temperature or chemical treatment, which consumes a lot of energy and pollutes the environment. At present, the raw materials for traditional seawater aquarium landscaping are difficult to obtain, the manufacturing cost is high, and the resources are unsustainable. Summary of the invention

[0003] The invention provides a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product, which solves the problems of the existing seawater tank landscaping products that raw materials are difficult to obtain, the production process manufacturing cost is high, and the resources are unsustainable.

[0004] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides a manufacturing process for a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product, the core innovations of which include:

[0005] 1. Modular design: Free splicing is achieved through standardized interfaces, supporting unlimited combinations according to usage requirements;

[0006] 2. Environmentally friendly materials and processes: 3D printing consumables, resins, plastics, mineral materials and other materials are selected and produced through 3D printing, silicone molding, injection molding, sintering and other processes;

[0007] 3. Bionic functionalization: surface texture simulates the natural environment, and internal pores cultivate the growth of nitrifying bacteria;

[0008] 4. Expandability: Additional functions such as water flow channels and coral growth base platforms can be integrated.

[0009] The manufacturing process of the present invention comprises the following steps:

[0010] 1. Product design: Use computer-aided design software to draw a three-dimensional structural model of modular combined seawater tank landscaping products. The main modules include: base module, connection module, landscape module, etc. Each module uses a standardized interface to achieve free splicing and supports unlimited combinations according to usage requirements. The main structure adopts bionic functional design, the surface texture simulates the natural environment, and the internal pores cultivate the growth of nitrifying bacteria.

[0011] 2. Material selection: The modular combined seawater tank landscaping product of the present invention has a variety of material options, and the advantages and disadvantages of each material are as follows:

[0012] 3D printing consumables: The advantages are cheap price, easy processing, rich color and material diversity; optional fluorescent materials can increase the ornamental value under the ultraviolet light of coral lamps; recyclable materials can be selected, which has less pollution to the environment; and corrosion-resistant materials can be selected to increase the life of the model. The disadvantage is that the materials are very different and difficult to be compatible. Some materials are not mechanically strong enough, some materials are not resistant to seawater corrosion, and some materials are prone to aging due to long-term ultraviolet radiation (seawater coral tanks need long-term ultraviolet radiation for the normal growth of corals). Among them, PETG, ASA, alumina, and silicon carbide are very suitable 3D printing materials for this product due to their strength, toughness, chemical resistance and environmental protection characteristics. However, the manufacturing cost of 3D printing ceramics such as alumina and silicon carbide is relatively high. Because ASA has extremely strong UV resistance and weather resistance, as well as excellent mechanical properties, it is the best material for seawater coral tank landscaping.

[0013] Resin: Advantages: strong plasticity, resin can be molded into various shapes by heating or chemical reaction, suitable for complex design; light weight and corrosion resistance, resin has good corrosion resistance to acid, alkali and other chemical substances, suitable for harsh environment. Disadvantages: bionic function design is difficult, it is impossible to improve the filtration and wear function of the product by increasing pores and other designs; easy to age, long-term exposure to ultraviolet rays or oxygen, resin is easy to age, become brittle or discolor; environmental impact, most resins are not biodegradable, and cause pollution to the environment after being discarded; high cost, high-performance resins such as special engineering plastics are expensive, increasing production costs.

[0014] Plastic: The advantages and disadvantages of plastic are similar to those of 3D printing consumables. Plastic is widely used and easier to obtain and process, with more material options and lower costs for mass production. By choosing the right material, you can combine the advantages of beauty, strength, cost, etc. By adding UV stabilizers, most plastic materials can meet the use conditions of marine coral tanks. However, the traditional injection molding production process cannot give full play to the bionic functional design of this product, and complex hollow designs cannot be produced using injection molding.

[0015] Ore materials: Common raw materials of ore materials include: ceramics, natural ores, activated carbon and other materials, among which sintered ceramics, lightweight foamed ceramics, quartz and other materials can be manufactured into modular landscaping products of the present invention through sintering process. Its advantages are: porous structure, strong biofilm adhesion, strong filtration and bio-culture degradation ability; corrosion resistance and UV resistance, long service life. The disadvantages are complex manufacturing process, high cost, and easy to generate pollution and carbon emissions during the production process like existing artificial stone landscaping products.

[0016] The material selected in the present invention can be a combination of the above materials, that is, different modules of different materials can be used in combination.

[0017] 3. Production process: Choose different production processes according to different raw materials:

[0018] 3D printing: The core principle of 3D printing is to stack materials layer by layer. The specific steps are as follows:

[0019] Modeling: Creating 3D models using computer-aided design software.

[0020] Slicing: Divide the 3D model into thin layers (slices) and generate printing path files (such as G-code).

[0021] Printing: 3D printers stack materials layer by layer according to the slice file to eventually form a three-dimensional object.

[0022] Post-processing: Grind and polish the printed parts as needed.

[0023] Main technology categories: fused deposition modeling (FDM / FFF), stereolithography (SLA / DLP), and selective laser sintering (SLS).

[0024] Silicone mold replication: The core of silicone mold replication technology is to use the high elasticity and high replication accuracy of silicone to make molds and replicate objects through the following steps:

[0025] Prepare prototypes: Make or obtain prototypes of the objects that need to be replicated.

[0026] Make the mold: Pour silicone around the prototype and let it cure to form a silicone mold.

[0027] Copy objects: Inject liquid materials (such as resin, plastic, etc.) into the silicone mold, and take out the replica after solidification.

[0028] Post-processing: Grind and polish the printed parts as needed.

[0029] Injection molding process: The core of injection molding technology is to inject molten material into the mold. The specific steps are as follows:

[0030] Mold making: Make injection molds based on the product 3D model.

[0031] Closing the mold: closing the two halves of the mold.

[0032] Injection: The molten plastic material is injected into the mold cavity through an injection machine.

[0033] Holding Pressure: Apply pressure to the material as it cools to ensure that the material fills the cavity and reduces shrinkage.

[0034] Cooling: Allow the material to cool and solidify in the mold.

[0035] Mold opening: Open the mold and take out the molded parts.

[0036] Post-processing: Trim, grind or assemble parts as needed.

[0037] Sintering process: Sintering process is the process of heating ceramic or other ore powder at high temperature to combine its particles into a dense body. The following is the process flow:

[0038] Raw material preparation: Powder preparation, prepare raw material powder through mechanical crushing, chemical synthesis and other methods to ensure fine and uniform particles. Additives, add binders, plasticizers, etc. to improve molding performance.

[0039] Molding: Dry pressing, filling the powder into the mold and pressing it under high pressure. Slurry injection, injecting the slurry into a porous mold, absorbing the water and then demolding. Extrusion, extruding the plastic mud through the mold.

[0040] Drying: Natural drying, dry naturally in a ventilated place. Drying, use drying equipment to accelerate drying and prevent cracking.

[0041] Sintering: During the heating stage, slowly heat up to the sintering temperature to avoid cracking caused by thermal stress. During the insulation stage, keep the sintering temperature for a period of time to allow the particles to fully combine. During the cooling stage, slowly cool down to prevent thermal stress.

[0042] Post-processing: surface treatment, grinding, polishing or coating to increase specific surface area. Quality inspection, testing size, strength, density, etc. to ensure compliance with standards.

[0043] 4. Landscaping combination: The modular landscaping products can be freely assembled by selecting appropriate modules according to the size of the saltwater tank and the types of corals and marine life to be raised, so as to obtain a variety of different styles of landscaping for saltwater coral tanks.

[0044] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0045] The aquarium landscaping is manufactured using 3D printing, silicone mold, injection molding and sintering processes to meet the needs of personalized customization and diversified landscaping. Mature materials and production processes are used for mass production to reduce the production cost of aquarium landscaping. The illegal exploitation of natural seawater live rocks is reduced to protect the marine environment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0046] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can also be obtained based on these drawings.

[0047] Figure 1 The present invention provides a process flow chart of a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product.

[0048] Figure 2 The connecting module of the modular combined seawater aquarium landscaping product of the present invention includes 1, which is a male head of a modular socket, and can be tightly connected with 2, which is a female head of a modular socket. It should maintain a certain physical strength and be easy to disassemble and change the landscaping. 3 is the main body of the module, the surface texture simulates the natural environment, and the internal pores are used to cultivate the growth of nitrifying bacteria.

[0049] Figure 3 The landscape module is an example of a modular combined seawater aquarium landscaping product of the present invention. It includes 1, a male head of a modular socket, which can be tightly connected with 2, a female head of a modular socket, which should maintain a certain physical strength and be easy to disassemble and change the landscaping. 3 is the main body of the module, the surface texture simulates the natural environment, and the internal pores are used to cultivate the growth of nitrifying bacteria.

[0050] Figure 4 This is a combined landscape landscape of an example of the modular combined seawater tank landscaping product of the present invention. The modular combined seawater tank landscaping product of the present invention can give full play to the subjective initiative and aesthetic characteristics of the user, customize the color of the product according to the size of the seawater tank and the types of corals and marine life raised, and freely combine into a suitable seawater tank landscaping landscape.

[0051] Reference numerals:

[0052] 1. The male connector of the modular jack; 2. The female connector of the modular jack; 3. The main body of the module. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0053] The following will be combined with the attached drawings of the present invention Figure 2 , Attachment Figure 3 , Attachment Figure 4 , the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by the technicians in the field without creative work are within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0054] The present invention provides a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product. The manufacturing process of this embodiment includes the following steps:

[0055] 1. Product design: Use computer-aided design software to draw a three-dimensional structural model of a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product. The example model is as follows:

[0056] Figure 2 The present invention discloses a three-dimensional structural model of a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product example connecting modules.

[0057] Figure 3 It is a three-dimensional structural model of the landscape module of the modular combined seawater tank landscaping product example of the present invention.

[0058] 2. Material selection: In this example, PETG is selected as the raw material.

[0059] 3. Production process: In this example, 3D printing technology is selected to produce modular landscaping products.

[0060] 4. Landscape combination: This example freely combines landscape modules into Figure 4 The landscape shown.

[0061] The standardized interface mentioned in this article is not limited to the circular male and female interface shown in the example. This interface can be a square or other regular polygon, or other standardized interfaces that can be freely connected and conveniently combined. It can be understood by those skilled in the art that this model can be freely spliced ​​into symmetrical or asymmetrical seawater coral tank landscaping such as coral branch landscape or tree landscape according to the actual size of the seawater tank.

[0062] Those skilled in the art can understand that the materials selected in the present invention are used to replace the increasingly exhausted natural living stone resources, expensive imported natural stones and artificial stones, and can understand the functions of the materials selected in this project in terms of bacterial cultivation and filtration after adopting bionic functional design.

[0063] The above description is only by way of illustration of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention. It is undoubted that those skilled in the art can modify the described embodiments in various ways without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the above drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

[0064] It should be noted that all directional indications in the embodiments of the present invention (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, front view, left view, top view, 45° view...) are only used to explain the relative position relationship, connection status, etc. between the modules in a certain specific posture (as shown in the accompanying drawings). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0065] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "connection", "fixation", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixation" can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an adhesive connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0066] Statement: This invention shall not be used in seawater landscapes where corals and marine life prohibited from being raised by the state are kept.

Claims

1. A modular combined seawater tank landscaping product, characterized in that: include: Modular design: free splicing is achieved through standardized interfaces, supporting unlimited combinations according to usage requirements; environmentally friendly materials and processes: 3D printing consumables, resins, plastics, mineral materials and other materials are selected, and produced through 3D printing, silicone molding, injection molding, sintering and other processes; bionic functionalization: surface texture simulates the natural environment, and internal pores cultivate the growth of nitrifying bacteria; scalability: additional functions such as water flow channels and coral growth base platforms can be integrated.

2. The modular design of a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The present invention can be combined into suitable landscaping size and style according to the size of the seawater tank and the characteristics of the corals and marine life raised through the free combination of modules.

3. The environmentally friendly material and process selection of a modular combined seawater tank landscaping product according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The materials selected by the present invention are mainly 3D printing consumables, resins, plastics, mineral materials and combinations thereof. Mineral materials can be selected to increase the specific surface area and increase the bacterial culture effect. Fluorescent materials can be selected to increase the aesthetics of the landscaping. Plastics can be selected for mass production and injection molding can be used to reduce costs.

4. A modular combined seawater tank landscaping product according to claim 1, characterized in that It can reduce the illegal exploitation of marine live rock resources, protect the marine environment, and reduce the production cost of marine aquarium landscaping products.

5. With respect to the modular combined seawater tank landscaping product described in claim 1, the present invention declares that the present invention shall not be used in seawater landscapes where corals and marine life prohibited from being raised are raised.

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