Multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment and method

Abstract

The invention provides multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment which is composed of a device frame, a moving mechanism, a printing mechanism, a lifting control mechanism, an auxiliary heating smooth forming mechanism and an electric heating system. Self-adaptive slicing is carried out according to the curvature of the classification model, and slices are divided into slice sets A, B,..., and are transmitted to respective printing systems; and the printing system corresponding to each slice carries out layer-by-layer printing according to slice information, and heating balls carry out continuous smoothing treatment on the surface while the layer is printed. And after the single-layer printing is finished, the balls are processed to keep a smooth state. By means of the device and method, highly-integrated multifunctional parts can be achieved, the design freedom degree is provided, the manufacturing process is simplified, the cost is reduced, use of materials can be optimized, the performance and light weight of parts are enhanced, and multi-material development of composite material 3D printing is promoted.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of composite material forming, relates to the field of multi-material printing, and in particular to multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment and method. Background Art

[0002] Composite material printing technology is an emerging manufacturing technology that combines additive manufacturing with composite material preparation. It aims to use the flexibility of additive manufacturing and the excellent performance of composite materials to break through the limitations of traditional manufacturing processes. This technology can efficiently manufacture complex, lightweight, and high-performance components by stacking layer by layer, and is suitable for aerospace, automobiles, medical equipment and other fields. Its significance lies in not only significantly reducing material waste and production costs, but also realizing functional integrated design, meeting the growing demand for personalized, customized, and high-performance products, and opening up new directions and opportunities for modern manufacturing. .

[0003] The development of multi-material composite materials is to fully integrate the characteristics of different materials to meet complex working conditions and multi-functional requirements. The development of 3D printing of multiple composite materials is of great significance because it not only promotes the innovation of manufacturing technology, but also expands the application boundaries of materials science. By manufacturing multiple composite materials through 3D printing technology, multiple properties can be integrated in one manufacturing process, such as high strength, light weight, high temperature resistance, conductivity, etc., to meet complex environments and multi-functional requirements. In addition, 3D printing of multiple composite materials can break through the limitations of traditional processing technology, realize complex structures, functional gradients and personalized designs, significantly improve manufacturing efficiency and reduce material waste. The development of this technology has a far-reaching impact on innovations in the fields of aerospace, medical devices, and the automotive industry, and will help promote the application of high-performance materials in high-end manufacturing to meet the diverse industrial needs of the future.

[0004] The limitations of the development of composite materials are mainly reflected in the material interface bonding performance, process complexity and cost control. The differences in physical and chemical properties between different materials may lead to poor interface bonding, which in turn affects the overall performance; multi-material design and manufacturing involve complex process flows and precision control, and have high requirements for equipment and technology; at the same time, most composite materials are printed layer by layer using a single-caliber extrusion method, which has slow printing speed and low efficiency; in addition, the development and application of multiple materials may lead to increased costs and recycling difficulties. However, the necessity of multi-material development is also very prominent. By integrating the advantages of multiple materials, better comprehensive performance can be achieved, such as lightweight, high strength, corrosion resistance, electrical and thermal conductivity, etc., providing solutions to meet complex environmental conditions and multi-functional needs. This development is of great significance to promoting high-end manufacturing and expanding the application field of composite materials. Summary of the invention

[0005] In order to achieve high-performance forming of multi-material composite materials, the present invention provides multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment to enhance the performance and lightweight of parts and components, and promote the development of composite material 3D printing towards multi-material.

[0006] Multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment, the equipment consists of a device frame, a moving mechanism, a printing mechanism, a lifting control mechanism, an auxiliary heating smooth forming mechanism and an electric heating system. The device frame provides support for the overall printing, and the moving mechanism provides plane movement for the printing mechanism. It consists of module one and module two. Module one is fixed on the device frame, and module two is fixed on module one; the printing mechanism realizes printing and forming according to the slice information, and consists of a feeding roller, a fixing coil, a control box, three nozzles, three print heads, and a fixed bracket. The feeding roller stores different composite material threads, the fixing coil is fixedly installed on the device frame, the control box controls the overall movement, the fixed bracket is installed on module two, and the three print heads are fixed to the bracket The printing platform is fixed, and three nozzles are installed on the print head; the lifting control mechanism provides lifting and rotation for the printing platform, and is composed of a screw module, a fixed platform, a rotating disk, a rotating bracket, a support plate, a small motor, a guide column and a stepper motor. The stepper motor and the fixed platform are fixed on the device frame, and the guide column passes through the support plate and is fixed by the upper and lower fixed platforms. The screw module passes through the support plate and is connected to the stepper motor. The rotating bracket is fixed on the support plate, and the small motor is connected to the rotating disk; the auxiliary heating smooth forming mechanism provides surface smoothing for the printed part, and is composed of a mechanical arm, a heating ball and a cleaning table. The heating ball is installed on the mechanical arm, and the cleaning table is fixedly installed on the device frame; the electric heating system is an electric fan, which mainly controls the temperature of the printing area.

[0007] Further, the print head diameter of print head 1 and print head 2 is 0.4 mm, and the print head diameter is 0.8 mm;

[0008] Furthermore, the radius of the ball is 2mm, and the material is ceramic or metal. It has built-in electric heating, and the heating temperature is between 190°C and 350°C. The appropriate temperature is selected according to the type of material used. The smoothness of the printed surface is achieved by rolling, and the temperature of the printing area is controlled at around 280°.

[0009] Furthermore, the surface of the cleaning table is covered with fine sandpaper or other items with grinding balls, which need to be replaced after each printing.

[0010] Multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method, the technology consists of the following steps:

[0011] 1. Classify the models according to the required performance of the parts based on the printed 3D model, and perform adaptive slicing based on the curvature of the classified model, divide the slices into A, B...slice sets, and transmit them to their respective printing systems;

[0012] 2. The printing system corresponding to each slice prints layer by layer according to the slice information, and heats the ball bearings to continuously smooth the surface while printing the layer;

[0013] 3. After the single-layer printing is completed, the ball is processed to keep it smooth;

[0014] Furthermore, the required performance of the parts needs to be determined based on the actual use requirements of the parts in the actual environment, and can also be determined based on the performance of the parts in the simulated environment. The main performance includes force, damage, weight, strength, surface properties and toughness;

[0015] Furthermore, the model is mainly divided into different areas according to the required performance and the materials are used, and the printing heads of different calibers are used according to the curvature of the divided model;

[0016] Furthermore, the material of the ball is a ceramic material, the heating temperature is the temperature of the highest print head, and the rolling speed of the ball on the surface of the printed part is between 5 and 10 mm / s;

[0017] Furthermore, the printing layer thickness needs to be automatically adjusted according to the print head. The layer thickness of the large-diameter print head is 0.3mm, and the layer thickness of the small-diameter print head is 0.15mm. The layer thickness is a multiple relationship. During the printing process, the printing is carried out from the small layer thickness printing area to the large layer thickness printing area, from the inside to the outside;

[0018] Furthermore, during the adaptive slicing process, the curvature meets the following requirements:

[0019]

[0020] Where, T is the general layer thickness (base layer thickness), and its range is, A n is the outer area of ​​the current slice, A n+1 is the outer area of ​​the next slice, t is the critical value of the area change rate, T max is the maximum allowable printing thickness, T min It is the minimum printing thickness supported by a small-diameter print head.

[0021] After adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0022] 1. The device can realize the composite material forming of various materials and speed up the printing speed. At the same time, the adoption of ball cleaning design improves the accuracy of the printing surface.

[0023] 2. The device can integrate high-strength materials and materials with good electrical and thermal conductivity to optimize overall performance, reduce the subsequent assembly, welding and bonding processes, thereby reducing production costs and manufacturing time, and can manufacture more complex parts to meet the use requirements of complex and harsh environments;

[0024] 3. The device and method can realize highly integrated multifunctional components, provide design freedom, simplify the manufacturing process, reduce costs, optimize the use of materials, enhance the performance and lightweight of parts, and promote the development of composite material 3D printing towards multi-material. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 Overall view of multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment;

[0026] Figure 2 A top view of the multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment;

[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Sectional view at AA;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a view of the mechanical wall ball smoothing mechanism in the multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment;

[0029] Figure 5 for Figure 1 Sectional view at the middle BB;

[0030] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the thickness of different materials in the multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the effect of smooth printing in the multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method;

[0032] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of layer thickness adaptive setting in multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method;

[0033] Description of the drawings: 1. Device frame; 201. Module one; 202. Module two; 301. Feed roller; 302. Fixed coil; 303. Control box; 304. Nozzle; 305. Print head (1, 2, 3); 306. Fixed bracket; 401. Screw module; 402. Fixed table; 403. Rotating disk; 404. Rotating bracket; 405. Support plate; 406. Small motor; 407. Guide column; 408. Stepper motor; 501. Robot arm; 502. Cleaning table; 503. Heating ball; 6. Electric heating system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] 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.

[0035] like Figure 1-5 As shown, the multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment of this embodiment is composed of a device frame 1, a moving mechanism, a printing mechanism, a lifting control mechanism, an auxiliary heating smooth forming mechanism and an electric heating system 6. The device frame provides support for the overall printing, and the moving mechanism provides planar movement for the printing mechanism. It is composed of a module 1 201 and a module 2 202. The module 1 201 is fixed on the device frame 1, and the module 2 202 is fixed on the module 1 201; the printing mechanism realizes printing and forming according to the slicing information, and is composed of a feeding roller 301, a fixing coil 302, a control box 303, three nozzles 304, three print heads 305, and a fixed support 306. The feeding roller 301 stores different composite material threads, the fixing coil 302 is fixedly installed on the device frame 1, the control box controls the overall movement, the fixed support 306 is installed on the module 2 202, the three print heads 305 are fixed by the fixed support 306, and the three nozzles 304 is installed on the print head; the lifting control mechanism provides lifting and rotation for the printing platform, which is composed of a screw module 401, a fixed platform 402, a rotating disk 403, a rotating bracket 404, a support plate 405, a small motor 406, a guide column 407 and a stepper motor 408. The stepper motor 408 and the fixed platform 402 are fixed on the device frame, and the guide column 407 passes through the support plate and is fixed by the upper and lower fixed platforms. The screw module 401 passes through the support plate 405 and is connected to the stepper motor 408. The rotating bracket 404 is fixed on the support plate 405, and the small motor 406 is connected to the rotating disk 403; the auxiliary heating smooth forming mechanism provides surface smoothing for the printed part, which is composed of a mechanical arm 501, a heating ball 503 and a cleaning table 502. The heating ball 503 is installed on the mechanical arm 501, and the cleaning table 502 is fixedly installed on the device frame 1; the electric heating system 6 is an electric fan, which mainly controls the temperature of the printing area.

[0036] Among them, the print head diameter of print head 1 and print head 2 is 0.4mm, and the print head diameter is 0.8mm;

[0037] The ball has a radius of 2mm and is made of ceramic or metal. It has an internal electric heater and the heating temperature is between 300°C. The appropriate temperature is selected according to the type of material used. The surface of the printed part is smoothed by rolling, and the temperature of the printing area is controlled at about 280°.

[0038] Among them, the surface of the cleaning table is covered with fine sandpaper or other items with grinding balls, which need to be replaced after each printing;

[0039] Multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming technology, which consists of the following steps:

[0040] 1. According to the attached Figure 6-8 As shown, the required performance of the parts can be determined according to the actual environment and the performance of the parts in the simulated environment. The main performance includes force, damage, weight, strength, surface performance and toughness, etc. The parts are divided into three parts: outer, middle and inner. The outer and inner areas require higher precision, and the middle area only requires filling. Therefore, the material of the outer area is set to carbon fiber to improve the surface strength, the material of the middle part is set to nylon to increase the cost performance, and the inner area is selected from basalt fiber reinforced PETG due to the influence of the corrosive environment. Therefore, adaptive slicing is performed according to the curvature of the classification model, and the slices are divided into A, B, and C slice sets, and transmitted to their respective printing systems. The temperature of the printing nozzle in area A is 290℃, the temperature of the printing nozzle in area B is 260℃, and the temperature of the printing nozzle in area C is 255℃. The printing layer thickness needs to be automatically adjusted according to the print head. The layer thickness of the large-caliber print head is 0.3mm, and the layer thickness of the small-caliber print head is 0.15mm. The layer thickness is a multiple relationship. During the printing process, the printing area is from the small layer thickness printing area to the large layer thickness printing area;

[0041] 2. The printing system corresponding to each slice prints layer by layer according to the slice information. At the same time, the heating ball is used to continuously smooth the surface while printing the layer. The temperature of the ball is 280° and the rolling speed is 6mm / s.

[0042] 3. After the single layer printing is completed, process the ball. Repeat the above steps until the whole printing is completed.

[0043] The above-mentioned device and method can be used to print multi-material parts as needed, thereby increasing the strength of the part surface, saving the production cost of the parts and making them more suitable for use in harsh environments.

Claims

1. Multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment, characterized by: The equipment consists of a device frame, a moving mechanism, a printing mechanism, a lifting control mechanism, an auxiliary heating smooth forming mechanism and an electric heating system. The device frame provides support for the overall printing, and the moving mechanism provides planar movement for the printing mechanism. It consists of module one and module two. Module one is fixed on the device frame, and module two is fixed on module one. The printing mechanism realizes printing and forming according to the slicing information, and consists of a feeding roller, a fixing coil, a control box, three nozzles, three print heads, and a fixed bracket. The feeding roller stores different composite material threads, the fixing coil is fixedly installed on the device frame, the control box controls the overall movement, the fixed bracket is installed on module two, the three print heads are fixed by the fixed bracket, and the three nozzles are installed. On the print head; the lifting control mechanism provides lifting and rotation for the printing platform, and is composed of a screw module, a fixed table, a rotating disk, a rotating bracket, a support plate, a small motor, a guide column and a stepper motor. The stepper motor and the fixed table are fixed on the device frame, the guide column passes through the support plate and is fixed by the upper and lower fixed tables, the screw module passes through the support plate and is connected to the stepper motor, the rotating bracket is fixed on the support plate, and the small motor is connected to the rotating disk; the auxiliary heating smooth forming mechanism provides surface smoothing for the printed part, and is composed of a mechanical arm, a heating ball and a cleaning table. The heating ball is installed on the mechanical arm, and the cleaning table is fixedly installed on the device frame; the electric heating system is an electric fan, which mainly controls the temperature of the printing area.

2. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The three print heads include print head 1, print head 2, and print head 3 respectively. The print head diameters of print head 1 and print head 2 are 0.4 mm, and the print diameter of the print head is 0.8 mm.

3. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The radius of the heating ball is 2mm, the material is ceramic or metal, with built-in electric heating, and the heating temperature is between 190℃-350℃.

4. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming equipment according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The surface of the cleaning table is covered with fine sandpaper or other items with grinding balls, which need to be replaced after each printing.

5. A multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method, characterized in that: The specific steps consist of: 1) Classify the models according to the required performance of the parts based on the printed three-dimensional model, and perform adaptive slicing according to the curvature of the classified model, divide the slices into A, B...slice sets, and transmit them to their respective printing systems; 2) The printing system corresponding to each slice prints layer by layer according to the slice information, and at the same time, the heating ball is used to continuously smooth the surface while printing the layer; 3) After the single layer printing is completed, the ball is processed to keep the ball in a smooth state.

6. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The required performance of a part needs to be determined based on the actual use requirements of the part, and can also be determined based on the performance of the part in a simulated environment.

7. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The model is divided into different areas according to the required performance and materials are used. Print heads of different calibers are used according to the curvature of the divided model.

8. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The ball is made of ceramic material, the heating temperature is the highest temperature of the print head, and the rolling speed of the ball on the surface of the print is between 5 and 10 mm / s.

9. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The printing layer thickness needs to be automatically adjusted according to the print head. The layer thickness of the large-diameter print head is 0.3mm, and the layer thickness of the small-diameter print head is 0.15mm. The layer thicknesses are in multiples. During the printing process, the printing is carried out from the small layer thickness printing area to the large layer thickness printing area, from the inside to the outside.

10. The multi-material continuous fiber 3D printing high-precision forming method according to claim 5, characterized in that: During the adaptive slicing process, the curvature meets the following requirements: Among them, T is the general layer thickness, the base layer thickness, and its range is, A n is the outer area of ​​the current slice, A n+1 is the outer area of ​​the next slice, t is the critical value of the area change rate, T max is the maximum allowable printing thickness, T min It is the minimum printing thickness supported by a small-diameter print head.

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