Optical energy focusing vacuum 3D printing fusion forming device and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing fusion forming device and method. The device comprises a vacuum cabin system used for providing a vacuum environment, an optical energy focusing system used for forming fixed high-temperature light spots in the vacuum environment through external optical energy, a powder laying and printing system used for laying powder layer by layer in the vacuum environment and conducting 3D printing through the high-temperature light spots, and a control system used for achieving automatic operation of the whole device. The vacuum cabin system comprises a cabin body, a vacuum pump, a cabin body upper cabin door, a lens mounting seat, a vacuum detection piece and a vacuum valve; the light energy focusing system comprises a condensing lens, a light source and a light shield; the powder laying and printing system is arranged in the cabin body and comprises a powder pool mechanism, a powder laying mechanism and a planar motion mechanism. According to the device, combination of high-energy beam 3D printing fusion forming and vacuum 3D printing is achieved, and the vacuum light energy sintering 3D printing process can be completed under the ground condition.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of 3D printing forming and manufacturing, and specifically relates to a light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device and method. Background Art

[0002] High-energy beam 3D printing melting forming includes laser beam melting, electron beam melting, plasma beam melting and other technologies. These technologies use high-energy beams to melt powder materials and then stack them layer by layer to form them. They have high manufacturing accuracy and material density. Vacuum 3D printing is 3D printing in an oxygen-free or low-gas environment, which can reduce the oxidation of materials and other gas pollution during the printing process, ensure the purity and performance of the materials, and the vacuum environment can significantly reduce the pores and internal defects in the prints, improve the printing quality and material density.

[0003] At present, high-energy beam 3D printing melt forming and vacuum 3D printing are both independent technical solutions, and they are not organically combined. The advantages of the two cannot be superimposed, and there are application gaps: for example, with the resurgence of lunar exploration and development, the utilization of in-situ resources on the lunar surface has become the key to long-term residence on the lunar surface. Facing the future deep development of the moon, solar energy is the most widely available energy on the lunar surface. Focusing it to form a high-energy beam for utilization is a low-cost way to obtain it. Therefore, high-energy beam 3D printing melt forming is considered to be one of the important technologies for in-situ manufacturing on the lunar surface. Therefore, creating light energy focusing 3D printing forming manufacturing experimental conditions in a vacuum environment on the ground is a prerequisite for conducting research on light energy focusing 3D printing forming technology in a simulated lunar environment. However, there is currently no solution to combine high-energy beam 3D printing melt forming and vacuum 3D printing, and it is impossible to carry out light energy focusing 3D printing forming manufacturing experiments under high vacuum conditions. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melt forming device, and a light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melt forming method based on the above device. The device realizes the combination of high-energy beam 3D printing melt forming and vacuum 3D printing, and can complete the vacuum light energy sintering 3D printing process under ground conditions.

[0005] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is: A light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device comprises a vacuum chamber system for providing a vacuum environment, a light energy focusing system for forming a fixed high temperature light spot in the vacuum environment by using external light energy, a powder spreading printing system for laying powder material layer by layer in the vacuum environment and performing 3D printing by using the high temperature light spot, and a control system for realizing automatic operation of the entire device; the vacuum chamber system comprises a chamber body and a vacuum pump for evacuating the chamber body, the chamber body is provided with a chamber door that can be sealed and opened and closed, a lens mounting seat, a vacuum detection member for detecting the internal hollowness, and a vacuum valve for gradually balancing the internal and external air pressures after operation; the light energy focusing system comprises a focusing lens mounted on the lens mounting seat, a light source facing the focusing lens, and a light shield for shielding the light source in the powder spreading gap during operation, and the focusing lens and the light source can be replaced with different specifications. The light emitted by the light source will form a high-temperature light spot with a fixed focus in the cabin after being focused by a focusing lens; the powder spreading and printing system is arranged in the cabin, and includes a powder pool mechanism for forming a powder pool, a powder spreading mechanism for storing powder and spreading powder layer by layer into the powder pool, and a planar motion mechanism for driving the powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism to move two-dimensionally in the horizontal plane. The powder pool mechanism includes a powder spreading plate with an opening and a movable plate that vertically slides in the opening of the powder spreading plate. The four walls of the powder spreading plate opening and the movable plate form a powder pool, and the area where the movable plate is located is the printing area. Every time the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder into the powder pool, the planar motion mechanism first drives all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot, and then the movable plate moves down a distance of the thickness of one layer of powder; the control system is electrically connected to the vacuum cabin system, the light energy focusing system and the powder spreading and printing system respectively.

[0006] Preferably, an observation window for observing the 3D printing melt forming process inside the cabin is provided on the cabin, which can observe and record the 3D printing melt forming process inside the cabin, facilitating control operations.

[0007] Preferably, three sealing interfaces are provided on the cabin, which serve as a vacuum pipeline interface, an electrical cable interface and a spare interface respectively. The vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum pipeline interface through a vacuum pipeline, and the electrical cable of the control system is sealed and extended into the cabin through the electrical cable interface. The sealing interface ensures the sealing performance when the cabin is connected to the outside.

[0008] Preferably, the focusing lens is a quartz focusing lens, and the light source is a xenon lamp light source, which has good use effect and good durability.

[0009] Preferably, the light shield is movably installed. During operation, the light shield covers the light source during the powder laying gap to block the optical fiber from passing through the focusing lens. During other times during operation, the light shield is away from the light source.

[0010] Preferably, the powder spreading mechanism includes a powder box for storing powder, a feeding port that can be closed on the powder box, a powder outlet assembly for realizing the opening and closing of the linear powder outlet at the lower end of the powder box, a powder spreading roller, a powder spreading electric push rod and a residual powder groove. The powder box and the powder spreading roller are located at one end of the powder spreading plate, and the residual powder groove is located at the other end of the powder spreading plate. The powder spreading roller is attached to the powder spreading plate, and the working length of the powder spreading roller can cover the length of the powder outlet and the opening of the powder spreading plate. The powder outlet assembly can control the opening time of the powder outlet so that the amount of material discharged each time is consistent and appropriate. The powder spreading electric push rod is used to push the powder spreading roller to move along the powder spreading plate to fill the newly discharged powder into the powder pool and push the excess powder into the residual powder groove. The overall structure of the powder spreading mechanism is relatively simple, and the powder box is used to store powder, the powder outlet assembly is used to control the powder output, the powder spreading roller and the powder spreading electric push rod are used to spread the powder evenly, and the residual powder groove is used to collect the excess powder.

[0011] Preferably, the four walls of the powder box are hollow and breathable and the inner wall is covered with a PTFE membrane, and an eccentric vibration motor is installed on the outer wall of the powder box. The eccentric vibration motor can allow the powder box to discharge powder evenly and smoothly. The four walls of the powder box are hollow and breathable and the inner wall is covered with a PTFE membrane, which can allow air to enter and prevent powder from escaping, making the powder discharge smoother.

[0012] Preferably, the powder outlet assembly includes a powder outlet roller and a powder outlet electric push rod, the powder outlet roller is used to block the powder outlet, and the powder outlet electric push rod is used to drive the powder outlet roller to leave the powder outlet. The powder outlet assembly has a simple structure and can be opened and closed by switching the position of the powder outlet roller.

[0013] Preferably, the planar motion mechanism includes a base, a support plate supported on the base in a longitudinally slidable manner, a longitudinal movement servo motor for driving the longitudinal movement of the support plate, a mounting plate supported on the support plate in a transversely slidable manner, and a transverse movement servo motor for driving the transverse movement of the mounting plate. The powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism are installed on the mounting plate. The planar motion mechanism realizes reliable and precise transverse and longitudinal movement on the plane.

[0014] A light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing molten forming method is based on the above light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing molten forming device: firstly, powder is loaded into a powder spreading mechanism, then the hatch is closed, and then the plane motion mechanism is controlled to move the printing area to the working range of the high temperature light spot; then the vacuum pump is turned on, and the feedback of the vacuum detection part is used to turn off the vacuum pump when the required vacuum degree is reached; then the light source is started and waits for the temperature to rise, and at the same time, the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder into the powder pool; when the light source reaches the required temperature, the light shield leaves the light source, the high temperature light spot is formed in the printing area, and the plane motion mechanism drives the printing All the powder in the printing area passes through the high-temperature light spot; then the light shield covers the light source, the movable plate moves down a distance of the thickness of one layer of powder, and the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder into the powder pool; then the light shield leaves the light source, the high-temperature light spot is formed in the printing area, and the planar motion mechanism drives all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot; in this way, the powder is spread layer by layer and 3D printing is performed using the high-temperature light spot; after 3D printing is completed, the light source is turned off, and the vacuum valve is opened to gradually balance the air pressure inside and outside the cabin; when the air pressure inside and outside the cabin is balanced, the cabin door is opened, the printed product is taken out, the powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism are cleaned and returned to their positions.

[0015] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: The device provides a vacuum environment through a vacuum cabin system, forms a fixed high-temperature light spot in the vacuum environment through a light energy focusing system using external light, and performs 3D printing by laying powder layer by layer in the vacuum environment through a powder laying printing system and using the high-temperature light spot. Therefore, the combination of high-energy beam 3D printing melting forming and vacuum 3D printing is realized, and the vacuum light energy sintering 3D printing process can be completed under ground conditions; in the vacuum cabin system of the device, the vacuum valve can gradually balance the internal and external air pressures after the operation to avoid damage to the internal structure caused by the failure to open the cabin door or the instantaneous opening; in the light energy focusing system of the device, the focusing lens and the light source can form a high-temperature light spot with a fixed focus in the cabin, and there is no need to set the focusing lens in the cabin, and the light shield is used to shield the light source in the powder laying gap during operation to avoid heat energy loss caused by frequent opening and closing of the light source; in the powder laying printing system of the device, when the powder laying mechanism lays a layer of powder in the powder pool, the plane motion mechanism first drives all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot, and the movable plate moves down a distance of the thickness of a layer of powder, so that 3D printing can be achieved when the high-temperature light spot is fixed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a powder spreading and printing system in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the powder box and the powder outlet assembly in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 1 is a diagram showing the principle of light focusing in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] In the figure: 1-cabin; 2-vacuum pump; 3-vacuum pipeline; 4-sealing interface; 5-cable; 6-control cabinet; 7-cabin door; 8-vacuum valve; 9-vacuum gauge; 10-observation window; 11-quartz focusing lens; 12-xenon lamp light source; 13-support plate; 14-lateral movement servo motor; 15-base; 16-longitudinal movement servo motor; 17-drag chain; 18-powder spreading plate; 19-movable plate; 20-support column; 21-top plate; 22-mounting plate; 23-servo lifting cylinder; 24-powder box; 25-powder spreading roller; 26-powder spreading electric push rod; 27-residual powder slot; 28-hollow; 29-powder discharging roller; 30-powder discharging electric push rod; 31-eccentric vibration motor; 32-cover plate; 33-sealing ring; 34-PTFE membrane. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present application is further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] Embodiment 1 This embodiment discloses a light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device, including a vacuum chamber system, a light energy focusing system, a powder spreading printing system and a control system.

[0023] Vacuum chamber system, used to provide vacuum environment, such as Figure 1 As shown: it includes a cabin 1, a vacuum pump 2 and a vacuum pipeline 3, and the cabin 1 is provided with a cabin door 7, a lens mounting seat, an observation window 10, a vacuum gauge 9, a vacuum valve 8 and a sealing interface 4; in this embodiment, the cabin 1 is mainly made of 316 stainless steel, and is in a horizontal cylindrical shape as a whole. The lower part is elevated and installed by a support frame, and the tail end is sealed by a sealing spherical shell, and the sealing spherical shell is sealed by bolts to tighten a multi-layer rubber sealing ring; in this embodiment, the cabin door 7 is installed at the head end of the cabin 1, and the cabin door 7 is sealed by a toothed flange combined with a rubber sealing ring, and the cabin 1 is opened and closed by opening and closing the cabin door 7. In this embodiment, the lens mounting seat is provided In the middle position of the top of the cabin 1, a lens mounting seat is used for detachably mounting a quartz focusing lens 11; in the present embodiment, an observation window 10 is provided in the middle and upper part of the front side of the cabin 1, for observing the 3D printing melting forming process inside the cabin 1; a vacuum gauge 9 is used to measure the vacuum degree during vacuuming and 3D printing melting forming; a vacuum valve 8 is used to gradually balance the air pressure inside the cabin 1 with the outside air pressure after 3D printing melting forming; in the present embodiment, a sealing interface 4 is provided in the middle and lower part of the cabin 1, with three locations opened, serving as a vacuum pipeline interface, an electrical cable interface and a spare interface respectively; a vacuum pump 2 is connected to the cabin 1 through a vacuum pipeline 3, for evacuating the cabin 1.

[0024] The light energy focusing system is used to use external light energy to form a fixed high-temperature light spot in a vacuum environment, such as Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown: it includes a quartz condensing lens 11, a xenon lamp light source 12 and a light shield; the quartz condensing lens 11 is detachably mounted on a lens mounting seat and has various specifications; the xenon lamp light source 12 is located directly above the quartz condensing lens 11 and has various specifications; the light emitted by the xenon lamp light source 12 will form a high-temperature light spot with a fixed focus in the cabin 1 after being focused by the quartz condensing lens 11, and the high-temperature light spot is a high-energy beam that can melt the powder material; the light shield is arranged between the quartz condensing lens 11 and the xenon lamp light source 12, and is used to close and shield the xenon lamp light source 12 during the printing and powder laying gap.

[0025] The powder-laying printing system is used to lay powder layer by layer in a vacuum environment and use high-temperature light spots for 3D printing, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown: it includes a powder pool mechanism for forming a powder pool, a powder spreading mechanism for storing powder and spreading the powder layer by layer into the powder pool, and a planar motion mechanism for driving the powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism to move two-dimensionally in a horizontal plane.

[0026] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown: the powder pool mechanism includes a powder spreading plate 18 with an opening, a movable plate 19 vertically slidingly fitted in the opening of the powder spreading plate 18, and a servo lifting electric cylinder 23 for driving the movable plate 19 to rise and fall. The four walls of the opening of the powder spreading plate 18 and the movable plate 19 form a powder pool for processing powder. The area where the movable plate 19 is located is the printing area. Every time the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder into the powder pool, the servo lifting electric cylinder 23 drives the movable plate 19 to move down a distance the thickness of one layer of powder.

[0027] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown: the powder spreading mechanism includes a powder box 24 for storing powder, a feeding port that can be closably arranged on the powder box 24, a powder outlet assembly for realizing the opening and closing of the linear powder outlet at the lower end of the powder box 24, a powder spreading roller 25, a powder spreading electric push rod 26 and a residual powder groove 27; in this embodiment, the feeding port is closed by a cover plate 32 cooperating with a sealing ring 33, and the powder box 24 can be replenished with powder by opening the cover plate 32, and the powder can be prevented from escaping from the powder box 24 by closing the cover plate 32. The powder box 24 is installed in the cabin body 1 on the side facing the cabin door 7; in this embodiment, the four walls of the powder box 24 are made of hollow and breathable steel plates, the inner wall of the powder box 24 is attached with a PTFE membrane 34, and the outer wall of the powder box 24 is installed with an eccentric vibration motor 31, and the eccentric vibration motor 31 is used The powder discharging assembly includes a powder discharging roller 29 and a powder discharging electric push rod 30. The powder discharging roller 29 is used to block the powder discharging port, and the powder discharging electric push rod 30 is used to drive the powder discharging roller 29 away from the powder discharging port. The powder box 24 and the powder spreading roller 25 are located at one end of the powder spreading plate 18, and the residual powder groove 27 is located at the other end of the powder spreading plate 18. The powder spreading roller 25 is attached to the powder spreading plate 18. The working length of the powder spreading roller 25 can cover the length of the powder discharging port and the opening of the powder spreading plate 18. The powder discharging assembly can control the opening time of the powder discharging port so that each material discharge is consistent and appropriate. The powder spreading electric push rod 26 is used to push the powder spreading roller 25 to move along the powder spreading plate 18 to fill the newly discharged powder into the powder pool and push the excess powder into the residual powder groove 27.

[0028] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 As shown: the planar motion mechanism includes a base 15, a support plate 13 supported on the base 15 in a longitudinally slidable manner, a longitudinal movement servo motor 16 for driving the longitudinal movement of the support plate 13, a mounting plate 22 supported on the support plate 13 in a transversely slidable manner, and a transverse movement servo motor 14 for driving the transverse movement of the mounting plate 22. The cables of the longitudinal movement servo motor 16 and the transverse movement servo motor 14 are both installed on the drag chain 17; the servo lifting electric cylinder 23 is supported and connected to the mounting plate 22, and the powder spreading plate 18 is supported and connected to the mounting plate 22 through support columns 20 at the four corners. The top ends of the support columns 20 are connected together through a top plate 21. The top plate 21 is provided with an opening for passing the high-temperature light spot, and the powder spreading mechanism is arranged between the top plate 21 and the powder spreading plate 18.

[0029] Control system, used to realize the automatic operation of the whole device, such as Figure 1 As shown: it includes a control cabinet 6 and a cable 5. The control cabinet 6 is electrically connected to the vacuum chamber system, the light energy focusing system and the powder printing system through the cable 5. It controls the vacuum chamber system, the light energy focusing system and the powder printing system to operate automatically according to the built-in software.

[0030] The device provides a vacuum environment through a vacuum cabin system, forms a fixed high-temperature light spot in the vacuum environment through a light energy focusing system using external light, and performs 3D printing by laying powder layer by layer in the vacuum environment through a powder laying printing system and using the high-temperature light spot. Therefore, the combination of high-energy beam 3D printing melting forming and vacuum 3D printing is realized, and the vacuum light energy sintering 3D printing process can be completed under ground conditions; in the vacuum cabin system of the device, the vacuum valve 8 can gradually balance the internal and external air pressures after the operation to avoid the damage to the internal structure caused by the failure to open or instant opening of the cabin door 7; in the light energy focusing system of the device, the focusing lens and the light source can form a high-temperature light spot with a fixed focus in the cabin body 1, and there is no need to set the focusing lens in the cabin body 1. The light shield is used to shield the light source in the powder laying gap during operation to avoid heat energy loss caused by frequent opening and closing of the light source; in the powder laying printing system of the device, when the powder laying mechanism lays a layer of powder in the powder pool, the plane motion mechanism first drives all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot, and the movable plate 19 moves down a distance of the thickness of a layer of powder, so that 3D printing can be achieved when the high-temperature light spot is fixed.

[0031] The working process of the above-mentioned light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device is: S1) Powder is loaded into a powder box 24 (powder can be made of polymer, metal, inorganic non-metal and other materials) outside the cabin 1, and then the powder box 24 is installed back into the powder printing system in the cabin 1, and then the cabin door 7 is closed, and then the plane motion mechanism is controlled by the control cabinet 6 to move the printing area to the working range of the high-temperature light spot.

[0032] S2) Turn on the vacuum pump 2 and read the feedback from the vacuum gauge 9. When the required vacuum degree is reached, turn off the vacuum pump 2.

[0033] S3) Start the xenon lamp light source 12 and wait for the temperature to rise (at this time, the light shield covers the xenon lamp light source 12). At the same time, the control cabinet 6 controls the powder spreading mechanism to spread a layer of powder into the powder pool: the powder discharging electric push rod 30 drives the powder discharging roller 29 to leave the powder outlet, and the eccentric vibration motor 31 causes the powder to fall evenly from the powder outlet. By controlling the opening time of the powder outlet, the amount of powder discharged is slightly higher than the amount of one layer of laying. Then, the powder discharging electric push rod 30 drives the powder discharging roller 29 to block the powder outlet. Then, the powder spreading electric push rod 26 pushes the powder spreading roller 25 to move along the powder spreading plate 18 to fill the newly discharged powder into the powder pool and push the excess powder into the residual powder groove 27.

[0034] S4) When the xenon lamp light source 12 reaches the required temperature, the light shield is controlled by the control cabinet 6 to leave the xenon lamp light source 12, and a high-temperature light spot is formed in the printing area. Then, the control cabinet 12 controls the plane motion mechanism to drive all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot, thereby realizing the melting and forming of the first layer.

[0035] S5) The control cabinet 12 is used to control the light shield to cover the xenon lamp light source 12, the control cabinet 12 is used to control the servo lifting cylinder 23 to drive the movable plate 19 to move down a distance of one layer of powder thickness, and the control cabinet 12 is used to control the powder spreading mechanism to spread a layer of powder into the powder pool.

[0036] S5) The control cabinet 12 is used to control the light shield to leave the xenon lamp light source 12, and a high-temperature light spot is formed in the printing area. Then, the control cabinet 12 controls the plane motion mechanism to drive all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot, thereby achieving the melting and forming of the second layer.

[0037] S6) In this way, the powder is laid layer by layer and 3D printing is performed using a high-temperature light spot.

[0038] S7) After the 3D printing is completed, the xenon lamp light source 12 is turned off, and the vacuum valve 8 is gradually opened to gradually balance the air pressure inside and outside the cabin 1.

[0039] S8) When the air pressure inside and outside the cabin 1 is balanced, the cabin door 7 is opened, the printed product is taken out, the powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism are cleaned and returned to their original positions.

[0040] The power of the xenon lamp light source 12 selected in this embodiment is 250W; the volume that the powder pool can accommodate is 25cm×25cm×15cm=9375cm 3 The volume of powder dropped by the powder box 24 each time is 62.5cm 3 , enough to meet the thickness of 1mm powder.

[0041] The first set of experiments: A quartz condenser lens 11 with a focal length of 40 cm and a curvature radius of 183.4 mm was selected.

[0042] According to the above steps, the light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming experiment was carried out, and the effective data obtained are as follows: Table 1 The distance (object distance) from the xenon lamp light source 12 to the quartz condenser lens 11 and the focal point temperature in the first group of experiments

[0043] The second set of experiments: A quartz condenser lens 11 with a focal length of 50 cm and a curvature radius of 230 mm was selected.

[0044] According to the above steps, the light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming experiment was carried out, and the effective data obtained are as follows: Table 2 The distance (object distance) from the xenon lamp light source 12 to the quartz condenser lens 11 and the focal point temperature in the first group of experiments

[0045] The third set of experiments: A quartz condenser lens 11 with a focal length of 60 cm and a curvature radius of 275.1 mm was selected.

[0046] According to the above steps, the light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming experiment was carried out, and the effective data obtained are as follows: Table 3 The distance (object distance) from the xenon lamp light source 12 to the quartz condenser lens 11 and the focal point temperature in the third group of experiments

[0047] It can be seen that this embodiment can provide a stable high-temperature light spot to melt the powder material.

[0048] The embodiments described above are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. The detailed description of the embodiments of the present application is not intended to limit the scope of the present application for protection, but merely represents the selected embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device, characterized in that: It includes a vacuum chamber system for providing a vacuum environment, a light energy focusing system for forming a fixed high-temperature light spot in a vacuum environment using external light energy, a powder-laying printing system for laying powder layer by layer in a vacuum environment and performing 3D printing using the high-temperature light spot, and a control system for realizing automatic operation of the entire device; the vacuum chamber system includes a chamber body and a vacuum pump for evacuating the chamber body, and the chamber body is provided with a chamber door that can be sealed and opened and closed, a lens mounting seat, a vacuum detection component for detecting the internal hollowness, and a vacuum valve for gradually balancing the internal and external air pressures after operation; The light energy focusing system includes a focusing lens installed on a lens mounting seat, a light source facing the focusing lens, and a light shield for shielding the light source during the powder spreading gap during operation. The focusing lens and the light source can be replaced with different specifications. The light emitted by the light source will form a high-temperature light spot with a fixed focus in the cabin after being focused by the focusing lens; the powder spreading and printing system is arranged in the cabin, and includes a powder pool mechanism for forming a powder pool, a powder spreading mechanism for storing powder and spreading powder layer by layer into the powder pool, and a plane motion mechanism for driving the powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism to move two-dimensionally in a horizontal plane. The powder pool mechanism includes a powder spreading plate with an opening and a movable plate vertically slidingly fitted in the opening of the powder spreading plate. The four walls of the powder spreading plate opening and the movable plate form a powder pool. The area where the movable plate is located is the printing area. When the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder into the powder pool, the plane motion mechanism first drives all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot, and then the movable plate moves down a distance of the thickness of a layer of powder; the control system is electrically connected to the vacuum cabin system, the light energy focusing system and the powder spreading and printing system respectively.

2. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: An observation window is provided on the cabin for observing the 3D printing melt forming process inside the cabin.

3. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are three sealing interfaces on the cabin, which serve as the vacuum pipeline interface, electrical cable interface and spare interface respectively. The vacuum pump is connected to the vacuum pipeline interface through the vacuum pipeline, and the electrical cable of the control system is sealed and extended into the cabin through the electrical cable interface.

4. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The focusing lens adopts a quartz focusing lens, and the light source adopts a xenon lamp light source.

5. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The light shield is movably installed. During operation, the light shield covers the light source during the powder laying interval to block the optical fiber from passing through the focusing lens. During other times during operation, the light shield is away from the light source.

6. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder spreading mechanism includes a powder box for storing powder, a feeding port that can be closed on the powder box, a powder discharging assembly for realizing the opening and closing of the linear powder outlet at the lower end of the powder box, a powder spreading roller, a powder spreading electric push rod and a residual powder groove. The powder box and the powder spreading roller are located at one end of a powder spreading plate, and the residual powder groove is located at the other end of the powder spreading plate. The powder spreading roller is attached to the powder spreading plate. The working length of the powder spreading roller can cover the length of the powder outlet and the opening of the powder spreading plate. The powder discharging assembly can control the opening time of the powder outlet so that the amount of material discharged each time is consistent and appropriate. The powder spreading electric push rod is used to push the powder spreading roller to move along the powder spreading plate to fill the newly discharged powder into the powder pool and push the excess powder into the residual powder groove.

7. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The four walls of the powder box are hollow and breathable, and the inner wall is covered with a PTFE film. An eccentric vibration motor is installed on the outer wall of the powder box.

8. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The powder discharging assembly comprises a powder discharging roller and a powder discharging electric push rod. The powder discharging roller is used to block the powder discharging port, and the powder discharging electric push rod is used to drive the powder discharging roller to leave the powder discharging port.

9. The light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The planar motion mechanism includes a base, a support plate supported on the base in a longitudinally slidable manner, a longitudinal movement servo motor for driving the longitudinal movement of the support plate, a mounting plate supported on the support plate in a transversely slidable manner, and a transverse movement servo motor for driving the transverse movement of the mounting plate. The powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism are installed on the mounting plate.

10. A light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming method, characterized in that: Based on the light energy focusing vacuum 3D printing melting forming device as described in any one of claims 1 to 9: first load the powder into the powder spreading mechanism, then close the hatch, and then control the planar motion mechanism to move the printing area to the working range of the high-temperature light spot; then turn on the vacuum pump, and use the feedback from the vacuum detection component to turn off the vacuum pump when the required vacuum degree is reached; then start the light source and wait for the temperature to rise, and at the same time, the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder into the powder pool; when the light source reaches the required temperature, the light shield leaves the light source, a high-temperature light spot is formed in the printing area, and the planar motion mechanism drives the printing area All the powder passes through the high-temperature light spot; then the light shield covers the light source, the movable plate moves down a distance of the thickness of one layer of powder, and the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder into the powder pool; then the light shield leaves the light source, the high-temperature light spot is formed in the printing area, and the planar motion mechanism drives all the powder in the printing area to pass through the high-temperature light spot; in this way, the powder is spread layer by layer and 3D printing is performed using the high-temperature light spot; after 3D printing is completed, the light source is turned off, and the vacuum valve is opened to gradually balance the air pressure inside and outside the cabin; when the air pressure inside and outside the cabin is balanced, the cabin door is opened, the printed product is taken out, the powder pool mechanism and the powder spreading mechanism are cleaned and returned to their positions.

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