3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device provided with color mixing system

Abstract

The invention discloses a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system. A material spraying part and a feeding part are arranged at the two ends of a multi-channel spray head respectively, a public channel communicating the feeding part with the material spraying part is formed in the multi-channel spray head, a plurality of nozzles are formed in the material spraying part, functional nozzles are connected to the nozzles, and the color mixing system is arranged on the multi-channel spray head. The feeding part is provided with a plurality of feeding ports, the feeding ports are connected with external material sources respectively, and different material sources enter the public channel through the feeding ports and are sprayed out through nozzles with different functions on the nozzles; the nozzle adjusting mechanism is installed at the end, close to the feeding part, of the multi-channel nozzle, and the output end of the nozzle adjusting mechanism is connected with the material spraying part and the feeding part and adjusts the communicating state of the nozzle, the feeding port and the public channel. A plurality of inlets and an outlet are formed in the multi-pigment mixing assembly, the multiple inlets are connected with external pigment sources respectively, the outlet is connected with a feeding port of the feeding part and provides a multi-color mixture for the multi-channel spray head, and printing is convenient, controllability is high, and later maintenance is convenient.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of food 3D printing, and in particular relates to a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, food 3D printing, as an emerging digital food processing technology, has gradually entered the public eye and has received widespread attention from domestic and foreign scientific researchers and enterprises. This technology can provide consumers with highly customized food in terms of shape, color and nutritional content through personalized design, and is widely used in catering, nutrition and health, children's education and other fields. With the continuous advancement of food printing technology, some food 3D printing equipment that can print in multiple colors and multiple materials has appeared on the market. These models can achieve the effect of multi-color printing by changing colors and materials, making printed food more creative and personalized.

[0003] However, the existing multifunctional food 3D printing equipment still has many limitations, which makes multi-color food printing not yet reach the ideal level in terms of accuracy, ease of operation and system integration. At present, most food 3D printing equipment on the market mainly focuses on the hardware structure design and optimization of the printing equipment, ignoring the key links such as material switching and mixing functions at the front end of printing, and the flexibility of printing channels. Its disadvantages are mainly reflected in:

[0004] (1) Material switching is complex and the operation is cumbersome: Existing multi-material printing equipment often requires manual operation when switching materials, or relies on complex control of external devices; when multiple materials are mixed, the pipeline needs to be cleaned frequently, which increases printing costs and time, and affects the continuity of printing and the ease of operation.

[0005] (2) Nozzle switching residue problem: Most nozzle switching devices on the market are prone to internal residue during the switching process, causing different materials to mix in the nozzle, causing color or material contamination, and affecting subsequent printing quality. This residue will also cause the switching process to be less smooth, increase the difficulty of cleaning, extend the printing time, and reduce production efficiency.

[0006] (3) Lack of multi-channel precise control: Currently, most multi-color or multi-material printing devices only use multiple channels connected in parallel, and each channel is always open and cannot be selectively closed. This design is prone to material leakage, cross-contamination and waste during the printing process, affecting product quality. In addition, there are many residual problems when switching materials quickly, resulting in unstable color transitions, affecting the aesthetics and consistency of the finished product.

[0007] (4) Poor synchronization between color mixing and printing: The existing technology lacks a control mechanism that can establish synchronization between color mixing and printing, resulting in uneven color printing. The material cannot be fully stirred and mixed when it flows into the nozzle after multi-channel mixing, and the color presentation of the print is difficult to achieve the expected effect.

[0008] Therefore, how to provide a multifunctional nozzle switching device for food color 3D printing and pigment mixing is a problem that technicians in this field urgently need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0009] In view of this, the present invention provides a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system, which can achieve mixing of multiple colored materials, switch materials for printing without interference, and is more convenient to use and clean later.

[0010] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system, comprising:

[0011] A multi-channel nozzle, wherein a spraying part and a feeding part are respectively provided at both ends of the multi-channel nozzle, a common channel connecting the feeding part and the spraying part is provided on the multi-channel nozzle, a plurality of nozzles are provided on the spraying part, and a functional nozzle is connected to the nozzle, a plurality of feeding ports are provided on the feeding part, and the plurality of feeding ports are respectively connected to external material sources, and different material sources enter the common channel through the feeding ports and are sprayed out by different functional nozzles on the nozzles;

[0012] A nozzle adjustment mechanism, wherein the nozzle adjustment mechanism is installed at one end of the multi-channel nozzle close to the feed part, and the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism is respectively connected to the spray part and the feed part and adjusts the connection state of the nozzle, the feed port and the common channel;

[0013] A multi-color material mixing component is provided with a plurality of inlets and an outlet, wherein the plurality of inlets are respectively connected to an external color material source, and the outlet is connected to a feed port of a feed part and provides a multi-color mixed material to a multi-channel nozzle.

[0014] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the multi-channel nozzle provides a plurality of nozzles for installing functional nozzles, and the corresponding functional nozzle usage status can be replaced according to different food printing requirements. It can be understood that multi-path feeding and multi-path spraying are both achieved through a common channel, so for different materials and different spraying requirements, it is sufficient to adjust the nozzles and feed ports connected to the common channel. It should be noted that when cleaning the nozzle, only one feed port needs to be connected to the cleaning water. The added multi-color material mixing component is used for the mixed printing process of multiple colored materials. The mixing of multiple color materials can be completed in the multi-color mixing component in advance to ensure that the colors and materials can be accurately transferred. The device effectively improves the stability, ease of operation and consistency of finished products in color food printing, and solves the problems of cumbersome operation, uneven color, and material residue in the process of multi-channel material switching, nozzle replacement and color mixing.

[0015] Preferably, the multi-channel nozzle comprises a nozzle rotor, a nozzle stator, a material collection bin, a channel rotor and a channel stator in sequence from one end to the other end, the nozzle rotor is rotatably connected to the nozzle stator, the nozzle stator is fixedly connected to the material collection bin, the channel rotor is rotatably located between the material collection bin and the channel stator, the nozzle rotor and the nozzle stator constitute a spraying part, the material collection bin is provided with a center hole and a common channel, the channel rotor and the channel stator constitute a feeding part, and the nozzle rotor and the channel rotor are respectively transmission-connected to the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism.

[0016] The resulting technical effect is: the functional nozzle on the nozzle rotor is the final printing ejection end, and the nozzle stator provides the rotation basis of the nozzle rotor. When in use, the discharge of the corresponding functional nozzle is achieved by changing the rotation angle of the nozzle rotor. It can be understood that the rotation of the nozzle rotor is to adjust the use status of the corresponding nozzle, and the rotation of the channel rotor is to adjust different feeding states, single-path feeding, multi-path feeding or water passage, etc.

[0017] Preferably, the nozzle rotor is a truncated cone structure, the nozzles are vertically connected and connected on the inclined surface of the nozzle rotor, the multiple nozzles have different calibers, and different functional nozzles are respectively connected to the multiple nozzles. A center hole is provided on the nozzle stator, and a material transfer buffer groove connected to the center hole is provided on the side of the nozzle stator close to the nozzle rotor. The rotation of the nozzle rotor causes the nozzles at different positions to be connected to the material transfer buffer groove.

[0018] The resulting technical effect is: the nozzle rotor is a truncated cone structure, so the nozzle is arranged vertically on the inclined surface of the cone to increase the installation space of the functional nozzle. During printing, the material enters different nozzles through the center hole of the nozzle stator and the material buffer groove. If you want different nozzles to work, just turn the nozzle rotor to the corresponding connection point.

[0019] Preferably, the bottom surface of the nozzle rotor is in sliding contact with the top surface of the nozzle stator, and a sink groove connected to the nozzle is provided on the bottom surface of the nozzle rotor. The notch of the sink groove is circular, and the material transfer buffer groove is elliptical. When the nozzle rotor rotates, any notch of the sink groove can be covered by the material transfer buffer groove.

[0020] The resulting technical effect is that the multiple nozzles on the nozzle rotor are not connected to each other. When one nozzle on the nozzle rotor is working, the other nozzles will not leak material. In other words, each functional nozzle works independently and does not affect each other.

[0021] Preferably, the material collection bin is a funnel structure, the center hole of the material collection bin is coaxially connected with the center hole of the nozzle stator and provides a common material passage, the channel rotor is sealed and rotatably connected between the material collection bin and the channel stator, the channel rotor is provided with a plurality of flow holes of different specifications, the feed port is arranged on the channel stator, and the plurality of feed ports on the channel stator can be docked and connected with the plurality of flow holes on the channel rotor; a connecting hole matching the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism is provided in the middle part of the channel rotor, and the rotation of the channel rotor changes the docking state of the plurality of flow holes and the plurality of feed ports.

[0022] The resulting technical effect is that the material collection bin provides a multi-path flow collection space, and external materials can enter the material collection bin through multiple feed ports of the feed section, wherein the channel rotor provides the possibility of multi-path access for materials. It can be understood that the rotation of the channel rotor is used to change the number or state of the matching of multiple flow holes thereon with the multiple feed ports on the channel stator, so as to achieve selective access of materials. This method can affect the supply amount of materials, or the type of material access.

[0023] Preferably, the nozzle adjustment mechanism includes a coaxial brushless motor and a controller, the coaxial brushless motor is fixed on the channel stator, the coaxial brushless motor is provided with a first output shaft and a second output shaft, the first output shaft is coaxially arranged with the second output shaft and the second output shaft rotates and is located outside the first output shaft, the first output shaft passes through the channel stator, the channel rotor, the material collection bin and the nozzle stator and is fixedly connected to the nozzle rotor, the second output shaft passes through the channel stator and is fixedly connected to the channel rotor, and the controller respectively controls the two rotor modules of the coaxial brushless motor and realizes independent control of the first output shaft and the second output shaft.

[0024] The resulting technical effect is: since the nozzle rotor and the channel rotor are two passive adjustment objects, the device uses a coaxial brushless motor to achieve independent control of the two passive adjustment objects, which is convenient to control and flexible in channel switching. In specific implementation, the coaxial brushless motor can use an existing coaxial double-propeller brushless motor.

[0025] Preferably, the multi-color material mixing assembly includes a mixing bin, a bin cover and a stirring mechanism, the mixing bin is provided with an outlet, the bin cover is fixed to the open end of the mixing bin, the bin cover is provided with multiple inlets, the inlet is connected to an external feed hose via a hose connector, the external feed hose is connected to a material conveying system, the stirring mechanism is installed on the bin cover, the stirring head of the stirring mechanism is located in the mixing bin and stirs materials of multiple colors evenly.

[0026] The resulting technical effect is: the multi-color material mixing component refers to the mixing of edible materials of various colors, such as chocolate, cream, etc., and the stirring mechanism is used to mix the materials of various colors evenly to improve the effect of subsequent food 3D printing. It should be noted that the multi-color material mixing of this device is completed synchronously during the printing process, and is not mixed by standing still in advance.

[0027] Preferably, the stirring mechanism comprises a stirring motor and a stirring rod, the stirring motor is fixed on the bin cover, and the stirring rod is a stirring head of the stirring mechanism and is transmission-connected to an output shaft of the stirring motor.

[0028] The technical effect produced thereby is: in specific implementation, the stirring rod is a multi-fork stirring rod to improve the mixing effect of multi-color materials.

[0029] Preferably, the material conveying system is powered by a material pump, and the reverse rotation of the material pump causes the material to be pulled in the opposite direction and avoids material overflow from the multi-channel nozzle.

[0030] The resulting technical effect is: when food is 3D printed, a material pump is used to transport the material. Of course, when printing stops or the nozzle is changed, the reversal of the material pump is used to temporarily pull the material in the opposite direction to avoid nozzle drawing or material overflow. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 This is an overall structural diagram of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 2 A multi-channel nozzle structure diagram of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 3 A multi-channel nozzle explosion of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention Figure 1 ;

[0034] Figure 4 Explosion of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention Figure 2 ;

[0035] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a multi-color material mixing component of a 3D printing multi-function nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Exploded diagram of

[0037] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the rotation principle of a nozzle rotor and a nozzle stator of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the rotation principle of a channel stator and a channel rotor of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0039] Fig. 9 This is a structural diagram of a coaxial brushless motor of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0040] Fig.10 This is a diagram showing the internal structure of a coaxial brushless motor of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0041] Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of the coaxial brushless motor end side of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention;

[0042] Fig.12 This is a flow chart of the operating principle of a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system of the present invention.

[0043] 1 multi-channel nozzle, 11 spraying part, 12 feeding part, 13 common channel, 101 nozzle rotor, 102 nozzle stator, 103 material collection bin, 104 channel rotor, 105 channel stator, 106 nozzle, 107 material buffer tank, 108 sedimentation tank, 109 flow hole, 110 feeding port, 2 nozzle adjustment mechanism, 21 coaxial brushless motor, 211 first output shaft, 212 second output shaft, 213 outer winding, 214 outer rotor, 215 outer bearing, 216 inner rotor, 217 inner winding, 218 inner bearing, 3 multi-color material mixing assembly, 31 mixing bin, 32 bin cover, 33 stirring mechanism, 331 stirring motor, 332 stirring rod, 34 hose connector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0045] It should be noted that the attached Figure 7 S1-S4 show the actual internal hole positions of the nozzle stator and rotor when they are rotating and switching, where 1, 2, and 3 represent the hole positions on the nozzle rotor;

[0046] Attached Figure 8 S201-S204 show the opening and closing of the channel stator and rotor switching under a certain combination design, where 1, 2, and 3 represent the hole positions of the feed port, and A, B, C, and D represent the hole positions of the flow holes on the channel stator.

[0047] See the attached Figures 1 to 12 According to an embodiment of the present invention, a 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system includes:

[0048] A multi-channel nozzle 1, wherein a spraying part 11 and a feeding part 12 are respectively provided at both ends of the multi-channel nozzle 1, a common channel 13 connecting the feeding part 12 and the spraying part 11 is provided on the multi-channel nozzle 1, three nozzles 106 are provided on the spraying part 11, and a functional nozzle is connected to the nozzle 106. The functional nozzle refers to a nozzle used for different functions, which can be a decorating nozzle, a material filling nozzle, a printing nozzle, etc. Three feeding ports 110 are provided on the feeding part 12, and the plurality of feeding ports 110 are respectively connected to external material sources, one of which can be externally connected to a cleaning water source, so as to facilitate the cleaning of the nozzle in each process, and different material sources enter the common channel through the feeding port 110 and are sprayed out by different functional nozzles on the nozzle;

[0049] The nozzle adjustment mechanism 2 is installed at one end of the multi-channel nozzle 1 close to the feed part 12, and the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism 2 is respectively connected to the spray part 11 and the feed part 12 and adjusts the connection state of the nozzle, the feed port and the common channel;

[0050] The multi-color material mixing component 3 is provided with a plurality of inlets and an outlet, wherein the plurality of inlets are respectively connected to external color material sources, and the material sources of different colors refer to edible materials, such as cream, chocolate, etc. The outlet is connected to the feed port 110 of the feed part and provides the multi-color mixture to the multi-channel nozzle.

[0051] In other embodiments, the multi-channel nozzle 1 includes a nozzle rotor 101, a nozzle stator 102, a material collection bin 103, a channel rotor 104 and a channel stator 105 from one end to the other end, the nozzle rotor 101 is rotatably connected to the nozzle stator 102, the nozzle stator 102 is fixedly connected to the material collection bin 103, the channel rotor 104 is rotatably located between the material collection bin 103 and the channel stator 105, the nozzle rotor 101 and the nozzle stator 102 constitute a spraying part 11, the material collection bin 103 is provided with a center hole and a common channel, the channel rotor 104 and the channel stator 105 constitute a feeding part 12, and the nozzle rotor 101 and the channel rotor 104 are respectively connected to the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism 2 by transmission.

[0052] Specifically, the nozzle rotor 101 is a truncated cone structure, and the nozzles 106 are vertically connected and connected on the inclined surface of the nozzle rotor 101, which can increase the installation space of the nozzles, thereby facilitating the installation of the nozzles and avoiding interference between the nozzles. This structure makes full use of the space, optimizes the multi-nozzle layout, and improves the efficiency and reliability of the equipment; the multiple nozzles 106 have different calibers, and different functional nozzles are connected to the multiple nozzles 106 respectively. The working state of different nozzles is adjusted according to printing needs. The nozzle stator 102 is provided with a center hole, and the side of the nozzle stator 102 close to the nozzle rotor 101 is provided with a material buffer groove 107 connected to the center hole. The rotation of the nozzle rotor 101 causes the nozzles 106 at different positions to be connected with the material buffer groove 107. When one nozzle and the corresponding nozzle are in use, the remaining nozzles will not overflow the material, which requires ensuring the airtightness of the material channel and the accuracy of the hole position docking.

[0053] In other embodiments, the bottom surface of the nozzle rotor 101 is in sliding contact with the top surface of the nozzle stator 102. A sink 108 connected to the nozzle 106 is provided on the bottom surface of the nozzle rotor 101. The notch of the sink 108 is circular, and the material buffer groove 107 is elliptical. When the nozzle rotor 101 rotates, the notch of any sink 108 can be covered by the material buffer groove 107. The sink can be used to temporarily buffer the printing material. The opening size of the elliptical opening on the nozzle stator just covers the aperture when the nozzle rotor rotates to the alignment position, ensuring that it can be fully opened or closed when switching the nozzle. Secondly, when the nozzle rotor rotates to the half position, the two sides of the material buffer groove are tangent to the notches of the two adjacent sinks.

[0054] The present invention effectively prevents material leakage by designing an opening and closing channel mechanism to isolate the non-used channel when switching channels, ensuring that materials between different channels will not be accidentally mixed and cross contamination will be avoided. In addition, the opening and closing channel mechanism can control the pre-flow of the material so that the required material can be squeezed out even when the channel is opened, thereby ensuring the continuity of printing. The design also avoids the accumulation of gas in the channel and isolates the flow of unused materials, thereby reducing the risk of bubbles and uneven pressure and ensuring printing quality.

[0055] In other specific embodiments, the material collection bin 103 is a funnel structure, the center hole of the material collection bin 103 is coaxially connected with the center hole of the nozzle stator 102 and provides a common material passage, the channel rotor 104 is sealed and rotatably connected between the material collection bin 103 and the channel stator 105, the channel rotor and the channel stator are both circular structures, and the dynamic seal between the channel rotor and adjacent components can be achieved using annular grooves and annular convex structures, the channel rotor 104 is provided with a plurality of flow holes 109 of different specifications, and the feed port 110 is arranged on the channel stator 105, and the plurality of feed ports 110 on the channel stator 105 can be docked and connected with the plurality of flow holes 109 on the channel rotor 104; a connecting hole that cooperates with the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism is provided in the middle of the channel rotor 104, and the rotation of the channel rotor 104 changes the docking state of the plurality of flow holes and the plurality of feed ports.

[0056] It is understandable that the number of the flow holes 109 on the channel stator can be three or more, and the calibers of each flow hole can be the same or different to meet the requirements of different materials and flow rates.

[0057] The channel stator 105 is a circular structural part, and the channel rotor acts as a control switch of the feed port. The rotation position of the channel rotor directly affects the matching state of the flow hole and the feed port. One feed port can be opened alone, or multiple feed ports can be opened in combination to meet the needs of different material flow rates.

[0058] The present invention meets the requirements of various materials and flow rates by designing a channel stator structure that is compatible with different calibers. The fine-caliber channel helps to accurately control the material flow rate and improve the printing accuracy; the coarse-caliber channel helps to increase the extrusion speed, is suitable for viscous materials, and reduces the risk of clogging. The multi-caliber compatible design provides greater flexibility for multi-material and multi-color applications of food 3D printing, while ensuring the flexibility of the interface adjustment state and optimizing the material flow path.

[0059] When the channel rotor 104 rotates to a specific angle, different numbers or combinations of flow holes 109 can be aligned with the feed port on the channel stator, thereby allowing one or more channels to be opened or closed. In this way, the system can accurately control the on-off state of each channel to meet the combined needs of multiple material flow rates.

[0060] In some other embodiments, the nozzle adjustment mechanism 2 includes a coaxial brushless motor 21 and a controller. The coaxial brushless motor 21 is fixed on the channel stator 105. The coaxial brushless motor 21 is provided with a first output shaft 211 and a second output shaft 212. The first output shaft 211 and the second output shaft 212 are coaxially arranged and the second output shaft 212 rotates and is located on the outside of the first output shaft 211. The first output shaft 211 passes through the channel stator 105, the channel rotor 104, the material collection bin 103 and the nozzle stator 102 and is fixedly connected to the nozzle rotor 101. The second output shaft 212 passes through the channel stator 105 and is fixedly connected to the channel rotor 104. The controller controls the two rotor modules of the coaxial brushless motor respectively and realizes independent control of the first output shaft and the second output shaft.

[0061] Reference Figure 10-11 , the inner and outer rotor structures of the coaxial brushless motor 21 are schematically shown, the outer winding 213 drives the outer rotor 214 to rotate, the rotation of the outer rotor 214 synchronously causes the second output shaft 212 to rotate, the rotation of the second output shaft 212 and the first output shaft 211 do not affect each other, the inner winding 127 drives the inner rotor 216 to rotate, the inner rotor 216 is coaxially fixed with the first output shaft 211 and rotates synchronously.

[0062] The two output shafts of the coaxial brushless motor independently control rotation, providing precise and flexible rotation control, reducing the need for multiple drive systems, which not only simplifies the drive system, reduces space and cost, but also improves the compactness and reliability of the structure. In addition, motor control enhances the convenience of operation and system stability, avoids manual operation errors, and improves the performance and reliability of food 3D printing equipment.

[0063] In some other specific embodiments, the multi-color material mixing component 3 includes a mixing bin 31, a bin cover 32 and a stirring mechanism 33. The mixing bin 31 is provided with an outlet, the bin cover 32 is fixed to the open end of the mixing bin 31, and the bin cover 32 is provided with multiple inlets. The inlet is connected to an external feed hose through a hose connector 34, and the external feed hose is connected to a material conveying system. The stirring mechanism 33 is installed on the bin cover 32. The stirring head of the stirring mechanism 33 is located in the mixing bin 31 and stirs materials of multiple colors evenly, thereby achieving mixing of multi-color materials in the process of food 3D printing.

[0064] Specifically, the stirring mechanism 33 includes a stirring motor 331 and a stirring rod 332 . The stirring motor 331 is fixed on the bin cover 32 . The stirring rod 332 is a stirring head of the stirring mechanism and is transmission-connected to the output shaft of the stirring motor 331 .

[0065] In other embodiments, the material conveying system is powered by a material pump, and the reversal of the material pump causes the material to be pulled in the opposite direction and prevents the material from overflowing from the multi-channel nozzle.

[0066] The nozzle stator of the present invention adopts an elliptical flow buffer groove design, which can quickly connect to the next nozzle interface when the nozzle is switched, reduce the residual volume of waste material, and quickly start printing, ensuring that the switching process is efficient and smooth, and achieving minimal waste of materials. Combined with the back-suction mechanism, it effectively reduces the impact of flow interruption, reduces switching time, and significantly improves the continuity, efficiency and quality of printing.

[0067] The present invention provides a real-time mixing structure (multi-color material mixing component 3) to mix materials in real time during the material flow, thereby avoiding the material deposition or stratification problem caused by pre-mixing, and greatly improving the naturalness and consistency of color transition. Real-time mixing not only reduces the frequency of downtime and cleaning work, but also ensures the dynamic regulation of color during the printing process.

[0068] Application Example 1

[0069] The device is used for fully automatic cream and chocolate decoration printing on the cake surface. It has multi-channel, multi-nozzle switching and automatic cleaning functions. It is suitable for the complex multi-color decoration needs of food 3D printing. The whole process needs to be carried out on the cake embryo. First, the cream part is printed, and then decorated with multi-color chocolate.

[0070] The channel stator has three flow holes of unequal diameters, among which the largest-diameter through-hole is dedicated to cream transmission, which can realize fast and large-volume filling. The cream is output by the cream-dedicated nozzle through this channel, and the cream decoration is printed on the cake through the cream decorating nozzle to form a basic cream pattern structure; the smaller-diameter through-hole is dedicated to the colorful chocolate output by the multi-color material mixing component, and the colorful chocolate decoration is printed on the cake through the chocolate nozzle; the remaining through-holes are used to transport clean water to clean the multi-channel and nozzle switching device and the nozzle.

[0071] First, the food 3D printing device is loaded with materials, including cream, black and white chocolate. When the device is started, the system automatically controls the channel stator to rotate to the maximum caliber flow hole. Since the cream part needs to be printed on the cake embryo first, the nozzle rotor is controlled in the system and adjusted to the position of the cream decorating nozzle to align with the flow buffer slot of the nozzle stator.

[0072] After completing the preset, the machine starts to print the cream part of the cake. The cream is first decorated on the cake embryo through the decorating nozzle. After the cream decorating is completed, the machine cleans itself. The system first controls the nozzle of the 3D printing device to move to the waste, and controls the channel rotor to rotate a certain angle so that only the clean water interface is connected to the subsequent part, and then starts to deliver clean water, which is used to rinse the multi-channel nozzle and finally discharged through the decorating nozzle.

[0073] After completing the above work, the 3D printing device returns to the printing position and starts switching channels. The channel rotor and nozzle rotor are controlled by a coaxial brushless motor to accurately switch the flow hole to the colorful chocolate output channel with a smaller diameter; at the same time, the system controls the nozzle rotor to rotate to the chocolate printing nozzle. Subsequently, the machine delivers a certain proportion of black and white chocolate to the multi-color material mixing component, and the stirring rod fully mixes the two colors of chocolate materials into brown chocolate, which flows through the channel stator and rotor into the confluence bin, and finally passes through the chocolate printing nozzle to decorate the cake with chocolate, completing the cake decoration work.

[0074] After the cake decoration is completed, the device enters the cleaning process again. Each channel is connected to clean water, and the system injects water to fully rinse the mixing chamber, channel rotor, nozzle rotor and each channel. After the cleaning is completed, the device is ready and can be used for the next printing operation without pollution.

[0075] This embodiment utilizes the multi-caliber compatible design of the channel stator, the precise switching function of the channel rotor and the nozzle rotor, and the pre-mixed color and fully automatic cleaning system to achieve fully automatic multi-color and multi-material efficient switching and cleaning in the cake decoration process.

[0076] Application Example 2

[0077] The embodiment of the present invention demonstrates the continuous printing operation of chocolate bears with the cooperation of multi-channel nozzles. The system is equipped with two chocolate nozzles of different calibers, the smaller caliber nozzle is used for fine printing of the outer contour, and the other larger caliber nozzle is used for rapid infusion of the internal structure. In addition, the system is equipped with a third channel connected to clean water for cleaning the channel and nozzle after printing is completed.

[0078] First, the system is loaded with chocolate raw materials, and the two feed ports are connected to the multi-color material mixing components (two groups) to ensure the output chocolate has the same color. The third channel is connected to clean water. After the system is started, the control channel rotor rotates to the small-diameter channel, and the nozzle rotor is aligned with the small-diameter nozzle to ensure that the two channels are connected accordingly.

[0079] After the preparation is completed, the system first squeezes a certain proportion of black, white and brown chocolate into the multi-color material mixing component connected to the smaller-caliber channel, and the three colors of chocolate are mixed in the multi-color material mixing component to turn into coffee color; at the same time, the multi-color material mixing component corresponding to the large-caliber channel performs the same operation, but does not continue to output backward. At this time, the stirring rod in the multi-color material mixing component continues to work to ensure that the internal chocolate does not solidify. After printing is turned on, the material in the small-caliber channel passes through the multi-channel nozzle and finally prints through the small-caliber nozzle on it, mainly printing the surrounding outer contour.

[0080] After the outer contour is printed, the system seamlessly switches to the large-diameter channel, and the various materials in the original channel stop being transported, and the materials in the large-diameter channel start being transported. At this time, the system starts the back-sucking mechanism to quickly suck the remaining chocolate in the small-diameter nozzle back into the buffer tank to avoid waste caused by residual material in the small-diameter nozzle. Then, the nozzle rotor rotates toward the large-diameter nozzle position. During the process, due to the special design of the elliptical opening on the nozzle rotor, the connection channel with the large-diameter nozzle interface is opened as soon as the small-diameter nozzle interface is left. When the nozzle rotor opens the channel with the large-diameter nozzle interface, the system immediately stops the back-sucking mechanism and starts to extrude chocolate material from the large-diameter channel. After rotating to a certain angle, the elliptical buffer groove on the nozzle rotor fully cooperates with the large-diameter nozzle interface. During the entire switching process, the material smoothly transitions to the new printing channel without the need for additional cleaning. In this stage, chocolate is poured through the large-diameter nozzle, which greatly improves the filling efficiency and accelerates the internal filling process.

[0081] After the internal filling is completed, the system sucks back the chocolate in the large-diameter nozzle again, deactivates the material in the large-diameter channel, and then the channel rotor reconnects to the small-diameter channel and reactivates the small-diameter channel. The nozzle switching process is the same as the previous switching process. This process also uses the precise control of the suction mechanism to maintain the continuity of the material each time it is switched, preventing the transition area from generating mixed colors or lack of material. After completing the switching of each part, the small-diameter nozzle will again finely decorate the top surface of the chocolate bear until the entire print is completed.

[0082] After printing is completed, the channel rotor switches to the clean water channel, and the nozzle flow channel is connected to the cleaning channel. Clean water flows into the buffer tank to thoroughly rinse the residual chocolate in each channel, thereby preparing a clean material channel for the next print. After the cleaning process is completed, the device is in standby mode.

[0083] This embodiment is applied to the 3D printing decoration of fully automatic chocolate bears, and adopts a multi-channel, multi-nozzle automatic switching device to achieve efficient conversion between fine contour printing and fast filling. The fine contour of the bear is printed through a small-diameter channel and nozzle, and then the large-diameter channel is switched to quickly fill the chocolate inside. After completion, the system automatically cleans to ensure efficient and seamless continuous printing.

[0084] As for the device and the method of use disclosed in the embodiment, since they correspond to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the description of the method part.

[0085] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to implement or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention will not be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but rather to the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system, characterized in that: include: A multi-channel nozzle (1), wherein a spraying portion (11) and a feeding portion (12) are respectively provided at two ends of the multi-channel nozzle (1), a common channel (13) connecting the feeding portion (12) and the spraying portion (11) is provided on the multi-channel nozzle (1), a plurality of nozzles (106) are provided on the spraying portion (11), and a functional nozzle is connected to the nozzle (106), and a plurality of feeding ports (110) are provided on the feeding portion (12), and the plurality of feeding ports (110) are respectively connected to an external material source, and different material sources enter the common channel through the feeding ports (110) and are sprayed out by different functional nozzles on the nozzles; A nozzle adjustment mechanism (2), the nozzle adjustment mechanism (2) being installed at one end of the multi-channel nozzle (1) close to the feed portion (12), the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism (2) being connected to the spray portion (11) and the feed portion (12) respectively and adjusting the connection state between the nozzle, the feed port and the common channel; A multi-color material mixing component (3) is provided with a plurality of inlets and an outlet, wherein the plurality of inlets are respectively connected to an external color material source, and the outlet is connected to a feed port (110) of a feed part and provides a multi-color mixed material to the multi-channel nozzle.

2. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-channel nozzle (1) comprises, from one end to the other end, a nozzle rotor (101), a nozzle stator (102), a material collection bin (103), a channel rotor (104) and a channel stator (105) in sequence; the nozzle rotor (101) is rotatably connected to the nozzle stator (102); the nozzle stator (102) is fixedly connected to the material collection bin (103); the channel rotor (104) is rotatably located between the material collection bin (103) and the channel stator (105); the nozzle rotor (101) and the nozzle stator (102) constitute a material spraying portion (11); the material collection bin (103) is provided with a central hole and a common channel; the channel rotor (104) and the channel stator (105) constitute a material feeding portion (12); the nozzle rotor (101) and the channel rotor (104) are respectively transmission-connected to the output end of a nozzle adjustment mechanism (2).

3. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The nozzle rotor (101) is a truncated cone structure; the nozzles (106) are vertically connected and communicated on the inclined surface of the nozzle rotor (101); the multiple nozzles (106) have different calibers; the multiple nozzles (106) are respectively connected to nozzles with different functions; a center hole is provided on the nozzle stator (102); a material transfer buffer groove (107) communicating with the center hole is provided on a side of the nozzle stator (102) close to the nozzle rotor (101); the rotation of the nozzle rotor (101) causes the nozzles (106) at different positions to communicate with the material transfer buffer groove (107).

4. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bottom surface of the nozzle rotor (101) is in sliding contact with the top surface of the nozzle stator (102); a sink groove (108) communicating with the nozzle (106) is provided on the bottom surface of the nozzle rotor (101); the notch of the sink groove (108) is circular; the material transfer buffer groove (107) is elliptical; when the nozzle rotor (101) rotates, any notch of the sink groove (108) can be covered by the material transfer buffer groove (107).

5. The 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The material collection bin (103) is a funnel structure. The central hole of the material collection bin (103) is coaxially connected with the central hole of the nozzle stator (102) and provides a common material passage. The channel rotor (104) is sealed and rotatably connected between the material collection bin (103) and the channel stator (105). The channel rotor (104) is provided with a plurality of flow holes (109) of different specifications. The feed port (110) is provided on the channel stator (105). The plurality of feed ports (110) on the channel stator (105) can be connected to and connected with the plurality of flow holes (109) on the channel rotor (104). A connection hole matching the output end of the nozzle adjustment mechanism is provided in the middle of the channel rotor (104). The rotation of the channel rotor (104) changes the connection state between the plurality of flow holes and the plurality of feed ports.

6. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The nozzle adjustment mechanism (2) comprises a coaxial brushless motor (21) and a controller. The coaxial brushless motor (21) is fixed on the channel stator (105). The coaxial brushless motor (21) is provided with a first output shaft (211) and a second output shaft (212). The first output shaft (211) and the second output shaft (212) are coaxially arranged and the second output shaft (212) is rotated and located outside the first output shaft (211). The first output shaft (211) passes through the channel stator (105), the channel rotor (104), the material collection bin (103) and the nozzle stator (102) and is fixedly connected to the nozzle rotor (101). The second output shaft (212) passes through the channel stator (105) and is fixedly connected to the channel rotor (104). The controller controls two rotor modules of the coaxial brushless motor respectively and realizes independent control of the first output shaft and the second output shaft.

7. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-color material mixing assembly (3) comprises a mixing bin (31), a bin cover (32) and a stirring mechanism (33); the mixing bin (31) is provided with an outlet; the bin cover (32) is fixed to the open end of the mixing bin (31); the bin cover (32) is provided with a plurality of inlets; the inlets are connected to an external feed hose via a hose connector (34); the external feed hose is connected to a material conveying system; the stirring mechanism (33) is mounted on the bin cover (32); a stirring head of the stirring mechanism (33) is located in the mixing bin (31) and stirs the materials of multiple colors evenly.

8. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The stirring mechanism (33) comprises a stirring motor (331) and a stirring rod (332); the stirring motor (331) is fixed on the bin cover (32); the stirring rod (332) is a stirring head of the stirring mechanism and is transmission-connected to an output shaft of the stirring motor (331).

9. A 3D printing multifunctional nozzle switching device equipped with a color mixing system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The material conveying system is powered by a material pump, and the reverse rotation of the material pump causes the material to be pulled in the opposite direction and prevents the material from overflowing from the multi-channel nozzle.

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