Control method of additive manufacturing equipment and additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The invention provides a control method of additive manufacturing equipment and the additive manufacturing equipment, and relates to the field of additive manufacturing. The method comprises the following steps: controlling a printing assembly of the additive manufacturing equipment to print a plurality of model layers so as to form a 3D model; when a specific model layer is printed, the printing assembly is controlled to spray N layers of printing materials to the pixel points of the model layer, and if the first printing material sprayed by the printing assembly according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points does not reach N layers, the printing assembly is controlled to continue to spray a second printing material to the pixel points, n layers of printing materials are sprayed on the pixel points, and N is an integer larger than 1.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of additive manufacturing, and in particular to a control method for additive manufacturing equipment and additive manufacturing equipment. Background Art

[0002] 3D color model printing is an advanced manufacturing technology that combines the layer-by-layer construction principle of 3D printing with color spraying technology. It can accurately control the spraying of color printing materials during the printing process, thereby creating 3D color models with rich colors and realistic details.

[0003] However, the 3D color model printing in the related art may have the problem of inconsistent layer thickness of each model layer, which may cause color misalignment and make the printing effect of the 3D color model poor. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present application provides a control method for additive manufacturing equipment and additive manufacturing equipment, which solves the problem of poor printing effect of 3D color models caused by inconsistent layer thickness of each model layer in the related art.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a control method for an additive manufacturing device, the method comprising:

[0006] Control the printing component of the additive manufacturing equipment to print multiple model layers to form a 3D model; when printing one of the model layers, control the printing component to spray the printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times, wherein, if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel point does not reach N layers, control the printing component to continue spraying the second printing material on the pixel point, so that the pixel point is sprayed with N layers of printing material, and N is an integer greater than 1.

[0007] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an additive manufacturing device, which includes: a printing component; a memory storing a program or instruction; and a processor, which implements the steps of the method of the first aspect when executing the program or instruction.

[0008] In an embodiment of the present application, the printing component of the additive manufacturing equipment is controlled to perform layer-by-layer stacking and printing of multiple model layers to form a 3D color model. When printing each model layer, if the printing number of a certain pixel point does not meet the model layer thickness, the printing material is filled to make the layer thickness of each pixel point position consistent, avoiding color misalignment problems, and improving the model leveling effect and the color effect after the final stacking to form the model.

[0009] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present application. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0011] Figure 1 A schematic flow chart showing a control method of an additive manufacturing device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0012] Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing a spraying process of a column of sub-pixel blocks of a pixel point according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0013] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing a spraying process of multiple columns of sub-pixel blocks of pixel points in an embodiment of the present application;

[0014] Figure 4 A schematic diagram showing a spraying process of multiple pixel points in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0015] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of first direction moving spraying in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0016] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the second direction moving spraying in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0017] Figure 7 A structural block diagram of an additive manufacturing device according to an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0018] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the overall system composition of the additive manufacturing equipment according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments in the present application belong to the scope of protection of this application.

[0020] The terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchangeable under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described here, and the objects distinguished by "first", "second", etc. are generally of one type, and the number of objects is not limited. For example, the first object can be one or more. In addition, "and / or" in the specification and claims represents at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship.

[0021] The control method of the additive manufacturing device and the additive manufacturing device provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings through specific embodiments and their application scenarios. The following embodiments and features in the embodiments may be combined with each other unless there is a conflict.

[0022] The present application embodiment provides a control method for an additive manufacturing device, such as Figure 1 As shown, the method includes:

[0023] S101, controlling a printing component of an additive manufacturing device to print multiple model layers to form a 3D model; when printing a specific model layer, controlling the printing component to spray printing material on pixel points of the model layer N times, wherein if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel point does not reach N layers, then controlling the printing component to continue spraying the second printing material on the pixel point, so that the pixel point is sprayed with N layers of printing material, where N is an integer greater than 1.

[0024] In this embodiment, a printing component of an additive manufacturing device is controlled to print multiple model layers, and a 3D model is formed by stacking the multiple model layers layer by layer.

[0025] When printing a specific model layer, the first printing material is sprayed according to the color spraying data corresponding to each pixel of the model layer. The color spraying data corresponding to the pixel can be obtained in the slice file, which is used to indicate the color that the pixel needs to be printed. The color spraying data includes CMYKM (Cyan Magenta Yellow Black White) data or RGB (Red Green Blue) data. The first printing material is a colored printing material, which can be a white or transparent printing material, which is obtained by mixing with CMYK color ink or RGB color ink in advance in the color mixing device of the additive manufacturing equipment. The color of the first printing material may include C (cyan), M (magenta), Y (yellow), K (black), M (white), R (red), G (green), B (blue). In different embodiments, the first printing material defined above can be a printing material of the same color or a printing material of different colors. For example, the first printing materials sprayed in sequence are red, green, and blue, that is, the corresponding pixels are sprayed 3 times.

[0026] When printing a specific model layer, the first printing material can be sprayed on any pixel of the model layer, or some of the pixels therein, according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel. If the sprayed first printing material reaches the preset N times, that is, the pixel is sprayed N times according to the color spraying data, and the preset N times are related to the layer thickness of the current model layer, then the position of the pixel on the model layer reaches the preset layer thickness. For ease of explanation, the following embodiments will also be described by spraying N layers (i.e., equivalent to the above-mentioned preset N times of spraying). If the sprayed first printing material does not reach the preset N times, that is, the number of times the pixel is sprayed according to the color spraying data is less than N times, then the position of the pixel on the model layer does not reach the preset layer thickness. Since the pixel does not reach the preset layer thickness, the thickness of the pixel may be inconsistent with that of other pixels, resulting in a color misalignment problem.

[0027] In order to avoid the above problems, in the embodiment of the present application, when it is determined that the first printing material sprayed on the pixel point has not reached the preset N layers, that is, the number of times the pixel point has been sprayed according to the color spraying data is less than N times, the printing component is controlled to continue spraying the second printing material on the pixel point to fill the pixel point, so that the pixel point is sprayed with N layers of printing material. For example, for the target pixel point, based on the color spraying data, it is determined that the color to be printed is mixed by three colors of C, M, and Y, then the first printing material of three colors of C, M, and Y will be sprayed on the target pixel point, that is, three layers of the first printing material will be sprayed, and the layer thickness of the model layer needs to be sprayed with six layers of printing material, so after spraying the first printing material of three colors of C, M, and Y, three layers of the second printing material are sprayed to reach the layer thickness of the model layer. In some examples, in order to form a corresponding model layer, conventional printing materials, such as PLA (Poly lactic acid material), can be printed first to form a base layer of the model layer, and then the first printing material and the second printing material mentioned above are sprayed to form different colors and make the layer thickness of the target pixel points consistent.

[0028] It should be noted that the specific model layer may refer to a model layer requiring flatness, and for a model layer such as a top layer that does not require flatness, the second printing material may not be sprayed.

[0029] In one embodiment, the printing assembly includes a nozzle, the nozzle includes a plurality of nozzle holes arranged along the second direction, and each nozzle sprays printing materials of different colors. When spraying a pixel point each time, printing materials of different colors can be sprayed.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present application, a printing component of an additive manufacturing device is controlled to perform layer-by-layer stacking and printing of multiple model layers to form a 3D color model. When printing each model layer, if the number of prints of a certain pixel does not meet the model layer thickness, the printing material is filled to make the layer thickness of each pixel position consistent, thereby avoiding color misalignment problems, and improving the model leveling effect and the color effect after the final stacking to form the model.

[0031] It is worth noting that for pixels that do not reach the layer thickness during printing, if the pixel is not filled with additional spray after printing multiple model layers, the printed 3D color model will be at the position of the pixel, lower than other pixels in the layer height direction, resulting in color misalignment of the 3D color model. In this embodiment of the application, when the pixel points of the model layer are printed, the pixel points that do not reach the layer thickness are filled with additional spray to ensure that each model layer reaches the layer thickness to prevent color misalignment. In addition, each pixel point of the model layer is filled with additional spray to ensure that color misalignment is avoided regardless of the internal or external contours of the 3D color model, and that a good color effect is achieved.

[0032] In one embodiment of the present application, if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points does not reach N layers, the printing component is controlled to continue spraying the second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material, including:

[0033] If the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points is P layers, P < N, and P is an integer, the printing component is controlled to continue spraying (N - P) layers of the second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material, where the second printing material includes a white printing material or a transparent printing material.

[0034] In this embodiment, if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points is P layers and P < N, then the printing component is controlled to spray (N - P) more layers of the second printing material on the pixel points, so that the first printing material and the second printing material together are N layers, reaching the layer thickness of the model layer.

[0035] In the embodiment of the present application, the second printing material is a white or transparent printing material. By filling the white or transparent printing material, while achieving pixel filling to make the layer thickness consistent at each position of the model layer, the influence on color by filling the color printing material is avoided, ensuring the color restoration degree of each pixel point.

[0036] In one embodiment of the present application, the printing component includes a nozzle and a photocuring device. Controlling the printing component to spray N times of printing material on the pixel points of the model layer includes:

[0037] Controlling the nozzle to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of N layers of printing material is completed, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the N layers of printing material; or,

[0038] Controlling the nozzle to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points, where after the spraying of each layer of printing material, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the printing material; or,

[0039] In the case where the sprayed first printing material does not reach N layers, controlling the nozzle to spray P layers of the first printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of P layers of the first printing material is completed, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the P layers of the first printing material; and controlling the nozzle to spray (N - P) layers of the second printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of (N - P) layers of the second printing material is completed, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the (N - P) layers of the second printing material.

[0040] In this embodiment, the printing component includes a light-curing device and a nozzle. The light-curing device is arranged close to the nozzle. The number of light-curing devices is not specifically limited. One light-curing device can be arranged corresponding to multiple nozzles of the nozzle, or one light-curing device can be arranged corresponding to one nozzle.

[0041] In one embodiment, the nozzle is controlled to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points. The N layers of printing material may all be the first printing material, or may include the first printing material and the second printing material. After the N layers of printing material are sprayed, that is, after the last layer of printing material is sprayed, the light curing device is turned on to emit curing light to cure the N layers of printing material as a whole. Compared with curing each layer separately, overall curing reduces the number of curing times, thereby reducing energy consumption and printing costs. In addition, after the N layers of printing material are sprayed, overall curing is performed to ensure that the entire N layers of printing material are more stable in structure, and the curing light can penetrate multiple layers of printing material, so that the combination between the layers is tighter, reducing the risk of delamination and peeling.

[0042] In another embodiment, the nozzle is controlled to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points, wherein after each layer of printing material is sprayed, the light curing device is controlled to emit curing light to cure the layer of printing material, and after the layer of printing material is cured, the next layer of printing material is sprayed and cured. That is, after spraying a layer of printing material, it is cured, so that each layer of printing material is cured separately. In this way, each layer of printing material is cured immediately after spraying, which can ensure that each layer of material is cured immediately during the printing process, reduce the problem of insufficient color restoration and reduced thickness caused by the flow and diffusion of printing materials, and improve the printing quality of the model.

[0043] In another embodiment, the nozzle is controlled to spray the first printing material on the pixel point. If the first printing material sprayed is a P layer and has not reached the N layer, then after the P layer of the first printing material is sprayed, the light curing device is controlled to emit curing light to perform a primary curing on the P layer of the first printing material. Then the nozzle is controlled to spray the (NP) layer of the second printing material on the pixel point, and after the (NP) layer of the second printing material is sprayed, the light curing device is controlled to emit curing light to perform a primary curing on the (NP) layer of the second printing material. That is, the first printing material is cured once as a whole, and the second printing material is cured once as a whole, so that the second printing material interferes with the mixing of the first printing material, thereby ensuring the clarity and accuracy of the color printed material.

[0044] In one embodiment of the present application, a pixel point includes M×M sub-pixel blocks, where M is an integer greater than 1; controlling the printing component to spray printing material N times on the pixel points of the model layer includes: controlling the printing component to spray N layers of printing material on each column of sub-pixel blocks respectively.

[0045] In this embodiment, the model layer corresponds to a plurality of pixel rows and pixel columns, each pixel row includes a plurality of pixel points arranged along a first direction (e.g., X direction), the width of a pixel row corresponds to the width of the nozzle, and each pixel column includes a plurality of pixel points arranged along a second direction (e.g., Y direction), and the second direction and the first direction are perpendicular to each other. And the pixel points are each subdivided into M×M sub-pixel blocks, that is, the pixel point contains a sub-pixel block of M rows and M columns. For a pixel point, each column of the M columns of sub-pixel blocks is sprayed separately, so that each sub-pixel block of the pixel point is sprayed with N layers to ensure consistent layer thickness. Among them, M and N can be equal or unequal.

[0046] For example, it is determined that each sub-pixel block needs to be sprayed with 4 layers of printing material according to the model layer thickness, such as Figure 2 As shown, for the first column of sub-pixel blocks of pixel points, four kinds of printing materials are sprayed respectively according to the color spraying data corresponding to each sub-pixel block. The first time, the printing material of color C is sprayed to the corresponding sub-pixel block, the second time, the printing material of color M is sprayed to the corresponding sub-pixel block, the third time, the printing material of color Y is sprayed to the corresponding sub-pixel block, and the fourth time, the printing material of color K is sprayed to the corresponding sub-pixel block. Then, if it is determined that the sub-pixel blocks that do not meet the requirements of spraying 4 layers of printing materials are not sprayed, these sub-pixel blocks will continue to be filled with printing materials, and the printing material of color W (white or transparent) is sprayed to the sub-pixel blocks to be filled for the fifth time, and the printing material of color W is sprayed to the sub-pixel blocks to be filled for the sixth time. In this way, each sub-pixel block in the first column is sprayed with 4 layers of printing materials.

[0047] In the embodiment of the present application, the pixel point is subdivided into multiple sub-pixel blocks. Compared with spraying a whole pixel point, spraying a sub-pixel block will reduce the amount of printing material sprayed and the required spraying time will also be shortened. By reducing the spraying amount and spraying time, the diffusion degree of the printing material after spraying is reduced, the color restoration of the 3D color model and the consistency of the model layer thickness are guaranteed, and the model printing quality is improved.

[0048] In addition, by reducing the diffusion degree of the printing material after spraying, the printed layer thickness is made thinner, which can effectively ensure the reliability of the subsequent leveling process, avoid the leveling failure caused by the single layer thickness being too thick, and avoid the edge slope caused by leveling.

[0049] In one embodiment of the present application, controlling the printing component to spray printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times includes:

[0050] Control the printing component to spray the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in sequence along the first direction, i=1,...,M-1;

[0051] After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points is sprayed, controlling the printing component to spray the i+1-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in sequence along the first direction;

[0052] This continues until the spraying of M columns of sub-pixel blocks at each pixel point is completed.

[0053] In this embodiment, the printing component is controlled to spray each pixel arranged along the first direction, that is, the i-th column sub-pixel block of each pixel in a pixel row, in turn along the first direction. After the i-th column sub-pixel block of each pixel is sprayed, the i+1-th column sub-pixel block of each pixel continues to be sprayed, and so on, until all the columns of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel in the current pixel row are completed.

[0054] For example, Figure 4 As shown, taking q pixel rows and each pixel point including 4×4 sub-pixel blocks as an example, for the first pixel row, the first column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point are printed in sequence, then the second column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point are printed in sequence, then the third column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point are printed in sequence, and finally the fourth column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point are printed in sequence to complete the printing of the first pixel row. Then, in the second direction, move to the next row, and print the second pixel row in the same manner until q pixel rows are printed.

[0055] For a specific target pixel, such as Figure 3 As shown, when spraying the first column of sub-pixel blocks, by spraying the first or second printing material of different colors (total 6 times), the total number of spraying times for each sub-pixel block reaches 4 times, and each sub-pixel block sprays 4 layers of printing material. If the first printing material sprayed does not reach 4 layers, the second printing material is used to fill. For each subsequent column of sub-pixel blocks, the total number of spraying times for each sub-pixel block reaches 4 times, and each sub-pixel block sprays 4 layers of printing material. It should be noted that Figure 3 For each column, six sprayings are performed, and for a sub-pixel block, two of the six sprayings will not be sprayed, so the total number of sprayings for each sub-pixel block is four.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present application, the pixel points are refined for printing, which reduces the diffusion degree of the printing material after spraying, ensures the color restoration of the 3D color model and the consistency of the model layer thickness.

[0057] In one embodiment of the present application, controlling the printing component to spray the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in sequence along the first direction includes:

[0058] Controlling the printing component to move from a printing start position in a first direction, and sequentially spraying the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point;

[0059] After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points is sprayed, the printing component is controlled to spray the i+1-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in turn, including:

[0060] After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points is sprayed, the printing component is controlled to return to the printing start position and offset in the first direction by the length of 1 / M pixel points;

[0061] The printing component is controlled to move along the first direction, and the i+1th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point is sprayed in sequence.

[0062] In this embodiment, if Figure 5 As shown, starting from the printing start position in the first direction (for example, the X direction), the nozzle moves along the first direction. When the nozzle moves to the position corresponding to the 1st column sub-pixel block 11 of the 1st pixel point in the first direction, the 1st column sub-pixel block 11 of the 1st pixel point is sprayed. After the spraying is completed, the nozzle moves to the position corresponding to the 1st column sub-pixel block 12 of the 2nd pixel point in the first direction, sprays the 1st column sub-pixel block 12 of the 2nd pixel point, and then moves to the position corresponding to the 1st column sub-pixel block 13 of the 3rd pixel point to spray. And so on, the 1st column sub-pixel blocks of all pixel points in a pixel row arranged along the first direction are sprayed.

[0063] Then, return to the starting position of printing and offset 1 / M pixels in the first direction, that is, the length of 1 sub-pixel block. If the pixel points include 4×4 sub-pixel blocks, then offset the length of 1 / 4 pixel points, that is, move to the position corresponding to the second column sub-pixel block of the first pixel point for spraying. In the same way as above, the second column sub-pixel blocks of all pixel points in a pixel row arranged along the first direction are sprayed.

[0064] By analogy, each column of sub-pixel blocks of all pixel points in a pixel row arranged along the first direction are sprayed.

[0065] In the embodiment of the present application, the printing component will offset the position of 1 / M pixels each time it starts moving in the first direction to ensure that all sub-pixel blocks can be printed in M ​​cycles.

[0066] In one embodiment of the present application, after completing the spraying of the i-th column sub-pixel block of all pixel points in a pixel row and returning to the printing start position, an offset can be made in the second direction, for example, the position of 1 / M pixel points can be offset, and then the i+1-th column sub-pixel block of all pixel points in the pixel row can be sprayed. By offsetting in the second direction each time, the problem of cumulative error at the same position caused by nozzle blockage is avoided, and color restoration and layer thickness control are guaranteed.

[0067] In one embodiment of the present application, controlling the printing component to spray printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times includes:

[0068] In the process of the printing component moving from the printing start position in the first direction, when reaching the corresponding position of the sub-pixel block, spraying the first printing material to the sub-pixel block;

[0069] If the first printing material sprayed by the printing component on the sub-pixel block does not reach N layers, the second printing material is sprayed on the sub-pixel block when the corresponding position of the sub-pixel block is reached during the process of controlling the printing component to return to the printing start position.

[0070] In this embodiment, the first printing material, that is, the color printing material, is sprayed in the forward stroke starting from the printing start position, and the second printing material, that is, the white or transparent printing material, is sprayed in the stroke returning to the printing start position. In this way, the embodiment of the present application can avoid the interference of the white or transparent printing material on the mixing of the color printing material in the forward stroke while filling the second printing material to achieve a consistent layer thickness, thereby ensuring the clarity and accuracy of the color printing material. At the same time, it also ensures that the layer thickness of each pixel in the same model layer is consistent, so that when printing the next model layer, each pixel is at the same layer height to support the additive manufacturing of the corresponding printing material of the next model layer.

[0071] In one embodiment of the present application, controlling the printing component to spray printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times includes:

[0072] When starting to print the current model layer, the printing component is controlled to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset the target length in the second direction. The second direction and the first direction are perpendicular to each other, and the target lengths corresponding to each model layer are not all equal.

[0073] In this embodiment, before printing each model layer, Figure 6 As shown, the nozzle is controlled to offset the target length in the second direction, so as to avoid the problem of cumulative error at the same position caused by nozzle blockage by offsetting the starting position of each layer with the nozzle in the Y direction, thereby ensuring color restoration and layer thickness control.

[0074] In one embodiment of the present application, controlling the printing component to shift the target length in the second direction from the printing start position in the second direction includes:

[0075] When printing the first model layer, the printing component is controlled to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset to the second direction by a target length, where the target length is a random length; or,

[0076] When printing the j-th model layer, the printing component is controlled to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset by a target length in the second direction, where the target length is a sum of a fixed length and a random length, and j is greater than or equal to 2.

[0077] In this embodiment, when printing each model layer, offset printing is performed in the second direction. Figure 6 As shown, when printing the first model layer, the nozzle is controlled to deviate by a random length in the second direction, and when printing each model layer after the first model layer, the nozzle is controlled to deviate by a fixed length + a random length in the second direction.

[0078] In one embodiment, the fixed length is the length of 1 / M pixels; the random lengths corresponding to the multiple model layers are not all equal; and the random length is smaller than the width of the nozzle of the printing component in the second direction.

[0079] like Figure 6 As shown, taking 16 equally divided pixels as an example, each model layer starts moving in the second direction with a random offset within the width of a nozzle plus an offset of 1 / 4 pixel, to ensure that the 4 sub-pixels in the same column are not printed by the same nozzle, thereby minimizing the impact of nozzle blockage on printing.

[0080] After the offset in the second direction, the corresponding color spraying data of the nozzles that are not in the effective printing area (that is, within the random length of the offset) is 0, and the nozzles in the effective printing area (that is, within the random length of the offset) are sprayed according to the corresponding color spraying data. Starting from the second line, each nozzle of the nozzle head is controlled to spray according to the complete color spraying data.

[0081] Through the random offset in the second direction, even if there is a blockage problem in the nozzle, the blocked nozzle is not in the same position each time, but can be dispersed to different positions, thereby avoiding the problems of poor color reproduction and inconsistent layer thickness at the same position corresponding to the blocked nozzle.

[0082] In addition, relying solely on random offsets may not fully ensure that every pixel is evenly covered. By adding a fixed-length offset, it can be ensured that after multiple printing cycles, every pixel can be printed by at least one nozzle, thereby improving the uniformity and integrity of the printing.

[0083] The present application also provides an additive manufacturing device, such as Figure 7As shown, the additive manufacturing device 700 includes: a printing component 701; a memory 702, the memory 702 stores a program or instruction; a processor 703, and when the processor 703 executes the program or instruction, it implements the various steps of the control method embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing device, and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be repeated here.

[0084] The memory 702 can be used to store software programs and various data. The memory 702 may mainly include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data, wherein the first storage area may store an operating system, an application program or instructions required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc. In addition, the memory 702 may include a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or the memory 702 may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), an enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), a synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM) and a direct memory bus random access memory (DRRAM). The memory 702 in the embodiment of the present application includes but is not limited to these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0085] The processor 703 may include one or more processing units; optionally, the processor 703 integrates an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly processes operations related to an operating system, a user interface, and application programs, and the modem processor mainly processes wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It is understandable that the modem processor may not be integrated into the processor 703.

[0086] In one embodiment of the present application, the whole system of the additive manufacturing equipment is composed as follows Figure 8 As shown, the whole system of the additive manufacturing equipment includes: MCU 101, FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) 102, DDR3 ((Double Data Rate 3SDRAM)) 103, stepper motor 104, grating ruler 105, and nozzle 106.

[0087] Among them, MCU 101 is responsible for sending CMYKW data to FPGA through QSPI (Quad Serial Peripheral Interface) bus, and sending printing instructions.

[0088] FPGA 102 performs CMYKW data processing, stores the image data output by MCU 101 into DDR3 103 , then reads the data from DDR3 103 and converts it into a data format supported by the printhead, and then sends it to the printhead 106 .

[0089] DDR3 103, DDR3 memory is used to store the QSPI data received by the FPGA and read back by the FPGA.

[0090] The stepper motor 104 moves horizontally by controlling the acceleration and deceleration through the FPGA.

[0091] The scale 105 is a positioning tool. During the X-axis movement, the differential square wave returned to the FPGA by the grating single head is used for precise positioning, and the current X-axis real-time position is provided to the FPGA so that the FPGA can trigger the nozzle to eject the printing material.

[0092] The nozzle 106 may be a combined nozzle or an integrated nozzle, and the nozzle includes channels for printing materials of various colors, for example, including: a C channel, an M channel, a Y channel, a K channel, and a W channel.

[0093] The complete system of the additive manufacturing equipment can implement each process of the control method embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing equipment and can achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, it will not be described here.

[0094] The present application also provides the following embodiments:

[0095] Embodiment 1, a control method of an additive manufacturing device, the method comprising:

[0096] Control the printing component of the additive manufacturing equipment to print multiple model layers to form a 3D model; when printing a model layer, control the printing component to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points of the model layer. Wherein, if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points does not reach N layers, then control the printing component to continue spraying a second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material, and N is an integer greater than 1.

[0097] Embodiment 2, based on Embodiment 1, the step that if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points does not reach N layers, then control the printing component to continue spraying a second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material includes:

[0098] If the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points is P layers, and P < N, then control the printing component to continue spraying (N - P) layers of the second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material, wherein the second printing material includes a white printing material or a transparent printing material.

[0099] Embodiment 3, based on Embodiment 1, the printing component includes a nozzle and a light curing device, and the step of controlling the printing component to spray N times of printing material on the pixel points of the model layer includes:

[0100] Control the nozzle to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of N layers of printing material is completed, control the light curing device to emit curing light to cure the N layers of printing material; or,

[0101] Control the nozzle to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points, wherein after each layer of printing material is sprayed, control the light curing device to emit curing light to cure the printing material; or,

[0102] In the case where the first printing material sprayed does not reach N layers, control the nozzle to spray P layers of the first printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of P layers of the first printing material is completed, control the light curing device to emit curing light to cure the P layers of the first printing material; and control the nozzle to spray (N - P) layers of the second printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of (N - P) layers of the second printing material is completed, control the light curing device to emit curing light to cure the (N - P) layers of the second printing material.

[0103] Embodiment 4, based on Embodiment 1, the pixel point includes M×M sub-pixel blocks, where M is an integer greater than 1; and controlling the printing component to spray the printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times includes:

[0104] The printing component is controlled to spray N layers of printing material on each column of the sub-pixel blocks respectively.

[0105] Embodiment 5, based on embodiment 4, the step of controlling the printing component to spray printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times comprises:

[0106] Controlling the printing component to spray the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in sequence along a first direction, i=1, ..., M-1;

[0107] After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points is sprayed, controlling the printing component to spray the i+1-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in sequence along the first direction;

[0108] Until the spraying of the M columns of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point is completed.

[0109] Embodiment 6, based on Embodiment 5, controlling the printing component to spray the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in sequence along the first direction comprises:

[0110] Controlling the printing component to move from a printing start position in the first direction, and sequentially spraying the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each of the pixel points;

[0111] After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points are sprayed, controlling the printing component to sequentially spray the i+1-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point comprises:

[0112] After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points is sprayed, the printing component is controlled to return to the printing start position and offset in the first direction by a length of 1 / M pixel points;

[0113] The printing component is controlled to move along the first direction, and the i+1th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point is sprayed in sequence.

[0114] Embodiment 7, based on embodiment 6, the step of controlling the printing component to spray printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times comprises:

[0115] In the process of the printing component moving from the printing start position in the first direction, when reaching the corresponding position of the sub-pixel block, spraying the first printing material to the sub-pixel block;

[0116] If the printing component does not spray N layers of the first printing material on the sub-pixel block, the second printing material is sprayed on the sub-pixel block when the corresponding position of the sub-pixel block is reached during the process of controlling the printing component to return to the printing start position.

[0117] Embodiment 8, based on embodiment 1, controlling the printing component to spray printing material on the pixel points of the model layer N times comprises:

[0118] When starting to print the current model layer, the printing component is controlled to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset the target length in the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and the target lengths corresponding to each model layer are not all equal.

[0119] Embodiment 9, based on embodiment 8, controlling the printing component to shift the target length in the second direction starting from the printing start position in the second direction includes:

[0120] When printing the first model layer, controlling the printing component to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset a target length in the second direction, wherein the target length is a random length; and

[0121] When printing the j-th model layer, the printing component is controlled to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset by a target length in the second direction, where the target length is a sum of a fixed length and a random length, and j is greater than or equal to 2.

[0122] It should be noted that, in this article, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variant thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise one..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element. In addition, it should be pointed out that the scope of the methods and devices in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, and may also include performing functions in a substantially simultaneous manner or in reverse order according to the functions involved, for example, the described method may be performed in an order different from that described, and various steps may also be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0123] The embodiments of the present application are described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementation methods. The above-mentioned specific implementation methods are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Under the guidance of the present application, ordinary technicians in this field can also make many forms without departing from the purpose of the present application and the scope of protection of the claims, all of which are within the protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A control method for additive manufacturing equipment, characterized in that: The method includes: Controlling a printing component of an additive manufacturing device to print multiple model layers to form a 3D model; when printing a model layer, controlling the printing component to spray the printing material N times on the pixel points of the model layer, where if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points does not reach N layers, then controlling the printing component to continue spraying a second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material, and N is an integer greater than 1.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The step of if the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points does not reach N layers, then controlling the printing component to continue spraying a second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material includes: If the first printing material sprayed by the printing component according to the color spraying data corresponding to the pixel points is P layers, and P < N, then controlling the printing component to continue spraying (N - P) layers of the second printing material on the pixel points so that the pixel points are sprayed with N layers of printing material, where the second printing material includes a white printing material or a transparent printing material.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The printing component includes a nozzle and a photocuring device, and the step of controlling the printing component to spray the printing material N times on the pixel points of the model layer includes: Controlling the nozzle to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of N layers of printing material is completed, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the N layers of printing material; or Controlling the nozzle to spray N layers of printing material on the pixel points, where after each layer of printing material is sprayed, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the printing material; or In the case where the first printing material sprayed does not reach N layers, controlling the nozzle to spray P layers of the first printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of P layers of the first printing material is completed, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the P layers of the first printing material; and controlling the nozzle to spray (N - P) layers of the second printing material on the pixel points, and after the spraying of (N - P) layers of the second printing material is completed, controlling the photocuring device to emit curing light to cure the (N - P) layers of the second printing material.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pixel points include M×M sub-pixel blocks, and M is an integer greater than 1; the step of controlling the printing component to spray the printing material N times on the pixel points of the model layer includes: Controlling the printing component to spray N layers of printing material on each column of the sub-pixel blocks respectively.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The step of controlling the printing component to spray the printing material N times on the pixel points of the model layer includes: Controlling the printing component to sequentially spray the i-th column sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point along a first direction, where i = 1,......, M - 1; After the spraying of the i-th column sub-pixel blocks of multiple pixel points is completed, controlling the printing component to sequentially spray the (i + 1)-th column sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point along the first direction; Until the spraying of M columns of the sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point is completed.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The controlling the printing component to spray the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point in sequence along the first direction comprises: Controlling the printing component to move from a printing start position in the first direction, and sequentially spraying the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each of the pixel points; After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points are sprayed, controlling the printing component to sequentially spray the i+1-th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point comprises: After the i-th column of sub-pixel blocks of the plurality of pixel points is sprayed, the printing component is controlled to return to the printing start position and offset in the first direction by a length of 1 / M pixel points; The printing component is controlled to move along the first direction, and the i+1th column of sub-pixel blocks of each pixel point is sprayed in sequence.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The controlling the printing component to spray the printing material N times on the pixel points of the model layer comprises: In the process of the printing component moving from the printing start position in the first direction, when reaching the corresponding position of the sub-pixel block, spraying the first printing material to the sub-pixel block; If the printing component does not spray N layers of the first printing material on the sub-pixel block, the second printing material is sprayed on the sub-pixel block when the corresponding position of the sub-pixel block is reached during the process of controlling the printing component to return to the printing start position.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The controlling the printing component to spray the printing material N times on the pixel points of the model layer comprises: When starting to print the current model layer, the printing component is controlled to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset the target length in the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction, and the target lengths corresponding to each model layer are not all equal.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The controlling the printing component to shift a target length in the second direction starting from a printing start position in the second direction includes: When printing the first model layer, controlling the printing component to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset a target length in the second direction, wherein the target length is a random length; and When printing the j-th model layer, the printing component is controlled to start from the printing start position in the second direction and offset by a target length in the second direction, where the target length is a sum of a fixed length and a random length, and j is greater than or equal to 2.

10. An additive manufacturing device, characterized in that: include: Print components; A memory storing programs or instructions; A processor, wherein when the processor executes the program or instruction, the steps of the control method of the additive manufacturing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 are implemented.

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