Thermal forming device for fused deposition 3D printing part thread characteristics

Abstract

The invention discloses a thermal forming device for fused deposition 3D printing part thread features. The thermal forming device comprises a rack; the thermal forming claw assembly is arranged on the rack, the thermal forming claw assembly comprises thermal forming claws which are arranged in pairs, and internal threads are arranged on the thermal forming claws; the driving assembly is connected with the thermal forming claws so as to drive the thermal forming claws arranged in pairs to be relatively closed and opened, and in the closed state, the thermal forming claw assembly machines and forms external threads on the machined part; and the driving assembly further drives the thermal forming claw assembly to do spiral motion in a closed state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a thread forming device, and more particularly to a thread forming device for 3D printed parts. Background Art

[0002] As one of the widely used 3D printing methods at present, FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printing technology has been widely applied in many fields, from product prototype making to personalized component production, bringing new vitality and possibilities to the manufacturing industry, due to its advantages such as low equipment cost, simple operation, and diverse material selection. However, this technology has some limitations that cannot be ignored. Among them, the problem of relatively low precision is particularly prominent, seriously affecting its performance in printing some specific structural parts. The printing of external thread features is a very representative problem.

[0003] For features such as external threads that require extremely high precision, the precision problem of FDM 3D printing is even more magnified. The formation of external threads requires precise pitch, thread angle, and surface finish. Any slight deviation may cause the threads to not fit properly. Since it is difficult for FDM 3D printing to precisely control the deposition position and shape of the material, the printed external threads often have problems such as uneven pitch, incomplete thread profile, and rough surface, and simply cannot meet the actual assembly and use requirements. This defect makes FDM 3D printing face great challenges in manufacturing parts with external thread features, severely restricting its application in fields such as mechanical parts and pipe connectors that require external thread connections, and greatly limiting the application scope and development potential of FDM 3D printing technology.

[0004] Existing solutions include machining threads on FDM 3D printed shaft parts. However, since the outer shell of FDM 3D printed parts is relatively brittle, when machining threads, the cutting of the tool will cause the surface layer to flake off, affecting the surface quality of the machined threads. At the same time, FDM 3D printing uses a layer-by-layer stacking method, and after machining threads on the surface, the strength between layers will be reduced. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a hot forming device for forming thread features of Fused Deposition 3D printed parts, which can quickly and conveniently perform forming processing on the thread features of 3D printed parts, is easy to use, and has high processing precision.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides a hot forming device for forming thread features of Fused Deposition 3D printed parts, which includes:

[0007] A frame;

[0008] A hot forming claw assembly is arranged on a frame. The hot forming claw assembly includes paired hot forming claws, and heating internal threads are provided on the hot forming claws.

[0009] A driving assembly is connected to the hot forming claw assembly to drive the paired hot forming claws to close and open relative to each other. In the closed state, an external thread is formed on a part to be processed by the hot forming claw assembly. The driving assembly also drives the hot forming claw assembly to perform a spiral movement in the closed state.

[0010] Further, in the hot forming device of the present invention, the driving assembly includes:

[0011] A driving handle is arranged on the frame;

[0012] A conical rod has a conical portion at its lower end that is in contact connection with the paired hot forming claws. The upper end of the conical rod is connected to the driving handle to move up and down in the height direction under the drive of the driving handle, thereby driving the paired hot forming claw assembly to close and open relative to each other;

[0013] A spiral movement assembly is arranged on the frame. The spiral movement assembly is connected to the driving handle and is also connected to the hot forming claw assembly. The spiral movement assembly drives the hot forming claw assembly to perform a spiral movement in the closed state under the drive of the driving handle.

[0014] Further, in the hot forming device of the present invention, a turning groove is provided at the upper end of the conical rod. The turning groove includes an inclined portion and a horizontal portion. A first dial rod is provided at the tail end of the driving handle, and the first dial rod is inserted into the turning groove. The movement of the driving handle along the horizontal direction drives the conical rod to move up and down in the height direction.

[0015] Further, in the hot forming device of the present invention, the position where the hot forming claw is in contact connection with the conical rod is a spherical surface portion.

[0016] Further, in the hot forming device of the present invention, the spiral movement assembly includes:

[0017] A gear housing is arranged on the frame and is sleeved around the conical rod and the hot forming claw assembly. A gear is provided at the upper end of the gear housing, and the lower end of the gear housing is connected to the paired hot forming claws. An upper ring plate and a lower ring plate are provided on the gear housing;

[0018] A rack plate is arranged on the frame. A rack is provided at the upper end of the rack plate, and the rack is meshed and connected with the gear on the gear housing. An inclined groove is also provided on the rack plate. The driving handle can be in contact with the rack plate and push the rack plate to move in the horizontal direction;

[0019] A lifting slider is slidably disposed on the frame and can slide up and down in the height direction. The lifting slider has a second lever and a third lever. The second lever is inserted into the inclined slot, and the third lever is inserted between the upper ring piece and the lower ring piece.

[0020] Further, in the thermoforming device of the present invention, a horizontally arranged first guiding rod is connected between the gear housing and the thermoforming claw assembly.

[0021] Further, in the thermoforming device of the present invention, a first spring corresponding to two thermoforming claws is sleeved on the first guiding rod, and the first spring is arranged between the corresponding thermoforming claw and the gear housing.

[0022] Further, in the thermoforming device of the present invention, the lifting slider is slidably arranged on the frame through a vertically arranged second guiding rod housing.

[0023] Further, in the thermoforming device of the present invention, a second spring is arranged between the rack plate and the frame, and the second spring applies a force to resist the driving handle to push the rack plate.

[0024] Further, in the thermoforming device of the present invention, a guiding sleeve is arranged on the frame, and the gear housing is movably sleeved in the guiding sleeve.

[0025] The thermoforming device of the present invention forms an external thread for the shaft part formed by FDM 3D printing through thermoextrusion molding, with high production efficiency, high precision and low cost. Since it is thermoextrusion, there is no cut-off texture of the material layer, so the strength of the part will not be reduced. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0026] Figure 1 A perspective structural view of the thermoforming device of the present invention in an embodiment is shown from one perspective.

[0027] Figure 2 A perspective structural view of the thermoforming device of the present invention in an embodiment is shown from another perspective.

[0028] Figure 3 The structure of the thermoforming claw of the thermoforming device of the present invention in an embodiment is shown.

[0029] Figure 4 A front view of the thermoforming device of the present invention in an embodiment is shown.

[0030] Figure 5 Shows Figure 4 The cross-sectional view at D-D in

[0031] Figure 6Shows the structure of the conical rod of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0032] Figure 7 Shows the connection structure between the conical rod and the driving handle of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0033] Figure 8 Shows the structure of the driving handle of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 9 Shows the structure of the frame of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0035] Figure 10 Shows the structure of the gear housing of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0036] Figure 11 Shows the structure of the rack plate of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0037] Figure 12 Shows the top view of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0038] Figure 13 Shows the side view of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0039] Figure 14 Shows Figure 4 The cross-sectional view at E-E in

[0040] Figure 15 Shows the structure of the lifting slider of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment. Detailed implementation manners

[0041] The following will further explain and illustrate the thermoforming device according to the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification and specific embodiments. However, this explanation and illustration shall not unduly limit the technical solution of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 1 Shows a perspective structural schematic diagram of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment from one perspective.

[0043] Figure 2 Shows a perspective structural schematic diagram of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in an embodiment from another perspective.

[0044] As Figure 1 And Figure 2 Shown, in some embodiments, the thermoforming device may include:

[0045] Frame 100;

[0046] A hot forming claw assembly 200, which is arranged on the frame 100, and the hot forming claw assembly 200 includes a pair of hot forming claws 210 arranged in pairs;

[0047] A driving assembly 300, which is connected to the hot forming claw assembly 200 to drive the pair of hot forming claws 210 arranged in pairs to close and open relative to each other.

[0048] Figure 3 Show the structure of a hot forming claw of the hot forming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0049] As Figure 3 shown, a heating internal thread 211 is provided on the hot forming claw.

[0050] In this way, as Figure 2 shown, in the state where the hot forming claws 210 are relatively closed, the hot forming claw assembly can form an external thread on a part to be processed (not shown in the figure), and the driving assembly 300 also drives the hot forming claw assembly 200 to perform a spiral movement in the closed state, that is, to move in the height direction and also rotate around the vertical axis.

[0051] Figure 4 Show the front view of the hot forming device according to the present invention in an embodiment.

[0052] Figure 5 Show Figure 4 the cross-sectional view at D-D in

[0053] As Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, in some more specific embodiments, the driving assembly 300 may include:

[0054] A driving handle 310, which is arranged on the frame 100;

[0055] A conical rod 320, the lower end of which has a conical portion 321 in contact connection with the pair of hot forming claws 210 arranged in pairs, and the upper end of the conical rod 320 is connected to the driving handle 310 to move up and down in the height direction under the drive of the driving handle, thereby driving the pair of hot forming claw assemblies to close and open relative to each other.

[0056] A spiral motion assembly 330, which is arranged on the frame 100, the spiral motion assembly is connected to the driving handle 310 and is also connected to the hot forming claw assembly 200, and the spiral motion assembly drives the hot forming claw assembly to perform a spiral movement in the closed state under the drive of the driving handle.

[0057] Figure 6The structure of a tapered rod of a thermoforming device according to the present invention is shown in one embodiment.

[0058] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, a turning groove 322 is provided at the upper end of the tapered rod, and the turning groove includes an inclined portion 3221 and a horizontal portion 3222 ; a first shifting rod 311 is provided at the tail end of the driving handle, and the first shifting rod 311 is inserted into the turning groove 322 .

[0059] In this way, if Figure 7 As shown, the movement of the driving handle 310 in the horizontal direction drives the tapered rod 320 to move up and down in the height direction.

[0060] Figure 8 The structure of a driving handle of a thermoforming device according to the present invention is shown in one embodiment.

[0061] Figure 9 The structure of a frame of a thermoforming device according to the present invention is shown in one embodiment.

[0062] like Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the first lever 311 of the driving handle 310 is movably connected to the turning groove 322 of the tapered rod, and a driving handle dovetail slider 312 is provided on the side of the driving handle, which is movably matched with the driving handle dovetail groove 101 on the frame 100, thereby realizing the movement of the driving handle in the horizontal direction. In addition, a tapered rod dovetail slider 323 is provided on the side of the tapered rod, which is movably connected to the tapered rod dovetail groove 102 on the frame 100, thereby realizing the movement of the tapered rod in the height direction.

[0063] like Figure 5 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the position where the thermoforming claw 210 contacts and connects with the tapered portion 321 of the tapered rod is a spherical portion 213 , and the spherical portion 213 is in active contact with the tapered portion 321 .

[0064] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the spiral motion assembly includes a gear housing 331 , a rack plate 332 , and a lifting slider 333 disposed on the frame 100 .

[0065] In some more specific embodiments, the gear housing 331 is Figure 9 The guide sleeve 103 shown is movably arranged on the frame and sleeved on the periphery of the tapered rod and the thermoforming claw assembly.

[0066] Figure 10Shows the structure of the gear housing of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in one embodiment.

[0067] In some more specific embodiments, such as Figure 10 shown, a gear 3311 is provided at the upper end of the gear housing 331. The lower end of the gear housing is movably connected to a pair of thermoforming claws through a square thread forming gripper guiding hole 3315. An upper ring piece 3312 and a lower ring piece 3313 are provided on the gear housing. There is a guiding bracket 3314 at the lower part of the gear housing, and a round hole is provided on the guiding bracket 3314 for active cooperation with the first guiding rod described later. The tapered rod is movably connected to the through hole at the upper part of the gear housing.

[0068] Figure 11 Shows the structure of the rack plate of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in one embodiment.

[0069] As Figure 11 shown, in some more specific embodiments, a rack 3321 is provided at the upper end of the rack plate 332. As Figure 12 shown, the rack 3321 is meshed and connected with the gear 3311 on the gear housing. In addition, a second spring 420 is provided between the rack plate and the frame, and the second spring 420 applies a force to resist the driving handle from pushing the rack plate. Continuing to refer to Figure 11 , an inclined groove 3322 is also provided on the rack plate, and the inclined groove 3322 is used for movably connecting with the second toggle rod of the lifting slider. In addition, a spring positioning rod 3324 is provided on one side of the rack plate, which can be used to position the second spring 420. In addition, a rack plate dovetail slider 3323 is also provided on the rack plate, which cooperates with the rack plate dovetail groove 104 as Figure 9 shown to realize the movement of the rack plate in the horizontal direction.

[0070] As Figure 13 shown, the driving handle 310 has a abutting contact head 313 that can contact the rack plate. Further movement of the driving handle 310 along the horizontal direction can make the driving handle change from non-contact with the rack plate to a contact state, and push the rack plate 332 to move in the horizontal direction through the abutting contact head 313.

[0071] As Figure 4 and Figure 14 shown, the lifting slider 333 can be slidably arranged on the frame 100 through a vertically arranged second guiding rod 520, so as to be able to slide up and down in the height direction.

[0072] Figure 15 Shows the structure of the lifting slider of the thermoforming device according to the present invention in one embodiment.

[0073] As Figure 15As shown, in some more specific embodiments, the lifting slider 333 has a second lever 3331 and a third lever 3332, wherein the second lever 3331 is used to be inserted into the inclined slot of the rack plate, and the third lever 3332 is used to be inserted between the upper ring plate and the lower ring plate of the gear housing, so that the gear housing moves up and down in the height direction by abutting against the upper ring plate and the lower ring plate. A guiding hole 3333 for movably cooperating with the second guiding rod is provided on the lifting slider.

[0074] As Figure 5 shown, in some more specific embodiments, a horizontally arranged first guiding rod 510 is connected between the gear housing and the thermoforming claw assembly. And a first spring 410 corresponding to two thermoforming claws is sleeved on the first guiding rod 510, and the first spring 410 is arranged between the corresponding thermoforming claw 210 and the gear housing 331. As Figure 3 shown, there is a round hole 212 on one side of the thermoforming claw 210 which cooperates with the first guiding rod 510. A snap spring groove is machined on the first guiding rod to cooperate with the snap spring 511 of the thermoforming claw guiding rod.

[0075] When the thermoforming device is in use, first, the heating internal thread of the thermoforming claw is electrically heated, and the heating temperature makes the plastic soften but not melt. Those skilled in the art can select the temperature according to different plastic materials. For example, the PLA material is at 60 degrees Celsius. Then, the part to be processed is placed at the position where the thermoforming claws are closed. Then, the driving handle is pushed to move horizontally towards the part. The first lever of the driving handle makes the tapered rod move downward through the turning slot at the upper part of the gear housing. The tapered part is in sliding contact with the spherical surface part of the thermoforming claw, and the thermoforming claws are closed, so as to form a thread prototype on the part.

[0076] Continue to push the driving handle so that the driving handle contacts the rack plate and overcomes the spring force of the second spring. The rack on the upper part of the rack plate drives the gear housing to rotate through the gear, and at the same time, the inclined slot on the side of the rack plate drives the gear housing to move downward through the lifting slider, so that the thermoforming claws make a spiral movement, ensuring the processing quality of the joint at the inner thread shape processed in the closed state of the thermoforming claws.

[0077] Among them, the rack plate can be selected and replaced according to different threads to be processed, and different pitches can be processed through inclined slots with different angles.

[0078] Finally, after the thread is cooled and formed, the driving handle moves backward, and the mechanism moves in the reverse direction to disengage the thread from the thermoforming claws.

[0079] It can be seen that the thermoforming device described in the present invention forms an external thread on the shaft part formed by FDM 3D printing through the thermoforming method, which has high production efficiency, high precision and low cost. Since it is thermoforming, there is no cutting of the texture of the material layer, so the strength of the part will not be reduced.

[0080] It should be noted that the prior art in the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments given in the present application documents. All prior art that does not contradict the solutions of the present invention, including but not limited to prior patent documents, prior public publications, prior public uses, etc., can be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

[0081] In addition, the combination of the various technical features in this case is not limited to the combination described in the claims of this case or the combination described in the specific embodiments. All technical features recorded in this case can be freely combined or combined in any way unless there is a contradiction between them.

[0082] It should also be noted that the above-listed embodiments are only specific embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and similar changes or modifications made therewith can be directly derived or easily associated with by those skilled in the art from the contents disclosed in the present invention, and all should belong to the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A thermoforming device for thread features of fused deposition 3D printed parts, characterized in that: include: frame; A thermoforming claw assembly is arranged on the frame, the thermoforming claw assembly comprises thermoforming claws arranged in pairs, and the thermoforming claws are provided with heating internal threads; A driving assembly is connected to the thermoforming jaw assembly to drive the thermoforming jaws arranged in pairs to close and open relative to each other, wherein in the closed state, the thermoforming jaw assembly processes and forms external threads on the processed part; the driving assembly also drives the thermoforming jaw assembly to perform spiral motion in the closed state.

2. The thermoforming device according to claim 1, characterized in that The drive assembly comprises: A driving handle, which is arranged on the frame; A conical rod, the lower end of which has a conical portion in contact with the paired thermoforming claws, and the upper end of the conical rod is connected to the driving handle so as to move up and down in the height direction under the drive of the driving handle, thereby driving the paired thermoforming claw assemblies to close and open relatively; A spiral motion component is arranged on the frame, the spiral motion component is connected to the driving handle and the thermoforming claw component, and the spiral motion component is driven by the driving handle to drive the thermoforming claw component to perform spiral motion in a closed state.

3. The thermoforming device according to claim 2, characterized in that A turning groove is provided at the upper end of the conical rod, and the turning groove includes an inclined part and a horizontal part; a first shifting rod is provided at the tail end of the driving handle, and the first shifting rod is inserted into the turning groove. The movement of the driving handle in the horizontal direction drives the conical rod to move up and down in the height direction.

4. The thermoforming device according to claim 2, characterized in that The position where the thermoforming claw contacts and connects with the tapered rod is a spherical portion.

5. The thermoforming device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The spiral motion assembly comprises: A gear housing is arranged on the frame and sleeved on the periphery of the tapered rod and the thermoforming claw assembly, wherein a gear is arranged on the upper end of the gear housing, and a lower end of the gear housing is connected to the thermoforming claws arranged in pairs, and an upper ring sheet and a lower ring sheet are arranged on the gear housing; A rack plate is arranged on the frame, a rack is arranged on the upper end of the rack plate, the rack is meshed with the gear on the gear housing, and an inclined groove is also arranged on the rack plate; the driving handle can contact the rack plate and push the rack plate to move in the horizontal direction; A lifting slider is slidably arranged on the frame and can slide up and down in the height direction. The lifting slider has a second lever and a third lever. The second lever is inserted in the inclined groove, and the third lever is inserted between the upper ring piece and the lower ring piece.

6. The thermoforming device according to claim 5, characterized in that A first guide rod arranged horizontally is connected between the gear housing and the thermoforming claw assembly.

7. The thermoforming device according to claim 6, characterized in that The first guide rod is sleeved with a first spring corresponding to the two thermoforming claws, and the first spring is arranged between the corresponding thermoforming claws and the gear housing.

8. The thermoforming device according to claim 5, characterized in that The lifting slide block is slidably arranged on the frame through a second guide rod shell arranged vertically.

9. The thermoforming device according to claim 5, characterized in that: A second spring is provided between the rack plate and the frame, and the second spring applies a force to the rack plate to resist the driving handle from pushing the rack plate.

10. The thermoforming device according to claim 5, characterized in that The frame is provided with a guide sleeve, and the gear housing is movably sleeved in the guide sleeve.

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