3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliance

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of additive processing, in particular to an invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer which comprises a printer body. The electromagnetic plate is arranged at the bottom of the connecting piece, and the electromagnetic plate comprises an electromagnet base plate and a protective sleeve wrapping the electromagnet base plate; the electromagnetic film is magnetically adsorbed at the bottom of the electromagnetic plate, and a release coating is arranged at the bottom of the electromagnetic film; and the discharging mechanism is arranged on the printing frame and used for clamping the two sides of the electromagnetic film, and the discharging mechanism can drive the electromagnetic film to descend and drive the electromagnetic film to be folded towards the middle from the two sides, so that the electromagnetic film is bent after being separated from the electromagnetic plate. According to the device, the printed tooth socket can be quickly and automatically detached without manual detachment, so that the device is convenient to use, and the tooth socket and the lifting platform cannot be damaged.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and particularly to a 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances. Background Art

[0002] Invisible orthodontic appliances, commonly known as dental braces, are a modern method of tooth correction. They use a series of transparent and removable appliances to adjust the position of teeth, aiming to correct teeth and improve the occlusion relationship. The production of traditional invisible orthodontic appliances mainly involves producing dental models (dental casts) through a stereolithography 3D printer and then manufacturing invisible correction appliances by means of molding, resulting in a relatively long production cycle. With the development of technology, new materials that can directly print transparent dental braces through stereolithography have now been developed, such as MT-10 (a biocompatible material) developed by Suzhou Boli New Materials Technology Co., Ltd.

[0003] Chinese Patent with Publication No. CN219467039U discloses a corrosion-proof printing material tank assembly for a 3D printer, which includes a printing material tank body and a locking bolt. There are bosses on both sides of the printing material tank body, and through holes for inserting the locking bolt are vertically arranged on the bosses. The 3D printer includes an installation platform, and screw holes corresponding to the locking bolts are arranged on the installation platform. The printing material tank body is detachably connected to the installation platform through the locking bolt. The upper part of the locking bolt is a nut part, and the nut part protrudes outside the boss. The cross-sectional dimension of the nut part is larger than that of the boss, and the nut part covers the upper part of the boss. An anti-corrosion layer is provided on the outer layer of the nut part.

[0004] However, the above-disclosed solution has the following deficiencies: After the printed part is cured, it will stick to the bottom of the printing platform and needs to be manually removed. Usually, a spatula is used to scrape the printed part off the platform, which is time-consuming and laborious, and may cause damage to the printing platform and the printed part. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to address the problem in the background art that the printed part needs to be manually removed, which may damage the printing platform and the printed part, and to propose a 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances.

[0006] The technical solution of the present invention: A 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances includes a printer body. The printer body includes a base and a housing provided on the base. A printing material tank is provided on the base, and a curing light source, a heat dissipation mechanism, and a control system are provided inside the base. A support frame is provided on the base, and a printing frame is slidably arranged vertically on the support frame. A lifting mechanism for driving the printing frame to move is provided on the base, and a connecting member is provided on the printing frame; further includes:

[0007] An electromagnetic plate, which is provided at the bottom of the connecting member. The electromagnetic plate includes an electromagnet substrate and a protective sleeve covering the electromagnet substrate;

[0008] The electromagnetic film is magnetically adsorbed at the bottom of the electromagnetic plate, and a release coating is provided at the bottom of the electromagnetic film.

[0009] And a discharging mechanism is arranged on the printing frame and used to clamp both sides of the electromagnetic film. The discharging mechanism can drive the electromagnetic film to descend and drive the electromagnetic film to converge from both sides to the middle, so that the electromagnetic film bends after being separated from the electromagnetic plate.

[0010] Preferably, the electromagnetic film sequentially includes a base layer, a magnetic layer, and a protective layer from top to bottom, and the release coating is provided at the bottom of the protective layer.

[0011] Preferably, the discharging mechanism includes a fixed frame arranged on the printing frame, a lifting plate slidably arranged on the printing frame in the vertical direction, a spring a arranged between the top of the lifting plate and the fixed frame, an inclined plate rotatably arranged at the bottom of the lifting plate, a vertical plate arranged at the bottom of the inclined plate, and a clamping member arranged at the bottom of the vertical plate to clamp the side edge of the electromagnetic film; an adjusting component is arranged on the lifting plate to drive the inclined plate to rotate inwards and drive the lifting plate to descend.

[0012] Preferably, the adjusting component includes a state adjusting rod vertically and penetratingly arranged on the lifting plate, and an adjusting frame arranged at the top of the state adjusting rod; a guide groove is arranged on the inclined plate, and a strip-shaped groove with a circular cross-section with a notch is arranged on the guide groove. A sphere is arranged at the bottom of the state adjusting rod, and the sphere is inserted into the strip-shaped groove on the guide groove in a matching manner. A spring b is sleeved on the state adjusting rod, and both ends of the spring b are respectively connected to the adjusting frame and the lifting plate; baffles are arranged on the inner walls of the left and right sides of the housing, and the baffles are located directly above the adjusting frame.

[0013] Preferably, it further includes a material receiving mechanism, and the material receiving mechanism is used to receive the dental braces that fall below after the electromagnetic film is separated from the electromagnetic plate.

[0014] Preferably, the material receiving mechanism includes a motor arranged on the inner wall of the housing, a rotating shaft connected to the output shaft of the motor, and a material receiving box arranged at the bottom of the rotating shaft; during discharging, the motor drives the material receiving box to rotate to a set angle, and then the material receiving box deflects forward and backward multiple times.

[0015] Preferably, a worm is coaxially arranged on the rotating shaft, a bearing seat is arranged on the inner wall of the housing, a vertical rod passes through the bearing seat and is rotatably connected to the bearing seat, the bottom of the vertical rod extends into the printing material groove, a plurality of scraping plates are arranged on the peripheral wall of the vertical rod, and a worm gear matched with the worm is arranged at the top of the vertical rod.

[0016] Preferably, during the printing process, after the printing frame moves upward by a printing distance each time, the motor drives the rotating shaft to rotate forward and backward, so that the vertical rod rotates forward and backward.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0018] 1. After printing one layer, the printing rack rises by a set distance, and then the motor rotates forward and backward cyclically for several times. The squeegee rotates forward and backward to intensify the flow of the printing material in the printing material tank, ensuring that the printing material can smoothly fill the printing gap.

[0019] 2. After the printing rack rises, under the action of the baffle, the inclined plate drives the vertical plate to rotate inward, and the electromagnetic film disengages from the electromagnetic plate, and the electromagnetic film bends. At this time, some dental braces have already fallen onto the material receiving box. The motor rotates forward and backward, causing the material receiving box to flip up and down within a certain angle range, pushing the electromagnetic film to move up and down, intensifying the bending degree, so that the remaining dental braces all fall into the material receiving box, completing automatic and rapid unloading. Description of the Drawings

[0020] Figure 1 and Figure 2 are both perspective views of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 is a schematic structural view inside the outer shell;

[0022] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a partial structural view of

[0023] Figure 5 is a schematic structural view of the unloading mechanism.

[0024] Reference numerals: 1. Outer shell; 2. Base; 3. Printing material tank; 4. Support frame; 5. Lifting mechanism; 6. Printing rack; 7. Connecting piece; 8. Electromagnetic plate; 9. Electromagnetic film; 10. Release coating; 11. Fixed frame; 12. Lifting plate; 13. Spring a; 14. Fixed plate; 15. Guide rod; 16. Inclined plate; 17. Vertical plate; 18. Clamping piece; 19. State adjusting rod; 20. Guide groove; 21. Adjusting frame; 22. Spring b; 23. Baffle; 24. Motor protective cover; 25. Rotating shaft; 26. Material receiving box; 27. Worm; 28. Bearing seat; 29. Vertical rod; 30. Squeegee. Detailed Embodiments

[0025] Embodiment 1, as Figures 1 - 5As shown in the figure, a 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances proposed by the present invention includes a printer body. The printer body includes a base 2 and a housing 1 provided on the base 2. A printing material tank 3 is provided on the base 2. A curing light source, a heat dissipation mechanism, and a control system are provided inside the base 2. A support frame 4 is provided on the base 2. A printing frame 6 is slidably provided on the support frame 4 in the vertical direction. A lifting mechanism 5 for driving the printing frame 6 to move is provided on the base 2. A connecting member 7 is provided on the printing frame 6. In an optional embodiment, the lifting mechanism 5 includes a motor and a screw rod. The motor is located inside the base 2. The screw rod is vertically provided and its top is rotatably connected to the top of the support frame 4. A threaded hole cooperating with the screw rod is provided on the printing frame 6. The connecting member 7 and the printing frame 6 are connected by bolts, which is convenient for disassembling and assembling the connecting member 7. It further includes:

[0026] An electromagnetic plate 8, provided at the bottom of the connecting member 7. The electromagnetic plate 8 includes an electromagnet substrate and a protective sleeve covering the electromagnet substrate;

[0027] An electromagnetic film 9, magnetically adsorbed at the bottom of the electromagnetic plate 8. A release coating 10 is provided at the bottom of the electromagnetic film 9. The control system is connected to the electromagnetic plate 8 for control. When the electromagnetic plate 8 is energized, it adsorbs the electromagnetic film 9. After the electromagnetic plate 8 is powered off, it disconnects the magnetic connection with the electromagnetic film 9. The electromagnetic film 9 can be bent after being separated from the electromagnetic plate 8;

[0028] And a discharging mechanism, provided on the printing frame 6, used to clamp both sides of the electromagnetic film 9. The discharging mechanism can drive the electromagnetic film 9 to descend and drive the electromagnetic film 9 to converge towards the middle from both sides, so that the electromagnetic film 9 is bent after being separated from the electromagnetic plate 8. The adhesion of the dental appliance is reduced through the release coating 10, and the dental appliance can be quickly detached by combining with the bending of the electromagnetic film 9.

[0029] Embodiment 2, as Figure 5 shown, a 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances proposed by the present invention. Compared with Embodiment 1, the structures of the electromagnetic film 9 and the release coating 10 are introduced in detail in this embodiment.

[0030] The electromagnetic film 9 from top to bottom is successively a base layer, a magnetic layer and a protective layer, and the release coating 10 is arranged at the bottom of the protective layer; in this embodiment, the base layer is a PET film with a thickness of 0.1 mm, which is used to support the structure and ensure the dimensional stability. The magnetic layer is a mixture of NdFeB powder and flexible epoxy resin with a thickness of 0.3 mm, providing a magnetic suction force greater than 0.5 T and being bendable and deformable. The protective layer is a polyurethane transparent film with a thickness of 50 μm, which prevents the magnetic layer from oxidation and provides wear resistance. The release coating 10 is fluorosilicone resin with a thickness of 5-10 μm, which reduces the adhesion of the dental appliance, and the peeling force is less than 10 N. The specific processing methods of the electromagnetic film 9 and the release coating 10 are as follows: neodymium iron boron powder with a particle size of 5 μm and a magnetic energy product of 45 MGOe is mixed with flexible epoxy resin according to a mass ratio of 7:3, and vacuum stirred and defoamed for 30 min, and the process pressure is -0.1 MPa. Then the mixed slurry is uniformly coated on the PET base plate by a slot coater, and the thickness is controlled within ±5 μm, and cured at 80 °C for 2 hours; the polyurethane prepolymer is dissolved in the DMAC solvent with a solid content of 30%, and 0.1% UV absorber is added, and then the PU solution is spin-coated on the surface of the magnetic layer at a spin-coating speed of 2000 rpm for 30 s, and dried at 60 °C to form a 50-μm protective layer; fluorosilicone resin and hydrophobic nano-SiO with a particle size of 20 nm and a proportion of 5% 2 are ultrasonically dispersed with an ultrasonic dispersion power of 40 kHz for 30 min, and then the mixed liquid is sprayed on the surface of the protective layer by a supersonic spraying device with a pressure of 0.3 MPa and cured at 80 °C for 1 hour to form a 5-10-μm release coating 10. Then the wide film material is slit into a customized size by cutting, and finally magnetized. The NdFeB particles are oriented by a pulsed magnetic field of 3 T for a duration of 10 ms, and the magnetization direction is perpendicular to the film surface.

[0031] Example 3, as Figure 4 and Figure 5 shown, a 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances proposed by the present invention, compared with Example 2, this embodiment details the structure of the unloading mechanism.

[0032] The unloading mechanism includes a fixed frame 11 arranged on the printing frame 6, a lifting plate 12 slidably arranged on the printing frame 6 in the vertical direction, a spring a 13 arranged between the top of the lifting plate 12 and the fixed frame 11, an inclined plate 16 rotatably arranged at the bottom of the lifting plate 12, a vertical plate 17 arranged at the bottom of the inclined plate 16, and a clamping member 18 arranged at the bottom of the vertical plate 17 to clamp the side edge of the electromagnetic film 9; an adjusting component is arranged on the lifting plate 12 to drive the inclined plate 16 to rotate inward and drive the lifting plate 12 to descend; in an optional embodiment, a plurality of guide rods 15 are arranged on the lifting plate 12, a plurality of fixing plates 14 are arranged on the printing frame 6, and the fixing plates 14 are provided with guide holes for the guide rods 15 to pass through.

[0033] Further, the adjusting component includes a state adjusting rod 19 vertically and penetratingly arranged on the lifting plate 12, and an adjusting frame 21 arranged at the top of the state adjusting rod 19; a guide groove 20 is arranged on the inclined plate 16, and a strip-shaped groove with a circular cross-section with a notch is arranged on the guide groove 20. A sphere is arranged at the bottom of the state adjusting rod 19, and the sphere is inserted into the strip-shaped groove on the guide groove 20 in a matching manner. A spring b22 is sleeved on the state adjusting rod 19, and both ends of the spring b22 are connected to the adjusting frame 21 and the lifting plate 12 respectively; baffles 23 are arranged on the inner walls of the left and right sides of the housing 1, and the baffles 23 are located directly above the adjusting frame 21; after printing is completed, the printing frame 6 drives the electromagnetic plate 8, the electromagnetic film 9 and the dental brace to rise. When reaching the set position, the electromagnetic plate 8 is powered off. The baffle 23 first contacts the adjusting frame 21 to prevent it from rising further. After the spring b22 is squeezed to a certain extent, the spring a13 also starts to stretch. The vertical distance between the entire lifting plate 12 and the printing frame 6 gradually increases. At this time, the electromagnetic film 9 is separated from the contact with the electromagnetic plate 8, and under the lowering of the state adjusting rod 19, the inclined plate 16 is turned inward, the distance between the two clamping members 18 decreases, the electromagnetic film 9 is bent, and the dental brace automatically falls off, completing rapid unloading.

[0034] Embodiment 4, as Figures 2 - 3 shown, a 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances proposed by the present invention, compared with Embodiment 3, this embodiment further adds a material receiving mechanism.

[0035] The material receiving mechanism is used to receive the dental brace that falls below after the electromagnetic film 9 is separated from the electromagnetic plate 8. Specifically, the material receiving mechanism includes a motor arranged on the inner wall of the housing 1, a rotating shaft 25 connected to the output shaft of the motor, and a material receiving box 26 arranged at the bottom of the rotating shaft 25; during unloading, the motor drives the material receiving box 26 to rotate to a set angle, which is 70 degrees in this embodiment, and then the material receiving box 26 deflects forward and backward multiple times. By pushing up the dental brace by the material receiving box 26, the bending effect of the electromagnetic film 9 is intensified, and the dental brace falls under its own gravity, so as to ensure that the dental brace can be smoothly separated from the electromagnetic film 9; a motor protection cover 24 is arranged on the inner wall of the housing 1 to protect the motor, and the other end of the rotating shaft 25 is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the housing 1, such as by setting a bearing seat.

[0036] Further, a worm 27 is coaxially arranged on the rotating shaft 25, a bearing seat 28 is arranged on the inner wall of the housing 1, a vertical rod 29 passes through the bearing seat 28 and is rotatably connected to the bearing seat 28. The bottom of the vertical rod 29 extends into the printing material tank 3, and a plurality of scraping plates 30 are arranged on the peripheral wall of the vertical rod 29. A worm gear that cooperates with the worm 27 is arranged at the top of the vertical rod 29. During the printing process, after the printing frame 6 moves upward by a printing distance each time, the motor drives the rotating shaft 25 to rotate forward and backward, causing the vertical rod 29 to rotate forward and backward. Thus, the printing material in the printing material tank 3 is pushed by the scraping plate 30 to move, so that the printing material can completely fill each printing gap, ensuring the printing effect. In this embodiment, during the printing process, the angle of forward and backward rotation of the rotating shaft 25 is 0-10 degrees. The forward rotation of the material receiving box 26 is considered as forward rotation, and the backward rotation is considered as backward rotation.

[0037] In summary, when the present invention is in use, first set the printing program according to the printing requirements, and then start printing. The printing frame 6 descends to insert the electromagnetic plate 8 and the electromagnetic film 9 into the printing material tank 3. The bottom light source irradiates the printing material for curing and adhering to the release coating 10. After printing one layer, the printing frame 6 rises by a set distance, and then the motor rotates forward and backward in a cycle for 5 times. The forward and backward rotation of the scraping plate 30 intensifies the flow of the printing material in the printing material tank 3, ensuring that the printing material can smoothly fill the printing gap. Subsequently, start printing again, and repeat the operation until the dental appliance is printed. The printing frame 6 rises to the maximum height. After rising a certain height, the motor drives the rotating shaft 25 to rotate to turn the material receiving box 26 under the electromagnetic film 9 to prepare for receiving materials. After the printing frame 6 continues to rise, under the action of the baffle 23, the inclined plate 16 drives the vertical plate 17 to rotate inward, and the electromagnetic film 9 is separated from the electromagnetic plate 8, and the electromagnetic film 9 bends. At this time, some of the dental appliances have fallen onto the material receiving box 26, but due to insufficient bending amplitude, some dental appliances still adhere to the release coating 10. At this time, the motor will rotate forward and backward, causing the material receiving box 26 to flip up and down within a certain angle range, pushing the electromagnetic film 9 to move up and down, intensifying the bending degree, so that the remaining dental appliances all fall into the material receiving box 26, completing automatic and rapid unloading.

[0038] The above has described in detail the embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A 3D printer for invisible orthodontic appliances, comprising a printer body, the printer body comprising a base (2) and a shell (1) arranged on the base (2), a printing material slot (3) being arranged on the base (2), a curing light source, a heat dissipation mechanism and a control system being arranged in the base (2), a support frame (4) being arranged on the base (2), a printing frame (6) being arranged on the support frame (4) to slide in a vertical direction, a lifting mechanism (5) being arranged on the base (2) to drive the printing frame (6) to move, and a connecting piece (7) being arranged on the printing frame (6); characterized in that: Also includes: An electromagnetic plate (8) is arranged at the bottom of the connecting member (7), and the electromagnetic plate (8) comprises an electromagnet substrate and a protective cover covering the electromagnet substrate; An electromagnetic film (9) is magnetically adsorbed on the bottom of the electromagnetic plate (8), and a release coating (10) is provided on the bottom of the electromagnetic film (9); and a discharge mechanism, which is arranged on the printing frame (6) and is used to clamp the two sides of the electromagnetic film (9). The discharge mechanism can drive the electromagnetic film (9) to descend and drive the electromagnetic film (9) to gather toward the middle from both sides, so that the electromagnetic film (9) bends after being separated from the electromagnetic plate (8).

2. The invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The electromagnetic film (9) comprises a base layer, a magnetic layer and a protective layer from top to bottom, and a release coating (10) is arranged at the bottom of the protective layer.

3. The invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The unloading mechanism comprises a fixed frame (11) arranged on the printing frame (6), a lifting plate (12) slidably arranged on the printing frame (6) in the vertical direction, a spring a (13) arranged between the top of the lifting plate (12) and the fixed frame (11), an inclined plate (16) rotatably arranged at the bottom of the lifting plate (12), a vertical plate (17) arranged at the bottom of the inclined plate (16), and a clamping member (18) arranged at the bottom of the vertical plate (17) for clamping the side of the electromagnetic film (9); an adjusting component is arranged on the lifting plate (12) for driving the inclined plate (16) to rotate inward and driving the lifting plate (12) to descend.

4. The invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The adjustment component comprises a state adjustment rod (19) which is vertically and penetrates the lifting plate (12), and an adjustment frame (21) which is arranged on the top of the state adjustment rod (19); a guide groove (20) is arranged on the inclined plate (16), and a circular strip groove with a notched cross section is arranged on the guide groove (20); a ball is arranged at the bottom of the state adjustment rod (19), and the ball is inserted into the strip groove on the guide groove (20); a spring b (22) is sleeved on the state adjustment rod (19), and the two ends of the spring b (22) are respectively connected to the adjustment frame (21) and the lifting plate (12); baffles (23) are arranged on the inner walls of the left and right sides of the housing (1), and the baffles (23) are located directly above the adjustment frame (21).

5. The invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also comprises a material receiving mechanism, which is used to receive the dental braces that fall below the electromagnetic film (9) after it separates from the electromagnetic plate (8).

6. The invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer according to claim 5, characterized in that: The material receiving mechanism comprises a motor arranged on the inner wall of the housing (1), a rotating shaft (25) connected to the output shaft of the motor, and a material receiving box (26) arranged at the bottom of the rotating shaft (25); when unloading, the motor drives the material receiving box (26) to rotate to a set angle, and then the material receiving box (26) deflects in forward and reverse directions for multiple times.

7. The invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer according to claim 6, characterized in that: A worm (27) is coaxially arranged on the rotating shaft (25), a bearing seat (28) is arranged on the inner wall of the housing (1), a vertical rod (29) passes through the bearing seat (28) and is rotatably connected to the bearing seat (28), the bottom of the vertical rod (29) extends into the printing material groove (3), a plurality of scrapers (30) are arranged on the peripheral wall of the vertical rod (29), and a worm wheel matched with the worm (27) is arranged on the top of the vertical rod (29).

8. The invisible orthodontic appliance 3D printer according to claim 7, characterized in that: During the printing process, each time the printing frame (6) moves upward a printing distance, the motor drives the rotating shaft (25) to rotate forward and reverse, causing the vertical rod (29) to rotate forward and reverse.

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