Powder collecting device

Abstract

The invention discloses a powder collecting device which comprises a powder bin, a fan, a screening device and an ion generator, the powder bin is provided with a cylindrical collecting cavity, an exhaust pipe is arranged at the top of the powder bin, a collecting bin is detachably arranged at the bottom of the powder bin, a powder inlet pipe is arranged on the side wall of the powder bin, the exhaust pipe extends into the cylindrical collecting cavity, and the powder inlet pipe is arranged on the upper side wall of the powder bin; a pipeline opening of the exhaust pipe is located below the powder inlet pipe, and the fan is arranged on the exhaust pipe; the screening device is arranged in the collecting bin; and the ion generator is arranged on the side wall of the cylindrical collecting cavity. Negative pressure difference is formed between the inside of the powder bin and the outside through rotation of the fan, airflow containing powder enters the cylindrical collecting cavity in the tangential direction, and the powder is thrown to the wall of the powder bin under the action of centrifugal force and falls into the screening device under the action of gravity according to the principle of the cyclone separator. And a screen and a vibrator are arranged in the screening device, high efficiency of screening is guaranteed, unqualified powder cannot pass through screening layers and is left on the upper portion of the screen, and qualified powder falls into a collecting bin.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and particularly relates to a powder collection device. Background Art

[0002] Additive manufacturing is a process of manufacturing three-dimensional entities by adding materials layer by layer. Different from traditional material removal methods such as casting or cutting, additive manufacturing can achieve the production of complex structures, and is widely used especially in the fields of aerospace, medical treatment, and mold manufacturing.

[0003] However, during printing, a large amount of powder often fails to be effectively utilized by the workpiece and scatters on the surface and around the workpiece. If these powders are not recycled, it will cause waste of resources. Collecting and recycling these scattered powders can effectively solve the problem of powder waste. The currently commonly used powder collection method is to manually clean with tools such as brushes to recycle the scattered powder. This method is time-consuming and laborious, difficult to clean thoroughly, and some of the collected powder may have solidified and become larger or its properties have been affected by heat, resulting in inability to be reused. To ensure the subsequent printing quality, the collected powder must be screened to remove the solidified particles and only retain the powder suitable for reuse. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a powder collection device to solve one or more technical problems existing in the prior art, and at least provide a beneficial choice or create conditions.

[0005] The technical solution adopted to solve the above technical problems: The present invention provides a powder collection device, which includes a powder bin, a blower, a screening device, and an ion generator. The powder bin is provided with a cylindrical collection cavity. The top of the powder bin is provided with an exhaust pipe. The bottom of the powder bin is detachably provided with a collection bin. The side wall of the powder bin is provided with a powder inlet pipe. The exhaust pipe extends into the cylindrical collection cavity. The powder inlet pipe is arranged on the upper side wall of the powder bin. The pipe orifice of the exhaust pipe is located below the powder inlet pipe. The cylindrical collection cavity, the exhaust pipe, the collection bin, and the powder inlet pipe are interconnected; the blower is arranged on the exhaust pipe; the screening device is arranged in the collection bin; the ion generator is arranged on the side wall of the cylindrical collection cavity.

[0006] The beneficial effects of the present invention are: By rotating the fan, a negative pressure difference is formed between the inside of the powder bin and the outside. The airflow containing powder enters the cylindrical collection chamber tangentially. Using the principle of a cyclone separator, the powder is thrown towards the wall of the powder bin under the action of centrifugal force and falls into the screening device under the action of gravity. The screening device is provided with a screen and a vibrator to ensure the high efficiency of screening. Unqualified powder will not pass through the screen layer and will remain above the screen, while qualified powder will fall into the collection bin. Through the above design, the present invention effectively improves the accuracy and efficiency of powder collection, solves the technical problem of powder collection and reuse in existing additive manufacturing technologies, and meets the requirements of additive manufacturing for powder recycling.

[0007] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the powder collection device further includes a workbench surface. A collection enclosure is provided at the edge of the workbench surface. A powder collection port is provided at the bottom of the workbench surface. A plurality of auxiliary fans for blowing the powder towards the powder collection port are provided on the collection enclosure.

[0008] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the collection enclosure includes a first baffle, a second baffle, a third baffle, a fourth baffle and an inclined baffle. The first baffle, the second baffle, the third baffle, the fourth baffle and the inclined baffle enclose a rectangular frame. The inclined baffle is connected to the third baffle and the fourth baffle. The inclined baffle is located at the chamfer position of the rectangular frame. The auxiliary fans include a first direct blowing fan, a second direct blowing fan and a shaking fan. The powder collection port is provided between the included angle formed by the first baffle and the second baffle. The first direct blowing fan is provided on the third baffle and close to the first baffle. The second direct blowing fan is provided on the fourth baffle and close to the second baffle. The shaking fan is provided on the inclined baffle. The powder collection port is connected to the powder inlet pipe.

[0009] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the powder collection port and the powder inlet pipe are detachably connected.

[0010] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, a conical cavity with a larger upper cross-section and a smaller lower cross-section is provided at the bottom of the powder bin. The conical cavity is respectively communicated with the cylindrical collection chamber and the collection bin.

[0011] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the lower part of the conical cavity extends into the interior of the collection bin, and the opening size of the conical cavity at the lower end is smaller than the cross-sectional area of the collection bin.

[0012] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the collection bin includes at least one screening bin layer and a collection bin layer. At least one of the screening bin layers is detachably stacked on the top of the collection bin layer in sequence.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the screening device includes a screen and a vibrator. The vibrator is connected to the screen, and the screen is provided on the screening bin layer.

[0014] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the vibrator is movably fixed to the inner wall of the screening bin.

[0015] As a further improvement of the above technical solution, the powder inlet pipe extends tangentially along the cylindrical collection cavity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the drawings and embodiments; Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the external structure of the powder collection device; Figure 2 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the powder collection device and the flow directions of the powder and air; Figure 3 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the details of the fixing position of the screen layer and the screen and the structure of the collection bin; Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic diagram of the setting of the workbench.

[0017] Drawings: Powder bin 100, cylindrical collection cavity 101, conical cavity 102, exhaust pipe 110, collection bin 120, screening bin layer 121, collection bin layer 122, powder inlet pipe 130, fan 200, screening device 300, screen 310, vibrator 320, iron ring 330, ion generator 400, workbench surface 500, powder collection port 510, first baffle 520, second baffle 530, third baffle 540, fourth baffle 550, inclined baffle 560, first direct blowing fan 570, second direct blowing fan 580, oscillating fan 590. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0018] This part will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. The function of the drawings is to supplement the description in the text part of the specification, enabling people to intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present invention, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the protection scope of the present invention.

[0019] In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation on the present invention.

[0020] In the description of the present invention, if there are descriptions with words such as "several", its meaning is one or more, the meaning of multiple is more than two, and understandings such as greater than, less than, exceeding, etc. do not include the base number, and understandings such as above, below, within, etc. include the base number.

[0021] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, words such as setting, installation, connection, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above words in the present invention in combination with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0022] Traditional vacuum cleaners are mainly used for collecting waste, and the inhaled dust eventually accumulates in the filter element or dust collection bag, which only needs to be replaced or discarded regularly, making it convenient for cleaning but not suitable for the effective recovery of powders. The present invention provides a powder collection device that combines the principle of a vacuum cleaner to collect powders and is equipped with a screening function to improve the recovery rate of powders and achieve integrated operation of collection and screening.

[0023] Refer to Figures 1 to 4 , the following embodiments are made for a powder collection device of the present invention: In some embodiments, a powder collection device includes a powder bin 100, a fan 200, a screening device 300, an ion generator 400, and a workbench surface 500.

[0024] A collection enclosure is provided at the edge of the workbench surface 500, and a powder collection port 510 is provided at the bottom of the workbench surface 500. The powder collection port 510 is located at the corner of the workbench surface 500. The collection enclosure includes a first baffle 520, a second baffle 530, a third baffle 540, a fourth baffle 550, and an inclined baffle 560. The first baffle 520, the second baffle 530, the third baffle 540, the fourth baffle 550, and the inclined baffle 560 enclose a rectangular frame. The inclined baffle 560 is connected to the third baffle 540 and the fourth baffle 550, and the inclined baffle 560 is located at the chamfer position of the rectangular frame. The collection enclosure is used to block the powder on the workbench surface 500 and reduce the powder from flying everywhere. The shape of the collection enclosure is set according to the shape of the table surface, and the present invention does not make specific limitations.

[0025] In order to better collect the powder, the collection enclosure is provided with three auxiliary fans, which blow the powder toward the powder collection port 510 to improve the collection efficiency. The auxiliary fans include a first straight blowing fan 570, a second direct blowing fan 580 and an oscillating fan 590. The powder collecting port 510 is arranged between the angle formed by the first baffle 520 and the second baffle 530. The first straight blowing fan 570 is arranged on the third baffle 540 and close to the first baffle 520. It is mainly used to blow the powder located on the left side of the powder collecting port 510 toward the powder collecting port 510. The second direct blowing fan 580 is arranged on the fourth baffle 550 and close to the second baffle 530. It is mainly used to blow the powder located on the right side of the powder collecting port 510 toward the powder collecting port 510. The oscillating fan 590 is arranged on the inclined baffle 560. The oscillating fan 590 can swing left and right to blow the powder towards the powder collecting port 510 in a large range, and cooperate with the fan 200 to form suction, so that the powder is collected from the powder collection port 510 of the powder bin 100 into the powder bin 100.

[0026] The powder bin 100 is provided with a cylindrical collecting chamber 101, an exhaust pipe 110 is provided on the top of the powder bin 100, a collecting bin 120 is provided at the bottom of the powder bin 100, and a powder inlet pipe 130 is provided on the side wall of the powder bin 100. The cylindrical collecting chamber 101, the exhaust pipe 110, the collecting bin 120, and the powder inlet pipe 130 are interconnected, the exhaust pipe 110 extends into the cylindrical collecting chamber 101, the powder inlet pipe 130 is arranged on the upper side wall of the powder bin 100 and is extended along the tangential direction of the cylindrical collecting chamber 101, which is conducive to forming a cyclonic airflow, and the pipe mouth of the exhaust pipe 110 is located below the powder inlet pipe 130; the fan 200 includes a motor and an exhaust fan, the motor is connected to the exhaust fan in a transmission manner, and is arranged on the exhaust pipe 110; the ion generator 400 is arranged on the side wall of the cylindrical collecting chamber 101, and the ion generator 400 automatically releases negative ions to effectively neutralize the static charge on the surface of the powder and the equipment, thereby preventing powder adhesion and equipment failure caused by static electricity. The powder collecting port 510 and the powder inlet pipe 130 may be connected via a hose.

[0027] A conical cavity 102 with a larger cross section at the top and smaller cross section at the bottom is provided at the bottom of the powder bin 100. The conical cavity 102 is connected to the cylindrical collecting cavity 101 and the collecting bin 120 respectively. The collecting bin 120 is detachably provided at the bottom of the powder bin 100. The screening device 300 is provided in the collecting bin 120. The powder slides along the side wall of the conical cavity 102 to the screening device 300 for screening. The lower end of the conical cavity 102 extends to the inside of the collecting bin 120. The opening size of the conical cavity 102 at the lower end is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the collecting bin 120, which helps the powder fall to the middle position of the screen 310.

[0028] The collection bin 120 includes a screening bin layer 121 and a collection bin layer 122. The screening bin layer 121 is detachably disposed on the top of the collection bin layer 122. The vibrator 320 is connected to the screen 310 through a nut. The screen 310 is movably disposed in the screening bin layer 121, and the vibrator 320 is movably fixed to the inner wall of the screening bin, specifically fixed by two mutually nested iron rings 330. One of the iron rings 330 is connected to the vibrator 320, and the other iron ring 330 is connected to the inner wall of the screening bin layer 121. The unqualified powder remains in the screen 310 under the screening of the screen 310, and the qualified powder enters the collection bin 120. The screening bin layer 121 and the collection bin layer 122 are connected by threads, and the screening bin and the powder bin 100 are connected by threads, which is convenient for taking out the powder. In some other embodiments, multiple screening bins can be provided, and the diameters of the screens 310 of each layer are different, and particles of different diameters can be directly screened and utilized separately.

[0029] In some other embodiments, a discharge valve can be provided at the bottom of the collection bin 120, and the collected powder is discharged through the discharge valve.

[0030] Through the design of the distribution of the workbench, the present invention guides the powder scattered on the surface of the workpiece and its surroundings to the powder outlet through the guiding action of the auxiliary fan. At the same time, the air extraction fan is driven by the motor to form a negative pressure difference between the inside of the powder bin 100 and the outside world, generating a certain suction force at the powder outlet. The airflow containing powder enters the bin body tangentially. Using the principle of a cyclone separator, the powder is thrown towards the wall of the powder bin 100 under the action of centrifugal force and falls into the screening layer under the action of gravity. The screening layer is provided with a screen 310 and a vibrator 320 to ensure the high efficiency of screening. The unqualified powder will not pass through the screening layer and remains above the screen 310, and the qualified powder will fall into the collection bin 120. Through the above design, the present invention effectively improves the accuracy and efficiency of powder collection, solves the technical problem of powder collection and reuse in the existing additive manufacturing technology, and meets the requirements of additive manufacturing for powder recycling. The entire system aims to achieve an integrated operation of collection and screening, ensuring the quality of the collected powder and meeting the requirements of subsequent additive manufacturing.

[0031] More specifically, during operation, the intake pipe is connected to the powder outlet in the workbench. The motor drives the exhaust fan, continuously transferring energy to the air in the powder bin 100, causing the air to be discharged at high speed through the air outlet of the exhaust pipe 110. As a result, a significant negative pressure difference is formed inside the powder bin 100 and the outside world. At the same time, the powder outlet continuously replenishes air, forming an instantaneous vacuum state. Under the action of the negative pressure difference and the auxiliary fan, the powder scattered on the workbench is guided and sucked into the powder bin 100. After the powder is sucked into the box body, the built-in ion generator 400 automatically releases negative ions, effectively neutralizing the static charges on the powder and the surface of the equipment, thereby preventing powder adhesion and equipment failures caused by static electricity. The airflow containing powder tangentially enters the powder bin 100 through the powder inlet pipe 130 and rotates downward in a spiral along the inner wall. The powder is thrown towards the inner wall of the powder bin 100 under the action of centrifugal force and settles into the sieve layer under the action of gravity. Due to the high-speed rotation of the airflow, a negative pressure is generated in the area of the central axis. After the gas from which the powder has been removed reaches the bottom, it is sucked by the negative pressure and turns upward, rotating upward along the axis and finally discharged from the top air outlet.

[0032] The aperture of the sieve mesh 310 in the sieve bin layer 121 is selected according to the powder particle size requirements of additive manufacturing. The sieve mesh 310 is connected to the vibrator 320 through nuts and fixed to the inner wall of the sieve layer through iron rings 330. At least four groups of iron rings 330 are designed diagonally and fixed to the inner wall to ensure that the sieve mesh 310 remains stable during vibration. A space is reserved between the sieve mesh 310 and the inner wall of the sieve bin layer 121 to ensure the vibration amplitude during the screening process. The conical part at the bottom of the powder bin 100 slightly extends above the sieve mesh 310 to ensure that the powder falls concentratedly into the middle area of the sieve mesh 310. After vibration screening, the qualified powder will fall through the sieve mesh 310 into the collection bin 120. Threaded connections are used between the collection bin 120 and the sieve bin layer 121, and between the sieve bin layer 121 and the powder bin 100, which facilitates loading and unloading while ensuring good sealing. After screening is completed, the sieve bin layer 121 can be unscrewed to clean the unqualified powder; the collection bin 120 can be unscrewed to take out the qualified powder for subsequent processing.

[0033] By connecting an external hose to the powder inlet pipe 130 and a suction nozzle, it can be converted into a handheld mode to flexibly collect the scattered powder in the corners and accessories on the workbench surface 500 or the surface of the workpiece that are difficult to clean.

[0034] The above has specifically described the preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various equivalent variations or substitutions without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these equivalent variations or substitutions are all included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A powder collecting device, characterized in that: include: A powder bin (100) is provided with a cylindrical collecting chamber (101), an exhaust pipe (110) is provided at the top of the powder bin (100), a collecting bin (120) is detachably provided at the bottom of the powder bin (100), a powder inlet pipe (130) is provided on the side wall of the powder bin (100), the exhaust pipe (110) extends into the cylindrical collecting chamber (101), the powder inlet pipe (130) is provided on the upper side wall of the powder bin (100), a pipe opening of the exhaust pipe (110) is located below the powder inlet pipe (130), and the cylindrical collecting chamber (101), the exhaust pipe (110), the collecting bin (120), and the powder inlet pipe (130) are interconnected; A fan (200) is arranged on the exhaust pipe (110); A screening device (300), arranged in the collection bin (120); The ion generator (400) is arranged on the side wall of the cylindrical collecting chamber (101).

2. A powder collecting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder collection device further comprises a work surface (500), the edge of the work surface (500) is provided with a collection enclosure, the bottom of the work surface (500) is provided with a powder collection port (510), and the collection enclosure is provided with a plurality of auxiliary fans for blowing powder towards the powder collection port (510).

3. A powder collecting device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The collecting enclosure comprises a first baffle (520), a second baffle (530), a third baffle (540), a fourth baffle (550) and an inclined baffle (560); the first baffle (520), the second baffle (530), the third baffle (540), the fourth baffle (550) and the inclined baffle (560) form a rectangular frame; the inclined baffle (560) is connected to the third baffle (540) and the fourth baffle (550); the inclined baffle (560) is located at a chamfered position of the rectangular frame; the auxiliary fan comprises a first straight blowing fan (570), a second straight blowing fan (571) and a second straight blowing fan (572). The powder collecting port (510) is provided at an angle between the first baffle (520) and the second baffle (530); the first direct blowing fan (570) is provided at the third baffle (540) and is close to the first baffle (520); the second direct blowing fan (580) is provided at the fourth baffle (550) and is close to the second baffle (530); the oscillating fan (590) is provided at the inclined baffle (560); and the powder collecting port (510) is connected to a powder inlet pipe (130).

4. A powder collecting device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The powder collection port (510) is detachably connected to the powder inlet pipe (130).

5. A powder collecting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A conical cavity (102) having a cross-section that is larger at the top and smaller at the bottom is provided at the bottom of the powder bin (100); the conical cavity (102) is respectively connected to the cylindrical collection cavity (101) and the collection bin (120).

6. A powder collecting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower end portion of the conical cavity (102) extends into the interior of the collecting bin (120), and the opening size of the conical cavity (102) at the lower end is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the collecting bin (120).

7. A powder collecting device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The collecting bin (120) comprises at least one screening bin layer (121) and a collecting bin layer (122), and at least one screening bin layer (121) is detachably stacked on top of the collecting bin layer (122).

8. A powder collecting device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The screening device (300) comprises a screen (310) and a vibrator (320), wherein the vibrator (320) is connected to the screen (310), and the screen (310) is arranged on the screening bin layer (121).

9. A powder collecting device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The vibrator (320) is movably fixed to the inner wall of the screening bin.

10. A powder collecting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder inlet pipe (130) is arranged to extend tangentially along the cylindrical collecting chamber (101).

Images