Crawler belt coating type multi-material 3D printing device

Abstract

The invention discloses a crawler belt coating type multi-material 3D printing device, belongs to the technical field of 3D printing, and particularly relates to the crawler belt coating type multi-material 3D printing device. The device comprises a track system, a coating system, a photocuring system, a scraper system, a motor, a control system, a printing platform and a storage barrel, a motor and a control system are arranged at the middle axis position of the printing platform; the coating system and the scraper system are arranged at the upper part of the crawler; the photocuring system is arranged at the lower part of the crawler belt; and the material storage tanks are symmetrically arranged on the periphery of the crawler belt. A plurality of different coating areas and material supply systems are arranged, so that switching and combination of various materials are conveniently realized; and meanwhile, limitation of the size of a traditional plane type printing platform is avoided, large-size 3D printing can be achieved, and the manufacturing requirements of some large parts are met.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a multi-material 3D printing device using light curing, belonging to the technical field of 3D printing. Background Art

[0002] In today's rapidly developing manufacturing and additive manufacturing fields, 3D printing technology, as a revolutionary manufacturing method, is gradually changing the traditional production mode. However, the existing 3D printing technologies still face many challenges and limitations, especially in the precise control of multi-material printing, printing efficiency, and material applicability. Traditional 3D printing devices, whether based on technologies such as fused deposition modeling (FDM), stereolithography (SLA), or selective laser sintering (SLS), mostly construct three-dimensional objects in a layer-by-layer stacking manner. These technologies are relatively mature in printing single materials or a few types of materials, but they often fall short when it comes to achieving seamless bonding of multi-materials, especially materials with different physical or chemical properties. In addition, traditional printing methods require frequent replacement of the print head or material supply system when switching materials, which not only reduces the printing efficiency but also increases the operation complexity and cost.

[0003] More critically, the existing technologies have significant technical bottlenecks in dealing with certain special materials, such as materials with high viscosity, low melting point, or materials that require specific environments (such as temperature and humidity control). These limitations severely restrict the application of 3D printing technology in a wider range of fields, especially in high-end manufacturing fields that require high precision and multi-material composite structures. Therefore, developing a new device that can efficiently and precisely achieve multi-material 3D printing has become an urgent problem in the industry. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a caterpillar coating type multi-material 3D printing device to solve the problems existing in multi-material printing in the prior art. Through a unique caterpillar design and combined with a precise material coating system, the device realizes efficient and precise printing of multi-materials.

[0005] Device Structure

[0006] 1. Base: As the support structure of the entire device, it ensures the stability and rigidity of the device.

[0007] 2. Caterpillar System: Comprising a driving wheel, a caterpillar, and a tensioning device, it is used to carry and move the printing material, and the caterpillar material is a transparent film. The caterpillar system is designed to be adjustable in tension to adapt to printing materials of different materials and thicknesses.

[0008] 3. Coating Head: Installed above the caterpillar system, it contains multiple independent coating units, with each unit corresponding to a printing material, facilitating adjustment of the material type according to printing requirements to achieve multi-material 3D printing.

[0009] 4. Control System: Comprising a motor driver, sensors, and control software, it is used to control the moving speed of the crawler system, the material switching of the coating head, and the coating amount, as well as the monitoring and adjustment of the entire printing process.

[0010] 5. Feeding System: It provides continuous material supply for the multi-material coating head, transporting from the storage tank to the coating head to ensure stable material supply during the printing process.

[0011] 6. Printing Platform: Located above the crawler, it is of the lifting type, enabling the formed sample part to be suspended on the platform and allowing precise position movement in the vertical direction to build three-dimensional objects layer by layer.

[0012] 7. UV Laser Head: Located below the crawler, it emits ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 365 nm, and the light intensity ranges from 10 - 100 mW / cm 2 , and the light exposure time is adjustable (1 - 30 seconds).

[0013] 8. Blade System: The blade material is high-hardness alloy steel or ceramic; the blade lifting system has a stroke of 0 - 100 mm and an accuracy of ±0.05 mm. After each layer is leveled, the uncured slurry is recovered to the recovery bucket.

[0014] Working Principle

[0015] Material Selection and Coating: According to the printing requirements, the control system activates the corresponding coating unit to evenly coat the specific material on the printing material. The coating amount can be precisely adjusted through the control system.

[0016] Printing Process: As the crawler system moves, the printing material gradually passes through each coating unit to achieve multi-material layer-by-layer printing. The control system monitors the printing process in real time to ensure printing quality and accuracy.

[0017] Post-treatment: After printing is completed, necessary post-treatment operations such as drying and curing are carried out to improve the performance and stability of the printed parts.

[0018] Advantages and Effects

[0019] Multi-material Printing: Through the design of multiple coating heads, simultaneous or alternating printing of multiple materials is achieved, enriching the functions and appearances of the printed parts.

[0020] High-precision Printing: The combination of the crawler system and the control system ensures the smooth movement and precise positioning of the printing material, improving printing accuracy.

[0021] Efficient Production: The crawler design enables continuous printing process, improving production efficiency and reducing production costs. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1It is the overall diagram of the crawler coating type multi-material 3D printing device;

[0023] Figure 2 They are the diagrams of different perspectives of the crawler coating type multi-material 3D printing device;

[0024] Figure 3 It is the system diagram of the 3D printing platform;

[0025] Figure 4 It is the system diagram of the coating head;

[0026] Figure 5 It is the system diagram of the doctor blade;

[0027] Figure 6 They are the diagrams of different perspectives of the doctor blade with vacuum adsorption holes. Specific implementation manners

[0028] The overall diagram of the crawler coating type multi-material 3D printing device is as shown in Figure 1As shown in the figure. Specifically: 1 is the drive wheel, which drives the smooth movement of the crawler. 2 is the support housing, made of aluminum alloy, serving as the base of the entire 3D printing device. 3 is the material storage bucket, which is used to store the photocurable slurry and is connected to other parts through two transmission pipelines. One pipeline transports the slurry to the coating head for coating operations; the other is responsible for recycling the remaining slurry after being leveled by the doctor blade to achieve material recycling. 4 is the 3D printing platform system, including a sample forming platform and a lifting device. The sample forming platform uses an aluminum alloy flat plate as the base, and the bottom is covered with a flexible release film (such as a Pi separation film or a nano-coated glass) to facilitate the peeling of the cured model. The final formed sample is suspended on the printing platform; the lifting device is responsible for precisely controlling the vertical movement of the printing platform during the printing process. After each layer of printing is completed, the platform rises, and the set layer height (usually 0.05 - 0.3 mm) is set so that the new material can evenly cover the upper layer surface. By gradually lifting the platform layer by layer, it is ensured that each layer of material (such as resin) is evenly stacked. 5 is the doctor blade system, including a doctor blade, a lifting shaft, and a vacuum adsorption system. The lifting shaft is responsible for controlling the lifting movement of the doctor blade. After each layer of printing is completed, the doctor blade will descend to the printing area for the recovery operation of the uncured liquid material, and then rise to an appropriate height to prepare for the next layer of printing. This process is repeated until the entire printing task is completed; this recovery operation uses the vacuum adsorption method to enable the doctor blade to scrape and adsorb the uncured liquid material into the trough while leveling, and it can be recycled. Different doctor blade systems correspond to the recovery of different types of slurry materials. 6 is the recovered material bucket, which is responsible for recovering the uncured slurry adsorbed by the doctor blade. 7 is the crawler, made of transparent film, which carries the coating layer to move smoothly and completes the photocuring process. 8 is the UV light machine laser head. After the light machine is started, it can emit ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 365 nm, and its light intensity and illumination time can be precisely adjusted according to actual needs to meet diverse printing requirements. 9 is the coating head system, which consists of a coating head and a lifting system, each loading different slurries. Among them, the coating head is responsible for evenly applying a specific material to the printing area to form a printing layer. The required material is obtained through the feeding system, and the thickness and shape of the material are set using an accurate control mechanism and accurately laid in the printing area. At the same time, the coating thickness of each layer can be adjusted through the lifting system, thereby achieving the effect of multi-layer coating printing. Different coating head systems are responsible for coating different types of slurry materials to achieve the multi-material 3D printing process.

[0029] The figure of the printing platform and the motor system is as Figure 3As shown in the figure, specifically: 1 is the 3D printing platform, which uses an aluminum alloy flat plate as the base, and a flexible release film (such as a Pi separation film or a nano-coated glass) is covered at the bottom to facilitate the peeling of the cured model. The finally formed sample is suspended on the printing platform; 2 is the platform lifting shaft, which is responsible for accurately controlling the vertical movement of the printing platform during the printing process. After each layer of printing is completed, the platform rises and the layer height is set so that the new material can evenly cover the upper surface; 3 is the driving motor, which drives the entire disc and the metal shell to rotate to ensure that they can work together to complete 3D printing tasks of different layers and different materials.

[0030] The coating head system diagram is as Figure 4 As shown in the figure, specifically: 1 is the coating head, which is equipped with a pipeline connecting the liquid storage tank, and the coating material is transported to the coating area through a pump or air pressure; 2 is the lifting metal shell; 3 is the lifting shaft; 4 is the lifting card slot, which fixes the coating head at a fixed height.

[0031] The doctor blade system diagram is as Figure 5 As shown in the figure, specifically: 1 is the doctor blade, and a vacuum adsorption system is equipped in the center of the doctor blade. The uncured slurry is adsorbed through negative pressure, so that the doctor blade scrapes and adsorbs the uncured liquid material into the trough at the same time, realizing the recycling and reuse of the slurry; 2 is the lifting metal shell; 3 is the lifting shaft; 4 is the lifting card slot, which fixes the doctor blade at a fixed height; 5 is the doctor blade protective shell, which prevents the slurry from splashing onto other parts during adsorption.

[0032] The different perspective views of the doctor blade with vacuum adsorption holes are as Figure 6 As shown in the figure, multiple diamond-shaped openings are attached to the doctor blade, and the uncured slurry is sucked in through negative pressure to realize the recycling of the slurry.

[0033] The specific 3D printing process is as follows: The motor control system drives the crawler to rotate and starts the feeding process. The photocurable slurry is pumped out from the storage tank and conveyed to the coating head through the transfer pipeline, and different slurries are conveyed into different coating heads. Under the precise control of the motor control system, the coating head evenly applies the slurry in a set thickness and shape to the designated printing area, forming the first printing layer. Utilizing the light transmissivity of the transparent film, UV light energy can pass through the glass plate and irradiate onto the slurry. After coating, the crawler transports the coated area directly below the printing platform, aligns the light machine with the printing area, the printing platform descends to the designated area, the laser head of the light machine is started, and ultraviolet light with a wavelength of 365 nm is emitted to irradiate the first layer of slurry according to the preset light intensity and illumination time, triggering the photocuring reaction to rapidly solidify and form the slurry. After completing one layer of printing, the printing platform rises and returns to the designated position. The crawler continues to rotate, and the scraper system is started to recover the uncured slurry. The scraper lifting system drives the scraper to descend to a set height. Under the control of the motor control system, the scraper system uses the vacuum adsorption system to recover the uncured slurry, ensuring that the surface of the printing layer is flat and smooth. The excess slurry after scraping is sent back to the storage tank through the recovery pipeline to achieve the recycling of the slurry. After the scraper completes the scraping and recovery operations, the scraper lifting system raises the scraper to a certain height to prepare for the next recovery. Different scraper systems recover different materials of slurry so that the slurries will not be mixed and can be recycled. The crawler keeps rotating, repeating the above steps of coating, rotation, UV light irradiation, scraper operation, and slurry recovery. During the rotation process, different coating heads can be alternately used, and layer-by-layer stacking printing is carried out until the entire multi-material 3D printing process is completed.

Claims

1. A crawler coating type multi-material 3D printing device, characterized in that The crawler coating type multi-material 3D printing device includes a driving wheel 1, a support housing 2, a material storage barrel 3, a 3D printing platform system 4, a doctor blade system 5, a recycled material barrel 6, a crawler 7, a UV light machine laser head 8, and a coating head system 9; the coating head system 9, the 3D printing platform system 4, and the doctor blade system 5 are evenly distributed above the crawler 7; the UV light machine laser head 8 is arranged below the crawler 7; the control system is electrically connected to the doctor blade system 5, the UV light machine laser head 8, and the coating head system 9 respectively.

2. The one kind of crawler coating type multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The doctor blade system 5 includes a doctor blade 1, a doctor blade lifting housing 2, a lifting shaft 3, a lifting card slot 4, and a metal protective housing 5; the doctor blade lifting shaft 3 is arranged above the doctor blade lifting housing 2; the lower end of the doctor blade lifting housing 2 is fixed with the metal protective housing 5; the doctor blade 1 is below the metal protective housing 5; the doctor blade lifting housing 2 is outside the lifting card slot 4.

3. The track coating type multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that The coating system 2 includes a coating head 1, a coating lifting housing 2, a coating lifting shaft 3, and a lifting card slot 4; the coating lifting housing 2 is slidably arranged outside the coating lifting shaft 3, and the lower end of the coating lifting housing 2 is fixed with a coating head 1.

4. A caterpillar track coating type multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that The number of the coating systems 2 is 2 to n.

5. The track coating type multi-material 3D printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that The coating head 1 in the coating system 2 adopts a micro-needle structure, and the minimum coating diameter is 0.1 mm.

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