Powder material 3D printing device and cleaning method

Abstract

The invention discloses a powder material 3D printing device and a cleaning method. The device comprises a supporting frame, a cleaning piece and an air inlet and exhaust system. A semi-open cavity is defined by the supporting frame; the acting end of the cleaning piece faces the surface of the roller; comprising an air inlet pipe located below the sweeping piece and a dust removal pipe opposite to the air inlet pipe. The cleaning piece is configured in the mode that the acting end actively applies directional acting force to the surface of the roller, so that sundries are separated from the surface of the roller and fall into an airflow path formed by the air inlet pipe and the dust removal pipe. Therefore, an original mode of'sticking away 'dust or attachments in a contact mode is changed into a mode of sucking away the dust or the attachments through the air inlet and exhaust system, so that a cleaning piece with an adsorption function is not needed, for example, the dust or the attachments are taken away in a mode of wiping by adopting a cotton piece and the like, and the cleaning structure can be arranged to be any non-adhesive cleaning structure; and secondary pollution to the roller due to the fact that the sweeping piece serves as a sweeping carrier to carry dust is avoided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of 3D printing equipment, and in particular to a powder material 3D printing device and a cleaning method. Background Art

[0002] 3DP (three-dimensional printing) is a typical 3D printing technology for powder (granular) materials. It was first proposed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1989 in patent US5204055A1. The process involves first evenly laying a layer of powder on a platform. The print head then scans and sprays a liquid material over a specific area, bonding the powder in the sprayed area. The platform then descends a certain distance, and the above steps are repeated until all layers are printed.

[0003] For 3DP type printers, granular materials need to be added to the powder spreader first, and then the powder spreader spreads a layer of powder material on the lifting base plate. The powder is then flattened with a scraper or other tools. Finally, the nozzle selectively sprays the bonding material onto the laid powder according to the XY cross-sectional shape of the 3D model, so that the powder in the solid area of the prototype cross-section is bonded together to form a cross-sectional contour. After one layer is printed, the workbench descends to the height of a cross-sectional area, and then the above steps are repeated until the prototype is printed. In this way, the required workpiece is accumulated and formed layer by layer.

[0004] In current technology, the powder spreaders used in 3DP printers are mostly rollers or scrapers. During the printing process, the rollers and scrapers will be in direct contact with the powder bed. If foreign matter adheres to the rollers, it will damage the powder surface laid later, which will have a serious impact on the printing and cause printing failure.

[0005] The commonly used solution at present is to have a wiping mechanism. In this case, a fixed cotton cloth, brush or flexible material will be used to wipe the surface of the roller. However, with the increase of wiping frequency, the foreign matter wiped off will cause secondary contamination to the roller. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and provide a powder material 3D printing device and a cleaning method that will not cause secondary pollution when cleaning the roller.

[0007] The object of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: In a first aspect, the present application discloses a powder material 3D printing device, comprising: a support frame, a cleaning member, and an air intake and exhaust system. The support frame defines a semi-open cavity, in which a roller is disposed; one or more cleaning members are disposed on the wall of the semi-open cavity and facing the circumference of the roller, with the active ends of the cleaning members facing the surface of the roller; the device includes an air intake pipe located below the cleaning member and a dust removal pipe opposite the air intake pipe; wherein the active ends of the cleaning members actively apply a directional force to the surface of the roller, causing debris to fall off the roller surface and into the airflow path formed by the air intake pipe and the dust removal pipe.

[0008] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that the original method of "picking up" dust or attachments by contact is changed to sucking them away through the intake and exhaust system, so there is no need to set up a cleaning piece with an adsorption function, such as using a cotton pad to wipe away powder or attachments. Therefore, it can be set as any non-adhesive cleaning structure, and the cleaning piece can be prevented from carrying dust as a cleaning carrier, causing secondary pollution to the roller.

[0009] Furthermore, the cleaning part includes a first cleaning part, which is a scraper. The back end of the scraper is connected to the inner wall of the semi-open cavity, and the blade end of the scraper is the active end; the blade end scrapes the surface of the roller to apply a non-adhesive physical force, so that the dust is separated from the roller under the scraping action of the blade end and does not stick to the blade.

[0010] Furthermore, the back end of the blade is fixed to the inner wall of the semi-open cavity through a rotating shaft, and a second driving mechanism is provided on the support frame, which drives the scraper to rotate around the rotating shaft to switch between the hidden position and the cleaning position.

[0011] Furthermore, the cleaning member includes a second cleaning member, which is a flow channel that forms an air knife, and the flow channel is constructed in the side wall of the semi-open cavity; the air outlet of the flow channel is the action end, and the air outlet is directed toward the peripheral side of the roller, and forms a wind knife acting on the surface of the roller, and exerts a non-adhesive physical force on the surface of the roller through the airflow, so that the dust is separated from the roller and does not adhere to the air outlet.

[0012] Furthermore, the support frame includes a main body and an assembly plate arranged on the main body, the assembly plate and the main body define the semi-open cavity, and the flow channel is constructed in the assembly plate.

[0013] Furthermore, the width of the flow channel from the air inlet to the air outlet gradually decreases to form an air knife at the air outlet.

[0014] Furthermore, the air intake pipe is connected to the flow channel.

[0015] Furthermore, a first solenoid valve is provided on the air intake pipe, and a second solenoid valve is provided on the dust removal pipe.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application further discloses a cleaning method applicable to the aforementioned powder material 3D printing device, comprising the following steps: S1. If the cleaning member includes a scraper, driving the scraper to move to a cleaning position on the roller surface; S2. activating the air intake and exhaust system so that the air intake pipe allows gas to flow into the semi-open cavity, while the dust removal pipe exhausts air to form an air flow path passing through the bottom of the cleaning member; S3. Drive the roller to rotate around its axis so that the active end of the cleaning member guides the debris separated from the roller surface into the air flow path. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a powder material 3D printing device according to some embodiments of the present application; Figure 2 A bottom view of a powder material 3D printing device according to some embodiments of the present application; Figure 3 for Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of line AA in FIG; Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the assembly board structure in some embodiments of the present application; Figure 5 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional view along line BB in FIG. Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the assembly board structure in some embodiments of the present application; Figure 7 This is a powder material 3D printing device according to some embodiments of the present application.

[0018] In the picture: 10-support frame, 11-body, 12-assembly plate, 111-semi-open cavity, 112-rear side plate, 113-top plate, 114-front side plate, 13-bolt hole, 14-first drive motor, 141-coupling, 15-second drive motor; 20-Roller; 30a-scraper, 31a-back end, 32a-blade end, 33a-rotating shaft; 30b-flow channel, 31b-air inlet, 32b-air outlet, 33b-interface slot; 40-intake pipe, 41-first solenoid valve, 42-intake connector; 50-dust removal pipe, 51-second solenoid valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions of the present invention in conjunction with the embodiments. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work shall fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0020] See Figure 1-Figure 7 , understand that an embodiment of the present application provides a powder material 3D printing device, including a roller 20, a cleaning member 30a / 30b and an air intake and exhaust system.

[0021] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, the powder material 3D printing device includes a main body (not shown in the figure) and a support frame 10 disposed on the main body. The support frame 10 defines a semi-open cavity 111 toward the printing side, with the open side facing the printing direction. The roller 20 is arranged in the semi-open cavity 111, with the circumference of the roller 20 facing the open side of the semi-open cavity 111. One end of the support frame 10 is configured with a plurality of bolt holes 13 for connecting to other components of the powder material 3D printing device (not shown in the figure) through the bolt holes 13; Figure 2 As shown, a first drive motor 14 is provided at the other end of the support frame 10, and the roller 20 is rotatably provided at both ends of the support frame 10 in the axial direction, and one end thereof is connected to the output shaft of the aforementioned first drive motor 14 through a coupling 141, so that it can rotate around its own axis under the action of the first drive motor 14.

[0022] The cleaning member 30a / 30b has an active end, which is arranged on the peripheral side of the roller 20, with the active end facing the surface of the roller 20. The air intake and exhaust system includes an air intake pipe 40 located below the cleaning member 30a / 30b and a dust removal pipe 50 opposite to the air intake pipe 40; the active end of the cleaning member 30a / 30b applies a non-adhesive physical force toward the peripheral side of the roller 20, so that the dust is separated from the roller 20 under the action of the active end and does not adhere to the active section. The physical action includes but is not limited to aerodynamic impact or mechanical peeling to instantly separate the attached matter from the roller surface.

[0023] Debris that escapes from the roller surface enters the directional airflow field created by the air intake duct 40 and the dust removal duct 50. The high-speed airflow ejected upward from the air intake duct 40 forms an air curtain barrier, lifting the falling debris to a predetermined height. Simultaneously, the dust removal duct 50 generates a negative pressure vortex on the opposite side of the air intake duct 40, capturing suspended debris and preventing it from adhering to the roller 20 or scattering across the print area.

[0024] It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application changes the original method of "picking up" dust or attachments by contact to sucking them away through the air intake and exhaust system, so there is no need to set up a cleaning piece 30a / 30b with an adsorption function, such as using a cotton pad to wipe away powder or attachments. Therefore, it can be set to any non-adhesive cleaning structure, and avoid the cleaning piece 30a / 30b carrying dust as a cleaning carrier, causing secondary pollution to the roller 20.

[0025] For better understanding, the cleaning parts 30a / 30b will be described below with reference to some specific examples.

[0026] For example, Figure 3 As shown, the cleaning member 30a / 30b includes a first cleaning member and a second cleaning member, the first cleaning member is a scraper 30a, and the second cleaning member is a flow channel 30b forming an air knife.

[0027] The blade back end 31a of the scraper 30a is fixed to the inner wall of the semi-open cavity 111 via a rotating shaft 33a, and the blade tip end 32a is the active end. In addition, a second drive motor 15 (opposite to the first drive motor 14) is also provided on the support frame 10. The second drive motor 15 drives the scraper 30a to rotate around the rotating shaft 33a. Figure 3 When powdering defects (such as scratches and pits) appear on the paved powder surface, the powder spreader starts self-cleaning; at this time, the second drive motor 15 can control the scraper to rotate from the hidden position a to the cleaning position b. At this position (position b), the blade end 32a (i.e., the active end) of the scraper contacts the surface of the roller 20, so that the attached matter is separated from the roller 20 under the scraping action of the blade and will not stay on the blade.

[0028] A flow channel 30b is constructed on the other side wall of the semi-open cavity 111, and the opening in the flow channel 30b away from the inner wall of the semi-open cavity 111 is defined as the air inlet 31b, and the opening formed on the inner surface of the semi-open cavity 111 is defined as the air outlet 32b. The opening of the air inlet 31b is larger than the air outlet 32b, and the air outlet 32b is directed to the circumference of the roller 20 as the action end; in this example, the width of the air flow channel (specifically the slit) formed between the air inlet 31b and the air outlet 32b gradually decreases, so that the air outlet 32b is formed into a structure with an extremely small width and a length basically the same as the length of the roller 20, so that when the air flow rushes out of the air outlet 32b, a higher wind pressure is formed to form a wind knife acting on the surface of the roller 20, and the air flow exerts a non-adhesive physical force on the surface of the roller 20, so that the dust is separated from the roller 20 and does not adhere to the air outlet 32b.

[0029] In some examples, the air outlet 32b of the flow channel 30b is tangential to the circumference of the roller 20, so that the blown air forms a laminar flow along the circumferential outer wall of the roller 20 around its periphery to prevent dust from falling into the printing area.

[0030] In some examples, such as Figure 4-Figure 5 As shown, the support frame 10 includes a main body 11 and an assembly plate 12 arranged on one side of the main body 11, the main body 11 includes a rear side plate 112 and a top plate 113 arranged perpendicular to the rear side plate 112, the top plate 113 extends a front side plate 114 opposite to the rear side plate 112, and one side surface of the assembly plate 12 (along its thickness direction) is parallel to and opposite to the rear side plate 112, thereby enclosing the semi-open cavity 111 together with the rear side plate 112, the front side plate 114 and the top plate 113, thereby participating in defining the semi-open cavity 111 together with the rear side plate 112, the front side plate 114 and the top plate 113.

[0031] The assembly plate 12 is internally structured with a flow channel 30b, and the air inlet 31b and the air outlet 32b of the flow channel 30b are respectively arranged on both sides of the assembly plate 12 along the thickness direction thereof; Figure 6 Shown and combined Figure 1 It is understood that the assembly plate 12 is also configured with an interface groove 33b that communicates with the air inlet 31b of the flow channel 30b. The interface groove 33b is connected to the intake pipe 40 of the intake and exhaust system, and further communicates with the air inlet 31b of the flow channel 30b. In this way, the assembly plate 12 is configured as a separate structure from the main body 11, which facilitates its disassembly.

[0032] like Figure 7 As shown, the air intake pipe 40 is connected to the flow channel 30b, and three connecting ports are provided between the air intake pipe 40 and the flow channel 30b. A first solenoid valve 41 is also provided at the connecting port at the starting position, so that the first solenoid valve 41 controls whether the connection between the air intake pipe 40 and the flow channel 30b is open or closed, and an air intake connector 42 is provided at each connecting port to connect the air intake pipe 40 with the flow channel 30b.

[0033] like Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, the top of the support frame 10 is connected to a dust removal pipe 50, which is connected to the semi-open cavity 111 to extract the powder blown therein by the air inlet pipe 40. In the direction in which the dust removal pipe 50 is connected to the support frame 10, a second solenoid valve 51 is provided on the dust removal pipe 50 to control the connection between the two.

[0034] It can be understood that by supplying air to the semi-open cavity 111 through the flow channel 30b, high-speed airflow can be ejected from the narrow air outlet 32b at the same time, forming a wind knife with high kinetic energy, which directly impacts the surface of the roller 20 and can forcefully blow away the adhered powder or dust scraped off by the scraper 30a; and a certain amount of laminar gas is formed around the roller 20 in the semi-open cavity 111, forcing the dust to directly enter the negative pressure suction area of the opposite dust removal pipe 50 (the negative pressure area formed by the dust removal pipe 50) in the direction of the airflow, thereby effectively preventing the dust from scattering and causing secondary pollution.

[0035] Of course, in some other embodiments, the cleaning member 30a / 30b may only include the aforementioned first cleaning member or the second cleaning member, which will not be described in detail here.

[0036] Based on the embodiment in which the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are provided simultaneously, the embodiment of the present application further discloses a cleaning method, comprising: When powdering defects (such as scratches and pits) appear on the paved powder surface, the powder spreader starts self-cleaning, and the second drive motor 15 controls the scraper 30a to rotate to the cleaning position b, at which the scraper 30a contacts the surface of the roller 20.

[0037] Next, the first solenoid valve 41 controls the gas to enter the flow channel 30b, and forms a wind knife discharge at the air outlet 32b of the flow channel 30b. The discharged gas is directly blown onto the roller 20 to clean the floating powder adhering to the roller 20. This is a contactless cleaning method; at the same time, the second solenoid valve 51 controls the exhaust pipe to open, and starts to extract air from the semi-open cavity 111. The roller 20 starts to rotate clockwise, and the relatively firm attachments on the roller 20 are scraped off by the scraper 30a. The gas drives the attachments and dust to be discharged from the dust removal pipe 50. This cleaning method takes into account both contact and non-contact cleaning methods.

[0038] Of course, in some other examples, non-contact cleaning alone may be performed.

[0039] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the form disclosed herein and should not be construed as excluding other embodiments. Rather, the present invention can be used in various other combinations, modifications, and environments and can be modified within the scope of the concept described herein through the above teachings or techniques or knowledge in the relevant field. Modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention are intended to be protected by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A powder material 3D printing device, characterized in that: include: A support frame (10), the support frame (10) defining a semi-open cavity (111), a roller (20) being disposed within the semi-open cavity (111); a cleaning member (30a / 30b), wherein the cleaning member (30a / 30b) is one or more, and the cleaning member (30a / 30b) is arranged on the wall surface of the semi-open cavity (111) and faces the peripheral side of the roller (20), and the active end of the cleaning member (30a / 30b) faces the surface of the roller (20); An air intake and exhaust system, comprising an air intake pipe (40) located below the cleaning member (30a / 30b) and a dust removal pipe (50) opposite to the air intake pipe (40); The active end of the cleaning member (30a / 30b) actively applies a directional force to the surface of the roller (20), so that the debris is separated from the surface of the roller (20) and falls into the air flow path formed by the air inlet pipe (40) and the dust removal pipe (50).

2. The powder material 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning member (30a / 30b) comprises a first cleaning member, the first cleaning member being a scraper (30a), the back end (31a) of the scraper (30a) being connected to the inner wall of the semi-open cavity (111), and the blade end (32a) of the scraper (30a) being an active end; The blade end (32a) scrapes the surface of the roller (20) to exert a non-adhesive physical force, so that the dust is separated from the roller (20) under the scraping action of the blade end (32a) and does not adhere to the blade.

3. The powder material 3D printing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The blade back end (31a) is fixed to the inner side wall of the semi-open cavity (111) via a rotating shaft (33a), and a second driving mechanism is provided on the support frame (10), which drives the scraper (30a) to rotate around the rotating shaft (33a) to switch between a hidden position and a cleaning position.

4. The powder material 3D printing device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The cleaning member (30a / 30b) comprises a second cleaning member, the second cleaning member is a flow channel (30b) forming an air knife, and the flow channel (30b) is constructed in the side wall of the semi-open cavity (111); The air outlet (32b) of the flow channel (30b) is the action end, and the air outlet (32b) faces the peripheral side of the roller (20) and forms an air knife acting on the surface of the roller (20). The airflow exerts a non-adhesive physical force on the surface of the roller (20), so that the dust is separated from the roller (20) and does not adhere to the air outlet (32b).

5. The powder material 3D printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The support frame (10) comprises a main body (11), and an assembly plate (12) arranged on the main body (11), wherein the assembly plate (12) and the main body (11) define the semi-open cavity (111), and the flow channel (30b) is constructed in the assembly plate (12).

6. The powder material 3D printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The width of the flow channel (30b) from the air inlet (31b) to the air outlet (32b) gradually decreases to form an air knife at the air outlet (32b).

7. The powder material 3D printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The air inlet pipe (40) is connected to the flow channel (30b).

8. The powder material 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake pipe (40) is provided with a first solenoid valve (41), and the dust removal pipe (50) is provided with a second solenoid valve (51).

9. A cleaning method, applicable to the powder material 3D printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S1. If the cleaning member (30a / 30b) includes a scraper (30a), driving the scraper (30a) to move to a cleaning position on the surface of the roller (20); S2, starting the air intake and exhaust system, so that the air intake pipe (40) allows air to flow into the semi-open cavity (111), and the dust removal pipe (50) simultaneously extracts air, so as to form an airflow path that passes through the bottom of the cleaning member (30a / 30b); S3, driving the roller (20) to rotate around its axis, so that the active end of the cleaning member (30a / 30b) guides the debris separated from the surface of the roller (20) into the air flow path.

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