Powder material 3D printing device and cleaning method

Abstract

The application discloses a kind of powder material 3D printing device and cleaning method, device includes: support frame, cleaning piece, air intake and exhaust system.The support frame defines half open cavity;The active end of the cleaning piece the active end of the cleaning piece is towards roller surface;Including the air inlet pipe below the cleaning piece and the dust removal pipe opposite to the air inlet pipe;Wherein, the cleaning piece is configured as: the active end actively applies directional force to roller surface, so that sundries is separated from roller surface and falls into the airflow path formed by air inlet pipe and dust removal pipe.By this means, the mode that originally needs to be contacted " sticks " dust or adherend is changed to be sucked away by air intake and exhaust system, so it is not necessary to set up the cleaning piece with adsorption effect, for example, adopt cotton piece wiping mode carries away powder or adherend, so it can be set as any kind of non-adhesion cleaning structure, and avoid cleaning piece as the carrier of cleaning to carry dust, produce secondary pollution to roller.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of 3D printing equipment, and particularly relates to a powder material 3D printing device and a cleaning method. BACKGROUND

[0002] 3DP (three-dimensional printing) forming method is a typical powder (granular) material 3D printing technology, which was first proposed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States in 1989 in US5204055A1. The specific process of the method is to uniformly lay a layer of powder on the platform, the print head scans and sprays a liquid material in a specific area, so that the powder in the sprayed part is bonded together, at this time the platform is lowered by a certain layer thickness, and the above steps are repeated until all the layer powder laying and printing work is completed.

[0003] For the 3DP type printer, the granular material needs to be added to the powder laying device first, then the powder laying device lays a layer of powder material on the lifting base plate, then the powder is scraped flat by a scraper or other tool, and finally the nozzle sprays the bonding material selectively to the laid powder according to the X-Y cross-sectional shape of the three-dimensional 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 is lowered to the height of a cross section, and then the above steps are repeated until the prototype printing is completed, and thus the workpiece is accumulated by layer-by-layer printing.

[0004] In the current technology, the powder laying device used by the 3DP type printer is mostly a roller or a scraper. In the printing process, the roller and the scraper are in direct contact with the powder bed. If foreign matter adheres to the roller, it will damage the powder surface laid later, and thus seriously affect the printing, causing the printing to fail.

[0005] The current common solution is to have a wiping mechanism. When such a situation occurs, a fixed cotton cloth or a brush or a flexible material is used to wipe the surface of the roller. However, with the increase of wiping frequency, the foreign matter wiped off will cause secondary pollution to the roller. SUMMARY

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

[0007] The purpose of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, the application discloses a powder material 3D printing device, which comprises a support frame, a cleaning component and an air intake and exhaust system. The support frame defines a semi-open cavity, and a roller is arranged in the semi-open cavity. The cleaning component is one or more, and is arranged on the wall surface of the semi-open cavity and faces the circumferential side of the roller. The active end of the cleaning component faces the surface of the roller. The air intake and exhaust system comprises an air inlet pipe below the cleaning component and a dust removal pipe opposite to the air inlet pipe. The active end of the cleaning component actively applies a directional force to the surface of the roller, so that the dirt is separated from the surface of the roller and falls into the airflow path formed by the air inlet pipe and the dust removal pipe.

[0009] The application has the beneficial effect that the dust or adhering objects originally removed by contact are removed by the air intake and exhaust system, so that the cleaning component with adsorption effect, such as a cotton piece, is not needed to remove the powder or adhering objects, and the cleaning component can be any non-adhesion cleaning structure, and the cleaning component as a carrier of cleaning does not carry dust to cause secondary pollution to the roller.

[0010] Further, the cleaning component comprises a first cleaning component, which is a scraper. The back end of the scraper is connected to the inner wall of the semi-open cavity, and the cutting edge end of the scraper is the active end. The cutting edge end of the scraper scrapes the surface of the roller to apply a non-adhesion physical force, so that the dust is separated from the roller under the scraping action of the cutting edge end and does not adhere to the cutting edge.

[0011] Further, the back end of the scraper is fixed to the inner wall of the semi-open cavity through a rotating shaft. A second driving mechanism is arranged on the support frame, and the second driving mechanism drives the scraper to rotate around the rotating shaft to switch between the hidden position and the cleaning position.

[0012] Further, the cleaning component comprises a second cleaning component, which is a flow channel forming an air knife. The flow channel is arranged in the side wall of the semi-open cavity. The air outlet of the flow channel is the active end, and the air outlet faces the circumferential side of the roller and forms an air knife acting on the surface of the roller. The airflow applies a non-adhesion physical force to the surface of the roller, so that the dust is separated from the roller and does not adhere to the air outlet.

[0013] Further, the support frame comprises a body and an assembly plate arranged on the body. The assembly plate and the body define the semi-open cavity. The flow channel is arranged in the assembly plate.

[0014] Further, 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.

[0015] Further, the air inlet pipe is connected to the flow channel.

[0016] Further, the first electromagnetic valve is arranged on the air inlet pipe, and the second electromagnetic valve is arranged on the dust removal pipe.

[0017] In a second aspect, the application further discloses a cleaning method suitable for the powder material 3D printing device, comprising the following steps: S1, if the cleaning member comprises a scraper, driving the scraper to move to a cleaning position on the roller surface; S2, starting the air inlet and exhaust system, so that the air inlet pipe introduces gas into the semi-open cavity, and the dust removal pipe exhausts air to form an air flow path through the lower part of the cleaning member;

[0018] S3, driving the roller to rotate around its axis, so that the acting end of the cleaning member guides the dirt on the roller surface into the air flow path. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a powder material 3D printing device according to some embodiments of the application;

[0020] Figure 2 Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the powder material 3D printing device according to some embodiments of the application;

[0021] Figure 3 Fig. 3 is a sectional view along line A-A in Fig. 1; Figure 2

[0022] Fig. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of an assembly plate according to some embodiments of the application; Figure 4

[0023] Fig. 5 is a sectional view along line B-B in Fig. 4; Figure 5 Figure 4 Fig. 6 is a structural schematic diagram of an assembly plate according to some embodiments of the application;

[0024] Figure 6 Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the powder material 3D printing device according to some embodiments of the application;

[0025] Figure 7 Fig. 8 is a sectional view along line C-C in Fig. 7;

[0026] Fig. 9 is a sectional view along line D-D in Fig. 7;

[0027] 10 - support frame, 11 - body, 12 - assembly plate, 111 - semi-open cavity, 112 - rear plate, 113 - top plate, 114 - front plate, 13 - bolt hole, 14 - first driving motor, 141 - coupling, 15 - second driving motor;

[0028] 20 - roller;

[0029] 30a - scraper, 31a - back end, 32a - blade end, 33a - rotating shaft;​

[0030] 30b - flow channel, 31b - air inlet, 32b - air outlet, 33b - interface groove;

[0031] 40 - air inlet pipe, 41 - first electromagnetic valve, 42 - air inlet joint;

[0032] 50 - dust removal pipe, 51 - second electromagnetic valve. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions of the present application will be described clearly and completely in combination with the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] Referring to Figures 1-7 , a powder material 3D printing device provided by the embodiments of the present application includes a roller 20, a cleaning member 30a / 30b, and an air inlet and exhaust system.

[0035] As shown in Figures 1-2 , the powder material 3D printing device includes a main body part (not shown in the figure) and a support frame 10 arranged on the main body part, the support frame 10 defines a semi-open cavity 111 toward the printing side, and the opening side faces the printing direction. The roller 20 is arranged in the semi-open cavity 111, and the peripheral side of the roller 20 faces the opening side of the semi-open cavity 111. One end of the support frame 10 is configured with a plurality of bolt holes 13 to connect with other components (not shown in the figure) of the powder material 3D printing device through the bolt holes 13; as shown in Figure 2 , the other end of the support frame 10 is provided with a first driving motor 14, and the roller 20 is rotatably arranged at both ends of the support frame 10 in the axial direction, and one end thereof is connected with the output shaft of the aforementioned first driving motor 14 through a shaft coupling 141, so that it can rotate around its own axis under the action of the first driving motor 14.

[0036] The cleaning member 30a / 30b has an acting end, the cleaning member 30a / 30b is arranged on the peripheral side of the roller 20, and the acting end faces the surface of the roller 20. The air inlet and exhaust system includes an air inlet pipe 40 located below the cleaning member 30a / 30b and a dust removal pipe 50 opposite to the air inlet pipe 40; the acting end of the cleaning member 30a / 30b applies a non-adhesion physical force to the peripheral side of the roller 20, so that the dust is separated from the roller 20 under the action of the acting end and does not adhere to the acting section. The physical action includes but is not limited to pneumatic force impact or mechanical peeling to make the adherend instantaneously separate from the roller surface.

[0037] The adhesion on the roller surface will enter the directional airflow field formed by the air inlet pipe 40 and the dust removal pipe 50. The high-speed airflow sprayed upward from the air inlet pipe 40 forms an air curtain barrier, which lifts the falling adhesion to a predetermined height; at the same time, the negative pressure vortex generated by the dust removal pipe 50 on the opposite side of the air inlet pipe 40 captures the suspended adhesion to prevent the adhesion from sticking to the roller 20 or falling in the printing area.

[0038] It can be understood that the embodiment of the present application changes the way of "sticking" dust or adhesion in a contact manner to a way of sucking through the air inlet and outlet system, so that it is not necessary to set a cleaning member 30a / 30b with adsorption function, such as using a cotton piece to wipe off the powder or adhesion, so that it can be set as any non-sticking cleaning structure, and the cleaning member 30a / 30b as a carrier for cleaning can carry dust, causing secondary pollution to the roller 20.

[0039] For better understanding, the cleaning member 30a / 30b will be described in combination with some specific examples.

[0040] As shown in Figure 3 , 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.

[0041] The back end 31a of the scraper 30a is fixed to the inner side wall of the semi-open cavity 111 through the rotating shaft 33a, and the blade end 32a thereof is the acting end. In addition, the support frame 10 is also provided with a second driving motor 15 (opposite to the position of the first driving motor 14), which drives the scraper 30a to rotate around the rotating shaft 33a. The second driving motor 15 drives the scraper 30a to rotate around the rotating shaft 33a. Referring to Figure 3 , when the powder laying defects (such as scratches and pits) appear on the laid powder surface, the powder laying device starts self-cleaning; at this time, the second driving motor 15 can control the scraper to rotate from the hidden position a to the cleaning position b, and in this position (b position), the blade end 32a (i.e. the acting end) of the scraper is in contact with the surface of the roller 20, so that the adhesion is separated from the roller 20 under the scraping action of the blade, and does not stay on the blade.

[0042] On the other side wall of the semi-open cavity 111, a flow channel 30b is configured, the opening of the flow channel 30b away from the inner side 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 that of the air outlet 32b, and the air outlet 32b faces the circumferential side of the roller 20 as the action end. In the present example, the width of the airflow 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 as a structure with extremely small width and length substantially consistent with the length of the roller 20, so as to form a high wind pressure when the airflow is blown out of the air outlet 32b, thereby forming a wind knife acting on the surface of the roller 20. The airflow exerts a non-adhesion 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.

[0043] In some examples, the air outlet 32b of the flow channel 30b is tangent to the circumferential side of the roller 20, so that the blown gas forms a laminar flow around the outer wall of the roller 20 along the circumference of the roller 20, so as to prevent the dust from falling to the printing area.

[0044] In some examples, as shown in Figures 4-5 The support frame 10 includes a body 11 and an assembly plate 12 arranged on one side of the body 11. The body 11 includes a rear side plate 112 and a top plate 113 arranged perpendicularly to the rear side plate 112. The top plate 113 extends to form a front side plate 114 opposite to the rear side plate 112. One side (in the thickness direction) of the assembly plate 12 is parallel to and opposite to the rear side plate 112, so as to be enclosed together with the rear side plate 112, the front side plate 114 and the top plate 113 to form the semi-open cavity 111, and to participate in defining the semi-open cavity 111 together with the rear side plate 112, the front side plate 114 and the top plate 113.

[0045] The flow channel 30b is configured inside the assembly plate 12, and the air inlet 31b and the air outlet 32b of the flow channel 30b are arranged on both sides of the assembly plate 12 in the thickness direction. Figure 6 As shown and Figure 1 It is understood that the assembly plate 12 is further configured with an interface groove 33b in communication with the air inlet 31b of the flow channel 30b. The interface groove 33b is in communication with the air inlet pipe 40 of the air supply and exhaust system, and further in communication with the air inlet 31b of the flow channel 30b. In this way, the assembly plate 12 is arranged in a separate structure from the body 11, which facilitates disassembly.

[0046] As shown in Figure 7As shown, the air inlet pipe 40 is connected to the flow channel 30b, and three connecting ports are arranged between the air inlet pipe 40 and the flow channel 30b. A first electromagnetic valve 41 is arranged at the connecting port in the starting position, so as to control whether the air inlet pipe 40 is connected to the flow channel 30b or not. An air inlet joint 42 is arranged at each connecting port, so as to connect the air inlet pipe 40 to the flow channel 30b.

[0047] As shown in FIG. 1, the support frame 10 is provided with a first driving motor 10a and a second driving motor 10b. The first driving motor 10a is connected to the roller 20, and the second driving motor 10b is connected to the scraper 30a. Figure 1 and Figure 7 As shown, the top of the support frame 10 is connected to a dust removal pipe 50, and the dust removal pipe 50 is connected to the semi-open cavity 111 to remove the powder blown 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 electromagnetic valve 51 is arranged on the dust removal pipe 50, so as to control whether the dust removal pipe 50 is connected to the support frame 10 or not.

[0048] It can be understood that, by supplying air to the semi-open cavity 111 through the flow channel 30b, the high-speed airflow can be sprayed from the narrow air outlet 32b to form a wind knife with high kinetic energy, which directly impacts the surface of the roller 20 to strongly blow away the adhered powder or the dust scraped by the scraper 30a. In addition, the laminar flow gas around the roller 20 is formed in the semi-open cavity 111, so as to force 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), thereby effectively preventing the dust from scattering to cause secondary pollution.

[0049] Of course, in some other embodiments, the cleaning member 30a / 30b can only include the first cleaning member or the second cleaning member, which will not be described in detail herein.

[0050] Based on the embodiment in which the first cleaning member and the second cleaning member are arranged at the same time, the application further discloses a cleaning method, which comprises the following steps:

[0051] When the powder laying surface is laid with defects (such as scratches and pits), the powder laying device starts self-cleaning. The second driving motor 15 controls the scraper 30a to rotate to the cleaning position b, and the scraper 30a is in contact with the surface of the roller 20 at the cleaning position b.

[0052] Next, the first electromagnetic valve 41 controls the gas to enter the flow channel 30b, and the wind knife is formed at the air outlet 32b of the flow channel 30b to be discharged. The discharged gas directly blows on the roller 20 to clean the floating powder adhered to the roller 20, which is a non-contact cleaning mode. At the same time, the second electromagnetic valve 51 controls the exhaust pipe to be opened, and the roller 20 starts to rotate clockwise after the gas is started to be sucked from the semi-open cavity 111. The relatively firm adhering objects on the roller 20 are scraped by the scraper 30a, and the adhering objects and the dust are discharged by the dust removal pipe 50. This cleaning mode combines the contact cleaning mode and the non-contact cleaning mode.

[0053] Of course, in some other examples, the non-contact cleaning can be performed alone.

[0054] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the application. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the application to the exact construction and operation described. Accordingly, all such variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present application as defined in the claims below and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A powder material 3D printing device, characterized in that, include: A support frame (10) defines a semi-open cavity (111) in which a roller (20) is disposed. The cleaning components (30a / 30b) are multiple in number and are disposed on the wall of the semi-open cavity (111) facing the periphery of the roller (20), with the functional end of the cleaning components (30a / 30b) facing the surface of the roller (20). The cleaning components (30a / 30b) include a first cleaning component and a second cleaning component, wherein the first cleaning component is a scraper (30a). The second cleaning component is a flow channel (30b) that forms an air knife. The air outlet (32b) of the flow channel (30b) is the working end. The air outlet (32b) faces the periphery of the roller (20) and forms an air knife acting on the surface of the roller (20). The air outlet (32b) of the flow channel (30b) is tangent to the periphery of the roller (20), so that the blown gas forms a laminar flow around the outer circumference of the roller (20). The intake and exhaust system includes an intake pipe (40) located below the cleaning member (30a / 30b) and a dust removal pipe (50) opposite to the intake pipe (40), wherein the high-speed airflow ejected from the intake pipe (40) from bottom to top forms an air curtain barrier. The cleaning component (30a / 30b) actively applies a directional force to the surface of the roller (20) to remove debris from the surface of the roller (20) and allow it to fall into the directional airflow path formed by the air inlet pipe (40) and the dust removal pipe (50).

2. The powder material 3D printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The back end (31a) of the scraper (30a) is connected to the inner wall of the semi-open cavity (111), and the tip end (32a) of the scraper (30a) is the working end; The blade tip (32a) scrapes against the surface of the roller (20) to apply a non-adhesive physical force, so that the dust is removed from the roller (20) and does not stick to the blade tip under the scraping action of the blade tip (32a).

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

4. The powder material 3D printing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The flow channel (30b) is constructed within the sidewall of the semi-open cavity (111); The flow channel (30b) applies a non-adhesive physical force to the surface of the roller (20) through airflow, causing dust to detach from the roller (20) and not adhere to the air outlet (32b).

5. The powder material 3D printing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The support frame (10) includes a body (11) and an assembly plate (12) disposed on the body (11). The assembly plate (12) and the body (11) together define the semi-open cavity (111). The flow channel (30b) is constructed inside the assembly plate (12).

6. The powder material 3D printing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The opening in the flow channel (30b) away from the inner wall of the semi-open cavity (111) is the air inlet (31b). 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 apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The intake pipe (40) is connected to the flow channel (30b).

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

9. A cleaning method applicable to the powder material 3D printing apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, comprising the following steps: S1. If the cleaning component (30a / 30b) includes a scraper (30a), then the scraper (30a) is driven to move to a cleaning position on the surface of the roller (20); S2. Start the intake and exhaust system to allow gas to be introduced into the semi-open cavity (111) through the intake pipe (40) and at the same time, the dust removal pipe (50) draws air to form an airflow path that passes through the bottom of the cleaning component (30a / 30b); S3. Drive the roller (20) to rotate around its axis, so that the working end of the cleaning member (30a / 30b) guides the debris that has detached from the surface of the roller (20) into the airflow path.

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