Lunar soil 3D printing device and method based on electrostatic dust collection

Abstract

The invention discloses a lunar soil 3D printing device and method based on electrostatic dust collection. The lunar soil 3D printing device at least comprises a printing module, an electrostatic dust collection module, a particle monitoring module and a vacuum cavity. The electrostatic dust collection module and the particle monitoring module are arranged in the vacuum cavity, and the printing module is connected with the vacuum cavity; wherein a cavity partition plate and a cavity organ cover are arranged in the vacuum cavity, and the electrostatic dust collection module is arranged on the cavity partition plate. According to the invention, smoke particles can be efficiently charged and captured in a high-vacuum 3D printing environment. And meanwhile, the lunar soil raw material can be subjected to 3D printing under the high vacuum degree.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of 3D printing manufacturing, and more particularly to a technology for dust removal during 3D printing using a laser or electron beam in a high vacuum environment. Specifically, the present application relates to a lunar soil 3D printing device and printing method that efficiently utilizes electrostatic dust removal to remove smoke from a 3D printing cavity. Background Art

[0002] Additive manufacturing (3D printing) technology has the advantages of short process and rapid manufacturing. In recent years, it has become the main development direction of space manufacturing. Space additive manufacturing or space 3D printing technology aims to use space-based raw materials or in-situ resources to realize the in-situ manufacturing of functional structures in space using 3D printing technology. However, the existing technology has the following three problems:

[0003] 1. During the 3D printing process of lunar soil, high-temperature sintering by laser / electron beam will produce smoke particles such as metal oxides and silicates at the nano to micron scale, which can easily contaminate the vacuum cavity and optical electronic components.

[0004] 2. Traditional mechanical filtration or gas adsorption methods are difficult to apply in high vacuum (lack of gas carrier).

[0005] 3. Traditional electrostatic dust removal technology relies on gas ionization or friction charging, but the ionization efficiency is low due to the scarcity of gas molecules in a high vacuum environment.

[0006] Practice has shown that when using lunar soil as the substrate for 3D printing and adopting high-power laser printing with a printing laser power parameter of 200-300W, a large amount of smoke will be generated during the process. This smoke will cause lens contamination, thereby affecting the effect of laser 3D printing and even damaging optical components. The existing 3D printing fan filter device cannot withstand vacuum pressure, and the air flow in the vacuum environment is thin, which cannot achieve the purpose of air circulation filtration. Therefore, it is necessary to design new equipment to solve these problems. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a lunar soil 3D printing device and printing method based on electrostatic dust removal, which aims to realize 3D printing of lunar soil raw materials in a high vacuum environment.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0009] A lunar soil 3D printing device based on electrostatic dust removal, the lunar soil 3D printing device comprising at least a printing module, an electrostatic dust removal module, a particle monitoring module, and a vacuum upper chamber 18; the electrostatic dust removal module and the particle monitoring module are disposed within the vacuum chamber, and the printing module is connected to the vacuum chamber;

[0010] The vacuum chamber is provided with a chamber partition 7 and a chamber accordion cover 10 , and the electrostatic dust removal module is provided on the chamber partition 7 .

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the printing module includes at least a laser generating assembly 1, a raw material storage electric cylinder 2, a forming lifting electric cylinder 3 and a scraper 4. The laser generating assembly 1 is arranged at the top of the vacuum upper cavity 18, and the scraper 4 is arranged in the vacuum cavity and located on the bottom surface of the vacuum upper cavity 18. The bottom surface of the vacuum upper cavity 18 is downwardly connected to the vacuum lower cavity 19. The raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming lifting electric cylinder 3 are both arranged in the vacuum lower cavity 19, and the chamber accordion cover 10 is covered on the scraper 4.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming jacking electric cylinder 3 are set up in parallel, and the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming jacking electric cylinder 3 are respectively provided with a raw material storage electric cylinder lifting surface 17 and a forming jacking electric cylinder forming surface 16. After the lunar soil raw material passes through the raw material storage electric cylinder lifting surface 17 to a preset height, the scraper 4 scrapes the lunar soil raw material to the forming jacking electric cylinder forming surface 16.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cavity partition 7 is provided with a light spot through-hole 20 , and the forming jacking electric cylinder 3 is located below the light spot through-hole 20 .

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the electrostatic dust removal module includes at least an electron gun emission unit 5 and a dust collecting electrode 6, wherein the dust collecting electrode 6 is fixed on the light spot through hole 20 and is vertically arranged with respect to the cavity partition 7; the electron gun emission unit 5 is integrated on the dust collecting electrode 6, and the electron gun emission unit 5 is located below the cavity partition 7.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the dust collecting electrode 6 is a multi-stage concentric cylindrical structure, the internal electrode voltage of the dust collecting electrode 6 is 5-20 kV, and the external electrode is grounded, forming a radial electric field gradient;

[0016] The surface of the dust collecting electrode 6 is provided with a positive electrode receiving area coated with a titanium dioxide nano-coating.

[0017] In one embodiment of the present invention, the particle monitoring module at least includes a smoke particle monitoring sensor 15 , and two smoke particle monitoring sensors 15 are respectively disposed in upper and lower cavities separated by a chamber partition 7 in the vacuum upper cavity 18 .

[0018] In one embodiment of the present invention, an air suction port 8 and an air inlet 9 are further provided on one side of the vacuum upper cavity 18, and the air suction port 8 and the air inlet 9 are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the chamber partition 7; a pressure gauge 13 and a camera and lighting assembly 14 are also provided on the top of the vacuum upper cavity 18, and a raw material collection tank 12 is also connected to the bottom of the vacuum upper cavity 18, and a connecting port of the raw material collection tank 12 is provided on the bottom plate of the vacuum upper cavity 18 and is located inside the chamber accordion cover 10.

[0019] The present invention also provides a lunar soil 3D printing method based on electrostatic dust removal, using any of the above-mentioned lunar soil 3D printing devices, and the lunar soil 3D printing method includes:

[0020] The vacuum upper cavity 18 is evacuated;

[0021] Start the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming lifting electric cylinder 3 of the printing module, spread the soil in the vacuum upper cavity 18, and print the lunar soil raw material through the laser generating assembly 1;

[0022] When smoke particles pass through the electron gun emission area, the electron gun emission unit 5 bombards the smoke particles and attaches electrons to the smoke particles;

[0023] The dust collecting electrode 6 absorbs the above-mentioned smoke particles and degrades the adsorbed lunar soil particles through ultraviolet light catalysis.

[0024] In one embodiment of the present invention, the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 will be located to lift the lunar soil raw material to a preset height, and the scraper 4 of the printing module will scrape the lunar soil raw material on the lifting surface 17 of the raw material storage electric cylinder to the molding surface 16 of the molding lifting electric cylinder, and then the lunar soil raw material will be printed through the laser generating assembly 1.

[0025] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0026] This application can achieve high vacuum (ie vacuum degree of 10 -3 In a 3D printing environment (above pa), smoke particles are efficiently charged and captured, achieving the purpose of purification and dust removal. It can also perform 3D printing on lunar soil materials under high vacuum, overcoming the dilemma of traditional methods that rely on filter cartridges or gas adsorption in lunar soil or high-vacuum printing environments, as these devices cannot withstand vacuum pressure and are difficult to use in high vacuum environments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of the printing device of the present invention.

[0028] Figure numerals: 1. Laser generator assembly; 2. Raw material storage electric cylinder; 3. Forming lifting electric cylinder; 4. Scraper; 5. Electron gun; 6. Dust collecting electrode; 7. Chamber partition; 8. Air suction port; 9. Air inlet; 10. Chamber accordion cover; 11. Window piece; 12. Raw material collection tank; 13. Pressure gauge; 14. Camera and lighting assembly; 15. Smoke particle monitoring sensor; 16. Forming surface of forming lifting electric cylinder; 17. Lifting surface of raw material storage electric cylinder; 18. Vacuum upper cavity; 19. Vacuum lower cavity; 20. Light spot through-hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the embodiments described are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] Embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, are described throughout, where the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The terms "first," "second," "third," and so forth (if any) in the specification and claims of the present invention, as well as in the accompanying drawings, are used to distinguish similar items and are not necessarily used to describe a particular order or precedence. It should be understood that the items described in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate. Furthermore, the terms "including," "having," and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. Directional terms used herein, such as "up," "down," "left," "right," "front," "back," "inside," "outside," and "side," are intended to refer only to the directions in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative and intended solely to explain the present invention and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. Furthermore, reference numbers and / or reference letters are repeated throughout the various examples. This repetition is for simplicity and clarity and does not in itself indicate a relationship between the various embodiments and / or configurations discussed. Furthermore, while the present invention provides examples of various specific processes and materials, those skilled in the art will appreciate the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention proposes a lunar soil 3D printing device based on electrostatic dust removal, which includes at least a printing module, an electrostatic dust removal module, a particle monitoring module, and a vacuum upper chamber 18. The electrostatic dust removal module and the particle monitoring module are arranged in the vacuum upper chamber 18, and the printing module is connected to the vacuum upper chamber 18.

[0032] Preferably, the plates of the upper vacuum cavity 18 are made of AL6061 aluminum plates with a wall thickness of more than 15 mm, and the plates are welded together with the weld foot height reaching at least 3 mm.

[0033] Preferably, the volume of the vacuum upper cavity 18 is 1m 3 .

[0034] Specifically, a cavity partition 7 and a chamber accordion cover 10 are provided in the vacuum upper cavity 18 , and the electrostatic dust removal module is provided on the cavity partition 7 .

[0035] Furthermore, an air inlet 8 and an air inlet 9 are provided on one side of the vacuum upper cavity 18. The air inlet 8 and the air inlet 9 are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the chamber partition 7. When the device is in use, a vacuum molecular pump can be used to pump the vacuum upper cavity 18 to a specified vacuum degree through the air inlet 8. Preferably, the vacuum degree is 10 -3 pa and above.

[0036] The printing module includes at least a laser generating assembly 1, a raw material storage electric cylinder 2, a forming lifting electric cylinder 3, and a scraper 4. The laser generating assembly 1 is arranged at the top of the vacuum upper cavity 18. Preferably, the laser generating assembly 1 can be a laser or electron beam generator. The scraper 4 is arranged in the vacuum upper cavity 18 and is located on the bottom surface of the vacuum upper cavity 18. The bottom surface of the vacuum upper cavity 18 is downwardly connected to the vacuum lower cavity 19. Optionally, the vacuum upper cavity 18 and the vacuum lower cavity 19 are fastened together by an O-ring and screws. The raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming lifting electric cylinder 3 are both arranged in the vacuum lower cavity 19, and the chamber accordion cover 10 is covered on the scraper 4.

[0037] Optionally, a window piece 11 is further provided below the laser generating assembly 1 . The window piece 11 is located in the upper vacuum cavity 18 and is fixed below the top plate of the upper vacuum cavity 18 .

[0038] In addition, the printing laser or electron beam, galvanometer, field lens, etc. of the printing module constitute an optical unit.

[0039] Furthermore, the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming jacking electric cylinder 3 are set up in parallel, and the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming jacking electric cylinder 3 are respectively provided with a raw material storage electric cylinder lifting surface 17 and a forming jacking electric cylinder forming surface 16. After the lunar soil raw material passes through the raw material storage electric cylinder lifting surface 17 to a preset height, the scraper 4 scrapes the lunar soil raw material to the forming jacking electric cylinder forming surface 16.

[0040] Preferably, the preset height is 100 μm.

[0041] The cavity partition 7 is provided with a light spot through-hole 20 , and the forming jacking electric cylinder 3 is located below the light spot through-hole 20 .

[0042] The printing module further includes a raw material collection tank 12, a pressure gauge 13, and a camera and lighting assembly 14. Both the pressure gauge 13 and the camera and lighting assembly 14 are located at the top of the upper vacuum chamber 18, to one side of the laser generating assembly 1. The raw material collection tank 12 is connected to the upper vacuum chamber 18 and to its bottom, with its connection port located within the chamber accordion cover 10.

[0043] When the printing module is working, the lunar soil raw material is placed in the vacuum chamber 19, and the lunar soil raw material of a preset height is pushed upward by the raw material storage electric cylinder 2, and then the lunar soil raw material at this height is scraped onto the forming cylinder printing surface 16 of the corresponding forming lifting electric cylinder 3 by the scraper 4, and then the laser generating component 1 of the laser or electron beam is used to irradiate the lunar soil raw material below and sinter it, so that the stacking and printing are repeated in a continuous cycle until it is finally formed.

[0044] The electrostatic dust removal module includes at least an electron gun emission unit 5 and a dust collecting electrode 6. The dust collecting electrode 6 is fixed on the light spot through-hole 20 and is vertically arranged with respect to the cavity partition 7. The electron gun emission unit 5 is integrated on the dust collecting electrode 6, and the electron gun emission unit 5 is located below the cavity partition 7.

[0045] The smoke generated by the lunar soil raw materials being 3D printed in the vacuum upper cavity 18 can be bombarded with smoke particles by the electron beam of the electron gun emission unit 5, so that the particles are negatively charged, and then pass through the light spot through-hole 20 on the cavity partition 7 and reach the dust collecting electrode 6 for adsorption.

[0046] Specifically, the dust collecting electrode 6 is a multi-stage concentric cylindrical structure. The internal electrode voltage of the dust collecting electrode 6 is 5-20kV, and the external electrode is grounded to form a radial electric field gradient. The surface of the dust collecting electrode 6 is provided with a positive electrode receiving area coated with a titanium dioxide nano-coating. After the positive electrode receiving area adsorbs the particles, the adsorbed lunar soil particles can be degraded by ultraviolet light catalysis.

[0047] The following differences are shown in Table 1 below compared to the traditional dust collection and maintenance solutions.

[0048] Table 1

[0049]

[0050] In another embodiment, the electrostatic dust removal module does not have an electron gun emission unit 5. In this case, the laser generating component 1 of the printing module is an electron beam generator. At this time, the electron beam of the laser generating component 1 bombards the smoke particles, causing the particles to carry negative charges, and then pass through the light spot through-hole 20 on the cavity partition 7 and reach the dust collecting electrode 6 for adsorption.

[0051] The particle monitoring module includes at least a smoke particle monitoring sensor 15. Two smoke particle monitoring sensors 15 are respectively arranged in the upper and lower cavities separated by the chamber partition 7 in the vacuum upper cavity 18, so as to monitor the particle concentration in the upper and lower chambers of the vacuum upper cavity 18 in real time and adjust the charging and dust collection parameters.

[0052] The present invention also provides a lunar soil 3D printing method based on electrostatic dust removal. Based on the above-mentioned lunar soil 3D printing device based on electrostatic dust removal of this application, the lunar soil 3D printing method includes:

[0053] S100 , evacuating the upper vacuum cavity 18 .

[0054] Specifically, open the valve of the air inlet 8 provided on the vacuum upper cavity 18 and the molecular vacuum pump connected to the air inlet 8 to pump the vacuum upper cavity 18 to 10 -3 Vacuum degree of pa.

[0055] S200. Start the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming lifting electric cylinder 3 of the printing module, spread the soil in the vacuum upper cavity 18, and print the lunar soil raw material through the laser generating component 1.

[0056] Specifically, the printing module of the lunar soil 3D printing device is opened, and the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 and the forming lifting electric cylinder 3 are used to carry out the soil laying operation. Then, the laser generating component 1 of the laser or electron beam is turned on, and the 3D printing is started by setting the printing parameters. The lunar soil raw material below is irradiated and sintered. In this way, the stacking and printing are repeated in a continuous cycle until the final formation is formed.

[0057] Furthermore, the raw material storage electric cylinder 2 lifts the lunar soil raw material located in the powder cylinder storage area 20 to a preset height, and the scraper 4 of the printing module scrapes the lunar soil raw material on the lifting surface 17 of the raw material storage electric cylinder to the molding surface 16 of the molding lifting electric cylinder, and then prints the lunar soil raw material through the laser generating component 1.

[0058] S300 , smoke particles pass through the electron gun emission area, and the electron gun emission unit 5 bombards the smoke particles, causing the smoke particles to be attached with electrons.

[0059] S400, the dust collecting electrode 6 adsorbs the above-mentioned smoke particles and degrades the adsorbed lunar soil particles through ultraviolet light catalysis.

[0060] Specifically, after the smoke particles are attached with electrons, they are driven by the 15kV voltage of the dust collecting electrode 6 to adsorb the smoke particles into the positive electrode receiving area coated with titanium dioxide nano-coating, and then the adsorbed lunar soil particles are degraded through ultraviolet light catalysis.

[0061] The method of using the lunar soil 3D printing device based on electrostatic dust removal in this application is as follows:

[0062] First, preheat the electron gun, and then use a vacuum molecular pump to pump a volume of 1m 3 The vacuum chamber is pumped to 10 -3 Pa or above, heat the cathode to a high temperature, at this time the temperature is about 2000 ℃, the electrons gain enough energy to overcome the surface potential barrier and escape, then use the raw material storage electric cylinder to lift it 100μm, use a scraper to scrape the lunar soil at this height to the forming surface of the forming lifting electric cylinder; then adjust the laser or electron beam power, set it to about 250W, turn on the electron gun to bombard the generated smoke particles so that the particles carry electrons, and then pass through the +15kV dust collecting electrode to make the smoke particles be adsorbed to the positive electrode receiving area coated with titanium dioxide nano-coating, and then use ultraviolet light catalytic degradation to adsorb the lunar soil particles, and the dust removal and purification rate is >99%.

[0063] The lunar soil 3D printing device and method based on electrostatic dust removal of the present invention can realize the efficient charging and capture of smoke particles in a high vacuum 3D printing environment. It can also simultaneously complete the high vacuum degree (10 -3 3D printing of lunar soil raw materials was performed under conditions of 1.5 pa or above. This expanded the application scenarios, improved the dust removal and purification rate, avoided equipment contamination, and enhanced the 3D printing effect.

[0064] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

Claims

1. A lunar soil 3D printing device based on electrostatic dust removal, characterized in that: The lunar soil 3D printing device comprises at least a printing module, an electrostatic dust removal module, a particle monitoring module and a vacuum upper cavity (18); the electrostatic dust removal module and the particle monitoring module are arranged in the vacuum cavity, and the printing module is connected to the vacuum cavity; A cavity partition (7) and a chamber accordion cover (10) are provided in the vacuum cavity, and the electrostatic dust removal module is provided on the cavity partition (7).

2. The lunar soil 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The printing module at least includes a laser generating assembly (1), a raw material storage electric cylinder (2), a forming lifting electric cylinder (3) and a scraper (4); the laser generating assembly (1) is arranged on the top of the vacuum upper cavity (18); the scraper (4) is arranged in the vacuum cavity and is located on the bottom surface of the vacuum upper cavity (18); the bottom surface of the vacuum upper cavity (18) is downwardly connected to the vacuum lower cavity (19); the raw material storage electric cylinder (2) and the forming lifting electric cylinder (3) are both arranged in the vacuum lower cavity (19); and the chamber accordion cover (10) is covered on the scraper (4).

3. The lunar soil 3D printing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The raw material storage electric cylinder (2) and the forming jacking electric cylinder (3) are set up in parallel, and the raw material storage electric cylinder (2) and the forming jacking electric cylinder (3) are respectively provided with a raw material storage electric cylinder jacking surface (17) and a forming jacking electric cylinder forming surface (16). After the lunar soil raw material is ejected to a preset height by the raw material storage electric cylinder jacking surface (17), the scraper (4) scrapes the lunar soil raw material to the forming jacking electric cylinder forming surface (16).

4. The lunar soil 3D printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cavity partition (7) is provided with a light spot through-hole (20), and the forming jacking electric cylinder (3) is located below the light spot through-hole (20).

5. The lunar soil 3D printing device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The electrostatic dust removal module comprises at least an electron gun emission unit (5) and a dust collecting electrode (6), wherein the dust collecting electrode (6) is fixed on the light spot through-hole (20) and is vertically arranged with respect to the cavity partition (7); the electron gun emission unit (5) is integrated on the dust collecting electrode (6), and the electron gun emission unit (5) is located below the cavity partition (7).

6. The lunar soil 3D printing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The dust collecting electrode (6) is a multi-stage concentric cylindrical structure, the internal electrode voltage of the dust collecting electrode (6) is 5-20 kV, and the external electrode is grounded, forming a radial electric field gradient; The surface of the dust collecting electrode (6) is provided with a positive electrode receiving area coated with a titanium dioxide nano-coating.

7. The lunar soil 3D printing device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The particle monitoring module comprises at least a smoke particle monitoring sensor (15), and two smoke particle monitoring sensors (15) are respectively arranged in upper and lower cavities separated by a chamber partition (7) in a vacuum upper cavity (18).

8. The lunar soil 3D printing device according to claim 7, characterized in that: An air intake port (8) and an air inlet (9) are also provided on one side of the vacuum upper cavity (18), and the air intake port (8) and the air inlet (9) are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the chamber partition (7); a pressure gauge (13) and a camera and lighting assembly (14) are also provided on the top of the vacuum upper cavity (18), and a raw material collection tank (12) is also connected to the bottom of the vacuum upper cavity (18), and a connecting port of the raw material collection tank (12) is provided on the bottom plate of the vacuum upper cavity (18) and is located in the chamber accordion cover (10).

9. A lunar soil 3D printing method based on electrostatic dust removal, characterized in that: Using the lunar soil 3D printing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, the lunar soil 3D printing method includes: The vacuum upper cavity (18) is subjected to vacuum treatment; The raw material storage electric cylinder (2) and the forming lifting electric cylinder (3) of the printing module are activated, soil is spread in the vacuum upper cavity (18), and the lunar soil raw material is printed by the laser generating assembly (1); The smoke particles pass through the electron gun emission area, and the electron gun emission unit (5) bombards the smoke particles, causing the smoke particles to attach electrons; The dust collecting electrode (6) adsorbs the smoke particles and degrades the adsorbed lunar soil particles through ultraviolet light catalysis.

10. The lunar soil 3D printing method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The raw material storage electric cylinder (2) lifts the lunar soil raw material located in the powder cylinder storage area (20) to a preset height, and the scraper (4) of the printing module scrapes the lunar soil raw material on the lifting surface (17) of the raw material storage electric cylinder onto the molding surface (16) of the molding lifting electric cylinder, and then the lunar soil raw material is printed through the laser generating component (1).

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