Three-dimensional printing device and method, nonvolatile storage medium and computer device

Abstract

The invention discloses a three-dimensional printing device and method, a nonvolatile storage medium and a computer device. The method comprises the steps that a material containing mechanism comprises a bearing area; the first feeding mechanism is used for supplying a first material to the bearing area; the second feeding mechanism is used for at least supplying a second material different from the first material to the bearing area; wherein the first material is supplied to the bearing area in advance before the second material is supplied to the bearing area; the optical mechanism is used for exposing the first material and the second material in the bearing area, so that at least the second material is subjected to a photocuring reaction to form a cured layer; and the construction mechanism comprises a forming platform, and the forming platform is at least used for adhering the curing layers layer by layer and separating the curing layers from the bearing area layer by layer. The technical problem that in the related three-dimensional printing technology, the printing effect is poor due to the fact that a printing material cannot be fully spread when being applied to a material containing mechanism is solved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of three-dimensional forming equipment, in particular to a three-dimensional printing device, method, nonvolatile storage medium and computer device. BACKGROUND

[0002] 3D printing technology is to manufacture a three-dimensional entity in a layer-by-layer manner through a 3D printing device according to three-dimensional model data of an object. The 3D printing technology can overcome the special structure obstacles that cannot be realized by the current traditional mechanical processing, and realize the simple production of any complex structure parts.

[0003] The light-curing 3D printing technology has more and more wide application fields due to high forming precision, and has wide application in the fields of molds, customized commodities, medical jigs, dentistry, hand-made, prostheses and the like. The basic principle of the light-curing forming technology is to use layer-by-layer accumulation forming of materials, divide the shape of a three-dimensional target object into a plurality of slice layers, and irradiate liquid photosensitive resin with a light beam of a certain wavelength to make each layer of liquid photosensitive resin be exposed and cured to form the target object. Common light-curing 3D printers mainly include SLA light-curing 3D printers, DLP light-curing 3D printers and LCD light-curing 3D printers and various types.

[0004] However, in the existing three-dimensional printing technology, the three-dimensional printing material may not be fully spread on the material containing mechanism in some scenes, resulting in poor subsequent forming effect.

[0005] At present, no effective solution has been proposed for the above problems. SUMMARY

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a three-dimensional printing device, method, nonvolatile storage medium and computer device to at least solve the technical problem that the printing material cannot be fully spread on the material containing mechanism when applied, resulting in poor printing effect in related three-dimensional printing technology.

[0007] According to an aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a three-dimensional printing device is provided, comprising: a material containing mechanism comprising a bearing area; a first feeding mechanism for supplying a first material to the bearing area; a second feeding mechanism for supplying at least a second material different from the first material to the bearing area; wherein the first material is pre-supplied to the bearing area before the second material is supplied to the bearing area; an optical mechanism for exposing the first material and the second material of the bearing area to light, so that at least the second material is subjected to a light-curing reaction to form a cured layer; and a building mechanism comprising a forming platform, the forming platform being used at least for layer-by-layer adhesion of the cured layer and layer-by-layer separation of the cured layer from the bearing area. By pre-supplying the first material to the bearing area, the second material subsequently supplied can be better spread on the bearing area of the material containing mechanism.

[0008] In some embodiments, the first material supplied to the bearing area is configured to occupy a first region in the bearing area, and the second material supplied is configured to occupy a second region in the first region. By first supplying the first material in the first region in the bearing area, and then supplying the second material in the second region in the first region, the second material can be better and more uniformly spread.

[0009] In some embodiments, the second region has an area that is more than 5%, preferably more than 50%, more preferably more than 70% of the area of the first region.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first supply mechanism comprises: a first material application device and a first material storage container; wherein the first material application device is configured to apply the first material from the first material storage container to the bearing area.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first material application device comprises at least one of: a surface coating device, a point coating device, a line coating device.

[0012] In some embodiments, the surface coating device comprises a discharge mechanism and a coater, wherein the discharge mechanism and the coater together define a flow channel for the first material, and wherein the coater is selected from any one of a brush, a doctor blade, a roller.

[0013] In some embodiments, the surface coating device comprises: a coater brush head, a coater clamp, a push rod, and a mounting back plate; wherein the coater clamp fixed to the push rod is configured to hold the coater brush head, and the push rod is fixed to the mounting back plate.

[0014] In some embodiments, the point coating device comprises: a spray head configured to apply the first material to the bearing area by single-point or multi-point spraying.

[0015] In some embodiments, the holding mechanism further comprises: a release film, wherein the release film at least partially defines the bearing area.

[0016] In some embodiments, the release film is a fluoropolymer film, wherein the fluoropolymer film is at least one of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film, a fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film, a perfluoroalkoxy resin (PFA) film, an ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) film, an ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (ECTFE) film, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film, a polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) film.

[0017] In some embodiments, the release film has an ultraviolet light transmittance of 50% to 100%, and a thickness of 10 microns to 300 microns.

[0018] In some embodiments, the release film comprises light scattering structures, which comprise at least one of surface texture, fiber structure, and nanoparticles.

[0019] In some embodiments, the second feeding mechanism comprises an adjusting valve, which is configured to supply the printing material with a viscosity greater than a predetermined viscosity threshold to the bearing area. By using the adjusting valve, it becomes possible to supply high viscosity materials. It is particularly advantageous for the formation of three-dimensional objects, after the material adheres to a layer of material on the forming platform, the material is photocured, and then the forming platform with the cured layer is driven to detach the cured layer from the holding mechanism.

[0020] In some embodiments, the second feeding mechanism comprises at least two adjusting valves, wherein the first adjusting valve is configured to supply a first type of second material, and the second adjusting valve is configured to supply a second type of second material, the first type of printing material and the second type of printing material are the same or different printing materials. The first adjusting valve and the second adjusting valve can be independently controlled, for example, the speed of supplying the printing material, the amount of single supply, etc.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first adjusting valve is configured to apply the first type of printing material to a first part of the area to be printed, and the second adjusting valve is configured to apply the second type of printing material to a second part of the area to be printed. The first part and the second part can be separate, complementary splicing, or coincident.

[0022] In some embodiments, the first adjusting valve and the second adjusting valve are configured to apply the printing material based on the printing information of the three-dimensional printing model, the printing information comprises: a slice profile of the three-dimensional model to be printed, a set of point coordinates of the slice profile, and action trajectory information of the second feeding mechanism based on the set of point coordinates. The location of the material supplied by the first adjusting valve and the second adjusting valve is variable, for example, traveling along a certain action trajectory to supply the material to the expected area.

[0023] In some embodiments, at least one of the viscosity, color, mechanical property, and curing property of the first type of second material is different from that of the second type of second material.

[0024] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional printing device further comprises a driving mechanism, wherein the driving mechanism is configured to realize the relative motion between the holding mechanism and the first feeding mechanism and / or the second feeding mechanism, to allow the first feeding mechanism and / or the second feeding mechanism to quantitatively supply the preset type of material in the bearing area of the holding mechanism.

[0025] In some embodiments, the drive mechanism is configured to effect a change in position of the first and / or second supply mechanism in a horizontal plane, and the active area range of the first and / or second supply mechanism occupies more than 1% of the build area, such as 40-100%, preferably 50-90%, more preferably 60-80%, and most preferably 70-75%.

[0026] In some embodiments, the regulating valve comprises at least one of a flow regulating valve, a pressure regulating valve, a temperature regulating valve, a dispensing valve, a liquid level regulating valve.

[0027] In some embodiments, the regulating valve is configured to apply one or more drops of the second material to the build area in a single application. The term "drop" herein includes substantially drop-like, substantially cylindrical, and substantially cuboid, etc.

[0028] In some embodiments, the regulating valve is a pressure regulating valve, comprising any one of: a piezoelectric ceramic jet valve, an electrically controlled jet valve, an electromagnetically controlled jet valve, a pneumatically controlled jet valve.

[0029] In some embodiments, the predetermined viscosity threshold of the print material supplied by the pressure regulating valve at 20-30°C is 50-500,000 centipoise, preferably 100-500 centipoise, and more preferably 200-300 centipoise.

[0030] In some embodiments, the second supply mechanism comprises a heating assembly configured to heat the second material supplied by the regulating valve to a predetermined temperature. For example, to 20-60°C, such as 30-40°C. The heating of the material can change the viscosity of the material to some extent. In a further aspect, the material can solidify at low temperatures and thus be unable to be supplied by the regulating valve, and therefore the arrangement of the heating assembly is advantageous.

[0031] In some embodiments, the second supply mechanism further comprises a first jet configured to supply the build area with a second material having a viscosity less than the predetermined viscosity threshold. The combination of the first jet and the regulating valve allows print materials of various viscosities to be supplied to the build mechanism.

[0032] In some embodiments, the second supply mechanism further comprises a water-soluble material jet, wherein the water-soluble material jet is configured to supply the build area with a water-soluble material configured to build a support structure of the three-dimensional object to be formed. The support structure of water-soluble material can be easily removed in a post-processing phase, for example by dissolving in water.

[0033] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional printing apparatus described above further comprises: a drive mechanism, wherein the drive mechanism is configured to effect a relative movement between the build area and the first supply mechanism, such that the first supply mechanism applies the first supply to the build area.

[0034] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional printing device further comprises a leveling mechanism configured to maintain the thickness of the second material supplied by the second material supply mechanism on the build material supply mechanism within a preset range; and / or a cleaning mechanism configured to remove the material remaining on the build area after the solidified layer is separated from the build platform.

[0035] In some embodiments, the optical system of the optical mechanism is any one of a DLP projection system, a Micro-LED display system, an LCOS optical system, an LCD display system, an LCD projection system, and a laser galvanometer scanning system.

[0036] In some embodiments, the projection area of the light from the optical mechanism occupies 80-110%, preferably 90-100%, for example 95%, of the to-be-printed area. In the present application, the term "to-be-printed area" refers to the area on which the build material is laid on the build area. The term "projection area" refers to the area on which the optical system of the optical mechanism projects light towards the build area. The projection area of the light can completely cover (even exceed) the to-be-printed area, which can ensure that the build material in the to-be-printed area is completely solidified. The projection area of the light can also partially cover the to-be-printed area, for example, 80-100% of the to-be-printed area in proportion, since the build material is solidified only when it is subjected to the radiation of the light, the build material in the to-be-printed area is not necessarily all solidified, only the material in the desired area is thus solidified, which is particularly advantageous for obtaining higher printing accuracy. The surface quality of the printed part obtained in the partial coverage manner is higher.

[0037] According to another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a three-dimensional printing method is also provided, which is applied to a three-dimensional printing device comprising a build material supply mechanism, a first material supply mechanism, a second material supply mechanism, an optical mechanism, and a build mechanism. The three-dimensional printing method comprises: using the first material supply mechanism to supply a first material to a build area of the build material supply mechanism; then, using the second material supply mechanism to supply at least a second material different from the first material to the build area; and using the optical mechanism to expose and solidify at least the second material to form a composite solidified layer on the build platform of the build mechanism.

[0038] In some embodiments, before the composite solidified layer is formed, only the second material is supplied to the build area using the second material supply mechanism, the second material is exposed and solidified using the optical mechanism to form a second material solidified layer, and then the composite solidified layer is formed on the second material solidified layer; or after the composite solidified layer is formed, the second material is supplied to the build area using the second material supply mechanism, the second material is exposed and solidified using the optical mechanism to form a second material solidified layer on the composite solidified layer; or after the composite solidified layer is formed, another composite solidified layer is formed on the composite solidified layer.

[0039] In some embodiments, the composite solidified layer is composed of the solidified first material and the solidified second material, or is composed of the at least partially solidified first material and the solidified second material.

[0040] In some embodiments, the first material is supplied on the bearing area so as to occupy a first region in the bearing area, and the second material is supplied so as to occupy a second region in the first region.

[0041] In some embodiments, the first material is a wetting agent for spreading the second material in the bearing area.

[0042] In some embodiments, the wetting agent is an active wetting agent, the active wetting agent comprising a surfactant and an auxiliary agent, and further comprising at least one of the following components: an initiator, a polymerization inhibitor, an active monomer, a prepolymer; or the wetting agent is an inactive wetting agent, the inactive wetting agent comprising a surfactant and an auxiliary agent.

[0043] In some embodiments, the proportions of the components in the active wetting agent are: 0.5%-40% surfactant, 0%-3% auxiliary agent, 0.2%-3% initiator, 0%-2% polymerization inhibitor, 5%-80% active monomer, 5%-60% prepolymer; or the proportions of the components in the inactive wetting agent are: 95%-100% surfactant, 0%-5% auxiliary agent.

[0044] In some embodiments, the surfactant comprises at least one of the following: silicone-based polymer, fluorine-modified polymer, acrylate-based polymer.

[0045] In some embodiments, the auxiliary agent comprises at least one of the following: pigment, dye, defoaming agent, leveling agent, wetting agent, dispersing agent, matting agent.

[0046] In some embodiments, the photoinitiator comprises at least one of the following: benzoin and its derivatives, benzoin ether and its derivatives, acetophenone derivatives, α-hydroxy ketone derivatives, α-amino ketone derivatives, benzoyl formate, acyl phosphine oxide.

[0047] In some embodiments, the polymerization inhibitor comprises at least one of the following: p-hydroxyanisole, hydroquinone, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, aluminum salt of tris(N-nitroso-N-phenylhydroxylamine).

[0048] In some embodiments, the active monomer comprises at least one of the following: alkyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxyl (meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylate with cyclic structure or benzene ring, ethylene glycol diacrylate, propylene glycol diacrylate, other glycol diacrylate, multi-functional diluent, alkoxylated acrylate, dioxolane acrylate, alkoxylated bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate.

[0049] In some embodiments, the prepolymer comprises at least one of: unsaturated polyester resin, epoxy-acrylic resin, polyurethane-acrylic resin, polyester-acrylic resin, polyether-acrylic resin, pure acrylic resin.

[0050] In some embodiments, the thickness of the first material in the composite cured layer is 0.1-50 microns.

[0051] In some embodiments, before the three-dimensional printing method further comprises: obtaining a three-dimensional printing model, segmenting the three-dimensional printing model into a plurality of slice layers, and generating a corresponding printing strategy for each slice layer; and determining a second region in the carrier region according to the printing strategy, wherein the second region is a region to which the second material with a viscosity greater than a predetermined viscosity threshold is supplied by the adjusting valve subsequently, using the second feeding mechanism to supply at least a second material different from the first material to the carrier region.

[0052] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional printing method further comprises: exposing and curing at least the second material using an optical mechanism to control the forming platform of the building mechanism to separate the composite cured layer after the composite cured layer is formed on the forming platform, and clean the feeding mechanism and / or the printing residue remaining on the composite cured layer.

[0053] In some embodiments, after the second feeding mechanism is used to supply at least a second material different from the first material to the carrier region, the three-dimensional printing method further comprises: leveling the second material of the carrier region to a preset thickness.

[0054] According to still another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a non-volatile storage medium is also provided, which comprises a stored program, wherein the program is used to execute the three-dimensional printing method of any one of the above.

[0055] According to still another aspect of the embodiments of the present application, a computer device is also provided, which comprises a memory and a processor, the memory is used to store a program, and the processor is used to run the program stored in the memory, wherein the program is used to execute the three-dimensional printing method of any one of the above when running.

[0056] In the embodiment of the present application, the three-dimensional printing device comprises a material containing mechanism, a first material supply mechanism, a second material supply mechanism, an optical mechanism and a building mechanism. The first material is supplied to the bearing area of the material containing mechanism by using the first material supply mechanism, then the second material different from the first material is supplied to the bearing area by using the second material supply mechanism, and the at least second material is exposed and cured by using the optical mechanism to form a composite cured layer on the forming platform of the building mechanism. The purpose of making the second material fully spread on the bearing area under the action of the first material is achieved, so as to realize the technical effect of improving the printing surface effect and the printing quality by improving the spreading effect of the printing material on the bearing area, and the technical problem of poor printing effect caused by the fact that the printing material cannot be fully spread when applied to the material containing mechanism in the related three-dimensional printing technology is solved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0057] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the present application and together with the description serve to explain the present application. In the drawings:

[0058] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] Figure 2 is another structural schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing device provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] Figure 3 shows a simplified schematic diagram of a material supply mechanism and a material containing mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0061] Figure 4 shows a schematic diagram of a bearing area according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0062] Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of an applicator provided according to an optional embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a printing material spreading effect provided according to an optional embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a printing material spreading effect provided according to an optional embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 8 shows a hardware structural block diagram of a computer terminal for implementing a three-dimensional printing method;

[0066] Figure 9 is a flow schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing method provided according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 10 is another flowchart of a three-dimensional printing method according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0068] In order to make the personnel in the technical field better understand the present application scheme, the technical scheme in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, 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 should belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0069] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and do not necessarily indicate a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that the data thus used can be interchanged under appropriate circumstances, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, for example, a process, method, system, product or device including a series of steps or units does not necessarily have to be limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but can include other steps or units not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0070] In the field of surface science, the higher the surface energy of the solid, the easier it is to be wetted by the liquid; the smaller the surface tension of the liquid, the easier it is to extend and spread out. In 3D printing equipment, the release film of the solid usually has a low surface energy, which leads to a low peeling force and a good release effect. However, for high-viscosity printing materials, it cannot extend and spread out smoothly on the release film.

[0071] In addition, in related 3D printing technology, when the liquid three-dimensional printing material is applied to the material holding mechanism, the surface energy of the bearing area of the material holding mechanism is low, which leads to the fact that the printing material cannot be effectively spread, and the printing cannot be carried out normally, so that the printing effect is poor, or the printing fails. However, if a material with high surface energy is selected as the bearing area, the release effect of the photocured layer will be poor, because the required peeling force of the cured layer is too large, which leads to unstable molding process.

[0072] According to an embodiment of the present application, an embodiment of a three-dimensional printing device is provided to at least solve the problem that in the related three-dimensional printing technology in the prior art, the printing material cannot be fully spread when applied to the material holding mechanism, leading to poor printing effect. Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing device according to an embodiment of the present application, like Figure 1As shown, the three-dimensional printing device can include a material holding mechanism 100, a second material supply mechanism 200, a first material supply mechanism 600, an optical mechanism 300, and a building mechanism 400. The material holding mechanism includes a bearing area; the first material supply mechanism is configured to supply a first material to the bearing area; the second material supply mechanism is configured to supply at least a second material different from the first material to the bearing area; wherein the bearing area is pre-supplied with the first material before the second material is supplied to the bearing area; the optical mechanism is configured to expose the first material and the second material of the bearing area to light so that at least the second material undergoes a photocuring reaction to form a cured layer; and the building mechanism includes a forming platform configured to adhere the cured layer layer by layer and separate the cured layer from the bearing area layer by layer.

[0073] The material holding mechanism 100 includes a bearing area configured to bear a printing material. In some embodiments, the material holding mechanism 100 includes a light-transmissive material, and after the printing material is supplied to the bearing area, the material holding mechanism 100 can receive exposure irradiation from the optical mechanism 300 so that the printing material is cured and formed in the bearing area. In some embodiments, the positional relationship between the optical mechanism 300 and the material holding mechanism 100 can include various types. In some examples, the positional relationship between the optical mechanism and the material holding mechanism can be such that the light beam projected by the optical mechanism can pass through the material holding mechanism from below and exit from the upper surface of the material holding mechanism. For example, the optical mechanism can be located below the material holding mechanism so that the light beam projected by the optical mechanism reaches the material holding mechanism directly from below; or the optical mechanism includes a light source above the material holding mechanism and a lens assembly below the material holding mechanism, so that the light projected from the light source above passes through the lens assembly by reflection, for example, and is projected to the material holding mechanism from below the material holding mechanism to achieve exposure. At this time, the building mechanism 400 is located above the material holding mechanism 100, and during the printing process, the forming platform of the building mechanism 400 moves downward to contact the printing material on the bearing area, the optical mechanism projects a light beam to expose and cure the printing material, and the cured layer after exposure and curing is lifted together with the forming platform and separated from the bearing area of the material holding mechanism 100. The above operations are repeated to obtain multiple cured layers, and the printing of the three-dimensional object is completed. The first material supply mechanism 600 is configured to supply a first material to the bearing area. The first material can be a wetting material, such as a wetting agent, water, alcohol, etc., so that the second material can easily spread on the bearing area to form a more uniform resin layer.

[0074] In some embodiments, the first material supply mechanism includes a first material application device and a first material storage container; wherein the first material application device is configured to apply the first material from the first material storage container to the bearing area. The first material in the first material storage container is applied to the bearing area by the first application device to prepare for the application of the second material.

[0075] In some embodiments, the first material applying device comprises at least one of the following: a surface coating device, a point coating device, a line coating device. Different applying devices can be used to achieve the application of the first material according to different requirements, such as surface coating, line coating, point coating, etc. A person skilled in the art can set up a suitable first material applying device according to requirements. The line coating device can be a continuous spray nozzle to achieve linear coating. The surface coating device can be a brush coating, blade coating, or roller coating device, etc. The point coating device can be a spray nozzle, a dispensing valve, etc.

[0076] In some embodiments, the surface coating device comprises a discharge mechanism and a coating applicator, wherein the discharge mechanism and the coating applicator together define a flow channel for the first material, and wherein the coating applicator is selected from any one of a brush, a blade, and a roller. The flow channel for the first material is defined by the discharge mechanism and the coating applicator together, and the first material in the first material applying device is applied to the bearing area of the discharge mechanism through the flow channel. To better achieve the application of the first material, the coating applicator can be a brush, a blade, a roller, etc.

[0077] In some embodiments, the surface coating device comprises a coating applicator brush head, a coating applicator clamp, a push rod, and a mounting back plate, wherein the coating applicator clamp fixed to the push rod is used to hold the coating applicator brush head, and the push rod is fixed to the mounting back plate. Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of a coating applicator according to an optional embodiment of the present application. The coating applicator can comprise a coating applicator brush head 601, a coating applicator clamp 602, a lifting push rod 603, and a mounting back plate 604. The movement of the coating applicator is achieved by the push rod, which can be in any direction in space to achieve different positions at different horizontal heights. The coating applicator brush head is used to coat the first material (e.g. a wetting agent) on the build surface 650 (bearing area) of the build plate to achieve the effect of wetting the surface. In some embodiments, the coating applicator brush head is a flexible porous carrier, such as a sponge, felt, or cloth, etc.

[0078] In some embodiments, the point coating device comprises a spray nozzle for coating the first material on the bearing area by single-point or multi-point spraying. Through the spray nozzle of the point coating device, the first material can be coated on the bearing area in a single-point or multi-point spraying manner, thereby achieving the requirement of coating a specific area or a specific point.

[0079] The second supply mechanism 200 is configured to supply at least a second material different from the first material to the build area, wherein the build area is pre-supplied with the first material before the second material is supplied to the build area. The second material supplied by the second supply mechanism is typically a printing material, such as various types of light-curable resin materials. The first material (e.g. a wetting agent) can be pre-applied to the build area of the build mechanism by the first supply mechanism 600, and the second material (e.g. a printing material) can be supplied to the build area by the second supply mechanism 200 to be spread under the action of the first material for solidification to form a three-dimensional object.

[0080] The optical mechanism 300 is configured to expose the first material and the second material of the build area to light so that at least the second material undergoes a light-curing reaction to form a solidified layer. By exposing the first material and the second material of the build area to light by the optical mechanism 300, it is possible to achieve simultaneous solidification of the first material and the second material to form a solidified layer, or to achieve complete solidification of the second material while partially solidifying the first material to form a solidified layer, or to achieve partial solidification of both the first material and the second material to form a semi-solidified solidified layer, or to achieve solidification of the first material while solidification of the second material to form a solidified layer.

[0081] The build mechanism 400 includes a forming platform configured to adhere and separate the solidified layer from the build area layer by layer. By the forming platform of the build mechanism, the layer-by-layer adhesion and separation of the solidified layer is achieved, and ultimately the printing and forming of a complete three-dimensional object is achieved.

[0082] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing device according to an optional embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2 The three-dimensional printing device can include a build mechanism 100, a second supply mechanism 200, an optical mechanism 300, a forming platform mechanism 400, and a driving mechanism 500. The driving mechanism 500 can include an X-axis motor 501, an X-axis module 502, a Y-axis motor 503, a Y-axis module 504, a Z-axis motor 505, a Z-axis module 506, a Z-axis base plate 507, and a force sensor 508. The second driving assembly can include the X-axis motor 501 and the X-axis module 502, and can be used to drive the build mechanism to move in space. The first driving assembly can include the Y-axis module 504 and the Z-axis motor 505, and can be used to drive the supply mechanism (e.g. a nozzle) to move in space. The third driving assembly can include the Z-axis motor 505, the Z-axis module 506, the Z-axis base plate 507, and the force sensor 508, and is configured to drive the lifting platform mechanism to move up and down in space.

[0083] In some embodiments, the second material supply mechanism 200 can include an adjusting valve for supplying the print material with a viscosity greater than a predetermined viscosity threshold to the bearing area. In the related art, high viscosity print materials usually have poor flowability, which makes it difficult for the inkjet head of the inkjet printer to eject the high viscosity print material, and thus the 3D printing of high viscosity materials cannot be supported. In this application, a pressure adjusting valve is used to smoothly supply the high viscosity print material to the bearing area in the material holding mechanism, so that the high viscosity print material can be exposed to the optical mechanism in the bearing area to form a solidified layer, so that the high viscosity print material can be conveniently and flexibly used in the light-curing three-dimensional printing device to print the model, solving the technical problem of inconvenient use of high viscosity print materials in the prior art.

[0084] In some embodiments, the adjusting valve includes at least one of a flow adjusting valve, a pressure adjusting valve, a temperature adjusting valve, a dispensing valve, and a liquid level adjusting valve. The type of adjusting valve can be set according to the requirements to achieve the adjustment and control of the flow, pressure, temperature, dispensing, liquid level, etc. of the second material (e.g. print material).

[0085] In some embodiments, the adjusting valve is a pressure adjusting valve, which includes any one of the following types: piezoelectric ceramic jet valve, electrically controlled jet valve, electromagnetically controlled jet valve, and pneumatically controlled jet valve. By setting the pressure adjusting valve, the application of the second material (e.g. print material, especially high viscosity print material) with special properties in the three-dimensional printing device can be realized, so as to better realize the printing of three-dimensional objects with different properties.

[0086] The pressure adjusting valve of the above type can supply high viscosity print materials, and the corresponding predetermined viscosity threshold of the supplyable high viscosity print materials at room temperature (e.g. 10-40℃, preferably 20-25℃) is between 500 centipoise and 500,000 centipoise, preferably between 500 centipoise and 200,000 centipoise.

[0087] In the related art, the inkjet printer cannot spray high-viscosity printing materials, and thus cannot support 3D printing of high-viscosity materials. In the present application, the regulating valve is used to smoothly supply high-viscosity printing materials to the bearing area in the material containing mechanism, so that the high-viscosity printing materials can be exposed to light in the bearing area to form a solidified layer, so that high-viscosity printing materials can be conveniently and flexibly used in the light-curing three-dimensional printing device for model printing, solving the technical problem of inconvenient use of high-viscosity printing materials in the prior art. In the related art, there is a lack of a scheme for applying high-viscosity printing materials in the bearing area, because the viscosity of high-viscosity printing materials is high, and they cannot be effectively spread on the bearing area, resulting in poor subsequent forming effect. Because the first feeding mechanism is used in the present application to help supply the first material on the bearing area, so that the second material supplied by the second feeding mechanism can be wet and spread, the high-viscosity printing materials can be sprayed on the bearing area by the regulating valve, and the high-viscosity printing materials can also be effectively wet and spread.

[0088] In some embodiments, the second feeding mechanism can include a plurality of pressure regulating valves, which respectively supply different types of high-viscosity printing materials, and the different types of high-viscosity printing materials are used to be respectively supplied to different positions of the bearing area according to the printing strategy of the slice layer of the three-dimensional printing model. Please refer to Figure 3 In the illustrated embodiment, the second feeding mechanism 200 can include a plurality of pressure regulating valves 210, 211, which respectively supply different types of high-viscosity printing materials. For example, the first pressure regulating valve 210 is used to supply the first material, and the second pressure regulating valve 211 is used to supply the second material, for example, the viscosities of the first and second materials are different at the same temperature. In some embodiments, the feeding mechanism can include a plurality of regulating valves 210, 211 for supplying the same material, for example, a plurality of regulating valves arranged in a predetermined pattern or array. At least a part of the plurality of regulating valves can be used to simultaneously supply the same material to the bearing area.

[0089] Different types of high-viscosity printing materials can be used to be respectively supplied to different positions of the bearing area according to the printing strategy of the slice layer of the three-dimensional printing model. In some embodiments, for example, the first regulating valve can supply the first material to a part of the to-be-printed area, and the second regulating valve can supply the second material to another part of the to-be-printed area. In other embodiments, it is also possible to use a plurality of regulating valves to supply a plurality (for example, 3, 4 or more) of different materials to the bearing area, which means that a certain printing layer of the three-dimensional object to be printed can be composed of a plurality of materials arranged in partitions.

[0090] The optional embodiment provides an extension of the three-dimensional printing device, so that the light-curing three-dimensional printing device can achieve more rich printing effects in each slice layer. In the prior art, when the printing material has a large viscosity, the light-curing three-dimensional printing device can only use one material in each slice layer because it cannot supply multiple high-viscosity printing materials in the material supply mechanism, thus causing the final three-dimensional printed model material, color, and performance to be single and the effect to be poor. Based on the optional embodiment, different colors of high-viscosity printing materials can be supplied to different positions of the bearing area by multiple pressure regulating valves when a single layer is constructed, so as to obtain a color layer, such as a color layer with a gradual color change. In other embodiments, printing materials with an expected color after mixing can be supplied to the to-be-printed area of the bearing area when a single layer is constructed, so as to obtain a specified color layer. In other embodiments, the colors between multiple constructed layers can also be different, such as the colors of corresponding positions between two adjacent printed layers, for example, the color of a position in the first printed layer is red, and the color of the corresponding position in the second printed layer is blue. Different regions in each layer of the solidified layer formed after exposure can have significant differences, and the differences can be flexibly adjusted according to the design requirements of the user, that is, the user adjusts the printing materials used at different positions in the bearing area, greatly enriches the design freedom of the user and the quality of the final three-dimensional printed product, and makes the technical solution have high commercial value. At the same time, based on the optional embodiment, multi-color printing can be achieved, which not only can achieve a gradual color change, but also can achieve an arbitrary degree of color adjustment, and not only can adjust the color change between different solidified layers, but also can achieve an arbitrary change of the color in the same solidified layer. Therefore, the optional embodiment solves the technical problem that the 3D printer in the prior art is difficult to achieve model color change when printing high-viscosity materials. By using the optional embodiment, the three-dimensional printed product can be naturally colored during the three-dimensional printing process, and there is no longer a need to color the three-dimensional printed product after it is obtained, so that the color of the product is more accurate, and the human labor loss in the post-processing step of the three-dimensional printed product is saved.

[0091] In some embodiments, the viscosities of the different types of high-viscosity printing materials supplied by the multiple pressure regulating valves are different; or the colors of the different types of high-viscosity printing materials supplied by the multiple pressure regulating valves are different; or both the colors and the viscosities of the different types of high-viscosity printing materials supplied by the multiple pressure regulating valves are different.

[0092] As understood by those skilled in the art, for different types of high-viscosity printing materials, the higher the viscosity of the material, the softer the formed product, and thus different viscosity high-viscosity printing materials can be used to build different parts in a three-dimensional printed product. For example, when three-dimensional printing a denture, since the gum part should be softer, a higher viscosity printing material can be used to build the gum part of the denture, and the tooth part should be harder, a lower viscosity printing material can be used to build the tooth part of the denture. The three-dimensional printed denture built in the above manner is closer to the real state, and the user's oral cavity feels softer and more skin-friendly when contacting the gum part of the denture, so that the user's experience is better.

[0093] For another example, one or some of the plurality of regulating valves can provide materials with elastic and soft properties, and another one or some of the plurality of regulating valves can provide materials with high hardness, high strength, and good mechanical properties. In this scheme, a printed part with a soft structure inside and a hard structure outside can be printed, such as a jaw pad, a night teeth grinding pad, and a clear aligner. In the above example, the side contacting the teeth is made of soft material to improve the comfort of the wearer, and the occlusal part outside is made of hard material to meet the mechanical properties. Different printing materials have different mechanical properties after solidification, such as bending strength, tensile strength, and shear strength. Different printing materials can also have different other properties after solidification, such as different surface quality or surface roughness after forming, or different material shrinkage.

[0094] In some embodiments, the regulating valve allows a single application of one or more drops of printing material in the carrying area. Due to the poor flowability of high-viscosity materials, the regulating valve can use a drop-by-drop application method when supplying the material. For example, a single regulating valve can continuously supply two drops of printing material at a certain position, or can supply two drops of printing material at two positions in succession.

[0095] It is to be noted that the regulating valve is movable, which means that the position of the regulating valve and thus of the material supply point can be varied. For example, the regulating valve can be moved in the horizontal plane (X-Y plane) over an area of movement which occupies more than 1%, preferably more than 50%, more preferably more than 80% of the carrying area. For example, when forming a single layer of the object to be printed, the regulating valve is only moved over 5% of the carrying area, and when forming another layer of the object to be printed, the regulating valve is only moved over 10% of the carrying area. When performing single layer printing, the area of movement of the regulating valve in the horizontal plane can occupy 1%-20%, preferably 3%-10%, for example 5% of the carrying area. During continuous multi-layer printing, the area of movement of the regulating valve can occupy 1%-100% of the carrying area. Slice information is obtained, for example based on a three-dimensional printing model, and then a slice profile of the layer to be printed is obtained based on the slice information, for example a set of point coordinates of all points on the slice profile is obtained. Based on the set of point coordinates, a predetermined movement path of the feed structure or the regulating valve can be set. For example, a movement trajectory for the execution of a single regulating valve or a combined movement trajectory for the execution of multiple regulating valves is set. The predetermined movement path can pass through points on the edge of the layer to be printed, or can also pass through points in the internal area of the layer to be printed.

[0096] In some embodiments, the piezoelectric ceramic jet valve has a valve nozzle diameter or outlet diameter of 0.01 mm to 10 mm, preferably 0.075 mm to 5 mm, and the piezoelectric ceramic jet valve jets a thickness of 50 to 300 μm, preferably 70 to 100 μm, and the piezoelectric ceramic jet valve has a jet line width of 0.02 mm to 15 mm, preferably between 0.2 mm and 0.5 mm.

[0097] In some embodiments, the second feed mechanism comprises a heating assembly for heating the second material supplied by the regulating valve to a temperature of 15-100°C, preferably 20-80°C, more preferably 40-60°C.

[0098] In some embodiments, the feed mechanism further comprises an inkjet head, wherein the inkjet head is configured to supply a low-viscosity printing material having a viscosity less than a predetermined viscosity threshold to the carrying area. The inkjet head allows the regulating valve to be omitted, because the printing material of the low-viscosity printing material can be supplied directly to the carrying area, for example based on gravity. Alternatively, in some embodiments, for example in the case where the predetermined viscosity threshold is 500 centipoise, the inkjet head can supply a printing material having a viscosity of 500 centipoise or less to the carrying area. In some embodiments, the inkjet head can be an inkjet head employed in an inkjet printer, and the inkjet head and the pressure regulating valve can be provided simultaneously in the three-dimensional printing apparatus of the present application, so that the low-viscosity printing material and the high-viscosity printing material can be supplied to different locations in the carrying area respectively, so that the distribution of the printing material in the carrying area is more flexible, and ultimately a three-dimensional printed product that meets the needs of the user can be printed.

[0099] In an alternative embodiment, an inkjet nozzle can be used to print the contour part of the three-dimensional model, and a pressure regulating valve can be used to print the filling part of the three-dimensional model. In this kind of scheme, high-fidelity effects of the appearance of the three-dimensional model can be achieved, while ensuring that the type of material used for the model has a rich selection space. The upper limit of the viscosity range supported by the inkjet nozzle is relatively low, for example, it can be 0-500 cps, and the viscosity value of the viscosity range supported by the pressure regulating valve is relatively high, for example, it can be 0-200000 cps, which makes the latter have a richer selection of photosensitive resin types.

[0100] In some embodiments, the supply mechanism further comprises a water-soluble material nozzle, wherein the water-soluble material nozzle is configured to supply water-soluble material to the bearing area, and the water-soluble material is used to build a support structure of the three-dimensional printing (which is, for example, a structure used to support a suspended part of an object to be printed). The water-soluble material can be used to print the support part of the three-dimensional model, because the support structure printed by the water-soluble material can be directly dissolved in water, so that the finished part printed in this way can be immersed in water to remove the support, achieving the purpose of simplifying the post-processing step of removing the support. In some embodiments, the supply mechanism of the three-dimensional printing material provided in the present application can simultaneously comprise a pressure regulating valve, an inkjet nozzle and a water-soluble material nozzle, or comprise a pressure regulating valve and an inkjet nozzle, or comprise a pressure regulating valve and a water-soluble material nozzle. In any of the above embodiments or alternative embodiments, the number of any one of the pressure regulating valve, the inkjet nozzle and the water-soluble material nozzle provided in the three-dimensional printing device can be one or more.

[0101] As understood by those skilled in the art, due to the material properties of the printing material and the physical properties of the bearing area, in some scenarios, the printing material has poor ductility, and after being coated onto the bearing area, if the surface energy of the supply mechanism on the surface of the bearing area is low, the printing material cannot effectively wet and spread on the plane, but will be stacked on the bearing area in the form of water droplets or other irregular shapes, resulting in certain problems in subsequent printing effects. However, if a material with high surface energy is selected as the bearing area, the material release effect will be poor, and the peeling force required for the cured layer to be peeled off from the bearing area will be too large, resulting in unstable product forming process. In some embodiments, the supply mechanism can comprise a release film, and the bearing area is located on the release film. The release film is widely used in three-dimensional printing devices, but the surface energy of the release film is low, so when the high-viscosity printing material is supplied to the release film, the high-viscosity printing material cannot be well spread on the release film, which may affect the subsequent printing effect.

[0102] The first feeding mechanism provided by the optional embodiment can be used to solve the above-mentioned problems. The first feeding mechanism can pre-coat the first material on the bearing area. After the first material is coated, the high-viscosity printing material is supplied to the bearing area. The first material changes the material wetting and spreading characteristics of the bearing area, so that the high-viscosity printing material can be smoothly spread on the bearing area, thereby improving the subsequent solidification layer forming effect.

[0103] The principle of using wetting agent to improve the material spreading characteristics is that the higher the surface energy of the surface bearing the printing material, the easier it is to be wetted by liquid; the lower the surface tension of the liquid, the easier it is to wet the solid. In the above-mentioned optional embodiment, the wetting agent prepared by using the surfactant has a lower surface tension and can wet the film with lower surface energy. After the wetting agent spreads on the low surface energy film, the printing material applied thereon can be well spread on the low surface energy film. At the same time, the low surface energy film has good release effect and low peeling force, so that good spreading effect and release effect are comprehensively realized in this scheme, and the stability of 3D printing forming is significantly improved.

[0104] In the field of surface science, the higher the surface energy of the solid, the easier it is to be wetted by liquid; the smaller the surface tension of the liquid, the easier it is to extend and spread. In the 3D printing equipment, the release film of the solid usually has a lower surface energy, which leads to low peeling force and good release effect. However, for high-viscosity printing materials, they cannot be smoothly extended and spread on the release film. According to the first material (for example, wetting agent) of the embodiments of the present application, the wetting agent is first applied to the release film (or bearing area). The wetting agent with low surface tension will relatively smoothly extend and spread on the release film, and then the printing material (especially high-viscosity printing material) is supplied on the layer of wetting agent. Because the printing material is at least partially soluble with the wetting agent, the whole liquid phase is well spread on the release film. This scheme retains the good release effect of the release film with lower surface energy, and also enhances the extension effect of the printing material, especially the high-viscosity printing material, which significantly improves the stability of 3D printing forming.

[0105] In some embodiments, the wetting agent applied to the bearing area occupies a first area in the bearing area, which is, for example, the middle area of the bearing area. Please refer to Figure 4In the illustrated embodiment, the wetting agent applied to the bearing area occupies a first area 122 in the bearing area 120, which is, for example, a middle area of the bearing area. In certain embodiments, the first area has an area of 10%-100% of the bearing area, preferably 20%-90%, more preferably 40%-80%, for example 50%, 60%, and 70%. In certain embodiments, the subsequently supplied print material is configured to occupy a second area 124 in the first area 122. In certain embodiments, the second area 124 has an area of 10%-100% of the first area 122, preferably 20%-90%, more preferably 40%-80%, for example 50%, 60%, and 70%.

[0106] To achieve the application of the wetting agent, the coating mechanism according to embodiments of the present application can include an application device for applying the wetting agent from the wetting agent storage container to the bearing area and a wetting agent storage container for storing the wetting agent. The application device can include at least one of a face coating device, a point coating device, and a line coating device.

[0107] The face coating device can include a discharge mechanism and an applicator, wherein the discharge mechanism and the applicator collectively define a flow channel for the wetting agent, which allows the wetting agent to flow out of the wetting agent storage container, through the flow channel defined by the discharge mechanism and the applicator, and into the bearing area. Specifically, the discharge mechanism is configured to transport the wetting agent from the wetting agent storage container, and the applicator is configured to apply the wetting agent to the bearing area in one or more ways. The applicator can be selected from any one of a brush, a doctor blade, and a roller.

[0108] In embodiments where the applicator is a brush, the wetting agent flows through the flow channel and falls at a plurality of orifices of the brush, and then face coating is performed by translating the brush. In embodiments where the applicator is a doctor blade, the wetting agent flows through the flow channel and falls at a plurality of orifices of the doctor blade, and then face coating is performed by translating the doctor blade. In embodiments where the applicator is a roller, the wetting agent flows through the flow channel and falls at a plurality of orifices of the roller, and then face coating is performed by rotating the roller.

[0109] The point coating device can include one or more spray heads for applying the wetting agent to the bearing area in a single-point or multi-point spray, such that the wetting agent from the single-point or multi-point location naturally spreads out on the release film to completely cover the target area.

[0110] The line coating device can include a linear spray head for continuously applying the wetting agent to the bearing area along a predetermined path, which allows the wetting agent applied along the line to naturally spread to completely cover the target area.

[0111] In some implementations, the applicator can include an applicator brush head, an applicator clamp, a lift ram, and a mounting backplate, the applicator brush head being a flexible porous carrier. As shown inFigure 2 As shown, the applicator clamp is used to connect and fix the applicator brush head with the lifting push rod, and the lifting push rod is fixed on the mounting back plate for realizing the lifting movement of the applicator brush head. In this optional embodiment, the wetting agent can be placed in the applicator, and the applicator is fixed on the mounting back plate through the clamp, the lifting of the applicator is realized through the lifting push rod, and the wetting agent is coated on the build surface (carrying area) of the build plate through the applicator brush head to realize the effect of surface wetting. In some embodiments, the applicator brush head is a flexible porous carrier, which can be a sponge, a felt or a cloth, etc.

[0112] In the above optional embodiment, the thickness of the thin layer of the wetting agent coated on the release film can be 0.1-20 μm; specifically, it can be 0.8, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 4.5, …, 20 μm, and the specific point values between the above point values are not listed here due to the limitation of the length and the consideration of simplicity.

[0113] In some embodiments, the containing mechanism further comprises a release film, wherein the carrying area is located on the release film.

[0114] In some embodiments, the release film can be a fluoropolymer film, wherein the fluoropolymer film is at least one of a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) film, a fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) film, a perfluoroalkoxy resin (PFA) film, an ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene copolymer (ETFE) film, an ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer (ECTFE) film, a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film, and a polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) film. In addition, the release film can also be various modified fluorine films corresponding to the above various fluorine films, including surface modification, graft modification, blending modification, etc. In some embodiments, the ultraviolet light transmittance of the release film is 50% to 100%, preferably 60% to 80%. The thickness of the release film is 10 microns to 300 microns, preferably 30 microns to 100 microns.

[0115] In some embodiments, the release film comprises a light scattering structure. The light scattering structure is used to scatter the light emitted by the light source. Due to the change of the angle of the incident light, the light intensity of the edge area of the pixel is enhanced, the light intensity of the middle area of the pixel is weakened, and the boundary between the pixels is blurred, which makes the steps or profiles between the edges of each printed layer of the printed three-dimensional object smooth, thereby enhancing the surface quality of the printed three-dimensional object.

[0116] The light scattering structure includes at least one of surface texture, fiber structure and nanoparticles. The surface texture includes surface protrusions or recesses arranged in an array or in a disordered manner; or, the surface texture includes a wavy or zigzag texture. The characteristic size of the surface texture is 10 nm to 20 μm. For more information about the light scattering structure, please refer to patent document CN116457176A, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0117] Figure 6 Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of the spreading effect of printing material according to an optional embodiment of the present application, as shown in Fig. 1, the left side of the disc is not pre-coated with a wetting agent, and the liquid printing material is sprayed directly to the left side, and it can be seen from the figure that the liquid printing material is obviously shrunk into droplets and does not spread uniformly. The right side of the disc is pre-coated with a wetting agent, so that the liquid printing material can effectively wet and spread on the disc. Figure 6 Figure 7 Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of the spreading effect of printing material according to an optional embodiment of the present application, as shown in Fig. 2, the left side of the three-dimensional printing model does not use a wetting agent during the printing stage, resulting in poor spreading effect of the printing material, and the material and color cannot be applied to the specified position, and obvious mixing phenomenon occurs, so that normal printing cannot be formed. The three-dimensional printing model on the right side uses a wetting agent during the printing stage, so that normal printing is realized. Figure 7

[0118] Based on the above optional embodiments, the present application tests the wetting effect of the wetting agent in several experiments, including peel strength test, spreading size test, contact angle test, etc. The method of the peel strength test is to print a 40 mm diameter disc-shaped model, record the peak value of the 40 layer peeling process, and calculate the average value. The method of the spreading size test is to take 20 microliters of ink, drop it on the film surface after 20 seconds, and then measure and record the diameter of the droplet using an optical microscope. The method of the contact angle test is to use a full-automatic optical contact angle measuring instrument LSA100 of Lauda Scientific Company in Germany to characterize, and the droplet volume is 10 microliters. The composition of the wetting agent used in the above tests is 85% ink material + 15% BYK-377.

[0119] In addition, whether the printing material can effectively spread can also be tested, and the test method is to use the nozzle assembly to apply a 50±3 μm thick printing material on the release film surface, and the liquid beads are connected into a piece to judge effective spreading, and the liquid has shrinkage holes or a large amount of shrinkage aggregation to judge that it cannot effectively spread.

[0120] Table 1 ink contact angle data of different fluorine films

[0121]

[0122]

[0123] ​​From Table 1, it can be seen that the wetting agent has little effect on the ink contact angle when it cannot effectively wet the release film.

[0124] Table 2: Different fluorine films whether effective spreading, spreading size data

[0125]

[0126] From Table 2, it can be seen that the wetting agent has little effect on the spreading effect of PTFE, FEP, PFA, has obvious influence on ETFE, ECTFE, PVDF, PVF; because the wetting agent itself cannot wet PTFE, FEP, PFA, so the spreading change of the printing material (such as printing ink) applied on it is also small.

[0127] In addition, different surfactants BYK-377, BYK-UV 3505, BYK-UV 3510, TEGO WET270, AFCONA-3588 can be used, and a plurality of wetting agents can be prepared by mixing 85% printing material and 15% surfactant in proportion, and the spreading effect on ETFE film is tested, and the results are as follows:

[0128] Surfactant class BYK-377 BYK-UV 3505 BYK-UV 3510 TEGO WET 270 AFCONA-3588 Effective spreading Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

[0129] By testing different types of surfactants on the market, the basic wetting and spreading effect is good, and they all have similar spreading effect, and the difference between them is not big, and they can be used for the scheme.

[0130] Further, using surfactant BYK-377, by controlling the content of surfactant, 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25%, 30% of surfactant are added respectively in the wetting agent, different types of wetting agents are obtained, and the wetting and spreading characteristics of each are verified, and the results are as follows:

[0131] Surfactant content 0％ 5％ 10％ 15％ 20％ 25％ 30％ Effective spreading No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

[0132] From the above test results, it can be seen that when the content of surfactant is less than 5%, the wetting and spreading effect is not good. When the content of surfactant is more than 10%, the wetting and spreading effect is good, and effective spreading can be achieved to meet the printing forming needs.

[0133] The optical mechanism 400 is used for projection exposure of the printing material on the bearing area, so that the printing material is cured by light curing reaction to form a cured layer.

[0134] In some embodiments, the optical mechanism can enable the three-dimensional printing device to print the solidified layer based on various light curing principles in the prior art. For example, the optical system of the optical mechanism can be any one of a DLP projection system, a Micro-LED display system, an LCOS optical system, an LCD display system, and a laser galvanometer scanning system, and a person skilled in the art can make a reasonable selection as needed.

[0135] The forming platform mechanism 500 is configured to adhere and solidify the layer by layer and separate the solidified layer from the bearing area.

[0136] In the above embodiment, the three-dimensional printing device includes a material containing mechanism, a feeding mechanism, a first feeding mechanism, an optical mechanism, and a forming platform mechanism. By controlling the first feeding mechanism to pre-coat a layer of wetting agent on the bearing area of the material containing mechanism, and then supplying the printing material on the wetting agent, the printing material is fully spread on the bearing area under the action of the wetting agent, thereby improving the printing effect by improving the spreading effect of the printing material on the bearing area, and solving the technical problem that the printing material cannot be fully spread when applied to the material containing mechanism, resulting in poor printing effect in related three-dimensional printing technology.

[0137] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional printing device described above can further include a driving mechanism, wherein the driving mechanism is configured to realize the relative movement between the bearing area and the first feeding mechanism, so that the first feeding mechanism coats the wetting agent on the target position of the bearing area.

[0138] In some embodiments, the three-dimensional printing device described above can further include a leveling mechanism configured to maintain the thickness of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism on the material containing mechanism within a predetermined range; and / or a cleaning mechanism configured to remove the printing material remaining on the bearing area after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer.

[0139] The leveling mechanism can maintain the uniform thickness of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism on the bearing area, so that the printing process is refined and accurate, and the printing precision is improved. It should be noted that if the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism on the bearing area is uniform and quantitative enough, the leveling mechanism is not needed. In the above process, in addition to maintaining the thickness of the printing material on the material containing mechanism within a predetermined range, the leveling mechanism can also be used to slightly adjust the amount of printing material on the material containing mechanism, which has the effect of scraping the printing material, so that the surface of the printing material is more uniform.

[0140] In some embodiments, the cleaning mechanism includes any one of a scraper assembly, a high-pressure air gun, and a wiping assembly. The cleaning mechanism is configured to remove the printing material remaining on the material holding mechanism after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer, in particular, to remove the printing material remaining on the bearing area after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer. The cleaning mechanism can remove the printing material remaining after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer each time, or can remove the printing material after the forming platform mechanism separates the solidified layer at specific times, which can be reasonably set according to the needs of the technical solutions in the art. The cleaning mechanism can avoid the situation that the residual material such as the upper layer of uncured resin or residue generated during the printing process affects the printing of the next layer. Of course, the cleaning mechanism can also avoid the situation that the solidified resin or residue generated during the printing process affects the printing.

[0141] In some embodiments, the cleaning mechanism can be an independent control system, or can share a control system with the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism. It can move independently, or can move together with the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism. For example, after the nozzle assembly finishes spraying the printing material, the leveling mechanism levels the printing material, and the forming platform mechanism descends to complete the exposure and solidification to separate the solidified layer, the cleaning mechanism moves back to the home position together with the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism while cleaning; or, the cleaning mechanism first cleans the residual resin on the bearing area, and then the nozzle assembly / leveling mechanism sprays and levels the printing material.

[0142] According to the embodiments of the present application, an embodiment of a three-dimensional printing method is provided. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart of the accompanying drawings can be executed in a computer system such as a set of computer executable instructions, and although the logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described can be executed in an order different from that shown here.

[0143] The method embodiments provided by the embodiments of the present application can be executed in a mobile terminal, a computer terminal, or a similar computing device. Figure 8 A hardware structure block diagram of a computer terminal for implementing a three-dimensional printing method is shown. As shown in Figure 8 The computer terminal 80 can include one or more processors (processors can include but are not limited to processing devices such as microprocessors MCU or programmable logic devices FPGA, etc.), a memory 804 for storing data, in addition to this. It can also include a display, an input / output interface (I / O interface), a universal serial bus (USB) port (which can be included as one of the ports of the BUS bus), a network interface, a power supply, and / or a camera. Those skilled in the art can understand, Figure 8The illustrated structure is merely schematic and does not limit the structure of the electronic device described above. For example, the computer terminal 80 can further include more or fewer components than those shown, or have a different configuration of components than those shown. Figure 8 Figure 8 The illustrated structure is merely schematic and does not limit the structure of the electronic device described above. For example, the computer terminal 80 can further include more or fewer components than those shown, or have a different configuration of components than those shown.

[0144] It should be noted that the one or more processors and / or other data processing circuitry described above can be referred to herein generally as "data processing circuitry". The data processing circuitry can be embodied in whole or in part as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, the data processing circuitry can be a single standalone processing module, or incorporated in whole or in part within any one of the other elements of the computer terminal 80. As referred to in embodiments of the present application, the data processing circuitry acts as a processor to control, for example, the selection of the variable resistance terminal path in connection with the interface.

[0145] The memory 804 can be used to store software programs of application software and modules, such as program instructions / data storage means corresponding to the three-dimensional printing method of the embodiments of the present application. The processor executes various functional applications and data processing by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory 804, that is, implements the three-dimensional printing method of the application program described above. The memory 804 can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memories, or other non-volatile solid-state memories. In some examples, the memory 804 can further include a memory remotely arranged with respect to the processor, which can be connected to the computer terminal 80 through a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include but are not limited to the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and a combination thereof.

[0146] The display can be, for example, a touch screen type liquid crystal display (LCD) that can enable a user to interact with the user interface of the computer terminal 80.

[0147] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a three-dimensional printing method according to an embodiment of the present application. The three-dimensional printing method is applied to a three-dimensional printing device, which includes a material containing mechanism, a first material supply mechanism, a second material supply mechanism, an optical mechanism, and a building mechanism. As shown in Figure 9 The three-dimensional printing method includes the following steps:

[0148] Step 901, using the first material supply mechanism to supply the first material to the bearing area of the material containing mechanism;

[0149] Step 902, using the second material supply mechanism to supply at least the second material different from the first material to the bearing area;

[0150] ​Step 903, using the optical mechanism to expose and cure at least the second material to form a composite cured layer on the forming platform of the build mechanism.

[0151] In the above steps, the three-dimensional printing device including the material holding mechanism, the first feeding mechanism, the second feeding mechanism, the optical mechanism and the build mechanism is used. The first material is supplied to the bearing area of the material holding mechanism by using the first feeding mechanism, then the second material different from the first material is supplied to the bearing area by using the second feeding mechanism, and the optical mechanism is used to expose and cure at least the second material to form a composite cured layer on the forming platform of the build mechanism. The purpose of fully spreading the second material on the bearing area under the action of the first material is achieved, so as to realize the technical effect of improving the spreading effect of the printing material on the bearing area and further improving the printing surface effect and the printing quality, and further solve the technical problem that the printing material cannot be fully spread when applied to the material holding mechanism in related three-dimensional printing technology, resulting in poor printing effect.

[0152] Based on the above three-dimensional printing method, the operation steps of three-dimensional printing using the first feeding mechanism can be as follows:

[0153] Step 1, a thin layer of first material (such as wetting agent) is supplied on the bearing area by the first feeding mechanism to occupy the first area in the bearing area, wherein the bearing area can be a release film on the material holding mechanism.

[0154] The printing material can include at least one of relative motion information of the bearing area and the first feeding mechanism and / or the second feeding mechanism, material information of the first feeding mechanism and / or the second feeding mechanism, projection information of the optical mechanism, and printing parameter information, by obtaining a printing model of the three-dimensional object, dividing the three-dimensional printing model into multiple slice layers, and generating a pair of printing strategies for each layer.

[0155] Step 2, using the second feeding mechanism to supply the second material to occupy the second area in the first area. For example, after the first material is applied on the bearing area, a layer of second material is continuously applied in the area covered by the first material on the bearing area. The second material can be a photocurable liquid resin material. In this step, the second material can be well spread on the bearing area under the action of the first material, improving the subsequent printing performance.

[0156] Step 3, moving the forming platform so that the forming platform contacts the high-viscosity printing material.

[0157] Step 4, exposing the build area with the optical mechanism to achieve solidification of a layer, to obtain a solidified layer. According to the printing material, the first supply mechanism and / or the second supply mechanism is controlled to supply corresponding material to the build area. The first supply mechanism can supply the wetting agent material, and the second supply mechanism can supply the printing material, which can spread in the build area under the action of the wetting agent.

[0158] Step 5, moving the build platform and peeling the solidified layer from the build area, for example, from the release film, and then cleaning the release film.

[0159] Step 6, repeating steps 1-5 to achieve multi-layer stacking of the solidified layer until the printing piece is completed.

[0160] In some embodiments, before forming the composite solidified layer, only the second material is supplied to the build area using the second supply mechanism, and the second material is exposed and solidified using the optical mechanism to form a second material solidified layer, and then the composite solidified layer is formed on the second material solidified layer; or after forming the composite solidified layer, the second material is supplied to the build area using the second supply mechanism, and the second material is exposed and solidified using the optical mechanism to form a second material solidified layer on the composite solidified layer; or after forming the composite solidified layer, another composite solidified layer is formed on the composite solidified layer.

[0161] In some embodiments, the composite solidified layer is composed of solidified first material and solidified second material, or at least partially un-solidified first material and solidified second material.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first material is supplied to occupy a first area in the build area, and the second material is supplied to occupy a second area in the first area. Please refer to Figure 4 In the embodiment shown, the wetting agent applied to the build area occupies a first area 122 in the build area 120, which is, for example, the middle area of the build area. In some embodiments, the subsequently supplied printing material is configured to occupy a second area 124 in the first area 122.

[0163] In some embodiments, the first material is a wetting agent for spreading the second material in the build area.

[0164] In some embodiments, the wetting agent is an active wetting agent, which participates in the solidification of the high viscosity printing material; the active wetting agent includes surfactants and adjuvants, and further includes at least one of the following: initiators, inhibitors, active monomers, prepolymers; or, the wetting agent is an inactive wetting agent, which includes surfactants and adjuvants. In some embodiments, when the wetting agent is an active wetting agent, the following wetting agent ratio can be used: 0.5%-40% surfactants, 0%-3% adjuvants, 0.2%-3% initiators, 0%-2% inhibitors, 5%-80% active monomers, 5%-60% prepolymers. When the wetting agent is an inactive wetting agent, the following wetting agent ratio can be used: 95%-100% surfactants, 0%-5% adjuvants.

[0165] In some embodiments, the surfactants include at least one of the following: silicone-based polymers, fluorine-modified polymers, acrylate-based polymers.

[0166] In some embodiments, the adjuvants include at least one of the following: pigments, dyes, defoamers, leveling agents, wetting agents, dispersants, matting agents. For example: white lead, zinc sulfide, titanium white, zinc white, zinc sulfide, barite, silica, calcium carbonate, carbon black, iron blue, chromium oxide, yellow ochre, zinc yellow, iron red, fast yellow, alizarin lake, madder lake, toluidine color origin, yellow light pigment red, ultramarine, barium sulfate, titanium dioxide, iron oxide black, aniline black, gold light red, lithol scarlet, pigment red G, pigment red 171, iron oxide red, fast yellow G, Hansa yellow R, permanent yellow GR, pigment yellow 129, iron yellow, phthalocyanine blue, indanthrone, light blue paste AG, iron blue, ultramarine, phthalocyanine green G, pigment green, yellow light copper titanium cyanine, chromium oxide green, permanent orange G, permanent orange HL, quinacridone violet, permanent purple RL, manganese violet, permanent brown HSR, perylene maroon purple, iron oxide brown, kaolin, talc, tributyl phosphate, mineral oil, polydimethylsiloxane, lecithin, long-chain poly fatty acid, polyamino salt, polyvalent carboxylic acid, aluminum stearate, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, tung oil, polyethylene wax, polypropylene wax, polytetrafluoroethylene wax, diatomite.

[0167] In some embodiments, the photoinitiator includes at least one of the following: benzoin and its derivatives, benzil and its derivatives, acetophenone derivatives, a-hydroxy ketone derivatives, a-aminoketone derivatives, benzoylformate, acylphosphine oxide. For example: benzoin, a,a'-dimethylbenzil ketal, a,a-diethoxyacetophenone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-phenylpropanone-1, 1-hydroxy-cyclohexylbenzophenone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-p-hydroxyethyloxyphenylpropanone-1, 2-methyl-1-(4-methylthiophenyl)-2-morpholinopropanone-1, 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)butanone-1, benzoylformate, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl-ethoxy-phenylphosphine oxide, 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyldiphenylphosphine oxide, bis(2,4,6-trimethylbenzoyl)phenylphosphine oxide, and 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphenylphosphinic acid ethyl ester.

[0168] In some embodiments, the polymerization inhibitor includes at least one of the following: p-hydroxyanisole, hydroquinone, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, aluminum salt of tris(N-nitroso-N-phenylhydroxylamine).

[0169] In some embodiments, the active monomer includes at least one of the following: alkyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxyl (meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylate with cyclic structure or benzene ring, ethylene glycol diacrylate, propylene glycol diacrylate, other glycol diacrylate, multi-functional diluent, alkoxylated acrylate, dioxane acrylate, alkoxylated bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate. For example: lauryl acrylate, hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, glycidyl methacrylate, methacryloyl morpholine, isobornyl methacrylate, tetrahydrofurfuryl acrylate, phenoxyethyl acrylate, phenoxyethyl methacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, polyethylene glycol (200) diacrylate, polyethylene glycol (400) diacrylate, polyethylene glycol (600) diacrylate, dipropylene glycol diacrylate, tripropylene glycol diacrylate, 1,4-butanediol diacrylate, 1,6-hexanediol diacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, pentaerythritol triacrylate, ditrimethylolpropane tetraacrylate, dipentaerythritol pentaacrylate, dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate, alkoxylated acrylate, dioxane acrylate, alkoxylated bisphenol A diacrylate, and alkoxylated bisphenol A dimethacrylate.

[0170] In some embodiments, the prepolymer includes at least one of the following: unsaturated polyester resin, epoxy acrylate resin, polyurethane acrylate resin, polyester acrylate resin, polyether acrylate resin, pure acrylic resin.

[0171] In some embodiments, the thin layer of the wetting agent applied on the bearing area has a thickness of 0.1 to 20 microns.

[0172] In some embodiments, before the second material different from the first material is supplied to the bearing area using the second feeding mechanism, the three-dimensional printing method further comprises: obtaining a three-dimensional printing model, segmenting the three-dimensional printing model into a plurality of slice layers, and generating a corresponding printing strategy for each slice layer; and determining a second area in the bearing area according to the printing strategy, wherein the second area is an area where the second material with a viscosity greater than a predetermined viscosity threshold is subsequently supplied by the regulating valve.

[0173] In some embodiments, before the first feeding mechanism is controlled to apply the wetting agent to the target area in the bearing area, the method further comprises: determining the target area in the bearing area according to the printing strategy, wherein the target area is an area where the high-viscosity printing material with a viscosity greater than a predetermined viscosity threshold is subsequently supplied by the pressure regulating valve.

[0174] In some embodiments, after the composite cured layer is formed on the forming platform of the building mechanism by exposing and curing at least the second material using the optical mechanism, the forming platform is controlled to separate the composite cured layer, and the feeding mechanism and / or the printing residue remaining on the composite cured layer are cleaned.

[0175] In some embodiments, after the forming platform mechanism is controlled to separate the cured layer, the method further comprises cleaning the printing residue remaining on the feeding mechanism.

[0176] In some embodiments, after the forming platform mechanism is controlled to separate the cured layer, the method further comprises cleaning the printing residue remaining on the cured layer.

[0177] In some embodiments, after the second material different from the first material is supplied to the bearing area using the second feeding mechanism, the method further comprises: leveling the second material in the bearing area to a predetermined thickness. For example, after the feeding mechanism is controlled to supply the printing material to the bearing area, the method further comprises: leveling the printing material in the bearing area to a predetermined thickness.

[0178] Figure 10 Another flowchart of a three-dimensional printing method according to an embodiment of the present application is provided, which is applied to a three-dimensional printing device including a feeding mechanism, a first feeding mechanism, a second feeding mechanism, an optical mechanism, and a building mechanism. As shown in Figure 10 the three-dimensional printing method comprises the following steps:

[0179] Step 1001, using a coating mechanism of the three-dimensional printing device to pre-apply a wetting agent in a bearing area;

[0180] At step 1002, exposure is performed using the optical mechanism to solidify at least a portion of the wetting agent and a portion of the printing material on the build mechanism;

[0181] At step 1003, the build platform is controlled to move into contact with the printing material in the support area.

[0182] At step 1004, exposure is performed using the optical mechanism to solidify the remaining portion of the printing material on the build platform.

[0183] It is noted that for each of the above-described method embodiments, for the sake of simplicity, each is described as a series of acts for carrying out the combination of steps, but it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the application is not limited to the order of acts described herein, as some steps can, in accordance with the application, occur simultaneously or in a different order. Also, it is noted that the embodiments described in the specification are illustrative only and not necessarily the only way to implement the acts and modules involved.

[0184] From the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the three-dimensional printing method according to the above-described embodiments can be implemented by means of software and a necessary general hardware platform, and of course, it can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases, the former is a better embodiment. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium (such as a ROM / RAM, a magnetic disk, or an optical disk) and includes a plurality of instructions for causing a terminal device (which can be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device) to execute the methods of the various embodiments of the present application.

[0185] The embodiments of the present application can provide a computer device, and in some embodiments, the computer device can be located in at least one of the network devices in a computer network in the present embodiment. The computer device includes a memory and a processor.

[0186] The memory can be used to store software programs and modules, such as the program instructions / modules corresponding to the three-dimensional printing method and device in the embodiments of the present application. The processor executes various functions and data processing by running the software programs and modules stored in the memory, i.e., implements the three-dimensional printing method described above. The memory can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, a flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memories. In some examples, the memory can further include a memory remotely arranged with respect to the processor, and these remote memories can be connected to the computer terminal through a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include but are not limited to the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and a combination thereof.

[0187] The processor can call the information and application stored in the memory through the transmission device to perform the following steps: obtain a three-dimensional printing model, divide the three-dimensional printing model into multiple slice layers, and generate a corresponding printing strategy for each slice layer, the printing strategy including at least one of the relative movement information between the load-bearing area and the feeding mechanism, the material type of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism, and the projection information of the optical mechanism; according to the printing strategy, control the first feeding mechanism to apply the wetting agent in the load-bearing area; according to the printing strategy, control the feeding mechanism to supply the printing material to the load-bearing area so that the printing material extends in the load-bearing area under the action of the wetting agent; the printing material is exposed and cured by the optical mechanism according to the projection information to form a solidified layer; and control the forming platform mechanism to separate the solidified layer.

[0188] A person skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps in the various methods of the above embodiments can be completed by instructing the hardware related to the terminal device through a program, and the program can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium, which may include: a flash drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, etc.

[0189] The embodiments of the present invention further provide a non-volatile storage medium. In some implementations, in this embodiment, the non-volatile storage medium can be used to store program codes executed by the three-dimensional printing method provided in the above embodiment.

[0190] In some implementations, in this embodiment, the non-volatile storage medium may be located in any computer terminal in a computer terminal group in a computer network, or in any mobile terminal in a mobile terminal group.

[0191] In some embodiments, in this embodiment, the non-volatile storage medium is configured to store program code for performing the following steps: obtaining a three-dimensional printing model, dividing the three-dimensional printing model into multiple slice layers, generating a corresponding printing strategy for each slice layer, the printing strategy including at least one of relative movement information between the load-bearing area and the feeding mechanism, the material type of the printing material supplied by the feeding mechanism, and projection information of the optical mechanism; according to the printing strategy, controlling the first feeding mechanism to apply the wetting agent in the load-bearing area; according to the printing strategy, controlling the feeding mechanism to supply the printing material to the load-bearing area, so that the printing material extends in the load-bearing area under the action of the wetting agent; the printing material is exposed and cured by the optical mechanism according to the projection information to form a solidified layer; and controlling the forming platform mechanism to separate the solidified layer.

[0192] The serial numbers of the above embodiments of the present invention are for description only and do not represent the advantages or disadvantages of the embodiments.

[0193] In the above-described embodiments of the present application, the description of each embodiment focuses on different aspects, and the parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0194] In several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed technical contents can be implemented by other manners. Among them, the above-described device embodiments are only schematic, for example, the division of units can be a logical function division, and actual implementation can have another division manner, for example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units or modules shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, and can be electrical or other forms.

[0195] The units described as separate components can or can not be physically separate, and the components shown as units can or can not be physical units, that is, they can be located in one place, or can be distributed to multiple units. Part or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme.

[0196] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated in a processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The above integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional unit.

[0197] If the integrated unit is realized in the form of software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solutions of the present application or the whole or part of the technical solutions that essentially contribute to the prior art can be embodied in the form of software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a plurality of instructions for making a computer device (which can be a personal computer, a server or a network device, etc.) execute all or part of the steps of the embodiments of the present application. The foregoing storage medium includes: U disk, read-only memory (ROM, Read-Only Memory), random access memory (RAM, Random Access Memory), mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk and various program code storage media.

[0198] The above merely is the preferred embodiment of the present application, it should be pointed out that, for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, can also make a number of improvements and refinements, these improvements and refinements should also be considered as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing apparatus, characterized by, The application comprises: a holding mechanism comprising a bearing area; a first feeding mechanism for supplying a first material to the bearing area; a second feeding mechanism for supplying at least a second material different from the first material to the bearing area; wherein, the first material is pre-supplied to the bearing area before the second material is supplied to the bearing area; an optical mechanism for exposing the first and second materials of the bearing area to light so that at least the second material undergoes a photocuring reaction to form a cured layer; a building mechanism comprising a forming platform for at least adhering the cured layer layer by layer and separating the cured layer from the bearing area layer by layer.

2. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by The first material supplied to the bearing area is configured to occupy a first area in the bearing area, and the second material supplied is configured to occupy a second area in the first area.

3. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized by The area of the second area is more than 5%, preferably more than 50%, more preferably more than 70% of the area of the first area.

4. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by The first feeding mechanism comprises: a first material application device and a first material storage container; wherein the first material application device is used to apply the first material from the first material storage container to the bearing area.

5. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized by The first material application device comprises at least one of the following: a surface coating device, a point coating device, a line coating device.

6. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized by The surface coating device comprises a discharge mechanism and a coater, wherein the discharge mechanism and the coater together define a flow channel for the first material, and wherein the coater is selected from any one of a brush, a doctor blade, a roller.

7. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 5, wherein, The surface coating device comprises: a coater brush head, a coater clamp, a push rod and a mounting back plate; wherein the coater clamp fixed to the push rod is used to hold the coater brush head, and the push rod is fixed to the mounting back plate.

8. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 5, wherein, The point coating device comprises: a spray head for coating the first material on the bearing area by single-point or multi-point spraying.

9. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein, The holding mechanism further comprises: a release film, wherein the release film at least partially defines the bearing area.

10. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 9, wherein, The release film is a fluoropolymer film, wherein the fluoropolymer film is at least one of a polytetrafluoroethylene film, a fluorinated ethylene propylene film, a perfluoroalkoxy resin film, an ethylene and tetrafluoroethylene copolymer film, an ethylene and chlorotrifluoroethylene copolymer film, a polyvinylidene fluoride film, a polyvinyl fluoride film.

11. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 9, wherein, The release film has an ultraviolet light transmittance of 50% to 100%, and a thickness of 10 microns to 300 microns.

12. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein, The second feeding mechanism comprises an adjusting valve for supplying a printing material with a viscosity greater than a predetermined viscosity threshold to the bearing area.

13. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 12, wherein, The adjusting valve comprises at least one of a flow regulating valve, a pressure regulating valve, a temperature regulating valve, a dispensing valve, a liquid level regulating valve.

14. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 12, wherein, The adjusting valve is a pressure regulating valve comprising any one of: a piezoelectric ceramic jet valve, an electrically controlled jet valve, an electromagnetically controlled jet valve, a pneumatically controlled jet valve.

15. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 12, wherein, The second feeding mechanism further comprises a first spray head for supplying a printing material with a viscosity less than the predetermined viscosity threshold to the bearing area.

16. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 12, wherein, The second supply mechanism further comprises a water-soluble material spray head, wherein the water-soluble material spray head is configured to supply water-soluble material to the build area, the water-soluble material being configured to build a support structure of the three-dimensional object to be formed.

17. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: a driving mechanism, wherein the driving mechanism is configured to enable relative movement between the build area and the first supply mechanism, such that the first supply mechanism applies the first supply on the build area.

18. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising: a leveling mechanism configured to maintain the thickness of the second material supplied by the second supply mechanism on the build area within a pre-set range; and / or a cleaning mechanism configured to remove material remaining on the build area after the solidified layer is separated from the build platform.

19. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein: the optical system of the optical mechanism is any one of a DLP projection system, a Micro-LED display system, an LCOS optical system, an LCD display system, an LCD projection system, and a laser galvanometer scanning system.

20. A three-dimensional printing method applied to a three-dimensional printing apparatus, the three-dimensional printing apparatus comprising, the build mechanism, the first supply mechanism, the second supply mechanism, the optical mechanism, and the build mechanism, wherein: the three-dimensional printing method comprises: supplying a first material to a build area of the build mechanism using the first supply mechanism; and supplying at least a second material different from the first material to the build area using the second supply mechanism; exposing and solidifying at least the second material using the optical mechanism to form a composite solidified layer on a build platform of the build mechanism.

21. The three-dimensional printing method of claim 20, wherein: before forming the composite solidified layer, supplying the second material to the build area using only the second supply mechanism, exposing and solidifying the second material using the optical mechanism to form a second material solidified layer, and then forming the composite solidified layer on the second material solidified layer; or after forming the composite solidified layer, supplying the second material to the build area using the second supply mechanism, exposing and solidifying the second material using the optical mechanism to form a second material solidified layer on the composite solidified layer; or after forming the composite solidified layer, forming another composite solidified layer on the composite solidified layer.

22. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 20, wherein, the composite solidified layer is composed of solidified first material and solidified second material, or is composed of at least partially un-solidified first material and solidified second material.

23. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 20, wherein, the first material is supplied on the build area to occupy a first region in the build area, and the second material is supplied to occupy a second region in the first region.

24. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 20, wherein, the first material is a wetting agent configured to spread the second material in the build area.

25. The three-dimensional printing method of claim 24, wherein: the wetting agent is an active wetting agent, the active wetting agent comprising a surfactant and an auxiliary agent, and further comprising at least one of the following: an initiator, a polymerization inhibitor, an active monomer, a prepolymer; or the wetting agent is an inactive wetting agent, the inactive wetting agent comprising a surfactant and an auxiliary agent. 26.The three-dimensional printing method of claim 25, wherein, a ratio of each component in the active wetting agent is 0.5-40% surfactant, 0-3% auxiliary agent, 0.2-3% initiator, 0-2% polymerization inhibitor, 5-80% active monomer, 5-60% prepolymer; or, a ratio of each component in the non-active wetting agent is 95-100% surfactant, 0-5% auxiliary agent.

27. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 25, wherein, the surfactant comprises at least one of silicone-based polymer, fluorine-modified polymer, and acrylate-based polymer.

28. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 25, wherein, the auxiliary agent comprises at least one of pigment, dye, defoaming agent, leveling agent, wetting agent, dispersing agent, and matting agent.

29. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 25, wherein, the photoinitiator comprises at least one of benzoin and its derivatives, benzoin ether and its derivatives, acetophenone derivatives, α-hydroxy ketone derivatives, α-amino ketone derivatives, benzoyl formate, and acyl phosphine oxide.

30. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 25, wherein, the polymerization inhibitor comprises at least one of p-hydroxyanisole, hydroquinone, 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, and aluminum salt of tris(N-nitroso-N-phenylhydroxylamine).

31. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 25, wherein, the active monomer comprises at least one of alkyl (meth)acrylate, hydroxyl (meth)acrylate, (meth)acrylate with cyclic structure or benzene ring, ethylene glycol diacrylate, propylene glycol diacrylate, other glycol diacrylate, multi-functional diluent, alkoxylated acrylate, dioxolane acrylate, and alkoxylated bisphenol A di(meth)acrylate.

32. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 25, wherein, the prepolymer comprises at least one of unsaturated polyester resin, epoxy acrylate resin, polyurethane acrylate resin, polyester acrylate resin, polyether acrylate resin, and pure acrylic resin.

33. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 20, wherein, a thickness of the first material in the composite solidified layer is 0.1-50 microns.

34. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 20, wherein, the three-dimensional printing method further comprises, before supplying at least a second material different from the first material to the carrying area using the second feeding mechanism, obtaining a three-dimensional printing model, dividing the three-dimensional printing model into a plurality of slice layers, and generating a corresponding printing strategy for each slice layer; determining a second area in the carrying area according to the printing strategy, wherein the second area is an area to be supplied with the second material having a viscosity greater than a predetermined viscosity threshold by the adjusting valve.

35. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 20, wherein, exposing and solidifying at least the second material using the optical mechanism, and after forming a composite solidified layer on the forming platform of the building mechanism, controlling the forming platform to separate the composite solidified layer, and cleaning the feeding mechanism and / or the printing residue remaining on the composite solidified layer.

36. The method of three-dimensional printing according to claim 20, wherein, after supplying at least the second material different from the first material to the carrying area using the second feeding mechanism, further comprising: leveling the second material in the carrying area to a preset thickness.

37. A non-volatile storage medium, comprising: the non-volatile storage medium comprises a stored program, wherein the program is used to execute the three-dimensional printing method of any one of claims 20-36.

38. A computer device, comprising: The computer device comprises a memory for storing a program and a processor for running the program stored in the memory, wherein the program, when running, performs the three-dimensional printing method of any one of claims 20 to 36.

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