Diaphragm vibration-based powder suction mechanism and method for selective laser melting equipment

Abstract

The invention discloses a selective laser melting equipment powder suction mechanism and method based on diaphragm vibration, and belongs to the field of selective laser melting metal additive manufacturing. The diaphragm is arranged on one side of the powder suction disc; the transmission mechanism is connected between the powder suction disc and the diaphragm piece and used for driving the diaphragm piece to reciprocate in the direction perpendicular to the powder suction disc; the powder suction hole is formed in the powder suction disc and penetrates through the two sides of the powder suction disc, so that the space in the forming cylinder communicates with the external environment through the powder suction hole; the air suction device is connected to the powder suction hole; the air inlet is formed in the powder suction disc, penetrates through the two sides of the powder suction disc and is used for feeding air into the forming cylinder. And the dust is quickly sucked out from the forming cylinder and is cleared more thoroughly.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The application belongs to the technical field of laser selective melting metal additive manufacturing, and relates to a powder suction mechanism of a laser selective melting equipment based on diaphragm vibration, in particular to an automatic forming cylinder powder cleaning mechanism in a post-printing process. BACKGROUND

[0002] In recent years, with the rapid growth of market demand, especially the demand for laser selective melting metal additive parts in the field of aerospace, laser selective melting metal additive technology has developed very rapidly due to its characteristics such as forming complex and fine structures, short forming process, strong adaptability of forming part size range, etc. The produced parts have also changed from rapid prototyping to actual end parts, and from single piece and small batch to medium batch production stage. However, in the post-processing of laser selective melting metal additive, the powder in the forming cylinder needs to be removed. The main process of removal is to suck the dust out of the forming cylinder. The removal process is time-consuming and often incomplete. If not handled properly, the powder may splash and be inhaled by the operator, or even cause an explosion. Based on this, the application provides a powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder of a laser selective melting equipment based on diaphragm vibration. SUMMARY

[0003] The application solves the technical problem of overcoming the shortcomings of the prior art and providing a powder suction mechanism of a laser selective melting equipment based on diaphragm vibration, which can quickly suck the dust out of the forming cylinder and clean more thoroughly.

[0004] The technical scheme provided by the application is as follows:

[0005] The powder suction mechanism of the laser selective melting equipment based on diaphragm vibration comprises:

[0006] A powder suction disc is used to be installed at the opening position of the forming cylinder.

[0007] A diaphragm is arranged on one side of the powder suction disc.

[0008] A transmission mechanism is connected between the powder suction disc and the diaphragm, and is used to drive the diaphragm to reciprocate along a direction perpendicular to the powder suction disc.

[0009] A powder suction hole is arranged in the powder suction disc and penetrates through both sides of the powder suction disc, so that the space in the forming cylinder is in communication with the external environment through the powder suction hole.

[0010] An air suction device is connected to the powder suction hole.

[0011] An air inlet is arranged in the powder suction disc and penetrates through both sides of the powder suction disc, and is used to introduce air into the forming cylinder.

[0012] Further, the transmission mechanism comprises a vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft and a driving member, one end of the vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft is connected with the diaphragm, the vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft passes through the powder suction disc and is in sliding connection with the powder suction disc, and the driving member drives the vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft to move linearly and reciprocally.

[0013] Further, the diaphragm is provided in plurality, and the plurality of diaphragms are uniformly distributed on one side of the powder suction disc.

[0014] Further, the powder suction hole is provided in plurality, and along a projection direction perpendicular to the powder suction disc, a setting area of the powder suction hole does not coincide with a projection area of the diaphragm; the setting area of the powder suction hole is between adjacent diaphragms.

[0015] Further, the powder suction disc is provided with a powder suction cover on a side away from the diaphragm, the powder suction cover is connected with the powder suction disc to form a powder suction space, the powder suction space is communicated with the other side of the powder suction disc through the powder suction hole; along the projection direction perpendicular to the powder suction disc, the powder suction cover covers the setting area of the powder suction hole; the air suction device is connected with the powder suction cover and communicated with the powder suction space.

[0016] Further, the air inlet is arranged at the edge of the powder suction disc, and the air inlet is away from the setting area of the powder suction hole; the air inlet is connected with an air inlet valve for controlling opening and closing.

[0017] Further, the edge of the powder suction disc is a stepped surface, and the stepped surface is provided with a sealing ring, and the opening end of the forming cylinder is in contact with the sealing ring of the stepped surface.

[0018] A powder suction method using the powder suction mechanism of the diaphragm vibration-based laser selective melting equipment according to any one of the above, comprising:

[0019] S1, placing the powder suction disc at the opening position of the forming cylinder, connecting the diaphragm with the transmission mechanism, and connecting the powder suction cover with the powder suction equipment;

[0020] S2, opening the air inlet;

[0021] S3, starting the transmission mechanism, and the transmission mechanism drives the diaphragm to move reciprocally;

[0022] S4, after the diaphragm reciprocally moves for a set time, the movement of the diaphragm is paused, the powder suction equipment is opened to suck and remove the powder, and after a set time of powder suction and removal, the powder suction equipment is closed;

[0023] S5, repeating S3 and S4 until the powder is completely removed, and the powder suction equipment is closed.

[0024] A powder suction method using the powder suction mechanism of the diaphragm vibration-based laser selective melting equipment according to any one of the above, comprising:

[0025] S1, the powder suction plate is placed in the opening position of the forming cylinder, the diaphragm piece is connected to the transmission mechanism, and the powder suction cover is connected to the powder suction device;

[0026] S2, open the air inlet, keep the pressure in the forming cylinder as a slight positive pressure, then close the air inlet valve; start the transmission mechanism, and the transmission mechanism drives the diaphragm piece to reciprocate;

[0027] S3, after the diaphragm piece reciprocates for a set time, open the connected powder suction device and air inlet, and the powder suction device performs powder suction for a set time, then close the powder suction device;

[0028] S4, repeat S2 and S3 until the powder is completely removed, and close the powder suction device.

[0029] In summary, the present application at least includes the following beneficial technical effects:

[0030] The powder suction process does not contact the operator with the powder, reduces the risk of inhalation and explosion hazards, and reduces the safety risk. The powder suction process is automated to improve work efficiency, reduce powder suction time, speed up the speed of printing piece removal, and improve the operation efficiency of the laser selective melting equipment. In the powder suction process, the diaphragm piece reciprocates to drive the surrounding gas to remove the powder from the original position and take away the powder. This non-contact powder cleaning can reduce the collision between the powder suction device and the printing piece during the manual powder suction process, and it is easier to clean the powder in the gap of the printing piece, which maximizes the removal of the powder and improves the utilization rate of the powder. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 It is a shaft view of the powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder.

[0032] Figure 2 It is a lower view of the powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder.

[0033] Figure 3 It is a front view of the powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder.

[0034] Figure 4 It is a top view of the powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present application clearer, the embodiments disclosed by the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0036] The embodiments of the present application disclose a laser selective melting equipment powder suction mechanism based on diaphragm vibration, as shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , including a diaphragm piece 1, a powder suction hole 2, a powder suction plate 3, a vertical motion diaphragm piece connecting shaft 4, a powder suction cover 5, an air inlet 6, etc., which build an automatic powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the suction powder disc 3 is installed to the opening position of the forming cylinder 7; the diaphragm sheet 1 is arranged on one side of the suction powder disc 3, and multiple diaphragm sheets 1 are arranged, and the multiple diaphragm sheets 1 are uniformly distributed on one side of the suction powder disc 3. One end of the vertical motion diaphragm sheet connecting shaft 4 is connected with the diaphragm sheet 1, and the other end of the vertical motion diaphragm sheet connecting shaft 4 penetrates through the suction powder disc 3 and is in sliding connection with the suction powder disc 3. The driving member drives the vertical motion diaphragm sheet connecting shaft 4 to move linearly and reciprocally, for driving the diaphragm sheet 1 to reciprocate along the direction perpendicular to the suction powder disc 3. In the embodiment, the driving member includes a mounting plate, a motor, a rotating disc, a rotating shaft and a sliding block. The motor is fixedly connected to the mounting plate, the output shaft of the motor is coaxially connected with the rotating disc, the edge position of the rotating disc is rotationally connected with the rotating shaft, the other end of the rotating shaft is rotationally connected with the sliding block, the sliding block is slidingly connected with the mounting plate along the linear direction, and the sliding block is connected with the vertical motion diaphragm sheet connecting shaft 4. The motor is started, the output shaft of the motor drives the rotating disc to rotate, the rotation of the rotating disc drives the sliding block to move reciprocally through the rotating shaft, the movement of the sliding block drives the vertical motion diaphragm sheet connecting shaft 4 to move reciprocally, and the vertical reciprocating movement of the diaphragm sheet 1 is realized.

[0038] As shown in Figure 2 and Figure 4 , the suction powder hole 2 is arranged on the suction powder disc 3 and penetrates through both sides of the suction powder disc 3, so that the space in the forming cylinder is communicated with the external environment through the suction powder hole 2. Multiple suction powder holes 2 are arranged, and along the projection direction perpendicular to the suction powder disc 3, the arrangement area of the suction powder hole 2 does not coincide with the projection area of the diaphragm sheet 1; the arrangement area of the suction powder hole 2 is between adjacent diaphragm sheets 1. The side of the suction powder disc 3 away from the diaphragm sheet 1 is provided with a suction powder cover 5, the suction powder cover 5 is connected with the suction powder disc 3, forming a suction powder space, the suction powder space is communicated with the other side of the suction powder disc 3 through the suction powder hole 2; along the projection direction perpendicular to the suction powder disc 3, the suction powder cover 5 covers the arrangement area of the suction powder hole 2; the air suction device is connected with the suction powder cover 5 and communicated with the suction powder space. In the embodiment, four diaphragm sheets 1 are arranged, and the four diaphragm sheets 1 are arranged in a horizontal and vertical cross arrangement, and the arrangement area of the corresponding suction powder hole 2 is in a cross shape.

[0039] The air inlet 6 is arranged around the edge of the suction powder disc 3 and penetrates through both sides of the suction powder disc 3, and the air inlet 6 is away from the arrangement area of the suction powder hole 2, and the air inlet 6 is used for air inlet into the forming cylinder. The air inlet 6 is connected with an air inlet valve for controlling opening and closing. In the embodiment, the air inlet 6 is arranged at the four corners of the rectangular suction powder disc 3.

[0040] The edge of the suction powder disc 3 is a stepped surface, and a sealing ring is installed on the stepped surface. The opening end of the forming cylinder is in contact with the sealing ring of the stepped surface. When the suction powder disc 3 is placed at the opening end of the forming cylinder, the suction powder disc 3 and the opening end of the forming cylinder are sealed under the action of the relatively large gravity of the suction powder disc 3 itself.

[0041] The powder cleaning mechanism places the suction disc in the powder suction bin through the mechanical arm and ensures the sealing of the cabin through the suction disc. In the case of ensuring the sealing, the motor is opened, the up and down movement of the vertical movement diaphragm connected with the transmission shaft drives the gas in the cabin to form a stirring airflow, and after a certain time of operation, the powder in the cabin is ensured to leave the original position due to the stirring airflow, the suction device and the air inlet valve are opened to suck the powder out of the forming cylinder, and after several times of repeated operation to meet the powder suction requirement, the mechanical arm carries the powder suction device away from the forming cylinder. Such mechanism is suitable for various laser selective melting metal additive manufacturing equipment, has strong applicability, and is automatically operated.

[0042] The powder suction hole 2 and the powder suction cover 5 are arranged to transfer the powder particles from the forming cylinder, the powder suction hole 2 is a through hole with a dense arrangement structure, and the opening position can be adjusted according to the position of the vertical movement diaphragm 1; the vertical movement diaphragm 1, the vertical movement diaphragm connecting shaft 4 and the air inlet 6 form a gas or air inlet channel, and the vibration of the gas or air is realized through the vertical movement diaphragm 1, wherein the size of the vertical movement diaphragm 1 needs to be set according to the size and size requirement of the actual forming cylinder to ensure the uniformity of the vibration of the gas.

[0043] Example 1

[0044] ①The laser selective melting equipment forming cylinder powder cleaning mechanism based on the diaphragm vibration built based on the above scheme comprises a vertical movement diaphragm 1, a powder suction hole 2, a powder suction disc 3, a vertical movement diaphragm connecting shaft 4, a powder suction cover 5, an air inlet 6 and the like;

[0045] ②The forming cylinder powder cleaning mechanism places the powder suction disc 3 above the forming cylinder through a lifting arm or a mechanical arm, the powder suction cover 5 is connected with the powder suction device, the air inlet 6 is connected with an air inlet valve (including a check valve) and a pipeline, and the vertical movement diaphragm connecting shaft 4 is connected with a transmission mechanism;

[0046] ③After the forming cylinder powder cleaning mechanism is connected with external equipment to reach the starting state, the air inlet valve is opened, the vertical movement diaphragm 1 is started, the diaphragm is vertically moved, the movement frequency is set to 60 times / min, the surrounding air is driven to flow strongly through the vibration of the fixed frequency, and then the powder covering the top of the formed part is blown;

[0047] ④After the vertical diaphragm 1 of the forming cylinder powder cleaning mechanism operates for about 2-10 minutes, the vertical movement diaphragm 1 is paused, and the powder separated from the part is sucked away by opening the connected powder suction device;

[0048] ⑤The forming cylinder powder cleaning mechanism is operated to repeat the above steps 3 and 4 several times, so that the powder on the top of the formed part is removed;

[0049] The frequency and speed of the vertical motion diaphragm 1 are adjusted to 120, 240, 360 times / min respectively to achieve the effect of removing residual powder from small parts;

[0050] When the powder removal effect is achieved, the powder suction device is closed, and the powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder is lifted out of the forming cylinder by a lifting arm or a mechanical arm, and the part is taken out.

[0051] Example 2

[0052] The powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder based on diaphragm vibration is built based on the above scheme, and includes a vertical motion diaphragm 1, a powder suction hole 2, a powder suction disc 3, a vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft 4, a powder suction cover 5, an air inlet 6, and the like

[0053] The powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder is placed above the forming cylinder by a lifting arm or a mechanical arm, the powder suction cover 5 is connected to the powder suction device, the air inlet 6 is connected to the air inlet valve (including a check valve) and the pipeline, and the vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft 4 is connected to the transmission mechanism.

[0054] After the powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder is connected to the external device, the starting state is achieved, the air inlet valve is opened and closed, the pressure in the forming cylinder is maintained at a slight positive pressure, the air inlet valve is closed, the vertical motion diaphragm 1 is started, the diaphragm is vertically moved, the motion frequency is set to 60 times / min, the vibration of the fixed frequency drives the surrounding air to flow strongly, and then blows the powder covering the top of the formed part;

[0055] After the diaphragm 1 of ③ is driven for a set time, the connected powder suction device and air inlet valve are opened, and the powder suction device and the vertical motion diaphragm 1 are operated for about 2-10 minutes, and then the powder separated from the part is sucked and removed;

[0056] The frequency and speed of the vertical motion diaphragm 1 are adjusted to 120, 240, 360 times / min respectively to achieve the effect of removing residual powder from small parts;

[0057] When the powder removal effect is achieved, the powder suction device is closed, and the powder cleaning mechanism in the forming cylinder is lifted out of the forming cylinder by a lifting arm or a mechanical arm, and the part is taken out.

[0058] The contents not described in detail in the specification are known to those skilled in the art.

[0059] The application has been described in detail with specific reference to particular embodiments and exemplified examples, but it will be understood that these are only examples and are not intended to limit the application, as the application can be modified in various equivalent and / or functional ways and can be implemented in various examples. It will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous alternative arrangements and procedures for carrying out the application without departing from the spirit and scope of the application. The scope of the application is not to be limited by the specific examples given.

Claims

1. A powder suction mechanism for a laser selective melting apparatus based on diaphragm vibration, characterized by, include: The powder suction tray (3) is used to be installed at the opening of the forming cylinder; A diaphragm (1) is disposed on one side of the powder suction tray (3); The transmission mechanism is connected between the powder suction plate (3) and the diaphragm (1) and is used to drive the diaphragm (1) to reciprocate in a direction perpendicular to the powder suction plate (3); The powder suction hole (2) is set on the powder suction plate (3) and extends through both sides of the powder suction plate (3) so that the space inside the forming cylinder can be connected to the external environment through the powder suction hole (2); A suction device is connected to the powder suction hole (2); An air inlet (6) is provided on both sides of the powder suction plate (3) and is used to introduce air into the forming cylinder.

2. The powder suction mechanism for a laser selective melting apparatus based on diaphragm vibration according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism includes a vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft (4) and a driving component. One end of the vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft (4) is connected to the diaphragm (1). The vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft (4) passes through the powder suction disk (3) and is slidably connected to the powder suction disk (3). The driving component drives the vertical motion diaphragm connecting shaft (4) to move linearly back and forth.

3. The diaphragm vibration based powder suction mechanism for laser selective melting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Multiple diaphragm sheets (1) are provided, and the multiple diaphragm sheets (1) are evenly distributed on one side of the powder suction tray (3).

4. The powder suction mechanism of the laser selective melting apparatus based on diaphragm vibration according to claim 3, characterized in that: Multiple powder suction holes (2) are provided. Along the projection direction perpendicular to the powder suction disk (3), the setting area of ​​the powder suction hole (2) does not coincide with the projection area of ​​the diaphragm (1); the setting area of ​​the powder suction hole (2) is between adjacent diaphragms (1).

5. The powder suction mechanism of the diaphragm vibration based laser selective melting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The powder suction tray (3) is provided with a powder suction cover (5) on the side opposite to the diaphragm (1). The powder suction cover (5) is connected to the powder suction tray (3) to form a powder suction space. The powder suction space is connected to the other side of the powder suction tray (3) through the powder suction hole (2). Along the projection direction perpendicular to the powder suction tray (3), the powder suction cover (5) covers the setting area of ​​the powder suction hole (2). The air suction device is connected to the powder suction cover (5) and is connected to the powder suction space.

6. The powder suction mechanism of the diaphragm vibration based laser selective melting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The air inlet (6) is located around the edge of the powder suction tray (3), and the air inlet (6) is far away from the area where the powder suction hole (2) is located; the air inlet (6) is connected to an air intake valve for controlling its opening and closing.

7. The diaphragm vibration based powder suction mechanism for laser selective melting equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The edge of the powder suction tray (3) is a stepped surface, and a sealing ring is installed on the stepped surface. The opening end of the forming cylinder contacts the sealing ring of the stepped surface.

8. A method of powder suction, characterized by The powder-collecting mechanism of the laser selective melting equipment based on diaphragm vibration as described in any one of claims 1-7 includes: S1. Place the powder suction tray (3) at the opening of the forming cylinder, connect the diaphragm (1) to the transmission mechanism, and connect the powder suction cover (5) to the powder suction device. S2, Open the air intake (6); S3. Start the transmission mechanism, which drives the diaphragm (1) to reciprocate. S4. After the diaphragm (1) reciprocates for a set time, pause the movement of the diaphragm (1), open the powder suction device to remove powder, and after the powder removal set time, close the powder suction device. S5. Repeat S3 and S4 until the powder is completely removed, then turn off the powder suction equipment.

9. A method of powder suction, characterized by The powder-collecting mechanism of the laser selective melting equipment based on diaphragm vibration as described in any one of claims 1-7 includes: S1. Place the powder suction tray (3) at the opening of the forming cylinder, connect the diaphragm (1) to the transmission mechanism, and connect the powder suction cover (5) to the powder suction device. S2, open the air inlet (6), keep the pressure in the forming cylinder as a slight positive pressure, then close the air inlet valve; start the transmission mechanism, which drives the diaphragm (1) to reciprocate; S3, after the diaphragm (1) reciprocates for a set time, open the connected powder suction device and the air inlet (6), and the powder suction device is set for a set time, then close the powder suction device; S4, repeat S2 and S3 until the powder is completely removed, and close the powder suction device.

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