Consumable switching method, 3D printing equipment and readable storage medium

Abstract

The invention provides a consumable switching method, 3D printing equipment and a readable storage medium, and relates to the field of 3D printing. The equipment comprises a hot end assembly, a first channel assembly and a second channel assembly, each channel assembly comprises a plurality of feeding channels and a discharging channel, the discharging channel of the first channel assembly is communicated with the hot end assembly, and the discharging channel of the second channel assembly is communicated with the feeding channel of the first channel assembly. In response to the consumable switching signal, the first consumable passing through a discharging channel of the first channel assembly is cut off, so that the first consumable is cut into an upper section of consumable and a lower section of consumable; if the upper-section consumables penetrate through the second channel assembly to enter the discharging channel of the first channel assembly, the upper-section consumables are pumped back to the feeding channel of the second channel assembly, and if the upper-section consumables do not penetrate through the second channel assembly to enter the discharging channel of the first channel assembly, the upper-section consumables are pumped back to the feeding channel of the first channel assembly; and the second consumables to be used are pushed to the discharging channel of the first channel assembly.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of 3D printing, and in particular to a consumable switching method, a 3D printing device and a readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] The channel assembly includes a plurality of feeding channels and an outlet channel, and the channel assembly plays a role of consumable conveying in a multi-color 3D printing device, which can guide the consumable to be used to the outlet channel, and the outlet channel is in communication with a hot end, and the consumable is extruded from the hot end to realize printing.

[0003] When consumable replacement is needed, that is, switching from printing using a first consumable to printing using a second consumable, if the first consumable is not timely retracted, the first consumable will occupy the outlet channel of the channel assembly, and due to the blockage of the first consumable, the second consumable cannot enter the outlet channel smoothly, and printing cannot be realized. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a consumable switching method, a 3D printing device and a readable storage medium, which solve the problem that in the related art, a consumable occupies an outlet channel to hinder a new consumable from entering, thereby affecting printing.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a consumable switching method, characterized in that it is applied to a 3D printing device, the 3D printing device includes a hot end assembly, a first channel assembly and a second channel assembly, the first channel assembly and the second channel assembly each include a plurality of feeding channels and an outlet channel, the outlet channel is in communication with the feeding channels, the outlet channel of the first channel assembly is also in communication with the hot end assembly, the outlet channel of the second channel assembly is in communication with one of the feeding channels of the first channel assembly, and the consumable method includes: In response to a consumable switching signal, the first consumable passing through the outlet channel of the first channel assembly is cut off to divide the first consumable into an upper segment consumable and a lower segment consumable; If the upper segment consumable passes through the second channel assembly to enter the outlet channel of the first channel assembly, the upper segment consumable is retracted to the feeding channel of the second channel assembly, and if the upper segment consumable does not pass through the second channel assembly to enter the outlet channel of the first channel assembly, the upper segment consumable is retracted to the feeding channel of the first channel assembly; The second consumable to be used is pushed to the outlet channel of the first channel assembly.

[0006] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide a 3D printing device, which includes: a hot end assembly, a first channel assembly, and a second channel assembly. Both the first channel assembly and the second channel assembly include multiple feed channels and an output channel. The output channel is connected to the feed channel. The output channel of the first channel assembly is also connected to the hot end assembly. The output channel of the second channel assembly is connected to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. The 3D printing device also includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a program or instructions that run on the processor, which, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect.

[0007] Thirdly, embodiments of this application provide a readable storage medium on which a program or instructions are stored, which, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method as described in the first aspect.

[0008] The consumable switching method, 3D printing equipment, and readable storage medium of this application embodiment, in response to a consumable switching signal, perform a cutting action on the portion of the first consumable located in the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, dividing the originally continuous first consumable into two segments. The portion closer to the feed channel of the first channel assembly is the upper consumable segment, and the portion closer to the hot end assembly is the lower consumable segment. The conveying path of the first consumable is determined. If the upper consumable segment passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, meaning the first consumable is provided by the second channel assembly, then the upper consumable segment is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly. If the upper consumable segment does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, meaning the first consumable is provided by the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable segment is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. The second consumable to be used, i.e., the new consumable, is pushed from its corresponding feed channel to the discharge channel of the first channel assembly and then conveyed to the hot end assembly.

[0009] In this embodiment, the 3D printing equipment includes multi-level channel components. Each channel component includes multiple feed channels and one discharge channel, with the discharge channel connected to the next-level channel component or hot-end component. The multi-level channel components increase the number of feed channels in the 3D printing equipment, enabling the printing of more colors or materials of filament. Furthermore, after the first filament is cut, the upper segment is retracted to the feed channel of the corresponding channel component, ensuring that the upper segment does not block the discharge channel of the first channel component. This avoids interfering with the delivery of subsequent new filament, clears obstacles for filament delivery, and ensures that new filament can smoothly enter the hot-end component for printing after switching.

[0010] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of this application. In order to better understand the technical means of this application and to implement it in accordance with the contents of the specification, and to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of this application more obvious and understandable, specific embodiments of this application are given below. Attached Figure Description

[0011] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of this application and form part of this application, illustrate exemplary embodiments and are used to explain this application, but do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings: Figure 1 One of the structural schematic diagrams of a 3D printing device according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 2 A second schematic diagram of the structure of a 3D printing device according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 3 The third schematic diagram of the structure of the 3D printing device according to an embodiment of this application is shown; Figure 4 A flowchart illustrating the consumable switching method according to an embodiment of this application is shown.

[0012] in, Figures 1 to 3 The correspondence between the reference numerals and component names in the attached drawings is as follows: 101 Hot end assembly, 102 First channel assembly, 121 Discharge channel, 122 Feed channel, 103 Cam, 104 Passive extrusion wheel, 105 Cutting device. Detailed Implementation

[0013] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0014] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0015] The consumable switching method, 3D printing equipment, and readable storage medium provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and through specific embodiments and application scenarios. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0016] This application provides a consumable switching method, applied to 3D printing equipment, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the 3D printing equipment includes a hot-end assembly 101, a first channel assembly 102, and a second channel assembly (not shown). Both the first channel assembly 102 and the second channel assembly include multiple feed channels and one discharge channel, with the discharge channel connected to the feed channels. The discharge channel 121 of the first channel assembly 102 is connected to the hot-end assembly 101, and the discharge channel of the second channel assembly is connected to one feed channel 122 of the first channel assembly 102. The filament fed from the feed channel of the second channel assembly passes through the discharge channel of the second channel assembly, the corresponding feed channel 122 of the first channel assembly 102, and the discharge channel 121 of the first channel assembly 102 before reaching the hot-end assembly 101. Filaments fed directly from one feed channel 122 of the first channel assembly 102, i.e., filaments that do not pass through the second channel assembly, pass through the discharge channel 121 of the first channel assembly 102 before reaching the hot-end assembly 101. It is understandable that other channel components may also be included, and multiple channel components may be connected in sequence, or different feed channels of a channel component may be connected to different channel components respectively.

[0017] In one embodiment, the feed channel 122 of the first channel component 102 includes a first feed channel and a plurality of second feed channels. The first feed channel is used to connect to the discharge channel of the second channel component. In this embodiment, the first and second feed channels are named differently to distinguish them.

[0018] The 3D printing equipment also includes a first extrusion structure and a second extrusion structure for driving the movement of filament. The first channel assembly is located between the hot end assembly 101 and the first extrusion structure, and the second channel assembly is located between the first extrusion structure and the second extrusion structure. The first extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of filament in the first feed channel 102 and the second feed channel, and the second extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of filament in the feed channel of the second channel assembly.

[0019] In one embodiment, both the first and second extrusion structures include an extrusion wheel assembly and a cam. The extrusion wheel assembly includes multiple passive extrusion wheels and at least one active extrusion wheel, with one feed channel corresponding to one passive extrusion wheel. Driven by a shift motor, the cam switches the feed channel, causing the passive extrusion wheels to actuate and change position. This allows the desired passive extrusion wheel and the active extrusion wheel to jointly clamp the consumable. The extrusion wheels are used to retract or advance the consumable in the corresponding feed channel. For example, as... Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the first extrusion structure includes an extrusion wheel assembly and a cam 103. The extrusion wheel assembly includes a plurality of passive extrusion wheels 104 and at least one active extrusion wheel (not shown in the figure). The number of passive extrusion wheels 104 is determined according to the number of feed channels 122 of the first channel assembly 102, and one feed channel 122 corresponds to one passive extrusion wheel 104.

[0020] like Figure 4 As shown, the consumable switching method provided in this application includes: In step S401, in response to the consumable switching signal, the first consumable passing through the discharge channel of the first channel component is cut off, so as to divide the first consumable into upper consumable and lower consumable.

[0021] In this step, the consumable switching signal refers to the instruction that triggers the replacement of the currently used consumable. This signal can be a switching instruction built into the model file, such as when the consumable needs to be changed when printing the model, which will trigger the consumable switching signal. It can also be a replacement instruction sent by other devices when the consumable needs to be changed, or a replacement instruction generated by the user's manual operation.

[0022] The first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel component is the consumable material that the equipment is using and is currently conveying. The conveying path of the first consumable material can be from the feed channel of the second channel component into the discharge channel of the second channel component, then into the feed channel of the first channel component, then through the discharge channel of the first channel component, and finally conveyed to the hot end component; or it can skip the second channel component and directly enter the discharge channel of the first channel component from the feed channel of the first channel component, and finally be conveyed to the hot end component.

[0023] In response to the consumable switching signal, the cutting action is applied to the part of the first consumable that is in the discharge channel of the first channel component, dividing the originally continuous first consumable into two segments, with the part closer to the feed channel of the first channel component being the upper consumable and the part closer to the hot end component being the lower consumable.

[0024] In step S402, if the upper consumable material passes through the second channel component and enters the discharge channel of the first channel component, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel component. If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel component and enter the discharge channel of the first channel component, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel component.

[0025] In this step, the conveying path of the first consumable needs to be determined. If the upper consumable passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, meaning the first consumable is provided by the second channel assembly, then the upper consumable is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly. If the upper consumable does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, meaning the first consumable is provided by the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly.

[0026] In this embodiment, after the first consumable is cut, the upper section of the consumable is pulled back to the feed channel of the corresponding channel component, so that the upper section of the consumable does not block the discharge channel of the first channel component. It can be understood that the second channel component may also include other channel components between the first and second channel components; when the consumable is pulled back, the upper section of the consumable is simply pulled back to the feed channel of the corresponding channel component.

[0027] It is understood that the upper consumable is pulled back to the feed channel of the channel assembly. The end of the upper consumable can be located directly in the feed channel of the channel assembly, or it can be located in another channel connected to the feed channel. This other channel is located on the side of the feed channel away from the discharge channel of the channel assembly.

[0028] Step S403: Push the second consumable to be used to the discharge channel of the first channel component.

[0029] In this step, the second consumable to be used, i.e., the new consumable, is pushed from its corresponding feed channel to the discharge channel of the first channel component, and then it can be conveyed to the hot end component. The first and second consumables can be the same color or different materials.

[0030] In this embodiment, the 3D printing equipment includes multi-level channel components. Each channel component includes multiple feed channels, and its discharge channel is connected to the next-level channel component or hot-end component. The multi-level channel components increase the number of feed channels in the 3D printing equipment, enabling the printing of more colors or materials of filament. Furthermore, after the first filament is cut, the upper segment is retracted to the feed channel of the corresponding channel component, ensuring that the upper segment does not block the discharge channel of the first channel component. This avoids interfering with the delivery of subsequent new filament, clears obstacles for filament delivery, and ensures that new filament can smoothly enter the hot-end component for printing after switching.

[0031] In one embodiment of this application, the feeding channel of the first channel component includes a first feeding channel and a plurality of second feeding channels. The first feeding channel is used to connect to the discharge channel of the second channel component. That is, the first channel component includes a plurality of feeding channels, which include a first feeding channel and a second feeding channel. The first feeding channel among the plurality of feeding channels is used to connect to the discharge channel of the second channel component, and the second feeding channels among the plurality of feeding channels are used to connect to the discharge channels of other channel components, or to connect to a material box, or to directly receive consumables from a tray on a 3D printing device.

[0032] In one embodiment of this application, the 3D printing device further includes a first extrusion structure and a second extrusion structure for driving the movement of consumables. A first channel assembly is located between a hot end assembly and the first extrusion structure, and a second channel assembly is located between the first extrusion structure and the second extrusion structure. The first extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of consumables in the first feed channel and the second feed channel, and the second extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of consumables in the feed channel of the second channel assembly.

[0033] In this embodiment, the 3D printing equipment includes a first extrusion structure and a second extrusion structure for driving the movement of filament. These two structures work together to form a graded driving mechanism to adapt to complex feeding path requirements. The first channel assembly connects the hot-end assembly and the first extrusion structure, primarily responsible for precisely guiding the filament driven by the first extrusion structure to the hot-end assembly. The second channel assembly connects the first and second extrusion structures, forming a filament transport channel between them. Functionally, the first extrusion structure, as a "proximal driving unit" near the hot end, is responsible for simultaneously driving the filament in both the first and second feeding channels to move in a directional manner, providing direct power for the final delivery of the filament to the hot end. The second extrusion structure, as a "remote driving unit," primarily focuses on driving the movement of the filament within the feeding channel of the second channel assembly. Through the second extrusion structure alone, or through the coordinated operation of the second and first extrusion structures, the filament is transported through the second and first channel assemblies into the hot-end assembly.

[0034] In one embodiment of this application, pushing the second consumable to be used to the discharge channel of the first channel component includes: The second consumable is fed through the second feed channel into the discharge channel of the first channel assembly via the first extrusion structure; or, The second consumable material is sequentially passed through the second channel assembly and the first feeding channel by the second extrusion mechanism and then enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly.

[0035] In this embodiment, during the material feeding process of the 3D printing equipment, the feeding of the second consumable includes two feeding paths: First, the second consumable is provided by a hopper connected to the second feeding channel of the first channel component, and then the second consumable is fed through the second feeding channel into the discharge channel of the first channel component via the first extrusion structure, and then into the hot end component; Second, the second consumable is provided by a hopper connected to the feeding channel of the second channel component, or by a channel component of the previous level connected to the feeding channel of the second channel component, and then the second consumable is fed through the second extrusion mechanism through the second channel component and the first feeding channel into the discharge channel of the first channel component, and then into the hot end component. In this case, the first extrusion structure may also participate in the operation.

[0036] In this embodiment, each stage of the channel component is equipped with an extrusion mechanism, forming a "stage-driven" mechanism. The second extrusion structure, as a far-end drive, can initially convey the consumables, reducing slack or deviation caused by the weight of the consumables and path friction during long-distance feeding. The first extrusion structure, as a near-end drive, is close to the hot-end component and can precisely control the amount of consumables entering the melting zone. The synergistic effect of the two significantly reduces the risk of slippage and material breakage.

[0037] In one embodiment of this application, if the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly; if the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly, including: If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly through the second extrusion structure. If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly through the first extrusion structure.

[0038] In this embodiment, during the filament retraction process of the 3D printing equipment, the retraction of the upper filament includes two retraction paths: First, if the first filament passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly during feeding, then during retraction, the second extrusion structure retracts the upper filament to the feed channel of the second channel assembly, thus retracting the upper filament to the feed position. In this case, the first extrusion structure may also participate in the operation. Second, if the first filament does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly during feeding, then during retraction, the first extrusion structure retracts the upper filament to the feed channel of the first channel assembly, thus retracting the upper filament to the feed position.

[0039] In one embodiment of this application, if the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly; if the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly, including: If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel component and enters the discharge channel of the first channel component, the upper consumable material will be pulled back to the first preset position of the feed channel of the second channel component, which is close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the second channel component. If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel component and enter the discharge channel of the first channel component, the upper consumable material will be pulled back to the second preset position of the feed channel of the first channel component, which is close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the first channel component.

[0040] In this embodiment, if the first consumable material enters the discharge channel of the first channel component through the second channel component during feeding, then during retraction, the upper section of the consumable material is retracted to a first preset position in the feed channel of the second channel component, and this first preset position is close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the second channel component. This ensures that the end of the upper section of the consumable material retracts into the feed channel of the second channel component and is close to the outlet end of the feed channel. In other words, while ensuring that the discharge channel of the first channel component is not blocked, it is convenient to be quickly pushed into the first channel component for the next use.

[0041] If the first consumable does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly during feeding, then during retraction, the upper consumable will be retracted to a second preset position in the feed channel of the first channel assembly, and this second preset position is close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the first channel assembly. This ensures that the end of the upper consumable retracts into the feed channel of the first channel assembly and is close to the outlet end of the feed channel. In other words, while ensuring that the discharge channel of the first channel assembly is not blocked, it is easy to be quickly pushed into the discharge channel for the next use.

[0042] This application provides several feasible solutions for determining that the upper consumables have been retracted into place.

[0043] In one possible implementation, if the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is retracted to the feed channel of the second channel assembly. This includes: if the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the retraction of the upper consumable material is controlled by the second extrusion structure; if the number of motor pulses of the second extrusion structure reaches a first set number, then it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the second channel assembly and the retraction of the upper consumable material is stopped; or... If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. This includes: if the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back through the first extrusion structure. If the number of motor pulses of the first extrusion structure reaches the second set number, it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the first channel assembly and the pulling back of the upper consumable material is stopped.

[0044] In this feasible implementation, if the first consumable passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly during feeding, the upper consumable is retracted via the second extrusion structure during retraction. During the retraction of the upper consumable, the starting position is the cut-off position. The number of motor pulses of the second extrusion structure is recorded, and the number of motor pulses corresponds to the movement distance of the consumable. When the number of motor pulses reaches a first set number, the upper consumable has been retracted a corresponding distance, such that the end of the upper consumable reaches the feed channel of the second channel assembly, and can reach a first preset position within the feed channel of the second channel assembly. At this point, the retraction of the upper consumable stops.

[0045] If the first consumable does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly during feeding, the upper consumable is retracted by the first extrusion structure during retraction. During the retraction of the upper consumable, the starting position is the cut-off position. The number of motor pulses of the first extrusion structure is recorded, and the number of motor pulses corresponds to the movement distance of the consumable. When the number of motor pulses reaches a second preset number, the upper consumable has been retracted a corresponding distance, such that the end of the upper consumable reaches the feed channel of the first channel assembly, and can reach a second preset position within the feed channel of the first channel assembly. At this point, the retraction of the upper consumable stops.

[0046] In another possible implementation, the 3D printing equipment further includes a first position sensor located in the feed channel of the first channel assembly. If the upper filament has not passed through the second channel assembly and entered the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper filament is retracted back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. This includes: if a position signal is received from the first position sensor, determining that the upper filament has reached the feed channel of the first channel assembly and stopping the retraction of the upper filament; or, The 3D printing equipment also includes a second position sensor located in the feed channel of the second channel assembly. If the upper consumable passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly. This includes: if the position signal of the second position sensor is obtained, determining that the upper consumable has reached the feed channel of the second channel assembly and stopping the pulling back of the upper consumable.

[0047] In this feasible implementation, the 3D printing equipment includes a first position sensor located in the feed channel of the first channel assembly and a second position sensor located in the feed channel of the second channel assembly. The first and second position sensors are capable of detecting the position information of the filament. In one embodiment, the first position sensor may be positioned at a second preset position in the feed channel of the first channel assembly, and the first position sensor is used to detect whether the upper section of filament has been retracted to the second preset position. The second position sensor may be positioned at a first preset position in the feed channel of the second channel assembly, and the second position sensor is used to detect whether the upper section of filament has been pushed to the first preset position.

[0048] In one embodiment, the position sensor may include a photoelectric sensor, a pressure sensor, or a switch sensor, etc. The detection principles of the first position sensor and the second position sensor may be the same or different. The position sensor may be a separately installed sensor specifically used to determine whether the consumable has been retracted or pushed into place, or it may be an existing material breakage sensor. The material breakage sensor determines whether the consumable has been broken or blocked by detecting whether there is consumable at a certain position in the channel. In this application, it can be used to determine whether the consumable has been retracted into place. For example, when the material breakage sensor senses that there is consumable at a first preset position and there is no consumable at the position preceding the first preset position, it confirms that the upper section of consumable has retracted to the first preset position; when the material breakage sensor senses that there is consumable at a second preset position and there is no consumable at the position preceding the second preset position, it confirms that the upper section of consumable has retracted to the second preset position.

[0049] If the first consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly during feeding, then during retraction, upon receiving the position signal from the second position sensor, it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the second channel assembly, and the retraction of the upper consumable material stops. If the first consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly during feeding, then during retraction, upon receiving the position signal from the first position sensor, it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the first channel assembly, and the retraction of the upper consumable material stops.

[0050] The embodiments of this application can accurately determine whether the upper consumable has been retracted into place in a flexible manner through various methods.

[0051] In one embodiment of this application, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the 3D printing equipment includes a print head, which comprises a hot-end assembly 101, a first channel assembly 102, a first extrusion structure, and a cutting device 105. The hot-end assembly 101, the first channel assembly 102, the first extrusion structure, and the cutting device 105 move synchronously. The first extrusion structure includes an extrusion wheel assembly and a cam 103. The extrusion wheel assembly includes multiple passive extrusion wheels 104 and at least one active extrusion wheel. The number of passive extrusion wheels 104 is determined by the number of feed channels 122 in the first channel assembly, with one feed channel 122 corresponding to one passive extrusion wheel 104.

[0052] In related technologies, printheads print multi-color models using multi-color cartridges. This application integrates the multi-color cartridge changing function into the printhead, saving overall size and cost, simplifying the printing equipment structure, and improving printing speed.

[0053] In one embodiment of this application, cutting off the first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly includes: The first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly is cut off by the cutting device, or the print head is controlled to move to a preset position so that the cutting device receives a reaction force and cuts off the first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly.

[0054] In this embodiment, the cutting device controlling the printhead cuts the first consumable in the discharge channel of the first channel assembly. The cutting device can move as needed to cut the consumable. In one embodiment, the cutting device can move actively to cut the first consumable passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly.

[0055] In another embodiment, the print head can be moved to a preset position, causing the cutting device to collide with a specific position on the frame of the 3D printing equipment. The cutting device is subjected to a reaction force and is forced to move or rotate, thereby cutting the first consumable in the first channel assembly's discharge channel.

[0056] In one embodiment of this application, the printhead further includes a second channel assembly, and the hot end assembly, the first channel assembly, the second channel assembly, the first extrusion structure, and the cutting device move synchronously.

[0057] In this embodiment, the second channel assembly can also be part of the printhead, and the hot end assembly, first channel assembly, second channel assembly, first extrusion structure, and cutting device move synchronously. By concentrating both the second channel assembly and the first channel assembly within the printhead, consumable switching is centralized within the printhead, resulting in a compact device structure.

[0058] This application also provides a 3D printing device, such as... Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the 3D printing equipment includes a hot-end assembly 101, a first channel assembly, and a second channel assembly. Both the first and second channel assemblies include multiple feed channels and one discharge channel, with the discharge channel connected to the feed channels. The discharge channel 121 of the first channel assembly is also connected to the hot-end assembly 101, and the discharge channel of the second channel assembly is connected to the feed channel 122 of the first channel assembly. The 3D printing equipment also includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores programs or instructions that run on the processor. When the processor executes the programs or instructions, it implements the various steps of the above-described consumable switching method embodiment and achieves the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, further details are omitted here.

[0059] The memory 402 can be used to store software programs and various data. The memory 402 may primarily include a first storage area for storing programs or instructions and a second storage area for storing data. The first storage area may store the operating system, application programs or instructions required for at least one function (such as sound playback, image playback, etc.). Furthermore, the memory 402 may include volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or both. The non-volatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus RAM (DRRAM). The memory 402 in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0060] Processor 401 may include one or more processing units; optionally, processor 401 integrates an application processor and a modem processor, wherein the application processor mainly handles operations involving the operating system, user interface, and applications, and the modem processor mainly handles wireless communication signals, such as a baseband processor. It is understood that the aforementioned modem processor may also not be integrated into processor 401.

[0061] This application also provides a readable storage medium storing a program or instructions. When the program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the various processes of the above-described consumable switching method embodiments and achieve the same technical effect. To avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0062] This application also provides the following embodiments: Example 1: A consumable switching method applied to a 3D printing device. The 3D printing device includes a hot-end assembly, a first channel assembly, and a second channel assembly. Both the first channel assembly and the second channel assembly include multiple feed channels and one discharge channel. The discharge channel is connected to the feed channel. The discharge channel of the first channel assembly is also connected to the hot-end assembly. The discharge channel of the second channel assembly is connected to one feed channel of the first channel assembly. The consumable switching method includes: In response to the consumable switching signal, the first consumable passing through the discharge channel of the first channel component is cut off, so as to divide the first consumable into an upper consumable and a lower consumable. If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly. If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. The second consumable to be used is pushed into the discharge channel of the first channel component.

[0063] Example 2, based on Example 1, the feeding channel of the first channel assembly includes a first feeding channel and multiple second feeding channels. The first feeding channel is used to connect to the discharge channel of the second channel assembly. The 3D printing equipment further includes a first extrusion structure and a second extrusion structure for driving the movement of consumables. The first channel assembly is located between the hot end assembly and the first extrusion structure, and the second channel assembly is located between the first extrusion structure and the second extrusion structure. The first extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of consumables in the first feeding channel and the second feeding channel, and the second extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of consumables in the feeding channel of the second channel assembly. The step of pushing the second consumable to be used to the discharge channel of the first channel component includes: The second consumable is fed into the outlet channel of the first channel assembly via the second feed channel through the first extrusion structure; or, The second consumable is passed sequentially through the second channel assembly and the first feeding channel by the second extrusion mechanism into the discharge channel of the first channel assembly.

[0064] Example 3, based on Example 2, further includes the following: if the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly; if the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly through the second extrusion structure. If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly through the first extrusion structure.

[0065] Example 4, based on Example 1, further includes the following: if the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly; if the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the first preset position of the feed channel of the second channel assembly, the first preset position being close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the second channel assembly; If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel component and enter the discharge channel of the first channel component, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the second preset position of the feed channel of the first channel component, the second preset position being close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the first channel component.

[0066] Example 5, based on Example 2, further includes the step of retracting the upper consumable section back to the feed channel of the second channel component if the upper consumable section passes through the second channel component and enters the discharge channel of the first channel component. If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is retracted by the second extrusion structure. If the number of motor pulses of the second extrusion structure reaches a first set number, it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the second channel assembly, and the retraction of the upper consumable material stops; or, If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly, including: If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is retracted by controlling the first extrusion structure. If the number of motor pulses of the first extrusion structure reaches the second set number, it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the first channel assembly and the retraction of the upper consumable material is stopped.

[0067] Example 6, based on Example 1, the 3D printing equipment further includes a first position sensor located in the feed channel of the first channel component. The step of retracting the upper consumable into the feed channel of the first channel component if the upper consumable has not passed through the second channel component and entered the discharge channel of the first channel component includes: If the position signal from the first position sensor is obtained, it is determined that the upper consumable has reached the feed channel of the first channel assembly, and the retraction of the upper consumable is stopped; or, The 3D printing equipment also includes a second position sensor located in the feed channel of the second channel assembly. The step of retracting the upper consumable section back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly if the upper consumable section passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly includes: If the position signal of the second position sensor is obtained, it is determined that the upper consumable has reached the feeding channel of the second channel component and the retraction of the upper consumable is stopped.

[0068] Example 7, based on Example 2, the 3D printing equipment includes a print head, which includes the hot end assembly, the first channel assembly, the first extrusion structure, and a cutting device. The hot end assembly, the first channel assembly, the first extrusion structure, and the cutting device move synchronously. Cutting the first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly includes: The first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly can be cut off by the cutting device, or the print head can be controlled to move to a preset position so that the cutting device receives a reaction force and cuts off the first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly.

[0069] Example 8, based on Example 7, further includes a second channel assembly in the printhead, and the hot end assembly, the first channel assembly, the second channel assembly, the first extrusion structure and the cutting device move synchronously.

[0070] This application also provides the following embodiments: Example 9: A 3D printing device includes: a hot end assembly, a first channel assembly, and a second channel assembly. Both the first channel assembly and the second channel assembly include multiple feed channels and one discharge channel. The discharge channel is connected to the feed channel. The discharge channel of the first channel assembly is also connected to the hot end assembly. The discharge channel of the second channel assembly is connected to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. The 3D printing device also includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a program or instructions that run on the processor, which, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the consumable switching method as described in any one of Embodiments 1 to 8.

[0071] This application also provides the following embodiments: Example 10: A readable storage medium having a program or instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the consumable switching method as described in any one of Examples 1 to 8.

[0072] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0073] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method for switching consumables, characterized in that, The consumable method is applied to a 3D printing device, which includes a hot-end assembly, a first channel assembly, and a second channel assembly. Both the first and second channel assemblies include multiple feed channels and one discharge channel. The discharge channel is connected to the feed channel. The discharge channel of the first channel assembly is also connected to the hot-end assembly. The discharge channel of the second channel assembly is connected to one feed channel of the first channel assembly. In response to the consumable switching signal, the first consumable passing through the discharge channel of the first channel component is cut off, so as to divide the first consumable into an upper consumable and a lower consumable. If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly. If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. The second consumable to be used is pushed into the discharge channel of the first channel component.

2. The consumable switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first channel assembly includes a first feeding channel and a plurality of second feeding channels. The first feeding channel is used to connect to the discharge channel of the second channel assembly. The 3D printing equipment also includes a first extrusion structure and a second extrusion structure for driving the movement of consumables. The first channel assembly is located between the hot end assembly and the first extrusion structure, and the second channel assembly is located between the first extrusion structure and the second extrusion structure. The first extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of consumables in the first feed channel and the second feed channel, and the second extrusion structure is used to drive the movement of consumables in the feed channel of the second channel assembly. The step of pushing the second consumable to be used to the discharge channel of the first channel component includes: The second consumable is fed into the discharge channel of the first channel assembly through the second feeding channel via the first extrusion structure; or, The second consumable is passed sequentially through the second channel assembly and the first feeding channel by the second extrusion mechanism into the discharge channel of the first channel assembly.

3. The consumable switching method according to claim 2, characterized in that, If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly; if the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly, including: If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly through the second extrusion structure. If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly through the first extrusion structure.

4. The consumable switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly; if the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly, including: If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the first preset position of the feed channel of the second channel assembly, the first preset position being close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the second channel assembly; If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel component and enter the discharge channel of the first channel component, the upper consumable material is pulled back to the second preset position of the feed channel of the first channel component, the second preset position being close to the outlet end of the feed channel of the first channel component.

5. The consumable switching method according to claim 2, characterized in that, If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly, including: If the upper consumable material passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is retracted by the second extrusion structure. If the number of motor pulses of the second extrusion structure reaches a first set number, it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the second channel assembly, and the retraction of the upper consumable material stops; or, If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, then the upper consumable material is pulled back to the feed channel of the first channel assembly, including: If the upper consumable material does not pass through the second channel assembly and enter the discharge channel of the first channel assembly, the upper consumable material is retracted by controlling the first extrusion structure. If the number of motor pulses of the first extrusion structure reaches the second set number, it is determined that the upper consumable material has reached the feed channel of the first channel assembly and the retraction of the upper consumable material is stopped.

6. The consumable switching method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment further includes a first position sensor located in the feed channel of the first channel assembly. The step of retracting the upper consumable into the feed channel of the first channel assembly if the upper consumable has not passed through the second channel assembly and entered the discharge channel of the first channel assembly includes: If the position signal from the first position sensor is obtained, it is determined that the upper consumable has reached the feed channel of the first channel assembly, and the retraction of the upper consumable is stopped; or, The 3D printing equipment also includes a second position sensor located in the feed channel of the second channel assembly. The step of retracting the upper consumable section back to the feed channel of the second channel assembly if the upper consumable section passes through the second channel assembly and enters the discharge channel of the first channel assembly includes: If the position signal of the second position sensor is obtained, it is determined that the upper consumable has reached the feeding channel of the second channel component and the retraction of the upper consumable is stopped.

7. The consumable switching method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment includes a print head, which comprises a hot-end assembly, a first channel assembly, a first extrusion structure, and a cutting device. The hot-end assembly, the first channel assembly, the first extrusion structure, and the cutting device move synchronously. Cutting the first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly includes: The first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly can be cut off by the cutting device, or the print head can be controlled to move to a preset position so that the cutting device receives a reaction force and cuts off the first consumable material passing through the discharge channel of the first channel assembly.

8. The consumable switching method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The printhead also includes a second channel assembly, and the hot end assembly, the first channel assembly, the second channel assembly, the first extrusion structure, and the cutting device move synchronously.

9. A 3D printing device, characterized in that, include: The 3D printing equipment includes a hot-end assembly, a first channel assembly, and a second channel assembly. Both the first channel assembly and the second channel assembly include multiple feed channels and one discharge channel. The discharge channel is connected to the feed channel. The discharge channel of the first channel assembly is also connected to the hot-end assembly. The discharge channel of the second channel assembly is connected to the feed channel of the first channel assembly. The 3D printing equipment also includes a processor and a memory. The memory stores a program or instructions that run on the processor, which, when executed by the processor, implement the steps of the consumable switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A readable storage medium having a program or instructions stored thereon, characterized in that, When the program or instructions are executed by the processor, they implement the steps of the consumable switching method as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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