Particle extrusion type 3D printing equipment based on gantry framework

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of 3D printing, in particular to particle extrusion type 3D printing equipment based on a gantry framework, which comprises an equipment bracket, a movable bracket and a connecting base main body fixedly mounted on the movable bracket, a speed reducer is fixedly mounted on the connecting base main body, and a transmission motor is fixedly mounted at the input end of the speed reducer; a transmission motor is fixedly installed on a movable support, the output end of a speed reducer is fixedly connected with a conveying screw rod, a material barrel is fixedly connected to a connecting base body, and along with suction of particles, second balls can move downwards to impact the surface of an intercepting net, so that the intercepting net is knocked and vibrated; and dust intercepted in pores of the intercepting net is knocked to fall off, and the dust falls back into the feeding hopper again to be conveyed, so that the service life of the intercepting net is prolonged, the service life of the second exhaust valve is also prolonged, and the exhaust stability of the second exhaust valve is enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of 3D printing technology, specifically to a particle extrusion 3D printing device based on a gantry architecture. Background Technology

[0002] A gantry 3D printer is a 3D printing device that combines a gantry structure with particle extrusion technology. The gantry structure allows the printing device to have a large forming space, enabling it to print large parts, molds, sculptures, etc.

[0003] Currently, gantry-type 3D printers on the market require a continuous suction system to draw in external particulate material during the particle extrusion module. This material is then fed into the heating chamber of the particle extrusion module, where the extrusion mechanism heats and extrudes the molten, semi-solid printing substrate. However, a large amount of air is also drawn into the heating chamber along with the particles. This air is transported along with the particles by the extrusion mechanism. When the particles melt in the heating chamber, some air bubbles become trapped, which reduces print quality. Therefore, a particle extrusion 3D printer based on a gantry architecture is needed to solve this problem. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a particle extrusion 3D printing device based on a gantry architecture to solve the problem mentioned in the background art where air bubbles may be trapped during particle transport, affecting printing quality.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution: a gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device, comprising a device support, a movable support, and a connecting base body fixedly mounted on the movable support. A reducer is fixedly mounted on the connecting base body, a drive motor is fixedly mounted on the input end of the reducer, the drive motor is fixedly mounted on the movable support, a conveying screw is fixedly connected to the output end of the reducer, a material cylinder is fixedly connected to the connecting base body, the material cylinder is sleeved on the conveying screw, an extrusion head is fixedly mounted on one end of the material cylinder, and a first heating tube and a second heating tube are fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the material cylinder, the first heating tube and the second heating tube being inserted into the inner wall of the material cylinder.

[0006] Preferably, a feeding hopper is fixedly connected to the main body of the connecting base, a suction machine is fixedly installed on the feeding hopper, a feeding pipe and a first exhaust valve are fixedly connected to the suction machine, a fixed frame is fixedly connected to the feeding hopper, a second exhaust valve is fixedly installed on the fixed frame, an intercepting net is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the fixed frame, and a vortex fan is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the fixed frame.

[0007] Preferably, an abutment plate is fixedly connected to the vortex fan, a first sleeve is fixedly connected to the interception net, and a second sleeve is slidably installed on the inner wall of the first sleeve.

[0008] Preferably, a first rotating disk is fixedly installed at the other end of the second sleeve, a first return spring is fixedly connected to the first rotating disk, and the other end of the first return spring is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the first sleeve.

[0009] Preferably, a second rotating disk is fixedly connected to one end of the second sleeve, a first guide rod is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the second rotating disk, and a first ball bearing is rotatably mounted on one end of the first guide rod.

[0010] Preferably, the contact plate has a first contact surface, which is an inclined surface. The contact plate also has a second contact surface, which is a plane. The second contact surface has a plurality of annularly distributed contact grooves, which are hemispherical inner contours.

[0011] Preferably, a second guide rod is fixedly connected to the second rotating disk, and a second ball bearing is rotatably mounted on one end of the second guide rod.

[0012] Preferably, a third guide rod is fixedly connected to the second rotating disk, and a third ball bearing is rotatably mounted on one end of the third guide rod. A spiral groove is provided on the inner wall of the fixed frame, and the third ball bearing is slidably mounted on the inner wall of the spiral groove.

[0013] Preferably, a support railing is fixedly installed on the equipment bracket, a sliding door is slidably installed on the support railing, a control panel is fixedly installed on the equipment bracket, a first electric slide rail is fixedly installed on the equipment bracket, a second electric slide rail is fixedly installed at the moving end of the first electric slide rail, a third electric slide rail is fixedly installed at the moving end of the second electric slide rail, and the movable bracket is fixedly connected to the moving end of the third electric slide rail.

[0014] Preferably, two splash guards are fixedly installed on the movable bracket, and the two splash guards are symmetrically arranged on the connecting base body.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: 1. In this invention, the gas passes through an intercepting net before entering the fixed frame. The intercepting net traps small debris outside the fixed frame, preventing the second exhaust valve from becoming clogged. As particles are drawn in, the second ball bearing moves down and impacts the surface of the intercepting net, causing the net to vibrate and knock off the dust trapped in the pores. The dust then falls back into the feed hopper and is transported, extending the service life of the intercepting net and also extending the service life of the second exhaust valve and enhancing the stability of the exhaust from the second exhaust valve.

[0016] 2. In this invention, the downward movement of the second rotating disk causes the second guide rod and the second ball to move down synchronously, striking the surface of the interception net again and vibrating the surface of the interception net. Since there are multiple contact grooves, as the vortex fan continues to rotate, the second guide rod and the first ball will strike the outer wall of the interception net multiple times at a high frequency, further vibrating the intercepted objects in the gaps of the interception net.

[0017] 3. In this invention, the third ball bearing and the third guide rod are subjected to a circumferential rotational force. This force causes the third guide rod, the third ball bearing, and the second rotating disk to move downwards and rotate simultaneously. A ring-shaped cleaning brush can be externally mounted on the second rotating disk. The cleaning brush can brush the surface of the interception net, further removing the intercepted objects in the gaps of the interception net. The impact force of the second ball bearing on the interception net is also transmitted to the entire feed hopper, causing the stacked particles sucked into the feed hopper to vibrate. This vibration can disrupt the stability of the stacking of particles, preventing blockage or difficulty in feeding caused by the stable stacking of particles in the feed hopper. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall three-dimensional structure of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall bottom view of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the connecting base of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a bottom view of the main body of the connecting base of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main body of the connecting base of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the feed hopper and its surrounding area according to the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the fixed frame and its surrounding cross-sectional structure according to the present invention; Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the fixed frame and its surrounding cross-section from another perspective of the present invention; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a further cross-sectional structure of the fixing frame and its surrounding area according to the present invention; Figure 10 For the present invention Figure 9 Enlarged structural diagram at point A in the middle.

[0019] In the attached diagram, the components represented by each number are as follows: 1. Equipment bracket; 2. Support railing; 3. Sliding door; 4. Control panel; 5. First electric slide rail; 6. Second electric slide rail; 7. Third electric slide rail; 8. Movable bracket; 9. Connecting base body; 10. Drive motor; 11. Reducer; 12. Splash guard; 13. Feed hopper; 14. Feed suction machine; 15. Feed pipe; 16. First exhaust valve; 17. Conveying screw; 18. Extruder head; 19. Barrel; 20. First heating element; 21. Second heating element ; 22. Fixed frame; 23. Second exhaust valve; 24. Vortex fan; 25. Contact plate; 26. Contact groove; 27. First contact surface; 28. Second contact surface; 29. ​​Interception net; 30. First sleeve; 31. First return spring; 32. First rotating disk; 33. Second sleeve; 34. Second rotating disk; 35. First guide rod; 36. First ball; 37. Second guide rod; 38. Second ball; 39. Third guide rod; 40. Third ball; 41. Spiral groove. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] This invention provides a technical solution: such as Figure 1 - Figure 10 The illustrated gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing equipment includes a support frame 1, a movable support 8, and a connecting base body 9 fixedly mounted on the movable support 8. A reducer 11 is fixedly mounted on the connecting base body 9, and a drive motor 10 is fixedly mounted on the input end of the reducer 11. The drive motor 10 is fixedly mounted on the movable support 8, and a conveying screw 17 is fixedly connected to the output end of the reducer 11. A material cylinder 19 is fixedly connected to the connecting base body 9 and is sleeved on the conveying screw 17. An extrusion head 18 is fixedly mounted on one end of the material cylinder 19, and a first heating tube 20 and a second heating tube 21 are fixedly mounted on the outer wall of the material cylinder 19. The first heating tube 20 and the second heating tube 21 are inserted into the inner wall of the material cylinder 19. When the gas pressure is still high on the path from the feed hopper 13 to the material cylinder 19, the gas will pass through the interception net 29 and enter the fixed frame 22. After reaching the opening pressure of the second exhaust valve 23, the second exhaust valve 23 opens to discharge the gas to the outside to relieve pressure. The drive motor 10 is started. The output end of the drive motor 10 drives the reducer 11 to rotate. The reducer 11 reduces the speed of the drive motor 10 and drives the conveying screw 17 to rotate. When the conveying screw 17 rotates, it begins to rotate and convey the particulate raw material in the feed hopper 13 along the outer contour of the conveying screw 17 to the material cylinder 19.

[0022] A feed hopper 13 is fixedly connected to the main body 9 of the connecting base. A suction machine 14 is fixedly installed on the feed hopper 13. A feed pipe 15 and a first exhaust valve 16 are fixedly connected to the suction machine 14. A fixed frame 22 is fixedly connected to the feed hopper 13. A second exhaust valve 23 is fixedly installed on the fixed frame 22. An interception net 29 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the fixed frame 22. A vortex fan 24 is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the fixed frame 22. The gaps in the interception net 29 are easily blocked, which will still cause the exhaust effect of the second exhaust valve 23 to fail. In order to prevent this from happening, when the airflow is discharged outward through the second exhaust valve 23, the outflow of high-pressure airflow will blow onto the blades of the vortex fan 24, giving the blades of the vortex fan 24 a force. The force causes the blades of the vortex fan 24 to rotate under the rotational force. When the vortex fan 24 rotates, it drives the contact plate 25 to rotate synchronously.

[0023] A contact plate 25 is fixedly connected to the vortex fan 24, and a first sleeve 30 is fixedly connected to the interception net 29. A second sleeve 33 is slidably installed on the inner wall of the first sleeve 30.

[0024] The other end of the second sleeve 33 is fixedly installed with a first rotating disk 32, and a first return spring 31 is fixedly connected to the first rotating disk 32. The other end of the first return spring 31 is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the first sleeve 30.

[0025] A second rotating disk 34 is fixedly connected to one end of the second sleeve 33, and a first guide rod 35 is fixedly connected to the outer wall of the second rotating disk 34. A first ball bearing 36 is rotatably installed at one end of the first guide rod 35.

[0026] The contact plate 25 has a first contact surface 27, which is an inclined surface. The contact plate 25 also has a second contact surface 28, which is a plane. The second contact surface 28 has a plurality of annularly distributed contact grooves 26, which are hemispherical inner contours.

[0027] A second guide rod 37 is fixedly connected to the second rotating disk 34. A second ball bearing 38 is rotatably installed at one end of the second guide rod 37. A ring-shaped cleaning brush can be externally mounted on the second rotating disk 34. The cleaning brush can brush the surface of the interception net 29 and further remove the intercepted objects in the holes of the interception net 29.

[0028] A third guide rod 39 is fixedly connected to the second rotating disk 34. A third ball bearing 40 is rotatably installed at one end of the third guide rod 39. A spiral groove 41 is opened on the inner wall of the fixed frame 22, and the third ball bearing 40 is slidably installed on the inner wall of the spiral groove 41.

[0029] A support railing 2 is fixedly installed on the equipment bracket 1. A sliding door 3 is slidably installed on the support railing 2. A control panel 4 is fixedly installed on the equipment bracket 1. A first electric slide rail 5 is fixedly installed on the equipment bracket 1. A second electric slide rail 6 is fixedly installed at the moving end of the first electric slide rail 5. A third electric slide rail 7 is fixedly installed at the moving end of the second electric slide rail 6. A movable bracket 8 is fixedly connected to the moving end of the third electric slide rail 7.

[0030] Two splash guards 12 are fixedly installed on the mobile bracket 8, and the two splash guards 12 are symmetrically arranged on the connecting base body 9.

[0031] Working principle: When using this gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing equipment, the moving support 8 is controlled by moving the first electric slide rail 5, the second electric slide rail 6, and the third electric slide rail 7. The moving support 8 can move along the X, Y, and Z axes, and the movement of the moving support 8 moves the connecting base body 9 as a whole, thus controlling the extrusion position of the printing material. The combination of the equipment support 1 and the support fence 2 protects the printed material within the area. After printing is completed, the sliding door 3 can be opened by pushing or pulling to allow the operator to enter. Remove the equipment from the support frame 1 and connect the feed pipe 15 to the external pipeline. Connect the external pipeline to the particulate material storage box. As printing proceeds, start the suction machine 14. The suction machine 14 draws particulate material into the feed hopper 13 through the feed pipe 15. At this time, there is still some air in the feed hopper 13. When the air pressure in the feed hopper 13 is too high, it will trigger the opening of the first exhaust valve 16 to discharge some gas to the outside, reduce the air pressure in the feed hopper 13, and prevent the high pressure gas in the feed hopper 13 from entering the material cylinder 19.

[0032] Start the drive motor 10. The output end of the drive motor 10 drives the reducer 11 to rotate. The reducer 11 reduces the speed of the drive motor 10 and drives the conveying screw 17 to rotate. When the conveying screw 17 rotates, it starts to transport the particulate material in the feed hopper 13 along the outer contour of the conveying screw 17 to the material cylinder 19. When the air pressure is still high on the path from the feed hopper 13 to the material cylinder 19, the gas will pass through the interception net 29 into the fixed frame 22. After reaching the opening pressure of the second exhaust valve 23, the second exhaust valve 23 opens to discharge the gas to the outside to relieve pressure. Since the exhaust position of the second exhaust valve 23 is located at the necessary passage for particulate material conveying, and the particulate material contains certain material debris, these material debris are easily discharged into the second exhaust valve 23 along with the gas, causing the second exhaust valve 23 to become blocked, which may eventually cause the exhaust function of the second exhaust valve 23 to fail. In order to avoid this situation, the gas will pass through the interception net 29 before entering the fixed frame 22. The interception net 29 intercepts small debris outside the fixed frame 22 to prevent the second exhaust valve 23 from becoming blocked.

[0033] However, with prolonged use, the gaps in the interceptor net 29 are easily clogged, which can still cause the exhaust effect of the second exhaust valve 23 to fail. To prevent this from happening, when the airflow is discharged outward through the second exhaust valve 23, the high-pressure airflow will blow onto the blades of the vortex fan 24, giving the blades of the vortex fan 24 a force. This force causes the blades of the vortex fan 24 to rotate due to rotational force. When the vortex fan 24 rotates, it drives the contact plate 25 to rotate synchronously. When the contact plate 25 rotates, the first ball bearing 36 below will slide and abut against the first contact surface 27 provided on the outer wall of the contact plate 25. Since the first contact surface 27 is set as an inclined surface, the sliding contact between the first ball bearing 36 and the surface of the first contact surface 27 causes the first ball bearing 36 to slide and abut against the first contact surface 27. The first guide rod 35 moves downward under force, and the first guide rod 35 moves downward synchronously with the second rotating disk 34. The second rotating disk 34 moves downward synchronously with the second ball 38 and the second guide rod 37. When the first ball 36 slides along the first contact surface 27 to the surface of the second contact surface 28, the second ball 38 and the second guide rod 37 move down to the lowest position. At this time, the second ball 38 will move down and hit the surface of the interception net 29, causing the interception net 29 to be knocked and vibrated, knocking off the dust intercepted in the gaps of the interception net 29. The dust falls back into the feed hopper 13 and is transported, which extends the service life of the interception net 29, and also extends the service life of the second exhaust valve 23 and enhances the stability of the exhaust of the second exhaust valve 23.

[0034] As the first ball bearing 36 slides along the circumference of the second contact surface 28, it intermittently slides into the contact groove 26. At this time, the first return spring 31 will bounce upward a certain distance, causing the second sleeve 33, the second rotating disk 34, the first guide rod 35, and the first ball bearing 36 to move upward synchronously, making room for the next strike. When the first ball bearing 36 slides out of the contact groove 26 onto the surface of the second contact surface 28, the first ball bearing 36, the first guide rod 35, the second rotating disk 34, and the second sleeve 33 move upward synchronously. The downward force causes the second sleeve 33 to slide down along the inside of the first sleeve 30, compressing the first return spring 31. At this time, the downward movement of the second rotating disk 34 causes the second guide rod 37 and the second ball 38 to move down synchronously, striking the surface of the interception net 29 again and vibrating the surface of the interception net 29. Since there are multiple contact grooves 26, as the vortex fan 24 continues to rotate, the second guide rod 37 and the first ball 36 will strike the outer wall of the interception net 29 multiple times at a high frequency, further vibrating the intercepted objects in the gaps of the interception net 29.

[0035] It should be noted that when the second rotating disk 34 moves down, it will move the third guide rod 39 and the third ball 40 down synchronously. The third ball 40 will slide and be guided along the spiral groove 41. Since the spiral groove 41 is set as a groove with a spiral trajectory, when the third ball 40 moves along it, the third ball 40 and the third guide rod 39 are subjected to a circumferential rotational force. The force causes the third guide rod 39, the third ball 40, and the second rotating disk 34 to rotate while moving down. A ring-shaped cleaning brush can be externally mounted on the second rotating disk 34. The cleaning brush can brush the surface of the interception net 29 and further remove the intercepted objects in the pores of the interception net 29.

[0036] The impact force of the second ball bearing 38 on the intercepting net 29 is also transmitted to the entire feed hopper 13, causing the stacked particles sucked into the feed hopper 13 to vibrate. The vibration can disrupt the stability of the stacking between particles, preventing the particles in the feed hopper 13 from being stacked too tightly or clumped together, which could lead to blockage or difficulty in feeding.

[0037] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, 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.

[0038] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A gantry architecture based particle extrusion 3D printing device comprising a device support (1), a moving support (8) and a connecting base body (9) fixedly mounted on the moving support (8), characterized in that: The connecting base body (9) is fixedly connected with a feeding hopper (13), the feeding hopper (13) is fixedly installed with a suction machine (14), the suction machine (14) is fixedly connected with a feeding connecting pipe (15) and a first exhaust valve (16), the feeding hopper (13) is fixedly connected with a fixed frame (22), the fixed frame (22) is fixedly installed with a second exhaust valve (23), the inner wall of the fixed frame (22) is fixedly connected with an intercepting net (29), and the inner wall of the fixed frame (22) is rotatably installed with an eddy fan (24).

2. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The eddy fan (24) is fixedly connected with a contact disc (25), the intercepting net (29) is fixedly connected with a first sleeve (30), and the inner wall of the first sleeve (30) is slidably installed with a second sleeve (33).

3. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: One end of the second sleeve (33) is fixedly connected with a first rotating disc (32), the first rotating disc (32) is fixedly connected with a first return spring (31), and the other end of the first return spring (31) is fixedly connected with the inner wall of the first sleeve (30).

4. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: One end of the second sleeve (33) is fixedly connected with a second rotating disc (34), the outer wall of the second rotating disc (34) is fixedly connected with a first guide rod (35), and one end of the first guide rod (35) is rotatably installed with a first ball (36).

5. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 3, wherein: A first contact surface (27) is formed in the contact disc (25), the first contact surface (27) is an inclined surface, a second contact surface (28) is also formed in the contact disc (25), the second contact surface (28) is a flat surface, a plurality of annularly distributed contact grooves (26) are formed in the second contact surface (28), and the contact grooves (26) are semispherical inner contours.

6. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The second rotating disc (34) is fixedly connected with a second guide rod (37), and one end of the second guide rod (37) is rotatably installed with a second ball (38).

7. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second rotating disc (34) is fixedly connected with a third guide rod (39), one end of the third guide rod (39) is rotatably installed with a third ball (40), the inner wall of the fixed frame (22) is formed with a spiral groove (41), and the third ball (40) is slidably installed in the inner wall of the spiral groove (41).

8. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 5, characterized in that: ​ 9. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The equipment support (1) is fixedly installed with a supporting fence (2), the supporting fence (2) is slidably installed with a sliding cabin door (3), the equipment support (1) is fixedly installed with a control panel (4), the equipment support (1) is fixedly installed with a first electric sliding rail (5), the moving end of the first electric sliding rail (5) is fixedly installed with a second electric sliding rail (6), the moving end of the second electric sliding rail (6) is fixedly installed with a third electric sliding rail (7), and the moving support (8) is fixedly connected to the moving end of the third electric sliding rail (7).

10. The gantry-based particle extrusion 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two splash-proof plates (12) are fixedly installed on the moving support (8) and are symmetrically arranged on the connecting base body (9).

Images