Forming mold, preparation device and preparation method of 3D printing wire
By using a molding die and preparation device with a grooved guide wheel structure, the problems of fiber wear and die clogging in continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments have been solved, achieving efficient continuous production and product quality stability.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-11-28
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-13
AI Technical Summary
In existing methods for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments, conventional molds are prone to problems such as fiber wear, mold blockage, and yarn breakage, which affect the continuity and stability of production.
The molding die, which uses a grooved upper and lower guide wheel structure, guides, extrudes and shapes thermoplastic resin and continuous fibers through the guide wheel grooves. Combined with feeding, heating and collecting devices, it achieves stable impregnation and molding of continuous fibers.
It reduces fiber wear and mold clogging, improves production stability and continuity, and ensures product quality and the continuity of large-scale production.
Smart Images
Figure CN121650137A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of continuous fiber 3D printing composite materials technology, and in particular to a molding die, preparation device and preparation method for 3D printing filament. Background Technology
[0002] Resin-based composite materials possess advantages such as high specific strength, high specific modulus, strong designability, and ease of integral molding, leading to their widespread application in aerospace, transportation, energy, and communications. Among the numerous molding processes for resin-based composite materials, additive manufacturing technology, represented by 3D printing, is attracting increasing attention due to its unique advantages, including high material utilization, strong designability, ability to achieve integrated molding of complex structures, and the elimination of the need for separate molds. In particular, compared to chopped fiber systems, continuous fiber 3D printed composite materials exhibit higher mechanical properties and a wider range of applications, making them one of the key research and application directions.
[0003] Thermoplastic resins can melt and flow when heated and solidify upon cooling, without undergoing a complex chemical curing process, making them ideal for 3D printing molding processes. Therefore, thermoplastic composites have shown great potential in the field of continuous fiber 3D printing, and continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments have become a crucial material foundation for this technological field.
[0004] However, the high melting temperature and high melt viscosity of thermoplastic resins lead to problems such as insufficient resin impregnation, high porosity, severe fiber wear, and unstable product quality in conventional continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments. Existing methods for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments all use fixed and closed die structures, which easily result in fiber wear, die blockage, and yarn breakage during filament preparation, severely restricting the continuity and stability of 3D printing filament production. Therefore, developing molds, devices, and preparation methods capable of stably and continuously preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments is of urgent and significant importance. Summary of the Invention
[0005] This application provides a molding die, preparation device, and preparation method for 3D printed filaments to solve the problems mentioned in the background art.
[0006] In a first aspect, this application provides a molding die for 3D printing filament, including at least one upper guide wheel and at least one lower guide wheel; the upper guide wheel and the lower guide wheel are both grooved guide wheels, and their axes are parallel to each other and arranged alternately in front and behind; The upper and lower guide wheels have diameters of 10-100mm, guide wheel width ≥3mm, groove depth ≥3mm, and groove cross-sectional shape as V-shaped, U-shaped, parabolic, or any shape with gradually decreasing width.
[0007] Furthermore, the distance between the upper guide wheel and the lower guide wheel in the front-to-back direction is 0.5 to 5 times the diameter of the guide wheel, and the distance between the upper guide wheel and the lower guide wheel in the vertical direction is 0 to 2 times the diameter of the guide wheel.
[0008] Secondly, this application provides a 3D printing filament preparation apparatus, including the aforementioned molding die, a feeding device for providing material to the molding die, a heating device for heating the molding die, and a collecting device for collecting the 3D printing filament.
[0009] Thirdly, this application provides a method for preparing 3D printing filament, which is achieved through the aforementioned preparation apparatus; The method for preparing the 3D printing filament includes: The 3D printing filament material is fed into the molding die using a feeding device. Heat the molding die; The 3D printing filament material is passed between the upper and lower guide rollers of the molding die, and is shaped and further impregnated in the grooves on the guide rollers. The obtained 3D printing filament is wound up using a collection device to obtain the product.
[0010] Furthermore, the 3D printing filament material comprises thermoplastic resin and continuous fibers, with the volume content of the continuous fibers being 20-75%.
[0011] Furthermore, the thermoplastic resin includes polyethylene, polyamide, polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyurethane, polyetheretherketone, polyaryletherketone, polyimide, polyphenylene sulfide, and their derivatives or blends.
[0012] Furthermore, the continuous fiber includes carbon fiber, glass fiber, quartz fiber, organic fiber, basalt fiber, ceramic fiber, or metal fiber.
[0013] Furthermore, the heating temperature of the molding die is above the melting point of the thermoplastic resin.
[0014] The above-mentioned technical solution of this application has the following advantages: The molding die, preparation device, and preparation method for 3D printing filaments provided in this application aim to overcome the difficulties in preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments (especially systems with high fiber volume fraction), and the problems that easily arise during production, such as resin accumulation, fiber fuzzing, and mold blockage, which restrict continuous and stable production. By using a guide wheel structure with grooves, thermoplastic resin and continuous fiber materials are guided, extruded, and shaped. This aims to reduce fiber wear and avoid problems such as yarn breakage, clumping, and blockage while ensuring impregnation effect and product quality, thereby improving production stability and continuity and laying the foundation for large-scale continuous preparation. Attached Figure Description
[0015] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the specific embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.
[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the molding die for 3D printing filament provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the guide wheel structure of the molding die for 3D printing filament provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the 3D printing filament preparation apparatus provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation
[0017] In the following description, specific details such as particular system architectures and techniques are set forth for illustrative purposes and not for limitation, in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments of this application. However, those skilled in the art will understand that this application may also be implemented in other embodiments without these specific details. In other instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, devices, circuits, and processes are omitted so as not to obscure the description of this application with unnecessary detail.
[0018] It should be understood that, when used in this application specification and the appended claims, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or a collection thereof.
[0019] Furthermore, in the description of this application and the appended claims, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0020] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," "in still other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. "A plurality" means "two or more."
[0021] The existing continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament preparation process often uses closed molds, die openings, or flow channel structures. The cross-section of the material outlet channel is limited and fixed. During production, not only will the fibers be continuously scraped, but thermoplastic resin and fiber filaments will also easily accumulate at the mold outlet, causing blockages. This can lead to problems such as yarn breakage and wear, resulting in production interruptions. This seriously restricts the continuous production capacity and product quality stability of continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments.
[0022] Therefore, this application discloses a molding die, preparation device and preparation method for continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments, so as to reduce fiber damage, avoid mold blockage and yarn breakage, and improve the continuous production capacity and product quality stability of 3D printing filaments.
[0023] The specific embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate this application, but are not intended to limit the scope of this application.
[0024] This application provides a molding die for 3D printing filament, such as... Figure 1 As shown, it includes an upper guide wheel and a lower guide wheel. Both the upper and lower guide wheels are grooved guide wheels with parallel axes arranged alternately. They are used to guide the material and, during the guiding process, use the grooves to compress the material, shaping it into 3D printing filament and promoting its compaction to improve product performance and quality.
[0025] like Figure 2 As shown, the diameters of the upper and lower guide wheels are 10-100mm, and the width of the guide wheels is ≥3mm. If the guide wheels are too small, their manufacturing cost is high and their material guiding effect is poor; if the guide wheels are too large, the material experiences less plasticizing effect and is prone to sticking to the guide wheels. The groove depth is ≥3mm, and the cross-sectional shape of the groove is "V", "U", parabolic, or any shape with gradually decreasing width to ensure the compression and shaping effect on the material.
[0026] The mold includes at least one upper guide roller and one lower guide roller. The distance between the upper and lower guide rollers in the front-to-back direction (material forward direction) is 0.5 to 5 times the diameter of the guide rollers. The distance between the upper and lower guide rollers in the vertical direction (perpendicular to the material forward direction) is 0 to 2 times the diameter of the guide rollers. If the distance is too close, the guide rollers will collide with each other; if the distance is too far, the material may rotate or relax between the guide rollers, thus weakening the shaping effect.
[0027] This application also provides an apparatus for preparing 3D printing filaments, such as... Figure 3 As shown, it includes the molding die; it also includes a feeding device for providing material to the die for conveying the material; it also includes a heating device for heating the die as a whole; and it also includes a collecting device for collecting 3D printing filaments for cooling, pulling, and collecting the product.
[0028] This application embodiment also provides a method for preparing 3D printing filament, which is implemented by the aforementioned preparation device; the method for preparing 3D printing filament includes: using a feeding device to transport material into a molding die, heating the molding die of the continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament, then allowing the material to pass between the upper and lower guide rollers of the molding die, being shaped in the grooves on the guide rollers and completing further impregnation to obtain the continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament, and finally being collected by a collecting device.
[0029] The material comprises thermoplastic resin and continuous fibers, and may be a mixture of thermoplastic resin and continuous fibers or a pre-impregnated prepreg, wherein the volume content of continuous fibers is 20-75%, preferably 35-60%. The thermoplastic resin includes polyethylene (PE), polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyaryletherketone (PAEK), polyimide (PI), polyphenylene sulfide (PPS), and derivatives or blends of the above systems.
[0030] The continuous fibers include carbon fiber, glass fiber, quartz fiber, organic fiber, basalt fiber, ceramic fiber, or metal fiber. The heating temperature of the molding die is above the melting point of the thermoplastic resin in the material to ensure that the material has sufficient fluidity and plasticity.
[0031] The molding die, preparation device, and preparation method for 3D printing filament provided in this application have the following advantages while ensuring product quality: (1) It can reduce the accumulation of thermoplastic resin residue at the molding die, prevent resin aging and oxidation and the formation of resin clumps, significantly improve production stability and continuity, and facilitate large-scale continuous production. (2) The guide wheel structure allows occasional foreign objects such as fiber filaments and resin clumps to pass through the mold easily, avoiding mold blockage, fiber blockage and yarn breakage, significantly improving production stability and continuity, and facilitating large-scale continuous production. (3) It causes less wear on continuous fibers and can meet the requirements for continuous and stable preparation of 3D printing filaments with high fiber volume fraction (≥50%). (4) The non-enclosed mold structure makes it easy to thread yarn, simple to operate and easy to maintain.
[0032] The following is a description through specific embodiments.
[0033] Example 1 like Figure 1 As shown, the molding die for the continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament in this embodiment includes two upper guide rollers and one lower guide roller, which are arranged alternately, as shown in the diagram. Figure 2 As shown, each guide wheel has a diameter of 50mm, a width of 10mm, a groove depth of 10mm, a groove cross-section that is parabolic, a horizontal distance of 65mm between adjacent guide wheels, and a vertical distance of 20mm.
[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the apparatus for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments in this embodiment includes a feeding device, a molding die, a heating device, and a collecting device.
[0035] The method for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament in this embodiment includes the following process steps: (1) Carbon fiber is used as the continuous fiber and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) is used as the thermoplastic resin; (2) PEEK resin is extruded into the die cavity of the feeding device through a high-temperature screw extruder (screw diameter 20mm, length-to-diameter ratio 50) and mixed with carbon fiber to form a material, which is then fed into the 3D printing filament forming mold; (3) Use a heating device to heat the 3D printing filament forming mold to 390°C; (4) The material passes through the upper guide wheel 1, the lower guide wheel, and the upper guide wheel 2 in sequence (speed 1m / min, yarn tension 10~15kg). Under the action of the wheel groove, the material shrinks, shapes, and densifies, and the PEEK is fully impregnated on the carbon fiber to obtain continuous carbon fiber reinforced PEEK-based 3D printing filament. (5) The obtained 3D printing filament is wound up using a collection device to obtain the product. Tests show that the diameter of the 3D printing filament is 0.4~0.6mm, the fiber volume fraction is 50%, the mass fraction is about 58%, the porosity is 2.5%, and the continuous production length is over 1000m.
[0036] Example 2 This embodiment uses a molding mold similar to that in Embodiment 1. The difference is that the molding mold in this embodiment is a unit, and 10 molding molds with the same structure are arranged side by side to form a whole as the molding mold in this embodiment.
[0037] The apparatus for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments in this embodiment includes a feeding device, a molding die, a heating device, and a collecting device.
[0038] The method for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament in this embodiment includes the following process steps: (1) Continuous carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic polyamide (PA) based prepreg is used as material, and the width of the prepreg is 3 mm; (2) Using the prepreg unwinding mechanism in the feeding device, 10 strips of prepreg are fed into the 3D printing filament forming mold respectively; (3) Use a heating device to heat the 3D printing filament forming mold to 220°C; (4) The prepreg is passed through the upper guide wheel 1, the lower guide wheel and the upper guide wheel 2 in sequence (speed 1.8m / min, yarn tension 10~15kg). Under the action of the wheel groove, the prepreg shrinks, shapes and further densifies, and the PA is fully impregnated on the carbon fiber to obtain continuous carbon fiber reinforced PA-based 3D printing filament. (5) The 10 3D printing filaments obtained are wound up separately by a collection device to obtain the product. According to the test and characterization, the diameter of the 3D printing filament is 0.7~1.0mm, the fiber volume fraction is 60%, the mass fraction is about 71%, the porosity is 2.1%, and the continuous production length is more than 1000m.
[0039] Example 3 The molding die for the continuous fiber reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament in this embodiment includes four upper guide wheels and four lower guide wheels, which are arranged alternately. The diameter of each guide wheel is 40 mm, the width is 8 mm, the groove depth is 8 mm, the groove cross-section is "V" shaped, the horizontal distance between adjacent guide wheels is 40 mm, and the vertical distance is 20 mm.
[0040] The apparatus for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filaments in this embodiment includes a feeding device, a molding die, a heating device, and a collecting device.
[0041] The method for preparing continuous fiber-reinforced thermoplastic 3D printing filament in this embodiment includes the following process steps: (1) Glass fiber is used as the continuous fiber and polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) is used as the thermoplastic resin; (2) PPS resin ultrafine powder is dispersed in water to obtain PPS resin slurry, and glass fiber is immersed in PPS resin slurry to obtain continuous glass fiber with PPS resin slurry. (3) Continuous glass fiber coated with PPS resin slurry is used as material and fed into the 3D printing filament forming mold through a feeding device; (4) Use a heating device to heat the 3D printing filament forming mold to 350°C; (5) The material passes through the upper guide wheel 1, the lower guide wheel 1, the upper guide wheel 2, the lower guide wheel 2, the upper guide wheel 3, the lower guide wheel 3, the upper guide wheel 4, and the lower guide wheel 4 in sequence (speed 2.0 m / min, yarn tension 5~10 kg). While drying the moisture, the resin in the material melts and shrinks, shapes, and further densifies under the action of the wheel groove. This completes the full impregnation of PPS onto the glass fiber, resulting in continuous glass fiber reinforced PPS-based 3D printing filament. (6) The obtained 3D printing filament is wound up using a collection device to obtain the product. Tests show that the diameter of the 3D printing filament is 0.8~1.2mm, the fiber volume fraction is 60%, the mass fraction is about 76%, the porosity is 2.8%, and the continuous production length is over 1000m.
[0042] Therefore, the molding die, preparation device and preparation method for 3D printing filament provided in this embodiment can effectively improve production stability and continuity while ensuring the quality of 3D printing filament products.
[0043] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the above-described division of functional units and modules is merely an example. In practical applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional units and modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. The functional units and modules in the embodiments can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. Furthermore, the specific names of the functional units and modules are only for easy differentiation and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application.
[0044] It should be clarified that the various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, and the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to mutually. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. This application is not limited to the specific structures described above and shown in the figures. Furthermore, for the sake of brevity, detailed descriptions of known methods and techniques are omitted here.
[0045] The above-described embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and should all be included within the protection scope of this application.
Claims
1. A molding die for 3D printing filament, characterized in that, It includes at least one upper guide wheel and at least one lower guide wheel; both the upper and lower guide wheels are grooved guide wheels, and their axes are parallel to each other and are arranged alternately in front and behind; The upper and lower guide wheels have diameters of 10-100mm, guide wheel width ≥3mm, groove depth ≥3mm, and groove cross-sectional shape as V-shaped, U-shaped, parabolic, or any shape with gradually decreasing width.
2. The molding die as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the upper and lower guide wheels in the front-to-back direction is 0.5 to 5 times the diameter of the guide wheels, and the distance between the upper and lower guide wheels in the vertical direction is 0 to 2 times the diameter of the guide wheels.
3. A device for preparing 3D printing filament, characterized in that, It includes the molding die as described in any one of claims 1 to 2, a feeding device for providing material to the molding die, a heating device for heating the molding die, and a collecting device for collecting 3D printing filament.
4. A method for preparing 3D printing filament, characterized in that, This is achieved using the preparation apparatus described in claim 3; The method for preparing the 3D printing filament includes: The 3D printing filament material is fed into the molding die using a feeding device. Heat the molding die; The 3D printing filament material is passed between the upper and lower guide rollers of the molding die, and is shaped and further impregnated in the grooves on the guide rollers. The obtained 3D printing filament is wound up using a collection device to obtain the product.
5. The preparation method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The 3D printing filament material comprises thermoplastic resin and continuous fibers, with the volume content of continuous fibers being 20-75%.
6. The preparation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thermoplastic resins include polyethylene, polyamide, polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyurethane, polyetheretherketone, polyaryletherketone, polyimide, polyphenylene sulfide, and their derivatives or blends.
7. The preparation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The continuous fibers include carbon fiber, glass fiber, quartz fiber, organic fiber, basalt fiber, ceramic fiber, or metal fiber.
8. The preparation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The heating temperature of the molding die is above the melting point of the thermoplastic resin.