3D printing supporting piece, 3D printing method and removing method

Abstract

The invention discloses a 3D printing supporting piece, a 3D printing method and a removing method, and relates to the technical field of 3D printing. The 3D printing supporting piece is a supporting body composed of a plurality of unit cell structures. The unit cell structure comprises a main body part and a connecting part connected with the unit cell structure and / or the 3D printing piece. And the cross section area of the connecting part is smaller than that of the main body part. The 3D printing supporting structure can be printed together with a 3D printing piece, and model parameters of the 3D printing supporting piece are generated by 3D model processing software. According to the 3D printing support removing method, the 3D printing support structure can automatically fall off, and the support does not need to be manually removed. According to the 3D printing support design, printing and support removing processes, automation is achieved, automatic support adding and automatic support removing in a 3D printing complex porous structure can be rapidly achieved, the problem that supports cannot be automatically added and removed in a micro-aperture 3D printing complex porous structure is solved, and meanwhile the surface smoothness and fatigue strength of a 3D printing piece can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of 3D printing technology, and relates to a 3D printing support, a 3D printing method, and a removal method. Background Technology

[0002] The technical principle of 3D printing is to first divide the three-dimensional model into layers, and then obtain the contour information or image information of each layer. The materials that can be selected include metal, resin, ceramics, etc. These materials can be matched with corresponding 3D printing processes, and the printed parts are completed by printing layer by layer.

[0003] Because 3D printing involves solidifying and stacking materials layer by layer, the upper structure of the model generally requires support from the lower layers. Therefore, if certain parts of the printed part are suspended, support structures are typically needed to support these suspended parts. In existing technologies, after printing is complete and the support structures are separated from the printed part, the remaining support structures on the surface of the printed part can affect its appearance and potentially hinder its normal use.

[0004] For 3D printed parts with porous or tubular structures, especially those with narrow pores or pipe diameters and complex internal shapes, engineers often need to manually add support structures one by one during the printing process, and then manually remove them one by one after printing. For the complex porous structures of 3D printed parts, adding support structures cannot be automated using commercial software; it relies entirely on the experience of engineers, making manual support addition far less efficient than automated methods. Conventional support removal tools can only remove support structures from the parts they can reach; they cannot remove them from areas inaccessible to the tools. For these complex 3D printed parts, the requirements for 3D printing design and equipment are extremely high, presenting a significant technical challenge.

[0005] In summary, for 3D printed parts with complex structures such as porous structures, the support structure is located inside the 3D printed part, and the addition and removal of the support are extremely difficult. There is a need to find a new 3D support structure, 3D printing method and removal method that can not only realize the preparation of 3D printed parts with complex structures, but also realize the automatic addition and removal of support structures, while improving the surface smoothness and fatigue strength of 3D printed parts. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a 3D printed support, wherein the 3D printed support is a support body composed of multiple unit cell structures; the unit cell structure includes a main body and a connecting portion connected to the 3D printed part and / or the unit cell structure. The cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting portion is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the main body.

[0007] In some embodiments, the cross-sectional shape of the connecting portion includes a circle, a polygon, a triangle, or an irregular shape.

[0008] In some embodiments, the cell structure includes columnar cell structure, spherical cell structure, polyhedral cell structure, and irregularly shaped cell structure.

[0009] In some embodiments, the side length of the cross-section of the main body portion is 30μm to 1000μm.

[0010] In some embodiments, the thickness of the connecting portion does not exceed 500 μm.

[0011] This invention provides a 3D printing method for the above-mentioned support structure, the method comprising the following steps:

[0012] A 3D printing method for a 3D printed support component, characterized in that the method includes the following steps:

[0013] (1) Input the model parameters of the 3D printed part and the 3D printed support part according to any one of claims 1-6 into the 3D printing equipment;

[0014] (2) 3D printing of 3D printed parts and 3D printed support parts.

[0015] Step (1) The parameters of the 3D printed support model are automatically generated by the 3D model processing software.

[0016] This invention provides a method for removing the aforementioned support structure, the method comprising the following steps:

[0017] The 3D printed part and the 3D printed support are immersed in a post-processing solution. The 3D printed support automatically detaches after being treated with the post-processing solution.

[0018] The post-treatment solution includes water, acid, alkali, and organic solvent.

[0019] According to the technical solution of the present invention, one embodiment of the above invention has the following advantages or beneficial effects:

[0020] The described 3D printing support removal method allows the 3D printed support structure to detach automatically, eliminating the need for manual support removal, or it can be performed manually. The design, printing, and removal processes of the 3D printed support are all automated, enabling rapid and automatic addition and removal of supports within complex porous 3D printed structures. This solves the problem of the inability to automatically add or remove supports within complex porous 3D printed structures with micro-pores.

[0021] The further effects of the aforementioned unconventional alternative methods will be explained below in conjunction with specific implementation methods. Attached Figure Description

[0022] The accompanying drawings are provided to better understand the invention and are not intended to unduly limit the scope of the invention. Wherein:

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the 3D printed part and 3D printed support provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a front view of the 3D printed part and 3D printed support provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a front view of the 3D printed part and 3D printed support provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the 3D printed part and 3D printed support provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0027] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0028] 1-3D printed part, 2-3D printed support, 3-cell structure, 4-main body, 5-connector. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To better illustrate the present invention and facilitate understanding of its technical solutions, the present invention is further described in detail below. However, the following embodiments are merely simplified examples of the present invention and do not represent or limit the scope of protection of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is determined by the claims.

[0030] The specific embodiments of the present invention provide a 3D printed part 1 and a 3D printed support part 2.

[0031] The 3D printed support 2 is a support body composed of a unit cell structure 3. The unit cell structure 3 includes structures with regular shapes and irregular shapes, such as spheres, polyhedra, and prisms. The cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting part 5 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the main body part 4.

[0032] The following are typical but non-limiting embodiments of the present invention:

[0033] Example 1:

[0034] This embodiment provides a 3D printed part 1 and a 3D printed support structure 2. The 3D printed part 1 is a partially cubic printed part, and the structural schematic diagram of the 3D printed part 1 is shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the 3D printed support 2 is disposed below the 3D printed part 1.

[0035] The 3D printed support 2 is composed of a spherical cell structure 3, and the main body of the spherical cell structure 3 has a diameter of no more than 100 μm.

[0036] The connection 5 between adjacent unit cell structures 3 is a point contact.

[0037] The model parameters of the 3D printed support 2 are input into the 3D printing equipment, and the 3D printed part 1 and the 3D printed support 2 are 3D printed as a whole.

[0038] The model parameters of the 3D printed support component 2 are automatically generated by 3D model processing software.

[0039] The 3D printed part 1 and the 3D printed support 2 are immersed in the post-processing solution. The connecting part 5 in the 3D printed support 2 will be corroded away by the post-processing solution first, and the 3D printed support will be discrete into individual cell structures 3, thereby realizing the automatic detachment of the 3D printed support 2.

[0040] The post-treatment solution may include materials capable of corroding, dissolving, melting, or otherwise destroying the support portion. For example, for metals, it may be a mixture of one or more acids, and for ceramic materials, it may be an alkaline solution.

[0041] Example 2:

[0042] This embodiment provides a 3D printed part 1 and a 3D printed support structure 2. The 3D printed part is an irregular curved surface part. A front view of the 3D printed part 1 is shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the 3D printed support 2 is disposed below the 3D printed part 1.

[0043] The 3D printed support 2 is composed of a spherical cell structure 3, and the side length of the cross-section of the main body 4 of the spherical cell structure 3 ranges from 30μm to 1000μm.

[0044] The 3D printed support 2 is an irregular polyhedron.

[0045] The cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting part 5 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the main body part 4.

[0046] The connecting portion 5 between adjacent unit cell structures 3 is columnar.

[0047] Example 3:

[0048] This embodiment provides a 3D printed part 1 and a 3D printed support structure 2. The 3D printed part has a porous structure. A front view of the 3D printed part 1 is shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the structural schematic diagram of the 3D printed part 1 is as follows: Figure 4 As shown, the 3D printed support 2 is disposed within the pores of the 3D printed part 1.

[0049] The 3D printed support 2 is composed of a cell structure 3, and the cross-sectional side length of the main body 4 of the cell structure 3 ranges from 30μm to 1000μm.

[0050] The 3D printed support 2 can be spherical, or it can be a polyhedron, column, etc.

[0051] The connecting axis between adjacent unit cell structures 3 is a curve or a straight line.

[0052] The specific embodiments described above do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that various modifications, combinations, sub-combinations, and substitutions can occur depending on design requirements and other factors. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

Claims

1. A 3D printed support component, characterized in that, The 3D printed support is a support body composed of multiple unit cell structures; the unit cell structure includes a main body and a connecting part connected to the 3D printed part and / or the unit cell structure; the cross-sectional area of ​​the connecting part is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the main body.

2. The 3D printed support component according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cross-sectional shape of the connecting part includes circles, polygons, triangles, and irregular shapes.

3. The 3D printed support component according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cell structure includes columnar cell structure, spherical cell structure, polyhedral cell structure, and irregularly shaped cell structure.

4. The 3D printed support component according to claim 4, characterized in that, The cross-sectional side length of the main body is 30μm to 1000μm.

5. The 3D printed support component according to claim 5, characterized in that, The thickness of the connecting part does not exceed 500 μm.

6. The 3D printing method for the 3D printed support according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: (1) Input the model parameters of the 3D printed part and the 3D printed support part according to any one of claims 1-5 into the 3D printing equipment; (2) 3D printing of 3D printed parts and 3D printed support parts.

7. The 3D printing method for the 3D printed support component according to claim 6, characterized in that, Step (1) The parameters of the 3D printed support model are generated by 3D model processing software.

8. The method for removing a 3D printed support member according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method includes the following steps: The 3D printed part and the 3D printed support are immersed in a post-processing solution. The 3D printed support automatically detaches after being treated with the post-processing solution.

9. The method for removing a 3D printed support member according to claim 8, characterized in that, The post-treatment solution includes water, acid, alkali, and organic solvent.

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