Additive manufacturing device and using method thereof

Abstract

The invention discloses an additive manufacturing device which comprises an air guide slip ring, a rotary nozzle, an air pump, a servo motor, a charging barrel and a control system, the air guide slip ring comprises a fixed part and a rotary part, the fixed part is of a hollow columnar structure, the rotary part comprises a ventilation end and a material receiving end, the ventilation end is rotatably inserted into the hollow interior of the fixed part, and the material receiving end is connected with the rotary nozzle. A plurality of annular grooves are formed in the outer side face of the ventilation end, air guide holes are formed in the annular grooves, a plurality of independent annular cavities are defined by the annular grooves and the inner side wall of the fixing part jointly, a plurality of communicating holes used for being communicated with an air pump are formed in the outer side of the fixing part, and a plurality of ventilation holes are formed in the material receiving end. Each vent hole is communicated with different annular cavities through an air guide channel, and the rotary nozzle is fixedly connected with the material receiving end. The soft robot of a programmable spiral structure can be printed, and meanwhile the problem that pipelines such as air pipes and electric wires are wound in the printing process is solved. The invention further provides a using method of the additive manufacturing device.

Description

An additive manufacturing apparatus and its method of use Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of additive manufacturing technology, specifically relating to an additive manufacturing apparatus and its usage method. Background Technology

[0002] Additive manufacturing (3D printing) technology, as an important component of advanced manufacturing technology, has experienced rapid development in recent years. In the field of soft robot manufacturing, traditional multi-material 3D printing technology faces the following technical challenges: difficulty in controlling material mixing, as existing multi-material 3D printing technologies struggle to precisely control the mixing degree and interface morphology of multiple materials during extrusion, resulting in the ineffective utilization of material functions; insufficient helical structure manufacturing capability, as traditional 3D printing technology cannot directly manufacture multi-material composite filaments with programmable helical structures in three-dimensional space, limiting the functional diversity of soft robots; complex multi-material collaborative control, as existing multi-material 3D printing systems suffer from technical bottlenecks in material delivery, extrusion control, and motion coordination, making it difficult to achieve precise synchronous extrusion of multiple functional materials; and the easy entanglement of tubing connecting the printing material and the air pump during rotation, as traditional material delivery methods often result in entanglement of air pipes, electrical wires, and other tubing during print head rotation, affecting the continuity and stability of the printing process. Therefore, to avoid the shortcomings of existing technologies, it is necessary to improve them. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an additive manufacturing apparatus capable of printing programmable helical structures for soft robots. This apparatus can control the mixing degree and interface morphology of multiple materials during the extrusion process, achieving precise synchronous extrusion of multiple functional materials while avoiding the problem of tangled tubing, wires, and other conduits during printing. This invention also provides a method for using the additive manufacturing apparatus.

[0004] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0005] An additive manufacturing apparatus includes an air guide slip ring, a rotary nozzle, an air pump, a servo motor, a material cylinder, and a control system. The air guide slip ring includes a fixed part and a rotating part. The fixed part is a hollow cylindrical structure. The rotating part includes an air inlet end and a material receiving end. The air inlet end is fixedly connected to the material receiving end and is rotatably inserted into the hollow interior of the fixed part. The outer surface of the air inlet end has several annular grooves distributed vertically. Air guide holes are formed on the annular grooves. The annular grooves and the inner wall of the fixed part together form several independent annular cavities. The outer side of the fixed part has several connecting holes for connecting to the air pump. Each connecting hole connects to a different annular cavity. The material receiving end has several connecting holes for connecting to the air inlet end of the material cylinder. The receiving end has a vent hole, and the interior of the receiving end has an air guide channel for connecting the vent hole and the air guide hole. Each vent hole is connected to a different annular cavity through the air guide channel. The rotating nozzle is fixedly connected to the receiving end. The rotating nozzle has several inlet holes for connecting to the outlet end of the material cylinder. The interior of the rotating nozzle has several conveying channels connected to the output end of the rotating nozzle. Each conveying channel is connected to a corresponding inlet hole and is independent of each other. The air pump is connected to the connecting holes through pipes. The servo motor is connected to the top of the vent end to drive the rotating part to rotate. The air inlet end of the material cylinder is connected to the vent hole, and the outlet end of the material cylinder is connected to the inlet hole. The control system is connected to the air pump and the servo motor.

[0006] As a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, there are four annular grooves, four communicating holes, four vent holes, and four air guiding channels. The four annular grooves and the inner sidewall of the fixing part together form four annular cavities. The four communicating holes are distributed at different horizontal heights of the fixing part. The four communicating holes are respectively connected to the four annular cavities. The four vent holes are respectively connected to the four annular cavities through the four air guiding channels.

[0007] As a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, the material conveying channel includes a core channel, three fan-shaped channels and an annular channel. The core channel is located at the center of the interior of the rotary nozzle. The three fan-shaped channels are distributed circumferentially around the core channel. The annular channel communicates with the core channel inside the rotary nozzle and is arranged around the outside of the three fan-shaped channels at the output end of the rotary nozzle.

[0008] As a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, the core channel radiates outward from the center of the rotating nozzle to form a separating cavity that separates the three fan-shaped channels.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, a sealing ring is fitted between each of the annular grooves at the venting end, and a sealing groove for accommodating the sealing ring is provided on the inner side of the fixing part.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, the vent is disposed on the outer side of the receiving end.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, an electromagnetic proportional valve is provided on the pipe between the air pump and the connecting hole.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment of the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, the material conveying channel extends from the side of the rotating nozzle to the upper side to form a guide structure.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method of using an additive manufacturing apparatus, wherein printing is performed using the additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising the following steps:

[0014] Step 1: Parameter setting. Set the printing parameters through the control system, including rotational angular velocity ω, translational speed v, extrusion material type, and extrusion speed of each material.

[0015] Step 2: Material preparation. Load the materials with different functions into the corresponding material cylinders.

[0016] Step 3: Motion control. The control system controls the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis motion mechanisms of the 3D printer and the servo motor according to preset parameters. The servo motor drives the rotating part to rotate, thereby rotating the rotating nozzle and realizing the simultaneous three-dimensional motion and rotational motion of the rotating nozzle.

[0017] Step 4: Material extrusion. Multiple materials are extruded simultaneously through the air pump connected to the barrel. The helix angle of the multiple materials is determined by precisely controlling the ratio of the rotational angular velocity to the translational velocity of the rotating nozzle.

[0018] Step 5: Printing complete. After printing is complete, turn off the air pump and the servo motor, and remove the printed part.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the method of using the above-mentioned additive manufacturing apparatus, the helix angle φ(r) in step four is determined by the ratio of angular velocity to translational velocity, and the relationship is: φ(r) = arctan(rω / v), where r is the radial distance from the center of the helical structure. The helix angle of the helical body is programmed by controlling the value of ω / v during the printing process.

[0020] The additive manufacturing apparatus provided by this invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0021] The air guide slip ring of this invention can prevent air pipes, wires, and other pipelines from getting tangled during rotation, and maintains unobstructed airflow during rotation. The air vent end of the rotating part is rotatably inserted into the hollow interior of the fixed part, allowing the rotating part to rotate smoothly. The outer surface of the air vent end has multiple layers of annular grooves arranged from top to bottom. The annular grooves and the inner wall of the fixed part together form several independent annular cavities. The annular cavities are connected to the output end of the air pump through the connecting hole to achieve airflow. The annular grooves have air guide holes, which are connected to the air vent through the air guide channel. The air vent is connected to the air inlet end of the material cylinder, thereby enabling the air pump to deliver the gas. The air inlet provides pressure to the barrel to extrude printing material. During rotation, the connecting hole, located on the outside of the fixed part, passes through the inner wall of the fixed part and communicates with the annular cavity. Therefore, the connecting hole remains in communication with the annular cavity throughout the rotation. Similarly, the air guide hole, located on the annular groove, rotates with the rotating part and also remains in communication with the annular cavity. The air guide hole communicates with the vent hole through the air guide channel inside the receiving end. The air guide channel and vent hole also rotate with the rotating part, maintaining communication with the air guide hole. This achieves airflow from the connecting hole, annular cavity, air guide hole, and vent hole during the rotation of the rotating part. The air passage formed by the vent and the nozzle remains unobstructed. The rotating nozzle is fixedly connected to the receiving end, so it rotates along with the rotating part. The inlet end of the material cylinder is connected to the vent via an air pipe, and the outlet end is connected to the inlet via a pipeline. Therefore, during rotation, the material cylinder and pipeline rotate synchronously with the rotating part and the rotating nozzle, preventing the pipelines between different material cylinders from tangling. The air pump is connected to the connecting hole on the outside of the fixed part, which remains fixed during the rotation of the rotating part. Each annular cavity is connected to different vents via air guide holes on each layer of annular grooves, thus connecting different material cylinders. When the unit rotates, the air pump maintains communication with the annular cavity through the connecting hole, thereby providing pressure to the air inlet of each barrel to extrude different printing materials. The servo motor drives the rotating part to rotate, which in turn drives the rotating nozzle to rotate. This achieves simultaneous rotation and extrusion of printing materials, thus printing a spiral structure soft robot. By keeping the air passages connected during rotation, precise synchronous extrusion of multiple functional materials is achieved. Because the printing materials are extruded while rotating, the rotation of the servo motor is controlled by the control system through programming, thereby manufacturing multi-material composite filaments with a programmable spiral structure, improving the functional versatility of the soft robot. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below.

[0023] Figure 1 is an overall schematic diagram of the air guide slip ring and the rotary nozzle of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the assembly relationship between the air guide slip ring and the rotary nozzle of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the air guide slip ring and the rotary nozzle of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the air guide slip ring of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the rotating part of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the fixing part of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the output end of the rotary nozzle of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 8 is a simplified diagram of the connection between the air guide slip ring and the rotating nozzle of the present invention installed on a 3D printer.

[0031] Marked in the image:

[0032] 100. Fixing part; 110. Connecting hole; 120. Sealing groove; 200. Rotating part; 210. Vent end; 220. Material receiving end; 230. Annular groove; 231. Air guide hole; 240. Air guide channel; 250. Vent hole; 260. Annular cavity; 270. Sealing ring; 300. Rotating nozzle; 310. Feed hole; 320. Material conveying channel; 321. Core channel; 322. Fan-shaped channel; 323. Separating cavity; 324. Annular channel; 400. Servo motor; 500. Material cylinder; 600. Air pump; 610. Electromagnetic proportional valve; 700. Control system. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0034] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation descriptions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0035] In the description of this invention, "several" means one or more, "more than" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0036] In the description of this invention, unless otherwise explicitly defined, terms such as "set up," "install," and "connect" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0037] Please refer to Figures 1 to 8 together. The additive manufacturing apparatus provided in the embodiments of the present invention will now be described.

[0038] As shown in Figures 1 to 8, the additive manufacturing apparatus of the present invention includes a gas guide slip ring, a rotary nozzle 300, an air pump 600, a servo motor 400, a material cylinder 500, and a control system 700. The gas guide slip ring includes a fixed part 100 and a rotating part 200. The fixed part 100 has a hollow cylindrical structure. The rotating part 200 includes a venting end 210 and a receiving end 220. The venting end 210 and the receiving end 220 are fixedly connected. The venting end 210 is rotatably inserted into the hollow interior of the fixed part 100. The outer surface of the 210 has several annular grooves 230, which are distributed vertically. Each annular groove 230 has an air guide hole 231. The annular grooves 230 and the inner wall of the fixing part 100 together form several independent annular cavities 260. The outer side of the fixing part 100 has several connecting holes 110 for connecting to the air pump 600. Each connecting hole 110 connects to a different annular cavity 260. The receiving end 220 has several... A vent 250 is provided for communication with the air inlet end of the material cylinder 500. An air guide channel 240 is provided inside the receiving end 220 to connect the vent 250 and the air guide hole 231. Each vent 250 is connected to a different annular cavity 260 through the air guide channel 240. A rotary nozzle 300 is fixedly connected to the receiving end 220. The rotary nozzle 300 is provided with several inlet holes 310 for communication with the discharge end of the material cylinder 500. The interior of the rotary nozzle 300 is provided with several... Each material conveying channel 320 is connected to the output end of the rotary nozzle 300. Each material conveying channel 320 is connected to the corresponding feed hole 310 and is independent of each other. The air pump 600 is connected to the connecting hole 110 through the pipe. The servo motor 400 is connected to the top of the air vent 210 to drive the rotating part 200 to rotate. The air inlet end of the material cylinder 500 is connected to the air vent 250, and the material outlet end of the material cylinder 500 is connected to the feed hole 310. The control system 700 is connected to the air pump 600 and the servo motor 400.

[0039] The annular grooves 230 are distributed vertically on the outer side of the air vent 210, forming multiple layers of annular grooves 230. These, together with the inner wall of the fixing part 100, form multiple independent annular cavities 260. Each layer of annular grooves 230 is provided with an air guide hole 231. The air guide hole 231 is guided and connected to different air vents 250 through different air guide channels 240 inside the rotating part 200. This allows the air pump 600 to drive each material cylinder 500 to extrude printing material. Each air vent 250 is connected to a different layer of annular cavity 260. Each annular cavity 260 is independent of each other, making each airflow channel independent. The air pump 600 can individually control the extrusion pressure and extrusion speed of each material cylinder 500, thereby cooperating with the control system 700 to control the rotation of the servo motor 400 and print a programmable spiral structure, improving the functional versatility of the soft robot.

[0040] The connecting hole 110 starts on the outer wall of the fixed part 100 and connects laterally to the inner wall of the fixed part 100, thus communicating with the annular cavity 260. Therefore, it remains connected to the annular cavity 260 during the rotation of the venting end 210. The air guide hole 231 starts on the annular groove 230 and rotates with the venting end 210 to maintain communication with the annular cavity 260. This achieves that the air passage formed by the connecting hole 110, the annular cavity 260, the air guide hole 231, the air guide channel 240 to the venting hole 250 remains connected during rotation, so that the air pump 600 can still provide pressure to the material cylinder 500 to extrude printing material while the rotating part 200 is rotating, realizing a soft robot that extrudes and prints a spiral structure while rotating.

[0041] Among them, the air pump 600, servo motor 400 and material cylinder 500 are existing technologies and will not be described in detail here.

[0042] For example, there are four annular grooves 230, four connecting holes 110, four vent holes 250, and four air guide channels 240. The four annular grooves 230 together with the inner sidewall of the fixing part 100 form four annular cavities 260. The four connecting holes 110 are distributed at different horizontal heights of the fixing part 100 and are connected to the four annular cavities 260 respectively. The four vent holes 250 are connected to the four annular cavities 260 respectively through the four air guide channels 240. This forms four independent air passages connected to the air pump 600, allowing the air pump 600 to drive the four barrels 500 to extrude printing materials respectively. This enables different materials to be extruded while rotating to create a spiral structure soft robot, precisely controlling the mixing degree and interface morphology of multiple materials during the extrusion process, and achieving precise synchronous extrusion of multiple functional materials.

[0043] As shown in Figure 7, the material conveying channel 320 includes a core channel 321, three fan-shaped channels 322, and an annular channel 324. The core channel 321 is located at the center of the inside of the rotary nozzle 300. The three fan-shaped channels 322 are arranged circumferentially around the core channel 321. The annular channel 324 is connected to the core channel 321 inside the rotary nozzle 300 and is arranged around the outside of the three fan-shaped channels 322 at the output end of the rotary nozzle 300. Through the structural distribution of the core channel 321 at the center, three fan-shaped channels 322, and annular channel 324, the core channel 321 and annular channel 324 deliver protective materials during extrusion printing, while the three fan-shaped channels 322 deliver three different types of intelligent actuation materials. The protective materials extruded from the core channel 321 at the output end of the rotating nozzle 300 form a skeleton. The three different types of intelligent actuation materials extruded from the three fan-shaped channels 322 form a spiral structure around the skeleton material delivered from the core channel 321. The protective materials extruded from the annular channel 324 cover the three types of intelligent actuation materials to form a protective outer skin, thereby printing a spiral-structured soft robot.

[0044] Specifically, the core channel 321 delivers wear-resistant material to form a skeleton, and the annular channel 324, inside the rotating nozzle 300, communicates with the core channel 321 and also delivers wear-resistant material to form a protective skin. The core channel 321 delivers wear-resistant material to achieve internal filling, thereby preventing the other three functional materials from mixing during printing. The annular channel 324 is arranged around the outside of the three fan-shaped channels 322 at the output end of the rotating nozzle 300. During extrusion printing, the wear-resistant material covers the outside of the three functional materials to form a protective skin. The three fan-shaped channels 322 respectively deliver three different functional intelligent actuation materials: photosensitive material, thermosensitive material, and magnetic responsive material, so that the printed spiral soft robot can be actuated by light, temperature, and magnetism.

[0045] As shown in Figure 7, the core channel 321 radiates outward from the center of the rotating nozzle 300 to form a separating cavity 323 that separates the three fan-shaped channels 322. The core channel 321 forms the separating cavity 323 by radiating outward from the center of the rotating nozzle 300. The material constituting the skeleton within the core channel 321 is also extruded from the separating cavity 323, further separating the three fan-shaped channels 322 and further preventing the mixing of the other three functional materials during printing.

[0046] As shown in Figures 2-6, a sealing ring 270 is fitted between each annular groove 230 at the vent end 210, and a sealing groove 120 for accommodating the sealing ring 270 is provided on the inner side of the fixing part 100. Through the structural design of the sealing ring 270 and the sealing groove 120, each annular cavity 260 is independent, maintaining airtightness during the gas delivery process by the air pump 600. This prevents air leakage that could lead to a pressure drop, thereby reducing the extrusion pressure of the material cylinder 500 and affecting the extrusion effect of the printing material.

[0047] For example, the vent 250 is provided on the outer side of the receiving end 220. The vent 250 is used to connect to the air inlet end of the barrel 500. By providing the vent 250 on the outer side of the receiving end 220, it is convenient for the air inlet end of the barrel 500 to be connected to the vent 250 through a gas hose. When the rotating part 200 rotates, the gas hose at the air inlet end of the barrel 500 rotates with the rotating part 200 on the outer side of the receiving end 220, avoiding entanglement between different pipelines. Moreover, providing the barrel 500 on the outer side facilitates the connection between the discharge end of the barrel 500 and the feed port 310 of the rotating nozzle 300, allowing the barrel 500 to rotate together with the rotating part 200 and the rotating nozzle 300 on the outer side, thus avoiding pipeline entanglement.

[0048] For example, an electromagnetic proportional valve 610 is installed on the pipe between the air pump 600 and the connecting hole 110. By installing the electromagnetic proportional valve 610 on the pipe between the air pump 600 and the connecting hole 110, the gas output of each air path pipe can be controlled individually, realizing individual control of the extrusion pressure and extrusion speed of different barrels 500. In conjunction with the servo motor 400 driving the rotating part 200 and the rotating nozzle 300 to rotate, the printing and manufacturing of the spiral structure is realized under the control of the control system 700.

[0049] As shown in Figures 1-3, the material delivery channel 320 extends laterally and upward from the side of the rotating nozzle 300 to form a guide structure. This ensures that the flow path of the printing material from the barrel 500 to the material delivery channel 320 does not have large bends that would affect the extrusion efficiency of the printing material. Furthermore, it optimizes the fluid dynamics performance by optimizing the cross-sectional shape, turning angle, and surface finish of the flow path, and incorporating rounded corners at key locations to ensure smooth extrusion of the printing material.

[0050] The present invention also provides a method of using an additive manufacturing apparatus, wherein printing is performed using the additive manufacturing apparatus, comprising the following steps:

[0051] Step 1: Parameter setting. Set the printing parameters through the control system 700, including rotational angular velocity ω, translational speed v, extrusion material type, and extrusion speed of each material.

[0052] Step 2: Material preparation. Load the materials with different functions into the corresponding material cylinders 500.

[0053] Step 3: Motion control. The control system 700 controls the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis motion mechanisms and servo motor 400 of the 3D printer according to preset parameters. The servo motor 400 drives the rotating part 200 to rotate, which in turn drives the rotating nozzle 300 to rotate, so that the three-dimensional motion and rotational motion of the rotating nozzle 300 can be performed simultaneously.

[0054] Step 4: Material extrusion. Multiple materials are extruded simultaneously through the air pump 600 connected to the material cylinder 500. The helix angle of the multiple materials is determined by precisely controlling the ratio of the rotational angular velocity to the translational velocity of the rotating nozzle 300.

[0055] Step 5: Printing complete. After printing is complete, turn off the air pump 600 and servo motor 400, and remove the printed parts.

[0056] The control system 700 controls parameters such as rotational angular velocity and translational speed during printing, programs the printed spiral structure, and prints the spiral structure with the required spiral angle by coordinating the rotation of the servo motor 400 with the translational motion of the printer's motion mechanism and the extrusion speed of each material.

[0057] For example, in step four, the helix angle φ(r) is determined by the ratio of angular velocity to translational velocity, and the relationship is: φ(r) = arctan(rω / v), where r is the radial distance from the center of the helical structure. During the printing process, the helix angle of the helical body is programmed by controlling the value of ω / v.

[0058] The additive manufacturing apparatus provided by this invention has the following advantages compared with the prior art:

[0059] The air guide slip ring of the present invention can prevent air pipes, wires, and other pipelines from getting tangled during rotation, and maintains unobstructed airflow during rotation. The air outlet 210 of the rotating part 200 is rotatably inserted into the hollow interior of the fixed part 100, allowing the rotating part 200 to rotate smoothly. The outer surface of the air outlet 210 has multiple layers of annular grooves 230 arranged from top to bottom. The annular grooves 230 and the inner wall of the fixed part 100 together form several independent annular cavities 260. The annular cavities 260 are connected to the air pump 600 through the connecting hole 110. The output end facilitates air flow, and an air guide hole 231 is provided on the annular groove 230. The air guide hole 231 is connected to the air vent 250 through the air guide channel 240. The air vent 250 is connected to the air inlet end of the material cylinder 500, so that the air output gas from the air pump 600 can be delivered to the air inlet end of the material cylinder 500 to provide pressure for the material cylinder 500 to extrude the printing material. During rotation, since the connecting hole 110 is located on the outside of the fixed part 100, passes through the inner wall of the fixed part 100, and connects with the annular cavity 260, the connecting hole can be used during the rotation of the rotating part 200. The 110 remains in constant communication with the annular cavity 260 throughout the entire process. Similarly, the air guide hole 231, located on the annular groove 230, rotates with the rotating part 200 and also remains in constant communication with the annular cavity 260. The air guide hole 231 is connected to the air vent 250 through the air guide channel 240 inside the receiving end 220. The air guide channel 240 and the air vent 250 also rotate with the rotating part 200, maintaining communication with the air guide hole 231. This allows air to flow from the connecting hole 110, the annular cavity 260, and the air guide hole during the rotation of the rotating part 200. 231. The air passage formed by the air guide channel 240 and the air vent 250 remains unobstructed; and the rotary nozzle 300 is fixedly connected to the receiving end 220, so the rotary nozzle 300 will rotate together with the rotating part 200. The air inlet end of the material cylinder 500 is connected to the air vent 250 through the air pipe, and the material outlet end of the material cylinder 500 is connected to the feed hole 310 through the pipeline. Therefore, during the rotation, the material cylinder 500 and the pipeline will rotate synchronously with the rotating part 200 and the rotary nozzle 300, so that the pipelines between different material cylinders 500 will not become entangled.The air pump 600 is connected to the connecting hole 110 on the outside of the fixed part 100. The fixed part 100 remains fixed during the rotation of the rotating part 200. Each annular cavity 260 is connected to different air vents 250 through the air guide holes 231 on each layer of annular grooves 230, thereby connecting different material cylinders 500. When the rotating part 200 rotates, the air pump 600 remains connected to the annular cavity 260 through the connecting hole 110, thereby providing pressure to the air inlet end of each material cylinder 500 to extrude different printing materials. The servo motor 400 drives the rotating part 200 to rotate, thereby driving the rotating nozzle 300 to rotate. This achieves simultaneous rotation and extrusion of printing materials, thus printing a spiral structure soft robot. By keeping the air passages connected during rotation, precise synchronous extrusion of multiple functional materials is achieved. Since simultaneous rotation and extrusion of printing materials is achieved, the rotation of the servo motor 400 is programmed and controlled by the control system 700, thereby manufacturing multi-material composite filaments with a programmable spiral structure, improving the functional diversity of the soft robot.

[0060] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, several improvements and substitutions can be made without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these improvements and substitutions should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that, include: A venting slip ring includes a fixed part and a rotating part. The fixed part is a hollow cylindrical structure. The rotating part includes a venting end and a receiving end. The venting end is fixedly connected to the receiving end and rotatably inserted into the hollow interior of the fixed part. The outer surface of the venting end has several annular grooves distributed vertically. Each annular groove has a venting hole. The annular grooves and the inner wall of the fixed part together form several independent annular cavities. The outer side of the fixed part has several connecting holes for connecting to an air pump. Each connecting hole connects to a different annular cavity. The receiving end has several venting holes for connecting to the air inlet of a material cylinder. The interior of the receiving end has connecting holes for connecting to the venting holes. The system includes: an air guide channel for the air guide hole, with each air guide hole communicating with a different annular cavity via the air guide channel; a rotating nozzle fixedly connected to the receiving end, the rotating nozzle having several inlet holes for communicating with the outlet end of the material cylinder, and the rotating nozzle having several conveying channels inside connected to the output end of the rotating nozzle, each conveying channel communicating with a corresponding inlet hole and being independent of each other; an air pump connected to the communicating holes via pipes; a servo motor connected to the top of the air guide end to drive the rotating part to rotate; a material cylinder, the air inlet end of the material cylinder communicating with the air guide hole, and the material outlet end of the material cylinder communicating with the inlet hole; and a control system connected to the air pump and the servo motor.

2. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, There are four annular grooves, four connecting holes, four vent holes, and four air guiding channels. The four annular grooves and the inner sidewall of the fixing part together form four annular cavities. The four connecting holes are distributed at different horizontal heights of the fixing part. The four connecting holes are respectively connected to the four annular cavities. The four vent holes are respectively connected to the four annular cavities through the four air guiding channels.

3. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material conveying channel includes a core channel, three fan-shaped channels, and an annular channel. The core channel is located at the center of the interior of the rotary nozzle. The three fan-shaped channels are distributed circumferentially around the core channel. The annular channel communicates with the core channel inside the rotary nozzle and is arranged around the outside of the three fan-shaped channels at the output end of the rotary nozzle.

4. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that, The core channel radiates outward from the center of the rotating nozzle to form a separating cavity that separates the three fan-shaped channels.

5. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that, The vent end is fitted with a sealing ring between each of the annular grooves, and the inner side of the fixing part is provided with a sealing groove for accommodating the sealing ring.

6. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The vent is located on the outer side of the receiving end.

7. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, An electromagnetic proportional valve is installed on the pipe between the air pump and the connecting hole.

8. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The material conveying channel extends from the side of the rotating nozzle upwards to form a guide structure.

9. A method of using an additive manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that, Printing using the additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 includes the following steps: Step 1, parameter setting: setting printing parameters through the control system, including rotational angular velocity ω, translational speed v, extrusion material type, and extrusion speed of each material; Step 2, material preparation: loading materials with different functions into the corresponding barrels; Step 3, motion control: the control system controls the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis motion mechanisms of the 3D printer and the servo motor according to preset parameters. The servo motor drives the rotating part to rotate, thereby rotating the rotating nozzle and realizing simultaneous three-dimensional motion and rotational motion of the rotating nozzle; Step 4, material extrusion: extruding multiple materials simultaneously through an air pump connected to the barrel, and determining the helix angle of multiple material features by precisely controlling the ratio of the rotational angular velocity to the translational speed of the rotating nozzle; Step 5, printing completion: after printing is completed, turning off the air pump and the servo motor, and removing the printed part.

10. The method of using the additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step four, the helix angle φ(r) is determined by the ratio of angular velocity to translational velocity, and the relationship is: φ(r) = arctan(rω / v), where r is the radial distance from the center of the helical structure. During the printing process, the helix angle of the helical body is programmed by controlling the value of ω / v.

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