A print waste cleaning device

Abstract

This invention relates to a printing waste cleaning device in the field of 3D printing technology, applied to a 3D printer with a moving nozzle. The device includes a base component, and active and passive sliding rods spaced side-by-side and axially slidably mounted on the upper surface of the base component. The active sliding rod can drive the passive sliding rod to slide in the opposite direction via a transmission mechanism. The front end of the active sliding rod is connected to a contact block corresponding to the moving nozzle housing, and the rear end of the active sliding rod is equipped with an elastic element that gives the active sliding rod a forward-moving tendency. The outer side of the front end of the passive sliding rod is connected to a cleaning component corresponding to the material outlet port of the moving nozzle, and a material-collecting plate fixed to the base component is provided below the cleaning component. This printing waste cleaning device can improve the throwing distance and smoothness, and reduce waste residue adhesion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and in particular to a printing waste cleaning device. Background Technology

[0002] As is well known, when FDM 3D printers switch between different materials or multi-color materials, it is often necessary to clean up the residual material. In the traditional printer design, the waste material generally accumulates directly below the structure during the ejection process and cannot be effectively ejected, thus causing accumulation. Chinese patent with publication number CN222959223U discloses an ejection device that sets up a material bin for guiding and collecting waste material. Specifically, the waste material from the nozzle is first discharged onto the ejector for cooling, and then the ejector is rotated so that the waste material can be ejected into the material bin. The shortcomings of this existing technology are: First, the rotating throwing component mainly throws the material downwards, and the throwing distance is limited. In the end, the material is still collected by the hopper. Waste material is easy to stick to the throwing component and the hopper, resulting in uneven throwing. Second, it relies entirely on the nozzle to clean up the waste material itself, and cannot clean up the residual material extending from the nozzle outlet.

[0003] In addition, there are other types of lever-assisted material throwing structures, where rapid impacts between parts generate significant noise, affecting the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and solve the existing technical problems, the present invention discloses a printing waste cleaning device, which can improve the throwing distance and smoothness, and reduce the adhesion of waste residue.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution: A waste cleaning device for a 3D printer with a moving nozzle is disclosed. The device includes a base and two sliding rods, an active rod and a driven rod, which are spaced apart and axially slidably mounted on the upper surface of the base. The active rod can drive the driven rod to slide in the opposite direction via a transmission mechanism. The front end of the active rod is connected to a contact block corresponding to the moving nozzle housing, and the rear end of the active rod is equipped with an elastic element that gives the active rod a forward movement tendency. The outer side of the front end of the driven rod is connected to a cleaning component corresponding to the material outlet port of the moving nozzle, and a material holding plate fixed to the base is provided below the cleaning component.

[0006] Furthermore, the base component is configured as a bottom frame detachably connected to a top cover, and a first slide rail and a second slide rail are formed between the top cover and the bottom frame to respectively adapt to the sliding mounting of the active slide rail and the driven slide rail; the corresponding walls of the first slide rail and the second slide rail are respectively provided with a first notch and a second notch for external connection of the contact block and the cleaning component, and a connecting space for installing the transmission mechanism is provided between the first slide rail and the second slide rail.

[0007] Furthermore, the inner top wall of the middle section of the second slide is provided with a smoothly transitioned recess.

[0008] Furthermore, the elastic element is a spring, and the rear end face of the active slide rod is provided with a limiting hole for the insertion of the front end of the spring.

[0009] Furthermore, a mounting bracket for connecting the 3D printer frame is fixed to the upper rear surface of the top cover.

[0010] Furthermore, the transmission mechanism includes a transmission gear rotatably mounted on the base component via a wheel axle, and the inner sides of the driving slide and the driven slide are respectively provided with a first rack and a second rack, both of which mesh with the transmission gear.

[0011] Furthermore, the axle is coaxially fixed with a first gear and a second gear that mesh with the first rack and the second rack respectively, and the transmission ratio of the first gear and the second gear is 4 to 7.

[0012] Furthermore, the transmission mechanism is configured as a swing rod rotatably mounted in the middle of the base component, with sliding sleeves slidably connected to both ends of the swing rod, and the outer ends of the two sliding sleeves respectively hinged to the rod bodies of the active sliding rod and the driven sliding rod.

[0013] Furthermore, the cleaning component is a cleaning plate with its surface perpendicular to the driven slide bar, and a scraper portion is provided at the center of the top of the cleaning plate.

[0014] Furthermore, the outer side of the material receiving plate is bent upwards and extends to form a material discharge chute adapted for the sliding passage of the cleaning plate.

[0015] By employing the technical solution described above, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: The printing waste cleaning device disclosed in this invention can utilize the printhead's movement stroke to drive the active slide bar backward when the printer nozzle moves towards the material tray to discharge material, thereby storing spring force without the need for an additional drive unit. Furthermore, during the printhead's return stroke, the cleaning component can scrape off residual material at the printhead exit and the spring rebound and transmission mechanism can drive the cleaning component to move backward quickly to remove waste material from the material tray, greatly improving the throwing distance and smoothness, and reducing waste residue on the printhead and material tray.

[0016] Furthermore, when the transmission mechanism between the active slide bar and the driven slide bar is set as a gear transmission, it is not only more conducive to reducing impact and absorbing vibration and noise, but also allows for the selection of a suitable throwing speed by adjusting the transmission ratio, providing more precise control and more flexible structural design space. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the exploded structure; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the implementation structure of the transmission mechanism; Figure 4 This is a cross-sectional view of the second slide rail; Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged diagram of part A in the diagram; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the installation structure of the present invention.

[0018] In the diagram: 1. Base frame; 101. First notch; 2. Top cover; 201. Second notch; 202. Recess; 3. Active slide bar; 301. First rack; 4. Driven slide bar; 401. Second rack; 5. Transmission gear; 501. First gear; 502. Second gear; 6. Elastic element; 7. Contact block; 8. Cleaning element; 9. Material holding plate; 10. Mounting frame. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The technical solution of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present invention. In the description, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right" indicating the orientation or positional relationship, they are only corresponding to the accompanying drawings of the present invention for the convenience of describing the present invention, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation. Example 1:

[0020] Combined with appendix Figure 1-6 The aforementioned printing waste cleaning device is applied to a 3D printer with a moving nozzle. The 3D printer itself prints a drive unit that needs to control the movement of the nozzle, which serves as the power source for the cleaning device, without the need to add an additional drive mechanism. The device includes a base component, and two sliding rods 3 and 4, spaced apart and axially slidably mounted on the upper surface of the base component. Both the active and passive rods 3 and 4 are square rods. The active rod 3 can drive the passive rod 4 to slide in the opposite direction via a transmission mechanism; that is, sliding the active rod 3 forward can drive the passive rod 4 to move backward, and sliding it backward can drive the passive rod 4 to move forward. Specifically, the transmission mechanism can be a swing rod rotatably mounted in the middle of the base component. Both ends of the swing rod are slidably sleeved with sliding sleeves. The outer ends of the two sliding sleeves are respectively hinged to the rod bodies of the active and passive rods 4. The hinge axis is parallel to the rotation axis of the swing rod. Adjustment is achieved by extending and retracting the sliding sleeves. This leverage mechanism enables reverse movement control between the active and passive rods 3 and 4. As needed, see attached... Figure 2As shown, the base component is a detachable bottom frame 1 with a top cover 2. Specifically, the top cover 2 and the bottom frame 1 are connected by screws. After the top cover 2 and the bottom frame 1 are connected, a first slide rail and a second slide rail are formed to accommodate the sliding mounting of the active slide rod 3 and the driven slide rod 4, respectively. The limiting of the first slide rail and the second slide rail ensures that the axial movement of the active slide rod 3 and the driven slide rod 4 is smooth. The corresponding walls of the first slide rail and the second slide rail are respectively provided with a first notch 101 and a second notch 201 for external connection of the contact block 7 and the cleaning component 8. Since the contact block 7 and the cleaning component 8 need to move with the active slide rod 3 and the driven slide rod 4, the first notch 101 and the second notch 201 are generally elongated openings along the axial direction of the slide rod. Of course, a connecting space for installing the transmission mechanism is also required between the first slide rail and the second slide rail to facilitate the control of the transmission mechanism's action. In addition, as shown in the attached... Figure 4 and 5 As shown, the inner top wall of the middle section of the second slide is provided with a smooth transition recess 202. When the driven slide rod 4 moves backward and drives the cleaning component 8 to scrape and clean the material, the rear end of the driven slide rod 4 may be slightly raised. The recess 202 can play the role of shock absorption and slowing down, reducing noise and preventing the driven slide rod 4 and the top cover 2 from being scratched and damaged. Of course, the upper surface of the rear end of the driven slide rod 4 can also be provided with a certain slope or arc to achieve the same effect. The front end of the active slide bar 3 is connected to a contact block 7 corresponding to the moving nozzle housing. The contact block 7 is a vertical block extending from the first notch 101, facilitating contact with the nozzle housing. The rear end of the active slide bar 3 is equipped with an elastic element 6 that gives the active slide bar 3 a forward movement tendency. Specifically, the elastic element 6 can be a spring. The rear end face of the active slide bar 3 is provided with a limiting hole for the insertion of the front end of the spring, limiting the extension and retraction of the spring. The outer side of the front end of the driven slide bar 4 is connected to a cleaning element 8 corresponding to the discharge port of the moving nozzle, as shown in the attached figure. Figure 4 As shown, the cleaning component 8 can be connected via screws, as per the attached diagram. Figure 1 As shown, the front end of the bottom frame 1 is also provided with a through hole at the corresponding connection point to facilitate the removal and installation of screws; as needed, the cleaning component 8 is a cleaning plate with its surface perpendicular to the driven slide rod 4, and the top center of the cleaning plate is provided with a scraper. The cleaning plate is used to scrape off the residual material at the nozzle outlet and to throw off the waste material on the material holding plate 9. Specifically, it can be set as a square plate; the bottom of the cleaning component 8 is provided with a material holding plate 9 fixed to the base component. In addition, the outer side of the material holding plate 9 is bent upward to form a material drop groove adapted to the sliding passage of the cleaning plate, so as to prevent the waste material from leaking to the side when the cleaning plate moves and throws the material.

[0021] The printing waste cleaning device of the present invention is as follows: Figure 6As shown, a mounting bracket 10 for connecting the 3D printer frame is fixed to the upper rear surface of the top cover 2. If the nozzle is located on the X-axis of the 3D printer, the mounting bracket 10 is generally fixed to one end of the X-axis guide rod. When cutting is required during printing, the nozzle is first controlled to move towards the cleaning device. The nozzle housing first contacts the contact block 7, pushing the active slide rod 3 backward and compressing the spring. At this time, under the action of the transmission mechanism, the driven slide rod 4 drives the cleaning component 8 forward. Since the nozzle outlet is slightly higher than the cleaning component 8, it can be set to a height of 0.2 to 1 mm. This will not cause any obstruction. When the nozzle outlet aligns with the material receiving plate 9, the nozzle is controlled to discharge waste. At this time, not only will waste accumulate on the material receiving plate 9, but there may also be waste connected to the nozzle outlet. Simply control the nozzle to return away from the contact block 7, and the spring will extend to push the active slide bar 3 forward, thereby driving the driven slide bar 4 to drive the cleaning component 8 backward. When the nozzle and the cleaning component 8 pass each other, the waste stuck to the outlet is scraped off. At the same time, the waste falling from the material receiving plate 9 will also be pushed backward and thrown out by the cleaning component 8 to avoid waste accumulation. Example 2:

[0022] As attached Figure 3 As shown, the difference from Embodiment 1 is that the transmission mechanism includes a transmission gear 5 rotatably mounted on the base component via a wheel axle. The inner sides of the active slide rod 3 and the driven slide rod 4 are respectively provided with a first rack 301 and a second rack 401. Both the first rack 301 and the second rack 401 mesh with the transmission gear 5. The gear meshing assembly has a better shock absorption and noise reduction effect. As needed, the wheel axle is coaxially fixed with a first gear 501 and a second gear 502 that mesh with the first rack 301 and the second rack 401 respectively. The transmission ratio of the first gear 501 and the second gear 502 is 4 to 7. Generally, the transmission ratio is set to 5. By adjusting the transmission ratio, a suitable throwing speed can be selected, providing more precise control and more flexible structural design space.

[0023] The parts of this invention not described in detail are prior art. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the above embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting in all respects. The scope of this invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Therefore, it is intended to include all changes that fall within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims within this invention, and no reference numerals in the claims should be regarded as limiting the content of the claims.

Claims

1. A printing waste cleaning device, applied to a 3D printer with a moving nozzle, characterized in that: The system includes a base component, and an active slide rod (3) and a driven slide rod (4) that are spaced apart and axially slidably mounted on the upper surface of the base component. The active slide rod (3) can drive the driven slide rod (4) to slide in the opposite direction through a transmission mechanism. The front end of the active slide rod (3) is connected to a contact block (7) corresponding to the moving nozzle housing, and the rear end of the active slide rod (3) is equipped with an elastic element (6) that gives the active slide rod (3) a forward moving tendency. The outer side of the front end of the driven slide rod (4) is connected to a cleaning element (8) corresponding to the material outlet port of the moving nozzle, and a material holding plate (9) fixed to the base component is provided below the cleaning element (8).

2. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The base component is configured as a bottom frame (1) detachably connected to a top cover (2). A first slide and a second slide are formed between the top cover (2) and the bottom frame (1) respectively adapted to slide and mount the active slide rod (3) and the driven slide rod (4). The corresponding slide walls of the first slide and the second slide are respectively provided with a first notch (101) and a second notch (201) for external connection of the contact block (7) and the cleaning component (8). A connecting space for installing the transmission mechanism is provided between the first slide and the second slide.

3. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner top wall of the middle section of the second slide is provided with a smoothly transitioned recess (202).

4. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic element (6) is a spring, and the rear end face of the active slide bar (3) is provided with a limiting hole for the insertion of the front end of the spring.

5. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The upper rear surface of the top cover (2) is fixed with a mounting bracket (10) for connecting the 3D printer frame.

6. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism includes a transmission gear (5) that is rotatably mounted on the base via a wheel axle. The inner sides of the active slide rod (3) and the driven slide rod (4) are respectively provided with a first rack (301) and a second rack (401). The first rack (301) and the second rack (401) are both meshed with the transmission gear (5).

7. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The axle is coaxially fixed with a first gear (501) and a second gear (502) that mesh with the first rack (301) and the second rack (401) respectively, and the transmission ratio of the first gear (501) and the second gear (502) is 4 to 7.

8. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transmission mechanism is a swing rod that is rotatably mounted on the base piece in the middle. Both ends of the swing rod are slidably sleeved with sliding sleeves. The outer ends of the two sliding sleeves are respectively hinged to the rod bodies of the active sliding rod (3) and the driven sliding rod (4).

9. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cleaning component (8) is a cleaning plate with its surface perpendicular to the driven slide bar (4), and the top center of the cleaning plate is a scraper.

10. The printing waste cleaning device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The outer side of the material holding plate (9) bends upward and extends to form a material drop trough that is adapted to allow the cleaning plate to slide through.

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