3D printing apparatus and printing method for the same

Abstract

This invention proposes a 3D printing device that may include a nozzle actuator and a leveling mechanism connected to the nozzle actuator. The leveling mechanism may include a first roller assembly and a second roller assembly, which are respectively located on opposite sides of the nozzle actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism. The first roller assembly and the second roller assembly can be configured to independently level the ink ejected from the nozzle actuator during a single leveling process. This 3D printing device enables continuous printing, thereby more than doubling the printing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of printing technology, and more particularly to the field of 3D printing technology. Background Technology

[0002] 3D printing, as a rapid prototyping technology, is based on the concept of discrete-addition forming, which constructs three-dimensional objects by stacking materials layer by layer. Currently, stereolithography (SLA) is one of the 3D printing technologies.

[0003] In SLA printing, the leveling roller is a crucial component. Its core task is to level the photosensitive material after it has been sprayed, removing excess material and ensuring uniform layer thickness. However, in traditional SLA printers, after the printhead completes the spraying of the material layer, the leveling roller rapidly lowers from its standby position until its surface contacts the freshly sprayed liquid material layer to level it. After this stroke, the leveling roller needs to stop rotating and rise, returning empty along with the printhead to the starting point, ready for the next printing cycle. This leveling method cannot avoid the empty return stroke between adjacent printing cycles. This results in traditional SLA printers achieving only about half the actual printing time when printing 3D objects, meaning their actual printing efficiency is only around 50%. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide 3D printing equipment and corresponding printing methods to improve printing efficiency.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a 3D printing apparatus is provided, which may include a printhead actuator and a leveling mechanism connected to the printhead actuator. The leveling mechanism may include a first roller assembly and a second roller assembly, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being located on opposite sides of the printhead actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism, wherein the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly may be configured to level the ink ejected by the printhead actuator individually in a single leveling process.

[0006] According to the above solution, the 3D printing equipment can achieve continuous printing during the 3D printing process. For example, it can effectively avoid the unavoidable empty return problem in traditional SLA printers. Therefore, this 3D printing equipment can significantly improve printing efficiency. Compared with the single leveling roller structure in traditional SLA printers, the 3D printing equipment provided by this invention can fully utilize every movement of the printing platform along both the forward and reverse directions along the length, thereby more than doubling the printing efficiency.

[0007] In one embodiment, the first roller assembly may be located at the rear side of the printing direction, and the second roller assembly may be located at the front side of the printing direction. The printing platform of the 3D printing equipment may be configured to sequentially pass through the front side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the rear side of the printing direction during a single printing process. The first roller assembly and the second roller assembly may be configured to: during the single leveling process, the first roller assembly levels the ink, while the second roller assembly does not level the ink. or, The first roller assembly can be located on the rear side of the printing direction, and the second roller assembly can be located on the front side of the printing direction. The printing platform of the 3D printing equipment can be configured to pass sequentially through the rear side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the front side of the printing direction during a single printing process. The first roller assembly and the second roller assembly can be configured to: during the single leveling process, the second roller assembly levels the ink, while the first roller assembly does not level the ink.

[0008] In one embodiment, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly may be configured such that, in two adjacent leveling processes, the first roller assembly participates in only one leveling process and the second roller assembly participates in only the other leveling process.

[0009] In one implementation, the leveling process is involved in each printing process, or the leveling process is involved in one printing process among multiple printing processes.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly may be configured to switch between a working position and a non-working position, and to not be simultaneously located in the working position.

[0011] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may further include an actuation mechanism, wherein the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly may be respectively connected to the actuation mechanism; wherein the actuation mechanism may be configured to: position the first roller assembly to a working position while positioning the second roller assembly to a non-working position, and / or position the second roller assembly to a working position while positioning the first roller assembly to a non-working position.

[0012] In one embodiment, the actuation mechanism may include a first actuation mechanism and a second actuation mechanism, wherein the first actuation mechanism is connected to the first roller assembly and may be configured to switch the first roller assembly between a working position and a non-working position, and wherein the second actuation mechanism is connected to the second roller assembly and may be configured to switch the second roller assembly between a working position and a non-working position.

[0013] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may further include a support having a first support end and a second support end in the length direction and a support rotation axis located between the first support end and the second support end, wherein a first roller assembly is connected to the first support end, a second roller assembly is connected to the second support end, and wherein the support is connected to the actuation mechanism, the actuation mechanism being configured to actuate the support to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the support rotation axis, so that the first roller assembly and / or the second roller assembly can switch between a working position and a non-working position.

[0014] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may further include: a base, the bracket being rotatably connected to the base such that the bracket can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the base about a rotation axis of the bracket.

[0015] In one embodiment, a rotary motor may be disposed at the junction of the bracket and the base, and the axis of the output shaft of the rotary motor coincides with the rotation axis of the bracket.

[0016] In one embodiment, the actuation mechanism may include: a reset device connected to the bracket and configured to actuate one of clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the bracket about the bracket's rotation axis; and an actuation device connected to the bracket and configured to actuate the other of clockwise or counterclockwise rotation of the bracket about the bracket's rotation axis.

[0017] In one embodiment, the reset device may be an elastic element, one end of which is connected to the bracket and the other end of which is connected to the base; or, the reset device may be a counterweight connected to the bracket.

[0018] In one embodiment, the actuation device may be selected from at least one of a pneumatic drive device, a hydraulic drive device, an electric drive device, or an electromagnetic drive device.

[0019] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may further include a limiting device fixed to the base and configured to limit the rotation angle of the bracket around the bracket's rotation axis clockwise and / or counterclockwise.

[0020] In one embodiment, the limiting device may include: a first limiting device fixed to the base and configured to block further rotation of the bracket after the bracket has rotated clockwise by a first angle around the bracket's rotation axis; and a second limiting device fixed to the base and configured to block further rotation of the bracket after the bracket has rotated counterclockwise by a second angle around the bracket's rotation axis.

[0021] In one embodiment, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly may be configured to move synchronously with the nozzle actuator.

[0022] According to another aspect of the present invention, a 3D printing apparatus is provided, which may include a nozzle actuator and a leveling mechanism connected to the nozzle actuator. The leveling mechanism includes: a first roller assembly and a second roller assembly, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being located on opposite sides of the nozzle actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism; a support structure, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being respectively connected to the support structure, the support structure being configured to drive the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly to move in a direction perpendicular to the printing platform of the 3D printing apparatus; a height adjustment device having at least one adjustment feature; and a limiting device, the limiting device being configured to engage with one of the at least one adjustment feature of the height adjustment device to limit the movement of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly in the direction perpendicular to the printing platform of the 3D printing apparatus, so as to adjust the height of the working position of the first roller assembly and / or the second roller assembly.

[0023] According to the above solution, the 3D printing equipment including the height adjustment device can adjust the height of the working position of the first roller assembly or the second roller assembly. This allows for the reduction or elimination of manufacturing or assembly errors in the leveling mechanism or even the components of the printing equipment, thereby ensuring that the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly are at a precise height or position during the leveling process to smoothly complete the ink leveling operation and thus guarantee the printing effect.

[0024] In one embodiment, the support structure has a rotation axis located between the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly, and the engagement between the limiting device and the height adjustment device can limit the rotation angle of the support structure.

[0025] In one embodiment, in the leveling direction, the height adjustment device has a plurality of adjustment features distributed at intervals, and the limiting device can be configured to engage with any one of the adjustment features to limit the movement of the support structure.

[0026] In one embodiment, the limiting device may include: a first limiting device configured to move along the height adjusting device and selectively engage with a first adjusting feature of the plurality of adjusting features to limit the maximum angle of clockwise rotation of the support structure about the rotation axis for adjusting the height of the working position of the first roller assembly; and a second limiting device configured to move along the height adjusting device and selectively engage with a second adjusting feature of the plurality of adjusting features to limit the maximum angle of counterclockwise rotation of the support structure about the rotation axis for adjusting the height of the working position of the second roller assembly.

[0027] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may further include a scale indicator for indicating the amount of height adjustment of the working position of the first roller assembly and / or the second roller assembly, the scale indicator being disposed on the support structure.

[0028] In one embodiment, the scale indicator may include a first scale indicator section having a first scale value and a second scale indicator section having a second scale value, wherein the first scale value is used to indicate the adjustment amount of the height of the working position of the first roller assembly, and the second scale value is used to indicate the adjustment amount of the height of the working position of the second roller assembly.

[0029] In one embodiment, the height adjustment range of the working position of the first roller assembly and / or the second roller assembly is 0 mm to 2 mm.

[0030] According to another aspect of the present invention, a 3D printing apparatus is provided, which may include: a nozzle actuator and a leveling mechanism connected to the nozzle actuator, the leveling mechanism including: a first roller assembly and a second roller assembly, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being located on opposite sides of the nozzle actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism; wherein at least one of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly may include: a roller base, the roller base including a first side arm and a second side arm; a roller member, the roller member being rotatably disposed between the first side arm and the second side arm, the roller member having a first end along the length direction and The roller member has a second end, the first end being connected to the first side arm and the second end being connected to the second side arm, the roller member having a rotation axis extending through the first end and the second end; a drive motor configured to drive the roller member to rotate about the rotation axis between the first side arm and the second side arm; and an elastic device disposed on the roller base, the elastic device having a telescoping direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the rotation axis, the elastic device being configured to move at least a portion of the roller member along the telescoping direction, thereby leveling the roller member.

[0031] According to the above solution, the leveling mechanism of the roller assembly or the 3D printing equipment can ensure the levelness of the roller component by adjusting the elastic device. For example, when the roller component is not parallel to the printing platform or the parallelism between them does not meet the requirements due to manufacturing errors or assembly errors, the height and orientation of the roller component relative to the printing platform can be locally adjusted by adjusting the elastic device, thereby restoring it to parallelism with the printing platform and ensuring that the two have the required parallelism. By adjusting the levelness, it can be ensured that the roller component can uniformly contact the ink that needs to be leveled, thereby improving the printing quality.

[0032] In one embodiment, the roller base may include a fixed portion and a movable portion, one end of the elastic device is connected to the fixed portion and the other end is connected to the movable portion, the roller member and the first side arm and the second side arm are connected to the movable portion, and the elastic device may be configured to allow at least a portion of the movable portion to move along the extension direction, thereby leveling the roller member.

[0033] In one embodiment, the elastic device may include an elastic element and a fastener, the fastener being configured to secure the elastic element between the movable portion and the fixed portion.

[0034] In one embodiment, the elastic device may include a first elastic device and a second elastic device, the first elastic device and the second elastic device being located between the movable part and the fixed part, and the first elastic device and the second elastic device being spaced apart along the extension direction of the rotation axis.

[0035] In one embodiment, the roller assembly may further include a limiting mechanism, one end of which is connected to the fixed portion and the other end of which extends toward the movable portion. The limiting mechanism may be configured to restrict the movement of the movable portion from the direction of extension and retraction.

[0036] In one embodiment, the limiting mechanism may include a first limiting plate and a second limiting plate, which may be configured to together form a channel for the roller member to move along the telescopic direction.

[0037] In one embodiment, the movable part may include a first substrate, the fixed part includes a second substrate, and the elastic device is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the first limiting plate and the second limiting plate are fixed to the second substrate.

[0038] In one embodiment, the first limiting plate and the second limiting plate may each have a fixed end configured to be fixedly connected to the second substrate, and a free end configured to abut against the first substrate and restrict the movement of the movable part in the telescopic direction.

[0039] In one embodiment, the elastic device may be offset relative to the center position of the roller member in the longitudinal direction.

[0040] According to another aspect of the present invention, a printing method for a 3D printing device is provided. The 3D printing device may include a nozzle actuator and a leveling mechanism connected to the nozzle actuator. The leveling mechanism includes a first roller assembly and a second roller assembly, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly being located on opposite sides of the nozzle actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism. The printing method may include: in a single leveling process, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly respectively level the ink ejected from the nozzle actuator individually.

[0041] According to the above scheme, this printing method can achieve continuous printing in the 3D printing process. For example, it can effectively avoid the no-load return problem that is unavoidable in traditional SLA printers. Therefore, this printing method can significantly improve printing efficiency. Compared with traditional SLA printers, this printing method can fully utilize every movement of the printing platform along both the forward and reverse directions of the length, thereby more than doubling the printing efficiency.

[0042] In one embodiment, the first roller assembly is located at the rear side of the printing direction, and the second roller assembly is located at the front side of the printing direction. The printing method may include: during a single printing process, the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment sequentially passes through the front side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the rear side of the printing direction; during the single leveling process, the first roller assembly levels the ink, and the second roller assembly does not level the ink; or, during a single printing process, the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment sequentially passes through the rear side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the front side of the printing direction; during the single leveling process, the second roller assembly levels the ink, and the first roller assembly does not level the ink.

[0043] In one implementation, in two adjacent leveling processes, the first roller assembly participates in only one leveling process, and the second roller assembly participates in only the other leveling process.

[0044] In one implementation, the leveling process is involved in each printing process, or the leveling process is involved in one printing process among multiple printing processes.

[0045] In one embodiment, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly are not simultaneously positioned in the working position.

[0046] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may include an actuation mechanism, with the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly respectively connected to the actuation mechanism. The printing method may further include: positioning the first roller assembly to a working position via the actuation mechanism while positioning the second roller assembly to a non-working position, and / or positioning the second roller assembly to a working position via the actuation mechanism while positioning the first roller assembly to a non-working position.

[0047] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may include a bracket connected to the actuation mechanism, the bracket having a first bracket end and a second bracket end in the length direction and having a bracket rotation axis located between the first bracket end and the second bracket end, a first roller assembly connected to the first bracket end, and a second roller assembly connected to the second bracket end. The printing method may further include: rotating the bracket clockwise or counterclockwise about the bracket rotation axis by the actuation mechanism to switch the first roller assembly and / or the second roller assembly between a working position and a non-working position.

[0048] In one embodiment, the leveling mechanism may further include a limiting device, and the printing method may further include: setting the limiting device on the rotation path of the bracket around the rotation axis of the bracket, and positioning the limiting device toward the bracket and at a predetermined gap from the bracket, thereby limiting the maximum angle by which the bracket can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around the rotation axis of the bracket under the actuation of the actuation mechanism.

[0049] In one embodiment, the limiting device may include a first limiting device and a second limiting device, and the printing method may further include: limiting the maximum angle by which the bracket can rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis under the actuation of the actuation mechanism by one of the first limiting device or the second limiting device, and limiting the maximum angle by which the bracket can rotate counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis under the actuation of the actuation mechanism by the other of the first limiting device or the second limiting device. Attached Figure Description

[0050] To better understand the above and other objects, features, advantages, and functions of the present invention, reference can be made to the preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings refer to the same parts. Those skilled in the art should understand that the drawings are intended to schematically illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention in any way; the parts in the drawings are not drawn to scale.

[0051] Figure 1 A perspective view of a 3D printing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0052] Figure 2 A perspective view of a 3D printing device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the outer shell and some parts are omitted.

[0053] Figure 3 A perspective view of a leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0054] Figure 4 A front view of a leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the first roller assembly is in the working position.

[0055] Figure 5 A rear view of a leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the first roller assembly is in the working position.

[0056] Figure 6 A front view of a leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the second roller assembly is in the working position.

[0057] Figure 7A rear view of a leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the second roller assembly is in the working position.

[0058] Figure 8 A rear view of another leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0059] Figure 9 A rear view of another leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0060] Figure 10 A rear view of another leveling mechanism according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0061] Figure 11 A schematic diagram illustrating the principle of the height of the working position of the adjusting roller assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0062] Figure 12 A perspective view of a roller assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0063] Figure 13 Another perspective view of a roller assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0064] Figure 14 A perspective view of a first roller assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0065] Figure 15 Another perspective view of the first roller assembly of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0066] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: Detailed Implementation

[0067] Now, with reference to the accompanying drawings, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. The embodiments described herein are merely preferred embodiments of the invention; those skilled in the art can conceive of other ways to implement the invention based on these preferred embodiments, and such other ways also fall within the scope of the invention.

[0068] It should be understood that the length, width, and thickness directions of each component, part, component, or device are defined in this document for the convenience of description only, and do not imply that the actual length, width, and height dimensions of these components, parts, components, or devices are limited.

[0069] It should be understood that the directional or orientational terms used in this article, such as "front", "back", "up", "down", "ahead", "rear", "above", "below", "left", "right", "left side", and "right side", refer to relative directions or orientations and are not intended to limit the absolute positional relationship between the structures described.

[0070] It should be understood that, unless otherwise specified herein, the terms "connected" or "fixed" to component B, or "connected" or "fixed" to component B, and other similar expressions, are intended to indicate a relative positional relationship between component A and component B, and are not intended to limit the inseparable nature of component A and component B. Therefore, the terms "connected" or "fixed" should be understood to include any of the following: fixedly, inseparably, non-detachably, non-removably, non-removably, detachably, removably, integrally, rigidly, or flexibly connected or fixed.

[0071] It should be understood that the terms “approximately,” “about,” “substantially,” or other similar terms used herein are intended to indicate that the direction, position, value, relative relationship, or other characteristic described by these terms is not limited to an absolute direction, position, value, relative relationship, or other characteristic. Therefore, the direction, position, value, relative relationship, or other characteristic described by the aforementioned terms may include a positive or negative error range based on that direction, position, value, relative relationship, or other characteristic. This positive or negative error range may, for example, be from ±0% to ±15%, for example, it may be ±0.5%, ±1%, ±5%, ±10%, or any value within the aforementioned range.

[0072] Furthermore, it should be understood that, unless otherwise specified herein, the ordinal numbers "first" and "second" are used only for convenience in describing exemplary embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the order or positional relationship between the components or structures defined therein. Therefore, "first" and "second" can be used interchangeably herein. For example, a first roller assembly can be a second roller assembly, and vice versa.

[0073] Figure 1 and Figure 2 An exemplary 3D printing apparatus 400 is shown. Specifically, the 3D printing apparatus 400 may be an SLA printer. The 3D printing apparatus 400 may include a nozzle actuator, a leveling mechanism 200 (e.g., a leveling roller mechanism), a curing lamp assembly 300, and a printing platform. The printing platform is used to receive printing material ejected by the nozzle actuator 100 and to carry the object to be printed.

[0074] The leveling mechanism 200 can be connected to the nozzle actuator 100. It should be understood that the leveling mechanism 200 can be connected to the nozzle actuator 100 directly, or indirectly through a back plate, slide rail or other device or structure.

[0075] Along the length of the 3D printing equipment 400 (e.g., the first direction D1), the nozzle actuator 100, the leveling mechanism 200, and the curing lamp assembly 300 can be arranged sequentially. The printing platform can be positioned below the nozzle actuator 100, the leveling mechanism 200, and the curing lamp assembly 300. Relative movement can occur between the printing platform and the nozzle actuator 100, the leveling mechanism 200, and the curing lamp assembly 300 to perform the printing operation on the object to be printed. For example, the nozzle actuator 100, the leveling mechanism 200, and the curing lamp assembly 300 can remain stationary while the printing platform moves; or, the printing platform can remain stationary while the nozzle actuator 100, the leveling mechanism 200, and the curing lamp assembly 300 moves; or, the printing platform, the nozzle actuator 100, the leveling mechanism 200, and the curing lamp assembly 300 all move, but there is relative movement between the printing platform and the nozzle actuator 100, the leveling mechanism 200, and the curing lamp assembly 300.

[0076] Specifically, the leveling mechanism 200 may include two roller assemblies. Correspondingly, the curing lamp assembly 300 may include two curing lamp devices. Figure 2 As shown, the two roller assemblies can be arranged opposite each other on both sides of the nozzle actuator 100 along the length of the 3D printing equipment 400. Alternatively, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly can be located on both sides of the nozzle actuator 100 along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism 200. Furthermore, the two curing lamp devices can also be arranged opposite each other on both sides of the nozzle actuator 100 along the length of the 3D printing equipment 400, wherein each curing lamp device is located on the side of the corresponding roller assembly furthest from the nozzle actuator 100.

[0077] For an SLA printer, the printhead actuator 100 is used to eject printing material onto the printing platform. The printing material is preferably provided in ink form. Preferably, the printing material can be selected as a liquid photosensitive resin material.

[0078] It should be understood that although various embodiments of the present invention are described herein using ink as an example, this document is not intended to limit the specific form of the printing material. Therefore, other forms of printing materials are also applicable to these embodiments.

[0079] The printhead actuator 100 may include at least one printhead. Preferably, the printhead actuator 100 may include 4 to 10 printheads, for example, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 printheads. Each printhead may be configured to spray ink of different colors or textures.

[0080] The leveling mechanism 200 can be used to level the ink that has been ejected by the printhead actuator 100 and dripped onto the printing platform. Specifically, the ink ejected by the printhead actuator 100 may have an irregular shape after dripping onto the printing platform. For example, the dripped ink may have an uneven upper surface or the ink thickness may exceed the required thickness. Therefore, the leveling mechanism 200 is needed to level such uneven upper surfaces of the dripped ink.

[0081] In an exemplary leveling operation, the leveling mechanism 200 and the nozzle actuator 100 may maintain a specific relative positional relationship. For example, the leveling mechanism 200 may maintain a fixed relative positional relationship with the nozzle actuator 100.

[0082] In an exemplary printing process, the printing platform can move along the length of the 3D printing equipment 400, while the leveling mechanism 200 and the nozzle actuator 100 remain relatively stationary in that direction as a whole. When the printing platform moves to a position below the nozzle actuator 100, the nozzle actuator 100 performs an ink jet, and a certain amount of ink drips onto the surface of the printing platform. As the printing platform continues to travel along its length, when it moves below the leveling mechanism 200, the leveling mechanism 200 can level the ink that has dripped onto the printing platform, especially leveling the uneven upper surface where the ink has dripped. This leveling process by the leveling mechanism 200 not only ensures the flatness of the printed surface but also promotes the compatibility between the ink dripped during the printing process (which can be the same printing process or multiple printing processes), thereby effectively restoring the true color of the object to be printed and ensuring the true color difference between different colors of the object to be printed.

[0083] The curing lamp assembly 300 can be used to light-cur ink ejected from the printhead actuator 100. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the curing lamp assembly 300 can light-cur ink that has been leveled by the leveling mechanism 200. The curing lamp assembly 300 can be selected as any suitable irradiation device capable of curing or solidifying the ink. Preferably, the curing lamp assembly 300 may include at least one ultraviolet (UV) curing lamp.

[0084] In an exemplary embodiment, the two roller assemblies of the leveling mechanism 200 can be configured to level the printing material ejected from the printhead actuator 100 individually during a single leveling process. For example, the first roller assembly can be located at the rear side in the printing direction, and the second roller assembly can be located at the front side in the printing direction. The printing platform can be configured to sequentially pass through the front side in the printing direction, the printhead actuator 100, and the rear side in the printing direction during a single printing process. The first roller assembly and the second roller assembly can be configured such that, during this single leveling process, the first roller assembly levels the ink, while the second roller assembly does not level the ink.

[0085] Alternatively, the first roller assembly can be located at the rear of the printing direction, and the second roller assembly can be located at the front of the printing direction. The printing platform can be configured to sequentially pass through the rear of the printing direction, the printhead actuator 100, and the front of the printing direction during a single printing process. The first and second roller assemblies can be configured such that, during this single leveling process, the second roller assembly levels the ink, while the first roller assembly does not level the ink.

[0086] As an example, the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly can be configured such that, in two adjacent leveling processes, the first roller assembly participates in only one leveling process, and the second roller assembly participates in only the other leveling process. Optionally, the leveling process can participate in every printing process. Alternatively, the leveling process can participate in one printing process out of multiple printing processes.

[0087] The leveling direction mentioned herein can refer to any suitable direction in which the leveling mechanism 200 performs the leveling operation. For example, the leveling direction can be parallel to the length direction of the leveling mechanism 200, or parallel to the length or width direction of the 3D printing device 400, or parallel to the printing direction.

[0088] The printing direction described herein can refer to any suitable direction in which the printhead actuator 100 performs printing or inkjet printing. For example, the printing direction can be parallel to the length direction of the leveling mechanism 200, or parallel to the length or width direction of the 3D printing equipment 400, or parallel to the leveling direction, or it can be a direction from the first roller assembly toward the second roller assembly (or vice versa). Furthermore, if the printing direction is represented by an imaginary arrow, the front side of the printing direction can refer to the tail of the imaginary arrow, and the rear side of the printing direction can refer to the head of the imaginary arrow.

[0089] It should be understood that in the single leveling process described herein, one of the first roller assembly and the second roller assembly levels the ink while the other does not. This can be achieved through a shearing reversal between the first and second roller assemblies. For example, the first roller assembly can be positioned in a working position while the second roller assembly is positioned in a non-working position, or vice versa. In another example, the above-described single leveling process can also be implemented using a non-shearing reversal method. For example, both roller assemblies can be positioned in their respective working positions, and their working positions can satisfy the following: when in the working position, each roller assembly is at a preset distance from the printing platform (e.g., the working height of the roller assembly). This preset distance allows each roller assembly to fully contact and level the ink most recently ejected by the printhead actuator 100 during its respective leveling process, without contacting or affecting ink previously ejected by the printhead actuator 100 that has already been leveled by the roller assembly. For example, during a leveling process involving the first roller assembly, the printing platform continues to move towards the first roller assembly after receiving ink ejected from the printhead actuator 100. As it passes the first roller assembly, the first roller assembly levels the ink it has just received. However, during this leveling process, the first roller assembly, due to the aforementioned preset distance, will not contact or affect any ink that has already been leveled in any previous leveling process. Furthermore, since the printing platform does not move towards the second roller assembly, the second roller assembly will not level the ink just received by the printing platform during this leveling process. In other words, when a non-disconnect reversing method is used, during a single leveling process, the working positions of the two roller assemblies can be limited so that only one roller assembly can contact the ink most recently ejected from the printhead actuator 100 and effectively level it.

[0090] Leveling mechanism In traditional SLA printer designs, a single leveling roller is typically used. In other words, a traditional SLA printer structure may include, and only include, one set of inkjet, leveling, and curing components. That is, a printhead assembly, a leveling roller, and a curing lamp are arranged sequentially along the length of the printer. In this arrangement, after the printhead assembly completes ink ejection, the single leveling roller rapidly lowers from its standby position until its surface contacts the freshly ejected liquid ink to level it. Then, the curing lamp performs photocuring on the leveled ink. After this printing process is complete, the leveling roller needs to be raised and returned empty to its starting point along with the printhead assembly and curing lamp, ready to begin the next printing cycle.

[0091] Therefore, traditional printing methods using a single leveling roller cannot avoid the problem of no-load return between two consecutive printing processes. Because a no-load return operation of the printhead assembly, leveling roller, and curing lamp must be performed between two consecutive printing processes, this results in traditional SLA printers only achieving about half of the total printing time when printing 3D objects; that is, an actual printing efficiency of only about 50%. This significantly impacts the overall printing efficiency of the printer.

[0092] Here, the present invention provides an exemplary 3D printing device 400, which can effectively improve the above-mentioned technical defects of low printing efficiency.

[0093] An exemplary 3D printing apparatus may include a leveling mechanism 200. The leveling mechanism 200 may include a support 1 and two roller assemblies connected to the support 1, namely, a first roller assembly 2a and a second roller assembly 2b. The first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b may not be in the working position at the same time.

[0094] like Figures 3 to 7 As shown, the bracket 1 can extend along the length direction of the leveling mechanism 200 (e.g., the first direction D1), and has a first bracket end 11 and a second bracket end 12 in that direction. A first roller assembly 2a can be connected to the first bracket end 11, and a second roller assembly 2b can be connected to the second bracket end 12.

[0095] The support 1 can also be configured to rotate around the support rotation axis 13. Due to the relative positional relationship between the support 1 and the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b, when the support 1 rotates around the support rotation axis 13, the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b can also rotate around the support rotation axis 13 together with the support 1.

[0096] Along the length direction of the support 1 (e.g., the first direction D1), the first distance between the first roller assembly 2a and the support rotation axis 13 may not be equal to the second distance between the second roller assembly 2b and the support rotation axis 13. In one embodiment, the first distance and the second distance are equal. In other words, the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are arranged symmetrically with respect to the support rotation axis 13 along the length direction of the support 1.

[0097] The support rotation axis 13 can extend through the center of the support 1 and is located between the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b.

[0098] refer to Figures 4 to 7The support 1 can be configured to move the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b in a direction perpendicular to the printing platform. For example, the support 1 can be configured to rotate the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b together around the support rotation axis 13 in a clockwise direction CW or a counterclockwise direction CCW. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, when the support 1 rotates clockwise, the height of the first roller assembly 2a decreases, while the height of the second roller assembly 2b increases; Figure 6 and Figure 7 As shown, when the support 1 rotates counterclockwise, the height of the first roller assembly 2a increases while the height of the second roller assembly 2b decreases. Therefore, the leveling mechanism 200 can be configured to (e.g., by the rotational movement of the support 1) cause the height of either the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b to increase while the height of the other decreases.

[0099] When the leveling mechanism 200 is installed in the 3D printing equipment 400, the leveling mechanism 200 can be configured such that when the 3D printing equipment 400 prints in the first direction D1, the support 1 can be in a clockwise rotation state, so that the first roller assembly 2a can be in a working position (e.g., working height) and the second roller assembly 2b can be in a non-working position (e.g., non-working height); and when the 3D printing equipment 400 prints in the opposite direction of the first direction D1, the support 1 can be in a counterclockwise rotation state, so that the first roller assembly 2a can be in a non-working position and the second roller assembly 2b can be in a working position.

[0100] It should be understood that when the leveling mechanism 200 is installed in the 3D printing equipment 400, the length direction of the leveling mechanism 200 is the same as the length direction of the 3D printing equipment 400.

[0101] Compared to the single leveling roller design in existing SLA printers, the exemplary 3D printing device 400 provided by this invention can improve the traditional print-empty return-reprint operation process into a highly efficient printing method with continuous printing and no empty return.

[0102] The following example illustrates the operation flow of a 3D printing device 400 including a leveling mechanism 200 during 3D object printing, using the example of the printing platform moving along the length of the 3D printing device 400 while the nozzle actuator 100 and the leveling mechanism 200 remain relatively stationary relative to the length of the 3D printing device 400. This is to better understand the technical advantages and effects of the exemplary leveling mechanism 200 proposed in this invention.

[0103] For example, the printing process can begin from a certain printing starting point along the first direction D1. While printing along the first direction D1, by rotating the support 1 clockwise around the support rotation axis 13, the height of the first roller assembly 2a connected to the first support end 11 of the support 1 is lowered to the working position, while the height of the second roller assembly 2b connected to the second support end 12 of the support 1 is raised to the non-working position. The printhead actuator 100 can spray ink onto the printing platform once at a predetermined time or position. As the printing platform continues to move along the first direction D1, at a next time or position, the printing platform moves to below the first roller assembly 2a located in front of it, and then the first roller assembly 2a smooths out the dripped ink. This process continues until the printing platform reaches a certain printing endpoint in the first direction D1. Throughout the entire forward printing process described above, the height of the second roller assembly 2b remains in the non-working position, thereby avoiding any negative impact on the ink or printed surface that has already been smoothed by the first roller assembly 2a.

[0104] During the aforementioned forward printing process, since the printing platform travels along the first direction D1, the first roller assembly 2a is located in front of it in the direction of travel, and correspondingly, the second roller assembly 2b is located behind it in the direction of travel.

[0105] After completing the forward printing process, the printing platform does not need to return to the printing starting point to repeat the printing process in the same direction. Instead, it can directly proceed in the opposite direction of the first direction D1 from the printing end point to the printing starting point to complete the next printing process. In other words, the leveling mechanism 200 can then perform a shearing and reversing operation on the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b by rotating the bracket 1 counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13. For example, the counterclockwise rotation of the bracket 1 can raise the height of the first roller assembly 2a while lowering the height of the second roller assembly 2b, thereby changing the first roller assembly 2a from its previous working position to a non-working position, and the second roller assembly 2b from its previous non-working position to a working position.

[0106] After completing the aforementioned separation and reversal operation of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b, the printing platform can directly perform a reverse printing process along the opposite direction of the first direction D1. The reverse printing process is similar to the forward printing process described above. The main difference is that during the reverse printing process, the second roller assembly 2b is located in front of the printing platform in the direction of travel, while the first roller assembly 2a is located behind the printing platform in the direction of travel. This is because the printing platform moves in the opposite direction of the first direction D1 during the reverse printing process. Therefore, after the printhead actuator 100 ejects ink onto the printing platform, as the printing platform continues to move, the second roller assembly 2b, located in front of the printing platform, smooths out the dripped ink. During this reverse printing process, the first roller assembly 2a remains in a non-working position, thereby avoiding any negative impact on the ink or printed surface that has already been smoothed by the second roller assembly 2b.

[0107] Therefore, the exemplary 3D printing device provided by this invention can achieve continuous printing during the 3D printing process. For example, it can effectively avoid the unavoidable empty return problem in traditional SLA printers. Thus, the design of the leveling mechanism 200 can significantly improve the printing efficiency of the printer. For example, compared to a traditional SLA printer, the 3D printing device with the leveling mechanism 200 can fully utilize every movement of the printing platform along both the forward and reverse directions of the length direction, thereby more than doubling the printing efficiency.

[0108] In the above embodiments, the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b can be such that the respective roller assembly can contact the ink that has dripped onto the printing platform. Preferably, this working position can be further selected to be a height sufficient to level, remove, or scrape off the uneven upper surface of the dripped ink. As an example, when the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b is in the working position, their lowermost surface or lowermost outer circumferential tangent plane can be located below the nozzle of the printhead actuator 100. In particular, the lowermost surface or lowermost outer circumferential tangent plane of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b when in the working position can be located below the nozzle of the printhead actuator 100 and at a distance of approximately 1 μm to 1 mm from the nozzle in a direction perpendicular to the printing plane.

[0109] The leveling mechanism 200 may also include a base 3. The support 1 may be rotatably connected to the base 3. The support rotation axis 13 may extend through the junction of the support 1 and the base 3.

[0110] Optionally, the leveling mechanism 200 can move synchronously with the nozzle actuator 100. Alternatively, the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b can move synchronously with the nozzle actuator 100.

[0111] Actuation mechanism In an exemplary embodiment, the leveling mechanism 200 may further include an actuation mechanism configured to rotate the support 1 clockwise or counterclockwise about the support rotation axis 13.

[0112] The actuation mechanism may include a reset device 4 and an actuation device 5. The reset device 4 may be configured to rotate the support 1 clockwise about the support rotation axis 13. The actuation device 5 may be configured to rotate the support 1 counterclockwise about the support rotation axis 13.

[0113] The reset device 4 may include a reset elastic element, such as a reset spring 41. The reset spring 41 can use its own elastic force to realize the reset movement of the bracket 1, such as the clockwise rotation movement of the bracket 1. One end of the reset spring 41 can be fixed to the base 3, and the other end can be connected to the bracket 1.

[0114] like Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the reset spring 41 can be disposed above the bracket 1 and connected to the side of the bracket 1 near the second roller assembly 2b, for example, it can be connected to the second bracket end 12 of the bracket 1.

[0115] In the above configuration, the return spring 41 can pull the second bracket end 12 of the bracket 1 upward with its own elastic force (e.g., tensile force), thereby causing the bracket 1, the first roller assembly 2a, and the second roller assembly 2b to rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13. Therefore, under the action of the return spring 41, the height of the first roller assembly 2a can be lowered to the working position, while the height of the second roller assembly 2b can be raised to the non-working position.

[0116] Alternatively, in another embodiment that also utilizes the tension of a return spring, the return spring 41 can be positioned below the bracket 1 and connected to the side of the bracket 1 near the first roller assembly 2a, for example, it can be connected to the first bracket end 11 of the bracket 1. In this arrangement, the return spring 41 can pull downward on the first bracket end 11 of the bracket 1, causing the bracket 1 to rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13 under the elastic force of the return spring 41. Therefore, this arrangement can achieve the same effect as the previous embodiment.

[0117] In addition, the compression force of the return spring can be used to realize the clockwise rotation of the bracket 1 around the bracket rotation axis 13.

[0118] For example, in one embodiment, the return spring 41 may also be disposed above the bracket 1 and connected to the first bracket end 11 of the bracket 1.

[0119] In this configuration, the return spring 41 can press down on the first bracket end 11 of the bracket 1 by its own elastic force (e.g., compression force), thereby causing the bracket 1 to rotate clockwise together with the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b around the bracket rotation axis 13, thereby allowing the height of the first roller assembly 2a to be lowered to the working position and the height of the second roller assembly 2b to be raised to the non-working position.

[0120] Alternatively, refer to Figure 8 As shown, the return spring 41 can also be disposed below the bracket 1 and connected to the second bracket end 12 of the bracket 1. The return spring 41 can push the second bracket end 12 of the bracket 1 upward with its own compression force, thereby causing the bracket 1 to rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13, thus achieving the same effect as in the previous embodiment.

[0121] Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, the reset device 4 may also include a counterweight device 42 connected to the bracket 1.

[0122] The counterweight device 42 can be mounted on the support 1 and located on the side of the support 1 closer to the first roller assembly 2a, for example, it can be connected to the first support end 11 of the support 1. The weight of the counterweight device 42 itself can cause the support 1 to rotate clockwise along the support rotation axis 13, thereby driving the first roller assembly 2a to rotate together and lower its height to the working position, and at the same time driving the second roller assembly 2b to rotate together and raise its height to the non-working position.

[0123] The reset device 4 in the above embodiments can be used alone or in combination with each other.

[0124] Accordingly, the actuation device 5 may include an electromagnet device 51. The electromagnet device 51 may include a coil portion 511 fixed to the base 3 and an iron block portion 512 fixed to the bracket 1.

[0125] like Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the electromagnet device 51 can be disposed above the support 1 and located on the side of the support 1 near the first roller assembly 2a, for example, near the first support end 11 of the support 1. Alternatively, the electromagnet device 51 can also be disposed below the support 1 and located on the side of the support 1 near the second roller assembly 2b, for example, near the second support end 12 of the support 1.

[0126] When the electromagnet device 51 is not energized, the bracket 1 is held in a clockwise rotating state by a reset device (e.g., a reset spring 41 or a counterweight device 42). At this time, the first roller assembly 2a is in the working position, while the second roller assembly 2b is in the non-working position.

[0127] Once the electromagnet device 51 is energized, the attraction of the coil part 511 to the iron block part 512 can resist the force of the reset device on the bracket 1, thereby causing the bracket 1 to rotate counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13, so that the height of the first roller assembly 2a changes from the working position to the non-working position, and at the same time the height of the second roller assembly 2b changes from the non-working position to the working position.

[0128] As a supplement to or alternative to the electromagnet device 51, the actuation device 5 may also include a push rod device 52. For example... Figure 8 As shown, the main body 521 of the push rod device 52 can be fixed to the base 3, and the push rod part 522 of the push rod device 52 can face the bracket 1.

[0129] The push rod device 52 can be disposed below the bracket 1 and located on the side of the bracket 1 near the first roller assembly 2a. For example, the push rod portion 522 can face the first bracket end 11. Alternatively, the push rod device 52 can also be disposed above the bracket 1 and located on the side of the bracket 1 near the second roller assembly 2b. For example, the push rod portion 522 can face the second bracket end 12 of the bracket 1.

[0130] When the push rod device 52 is not activated, that is, when the push rod part 522 is retracted into the main body part 521 or not extended from the main body part 521, the bracket 1 is held in a clockwise rotating state by a reset device (e.g., a reset spring 41 or a counterweight device 42). At this time, the first roller assembly 2a is in the working position, while the second roller assembly 2b is in the non-working position.

[0131] When the push rod device 52 is activated, the push rod part 522 can extend from the main body part 521 and push the first support end 11 of the bracket 1 upward (the push rod device 52 is located below the bracket 1) or push the second support end 12 of the bracket 1 downward (the push rod device 52 is located above the bracket 1), thereby causing the bracket 1 to rotate counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13, thereby switching the height of the first roller assembly 2a from the working position to the non-working position, and at the same time switching the height of the second roller assembly 2b from the non-working position to the working position.

[0132] The end of the push rod 522 opposite to the bracket 1 can be at a preset distance from the bracket 1, or it can be in contact with the bracket 1.

[0133] The push rod device 52 can be any of an electric push rod, a hydraulic push rod, or any other structure capable of performing the push rod action. Preferably, the push rod device 52 is a servo electric push rod.

[0134] The actuation devices 5 in the above embodiments can be used individually or in combination with each other.

[0135] In this embodiment of the invention, since the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are disposed opposite to each other at both ends of the support 1, the reset device 4 and the actuation device 5 can also simultaneously mirror-shift from their positions in the aforementioned embodiments to their opposite positions. For example, with Figure 5 For example, the reset device 4 can be mirror-shifted from the position near the second support end 12 of the support 1 to the position near the first support end 11 of the support 1, and at the same time, the actuation device 5 can be mirror-shifted from the position near the first support end 11 of the support 1 to the position near the second support end 12 of the support 1.

[0136] Through the aforementioned mirror transformation, the reset device 4 can also be configured to rotate the support 1 counterclockwise around the support rotation axis 13, thereby raising the height of the first roller assembly 2a and placing it in a non-working position, while simultaneously lowering the height of the second roller assembly 2b and placing it in a working position. Correspondingly, the actuation device 5 can also be configured to rotate the support 1 clockwise around the support rotation axis 13, thereby lowering the height of the first roller assembly 2a and placing it in a working position, while simultaneously raising the height of the second roller assembly 2b and placing it in a non-working position.

[0137] Figure 9 The illustrated embodiment provides another example of the aforementioned mirror transformation. As shown, the reset device 4 (e.g., counterweight 42) is mounted on the support 1 and located on the side near the second roller assembly 2b, for example, connected to the second support end 12 of the support 1. When the actuation device 5 (e.g., electromagnet 51) is not energized, the weight of the counterweight 42 causes the support 1 to rotate counterclockwise around the support rotation axis 13, thereby lowering the height of the second roller assembly 2b to the working position and simultaneously raising the height of the first roller assembly 2a to the non-working position.

[0138] It should be understood that the above example of mirror transformation is only illustrated with the reset device 4 and the actuation device 5 located at opposite ends of the bracket 1. However, the above mirror transformation can still be applied when the reset device 4 and the actuation device 5 are located at the same end of the bracket 1.

[0139] It should be understood that the terms "reset device 4" and "actuator 5" are merely a naming convention for the corresponding structures described herein, and are not intended to impose any limitations or constraints on the corresponding structures.

[0140] It should also be understood that the above-described mirror transformation of the reset device 4 and the actuation device 5 does not depart from the technical principles of the present invention. Therefore, although the structure and arrangement of the mirror-transformed reset device 4 and actuation device 5 are not described in detail herein, those skilled in the art can obtain the corresponding technical details based on the teachings given in the embodiments described herein. Therefore, the structure and arrangement of the reset device 4 and actuation device 5 after the above-described mirror transformation should also be understood to be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0141] In an exemplary embodiment, the actuation mechanism may further include a rotary motor 6 for driving the bracket 1 to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the bracket rotation axis 13.

[0142] like Figure 10 As shown, the rotary motor 6 can be disposed at the junction of the bracket 1 and the base 3. Preferably, the output shaft of the rotary motor 6 can coincide with the rotation axis 13 of the bracket. For example, the forward rotation of the rotary motor 6 can cause the bracket 1 to rotate clockwise about the rotation axis 13 of the bracket, while its reverse rotation can cause the bracket 1 to rotate counterclockwise about the rotation axis 13 of the bracket.

[0143] It should be understood that the actuation mechanism can be implemented by the rotary motor 6 alone, or it can be implemented by the rotary motor 6 together with the reset device 4 and the actuation device 6 in the above embodiments.

[0144] Furthermore, the rotary motor 6, reset device 4, and actuation device 5 described herein are merely exemplary, not limiting or exhaustive, regarding the clockwise or counterclockwise rotational movement of the bracket 1 around the bracket rotation axis 13. Therefore, any other device, structure, or method capable of achieving the aforementioned clockwise or counterclockwise rotational movement of the bracket 1 should also be understood to be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0145] Limiting device The exemplary leveling mechanism 200 of the present invention may further include a limiting device 7 for limiting the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation angle of the support 1 about the support rotation axis 13. Therefore, the limiting device 7 may also be configured to limit the height at which the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are raised or lowered.

[0146] like Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the limiting device 7 can be positioned above the bracket 1 and connected to the base 3. Alternatively, the limiting device 7 can also be positioned below the bracket 1, such as... Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown.

[0147] Furthermore, the limiting device 7 can be configured to hold the bracket 1 at a preset clockwise rotation angle or counterclockwise rotation angle. The preset clockwise rotation angle can be the maximum clockwise rotation angle of the bracket 1 rotating around the bracket rotation axis 13 in a clockwise direction CW. Similarly, the preset counterclockwise rotation angle can be the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of the bracket 1 rotating around the bracket rotation axis 13 in a counterclockwise direction CCW.

[0148] For example, the limiting device 7 can be further configured to prevent the support 1 from continuing to rotate in the clockwise direction CW after the support 1 has rotated clockwise around the support rotation axis 13 by a maximum clockwise rotation angle, and / or to prevent the support 1 from continuing to rotate in the counterclockwise direction CCW after the support 1 has rotated counterclockwise around the support rotation axis 13 by a maximum counterclockwise rotation angle.

[0149] The maximum clockwise rotation angle and the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of bracket 1 may not be equal. Preferably, the maximum clockwise rotation angle and the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of bracket 1 are equal to each other.

[0150] In an exemplary embodiment, the number of limiting devices 7 may be one. For example, the leveling mechanism 200 may include only one limiting device 7. Preferably, the limiting device 7 can be used to limit both the clockwise and counterclockwise rotation angles of the bracket 1. However, it should be understood that when it is not necessary to limit either the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation angle of the bracket 1, the limiting device 7 may limit only the other of the clockwise or counterclockwise rotation angles of the bracket 1.

[0151] Furthermore, when the rotation angle of the bracket 1 can be directly controlled by one or more of the reset device 4, drive device 5, or rotary motor 6, the limit device 7 may not be used.

[0152] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 7 The number of limiting devices 7 can also be set to two. For example, the limiting devices 7 may include a first limiting device 71 and a second limiting device 72. The first limiting device 71 can be used to limit the clockwise rotation angle of the support 1 around the support rotation axis 13, thereby limiting the height that the first roller assembly 2a can be lowered and the height that the second roller assembly 2b can be raised. The second limiting device 72 can be used to limit the counterclockwise rotation angle of the support 1 around the support rotation axis 13, thereby limiting the height that the first roller assembly 2a can be raised and the height that the second roller assembly 2b can be lowered.

[0153] The following will exemplarily describe the principle by which the limiting device 7 limits the rotation angle of the support 1 and the height of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b, and provide examples of the specific structure and arrangement of the limiting device 7. It should be understood that, for ease of understanding and to avoid redundancy, although the following description uses the first limiting device 71 for limiting the clockwise rotation angle of the support 1 and the second limiting device 72 for limiting the counterclockwise rotation angle of the support 1 as examples, similar structures and arrangements can also be applied to situations where the first limiting device 71 is used to limit the counterclockwise rotation angle of the support 1 and the second limiting device 72 is used to limit the clockwise rotation angle of the support 1. Therefore, these different situations should all be understood to be included within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0154] like Figure 7 As shown, the first limiting device 71 can be disposed above the bracket 1 and located on the side of the bracket 1 near the second roller assembly 2b. The first limiting device 71 can extend along the height direction of the leveling mechanism 200 (e.g., the second direction D2) and has a first fixed end 711 away from the bracket 1 and a first limiting end 712 near or opposite the bracket 1. The first limiting device 71 can be connected to the base 3 through the first fixed end 711. The first limiting end 712 can be spaced from the bracket 1 by a preset gap to allow the bracket 1 to rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13, and after the bracket 1 reaches a preset maximum clockwise rotation angle, it is blocked by the first limiting end 712, thereby stopping the rotation and maintaining it at the maximum clockwise rotation angle, thus limiting the height of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b.

[0155] Bracket 1 in Figure 7 The first roller assembly 2a is shown to be at its maximum counterclockwise rotation angle due to the combined action of the electromagnet device 51 and the second limiting device 72. At this time, the height of the first roller assembly 2a is raised to the non-working position, while the height of the second roller assembly 2b is lowered to the working position.

[0156] When the electromagnet device 51 is de-energized, the attraction of the coil portion 511 to the iron block portion 512 disappears. Therefore, the bracket 1 rotates clockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13 under the elastic force of the return spring 41. As the bracket 1 rotates clockwise, the gap between the bracket 1 and the first limiting end 712 of the first limiting device 71 gradually decreases until the bracket 1 and the first limiting end 712 come into contact with each other. At this time, due to the blocking effect of the first limiting end 712, the clockwise rotation of the bracket 1 is forced to stop, thus stopping at the current clockwise rotation angle (e.g., the maximum clockwise rotation angle), thereby completing the shearing and reversing of the first roller assembly 2a to the working position and the second roller assembly 2b to the non-working position. At this time, the state of the bracket 1 and the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b is as follows: Figure 5 As shown.

[0157] In an exemplary embodiment, based on a similar limiting principle, the first limiting device 71 can also be disposed below the bracket 1 and located on the side of the bracket 1 closest to the first roller assembly 2a, such as... Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown. In addition, in Figure 8 and Figure 9 The arrangement of the first limiting device 71 shown is similar to the corresponding arrangement of the first limiting device 71 in the previous example, and will not be described again here.

[0158] refer to Figure 5 and Figure 7 The second limiting device 72 can be disposed above the bracket 1 and located on the side of the bracket 1 closest to the first roller assembly 2a. Alternatively, as Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the second limiting device 72 can also be disposed below the bracket 1 and located on the side of the bracket 1 near the second roller assembly 2b. The second limiting device 72 may include a second fixed end 721 away from the bracket 1 and a second limiting end 722 near or opposite the bracket 1. The second limiting device 72 is connected to the base 3 through the second fixed end 721.

[0159] It should be understood that the second limiting device 72 is used to limit the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of the support 1 around the support rotation axis 13, and its limiting effect on the support 1, and consequently on the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b, is exactly the opposite of the effect of the first limiting device 71. Therefore, apart from the exemplary position of the second limiting device 72 described above, the specific structure and arrangement of the second limiting device 72 are similar to those of the first limiting device 71, and will not be repeated here.

[0160] Back Figure 5When the electromagnet device 51 is not energized, the bracket 1 remains at its maximum clockwise rotation angle due to the elastic force of the return spring 41 and the blocking effect of the first limiting device 71. At this time, the first limiting end 712 of the first limiting device 71 is in contact with the bracket 1 without any gap between them, while the second limiting end 722 of the second limiting device 72 is at a preset gap from the bracket 1. The preset gap between the second limiting end 722 and the bracket 1 allows the bracket 1 to rotate counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13, and after the bracket 1 reaches its maximum counterclockwise rotation angle, it is blocked by the second limiting end 722, thereby stopping its rotation and remaining at the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle, thus limiting the height of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b.

[0161] Therefore, once the electromagnet device 51 is energized, the attraction of the coil portion 511 to the iron block portion 512 will resist the elastic force of the return spring 41, thereby causing the bracket 1 to rotate counterclockwise (CWW). As it rotates counterclockwise, the gap between the bracket 1 and the second limiting end 722 of the second limiting device 72 gradually decreases until the bracket 1 and the second limiting end 722 come into contact with each other. At this point, the bracket 1 rotates counterclockwise to its maximum counterclockwise rotation angle and is forced to remain at the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle due to the obstruction of the second limiting end 722, further limiting the height of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b. For example, when the bracket 1 reaches its maximum counterclockwise rotation angle, the height of the first roller assembly 2a rises to the non-working position, while the height of the second roller assembly 2b decreases to the working position, thus completing the switching operation where the second roller assembly 2b changes to the working position and the first roller assembly 2a changes to the non-working position. At this time, the states of the bracket 1 and the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are as follows: Figure 7 As shown.

[0162] In an exemplary embodiment, with reference to when the bracket 1 is in a horizontal position or parallel to the printing platform, the maximum clockwise rotation angle or the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of the bracket 1 can be set in the range of 1 degree to 10 degrees.

[0163] Height adjustment device Furthermore, the leveling mechanism 200 can also be configured to adjust the height of the working position and / or the non-working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b. For example, the leveling mechanism 200 can be configured to adjust the maximum clockwise rotation angle and the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of the support 1 about the support rotation axis 13.

[0164] For example, the leveling mechanism 200 may also include a height adjustment device 8. Figure 5 and Figure 7As shown, the height adjustment device 8 can be fixed to the base 3. The height adjustment device 8 can extend along the length direction of the base 3 (e.g., the first direction D1).

[0165] The height adjustment device 8 may have adjustment features 81 spaced apart along its length. A first limiting device 71 or a second limiting device 72 may be configured to engage with the adjustment features 81 to restrict movement of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b in a direction perpendicular to the printing platform, thereby adjusting the height of the working position of the first roller assembly and / or the second roller assembly 2b. For example, by engaging with different adjustment features 81 on the height adjustment device 8, the connection position of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 on the base 3 can be changed. This change in connection position can further adjust the maximum clockwise or maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of the support 1 around the support rotation axis 13, thereby achieving adjustment of the height of the working position and / or the non-working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b.

[0166] The first limiting device 71 may include a first engaging feature 713. The second limiting device 72 may include a second engaging feature 723. The first engaging feature 713 and the second engaging feature 723 may be configured to engage with the adjusting feature 81 of the height adjusting device 8.

[0167] The number of adjustment features 81 can be from 1 to 20. For example, the number of adjustment features 81 can be 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 or 18.

[0168] The height adjustment device 8 may include a first adjustment portion 82 corresponding to the first limiting device 71 and a second adjustment portion 83 corresponding to the second limiting device 72. Figure 5 and Figure 7 In the embodiment shown, the first adjusting part 82 and the first limiting device 71 are both located on one side of the second roller assembly 2b, and the second adjusting part 83 and the second limiting device 72 are both located on one side of the first roller assembly 2a.

[0169] The first adjusting portion 82 and the second adjusting portion 83 may each include at least one adjusting feature 81. For example, the number of adjusting features 81 in the first adjusting portion 82 and the second adjusting portion 83 may each be any integer from 1 to 10. Preferably, the number of adjusting features 81 in the first adjusting portion 82 is equal to the number of adjusting features 81 in the second adjusting portion 83. When multiple adjusting features 81 are included, the adjusting features 81 in the first adjusting portion 82 may be arranged at equal intervals along the length direction of the first adjusting portion 82, preferably uniformly distributed. Similarly, when multiple adjusting features 81 are included, the adjusting features 81 in the second adjusting portion 83 may be arranged at equal intervals along the length direction of the second adjusting portion 83, preferably uniformly distributed.

[0170] The height adjustment device 8 can extend from a position near the first roller assembly 2a to a position near the second roller assembly 2b. The height adjustment device 8 can be an integrated structure. For example, Figure 5 and Figure 7 The diagram shows a height adjustment device 8 with an integrated structure, wherein the first adjustment part 82 and the second adjustment part 83 together constitute the complete height adjustment device 8. Alternatively, the height adjustment device 8 can also be a separate structure. For example, the first adjustment part 82 and the second adjustment part 83 can be structurally separate and fixed to corresponding positions on the base 3, or the first adjustment part 82 and the second adjustment part 83 can be connected via any suitable connecting device before being fixed to the base 3.

[0171] As shown in the figure, the height adjustment device 8 can be an adjustment rod that is generally elongated. Furthermore, the adjustment features 81 of the first adjustment portion 82 and the second adjustment portion 83 are exemplarily shown as adjustment holes. Each of the first adjustment portion 82 and the second adjustment portion 83 has nine adjustment holes. The adjustment holes of the first adjustment portion 82 and the second adjustment portion 83 are symmetrically distributed with respect to the rotation axis 13 of the support. Specifically, the adjustment holes of the first adjustment portion 82 are arranged approximately centrally along the length direction of the first adjustment portion 82, and the adjustment holes of the second adjustment portion 83 are arranged approximately centrally along the length direction of the second adjustment portion 83.

[0172] Accordingly, the first engagement feature 713 of the first limiting device 71 and the second engagement feature 723 of the second limiting device 72 can be configured as engagement holes. Figure 5 and Figure 7 In the diagram, the first limiting device 71 and the second limiting device 72 are shown in the shape of limiting blocks. Each limiting block has a main body portion and a stop portion.

[0173] As shown in the figure, the engagement hole is provided in the main body. When the engagement hole of the limiting block is positioned to align with the adjustment hole of the first adjustment part 82 or the second adjustment part 83, the two can be fixed or connected by fasteners (e.g., threaded connection devices, positioning pins, etc.).

[0174] The stop portion of the limiting block may extend from the main body and taper toward the bracket 1. For example, the stop portion may be generally triangular in shape. Alternatively, the stop portion may be trapezoidal, polygonal, arc-shaped, or other suitable shapes. The end of the stop portion opposite to the bracket 1 (e.g., the first limiting end 712 or the second limiting end 722) may be a pointed end, an arc-shaped end, a spherical end, or a planar end, etc., and the present invention does not intend to limit it.

[0175] Continue to refer to Figure 5 and Figure 7 The fifth ( ) of the first limiting device 71 and the first adjusting part 82 Figure 5 and Figure 7 (From left to right in the middle, the same below) The adjustment holes are engaged, and the second limiting device 72 is engaged with the eighth adjustment hole of the second adjustment part 83.

[0176] When the first limiting device 71 is repositioned to engage with the fourth adjusting hole of the first adjusting portion 82, the leftward (e.g., towards the first direction D1) movement (e.g., translation) operation causes the first limiting portion 712 of the first limiting device 71 to be closer to the bracket rotation axis 13 of the bracket 1. Therefore, relative to before the translation operation, the bracket 1 can rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13 by a larger angle under the elastic force of the return spring 41, thereby further reducing the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a, and thus realizing the adjustment of the height of its working position.

[0177] If the first limiting device 71 is repositioned in the opposite direction (e.g., to the right, i.e., in the opposite direction to the first direction D1), the translational movement of the first limiting device 71 will increase the distance between it and the support rotation axis 13 of the support 1. Therefore, relative to before the translational operation, the support 1 can only rotate a smaller angle clockwise around the support rotation axis 13 under the elastic force of the return spring 41, thereby correspondingly raising the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a. As a result, compared to the situation before adjustment, the first roller assembly 2a can only drop a smaller height when it is switching from the non-working position to the working position.

[0178] In another exemplary height adjustment operation, if the second limiting device 72 is repositioned from the eighth adjusting hole of the second adjusting part 83 to the sixth adjusting hole, the translation operation causes the distance between the second limiting end 722 of the second limiting device 72 and the support rotation axis 13 of the support 1 to increase. Therefore, relative to before the translation operation, the support 1 can only rotate counterclockwise around the support rotation axis 13 by a smaller angle under the action of the electromagnet device 51, thereby correspondingly raising the height of the working position of the second roller assembly 2b.

[0179] If the second limiting device 72 is repositioned in the opposite direction, for example, by repositioning the second limiting device 72 to the ninth adjustment hole, the rightward translational movement of the second limiting device 72 will reduce the distance between it and the support rotation axis 13 of the support 1. As a result, the support 1 can rotate counterclockwise around the support rotation axis 13 by a larger angle under the action of the electromagnet device 51, thereby further reducing the height of the working position of the second roller assembly 2b.

[0180] It should be understood that since the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are respectively disposed at both ends of the support 1, for example, symmetrically disposed at both ends of the support 1 with respect to the rotation axis 13 of the support, in the above embodiments, raising the working position of the first roller assembly 2a will inevitably lead to a corresponding lowering of the non-working position of the second roller assembly 2b, and lowering the working position of the first roller assembly 2a will inevitably lead to a corresponding raising of the non-working position of the second roller assembly 2b, and vice versa.

[0181] Lowering the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b means that they are closer to the printing platform or the ink that has dripped onto the printing platform during the printing process; conversely, they are farther away from the printing platform or the ink that has dripped onto the printing platform. Therefore, the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b can be adjusted by the height adjustment device 8, thereby changing their distance relative to the printing platform or the ink.

[0182] Alternatively, one of the adjusting hole or the engagement hole can be configured as a threaded hole. For example, the adjusting hole of the height adjusting device 8 can be configured as a threaded hole, so that the threaded fastener can pass through the engagement hole of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 and lock with the threaded hole of the height adjusting device 8.

[0183] Alternatively, one of the adjustment hole or the engagement hole can be replaced with a positioning pin. For example, the engagement hole of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 can be set as a positioning pin. When it is necessary to change the position of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 on the height adjustment device 8, the positioning pin can be pulled out from the adjustment hole of the first height adjustment device 8 and then inserted into the new adjustment hole, thereby achieving the maximum clockwise rotation angle or the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of the adjustment bracket 1.

[0184] Furthermore, in an exemplary embodiment, the height adjustment device 8 may include a positioning groove extending along at least a portion of its own length.

[0185] As an example, the positioning groove can extend along approximately the entire length of the height adjustment device 8. For instance, all the adjustment features 81 (e.g., adjustment holes) on the first adjustment portion 82 and the second adjustment portion 83 can be connected to form a long groove.

[0186] In another example, the first adjusting portion 82 and the second adjusting portion 83 may each have a positioning groove extending along their own length. For example, the adjusting feature 81 of the first adjusting portion 82 and the adjusting feature 81 of the second adjusting portion 83 are passed through, thereby forming two separate elongated grooves on the first adjusting portion 82 and the second adjusting portion 83, respectively.

[0187] With the aforementioned positioning groove, when it is necessary to change the position of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72, they can be positioned at any location along the extension direction of the positioning groove. Benefiting from this design of the positioning groove, continuous adjustment of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 in the length direction of the height adjusting device 8 can be achieved.

[0188] Furthermore, in the exemplary embodiment, the height adjustment device 8 and the limiting device 7 can also be implemented as a chain structure (e.g., a drag chain) or a track structure (e.g., a guide rail and a slider). Therefore, in addition to manually performing the position adjustment operation of the limiting device 7 on the height adjustment device 8, the above-described chain structure or track structure can be used to realize automatic adjustment of the limiting device 7 and continuous adjustment of the length of the height adjustment device 8.

[0189] It should be understood that the above embodiments regarding the adjusting feature and the engaging feature are merely exemplary and not limiting or exhaustive. Therefore, embodiments of the present invention may also employ other similar devices and structures suitable for engaging the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 to the height adjusting device 8.

[0190] Based on the structural design that allows the support 1 to rotate around the support rotation axis 13 and the limiting device 7 to limit the rotation angle of the support 1, a large positional change of the limiting device 7 along the length direction of the height adjustment device 8 can correspond to a small height change in the vertical direction of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b. This structural design can be understood as converting the relative positional relationships between the support 1, the limiting device 7, and the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b into a right-angled triangle geometric function with a small acute angle.

[0191] by Figure 5 The embodiment shown illustrates this relative positional relationship transformation. As shown, the length of the support 1 from its rotation axis 13 to its junction with the first roller assembly 2a can be understood as the hypotenuse of the right triangle, while the distance the first roller assembly 2a descends from its horizontal position to its working position in the vertical direction can be understood as the length of the opposite side of the small acute angle of the right triangle. Changing the position of the first limiting device 71 on the height adjustment device 8 can be understood as changing the angle of the small acute angle by changing the distance between the first limiting device 71 and the rotation axis 13 of the support, thereby correspondingly changing the length of the opposite side of the small acute angle. Therefore, the distance the first roller assembly 2a descends from its horizontal position to its working position in the vertical direction also increases or decreases accordingly, that is, the working position of the first roller assembly 2a rises or falls accordingly.

[0192] Figure 11 The diagram illustrates the principle of further reducing the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a by adjusting the first limiting device 71. As shown, before adjusting the position of the first limiting device 71, the hypotenuse of the right triangle is L1, the acute angle is θ, and the length of the opposite side corresponding to the acute angle θ is L2. After adjusting the position of the first limiting device 71, for example, by translating the first limiting device 71 towards the rotation axis 13 of the support, the hypotenuse of the right triangle remains L1, the angle of the acute angle changes from θ to θ' by an increment of Δθ, and the length of the opposite side of the acute angle increases from L2 to L2' by an increment of ΔL. Therefore, by adjusting the first limiting device 71, the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a changes from L2 to L2', that is, the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a is further reduced by a distance of ΔL.

[0193] Similarly, adjusting the height of the working position of the second roller assembly 2b using the second limiting device 72 is based on the same principle and operation, and will not be described in detail here.

[0194] It should also be noted that the aforementioned adjustment of the small acute angle is achieved by changing the position of the limiting device 7 on the height adjusting device 8. Therefore, it is permissible to correlate the amount of positional change of the limiting device 7 along the height adjusting device 8 with the amount of vertical height change of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b. For example, as described above, it is permissible to correspond a larger positional change of the limiting device 7 on the height adjusting device 8 to a smaller vertical height change of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b.

[0195] In an exemplary embodiment, the aforementioned relationship between the limiting device 7 and the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b can be defined as follows: for example, whenever the limiting device 7 translates 10 mm along the height adjustment device 8, the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b can change by 0.1 mm. Thus, numerical or magnitude scaling of the change in height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b from the translation amount of the limiting device 7 can be achieved.

[0196] It should be understood that the above-described relationships are merely exemplary and not restrictive. This invention does not intend to limit the relationship between the limiting device 7 and the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b to the numerical relationships described in the above embodiments. Therefore, based on the above scaling principle, other possible or suitable relationships should also be understood to be included within the scope of protection of this invention. To avoid redundancy, this invention will not list them all.

[0197] The height of the roller assembly, adjustable via the combination of the limiting device 7 and the height adjusting device 8, can range from 0 to 2 mm. Preferably, the height range is from 0 to 0.5 mm.

[0198] Due to manufacturing or assembly errors, the working height of the leveling roller may deviate when it is installed inside the printer. This deviation will affect the leveling effect of the leveling roller on the ink during actual printing, thus affecting the print quality.

[0199] The exemplary 3D printing equipment provided by this invention, including the height adjustment device 8, can achieve fine and precise adjustment of the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b. This allows for the reduction or elimination of manufacturing or assembly errors in the leveling mechanism 200 or even the components of the 3D printing equipment 400 through such fine and precise adjustments. This ensures that the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are at a precise height or position during the leveling process, so as to smoothly complete the ink leveling operation and thus guarantee the printing effect.

[0200] In an exemplary embodiment, the leveling mechanism 200 may also be configured to automatically adjust the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b. For example, the leveling mechanism 200 may be configured to automatically adjust the position of the limiting device 7 on the height adjusting device 8 according to different printing tasks or printing requirements.

[0201] Therefore, the exemplary leveling mechanism 200 can also allow the leveling height of the leveling mechanism 200 to be adaptively adjusted based on printing tasks or printing requirements under different circumstances. For example, for different objects to be printed or for different printing fineness, the leveling mechanism 200 can automatically perform the above-mentioned fine and precise adjustments to the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b, thereby changing the leveling height.

[0202] For example, when a high level of printing precision is required, the working height of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b can be appropriately reduced, so that the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b can level, remove or scrape more of the dripped ink during the leveling process, so that only a smaller amount of ink remains in each printing process, and more printing processes can be performed at the same time, thereby achieving a fine printing effect of small amount per print and repeated multiple times.

[0203] In addition, when the printing precision requirement is not high, the leveling mechanism 200 can automatically raise the working position of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b through the above-mentioned adjustment mechanism, so that more ink can be retained on the printing platform without being removed or scraped by the roller assembly, thereby achieving fast printing, which can effectively improve printing efficiency.

[0204] Furthermore, the leveling mechanism 200 can automatically adjust the height of the working positions of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b according to the amount of ink ejected by the printhead actuator 100. For example, the printhead actuator 100 can adjust the amount of ink ejected each time. In this example, when the amount of ejected ink increases or decreases, the leveling mechanism 200 can appropriately adjust the height of the working positions of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b through the aforementioned adjustment mechanism, thereby maintaining a fixed thickness of the dripped ink or leveling the dripped ink according to a certain removal ratio. Alternatively, when the amount of ejected ink changes, the leveling mechanism 200 can also automatically adjust the working positions of the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b based on the requirements of printing fineness or printing efficiency.

[0205] In an exemplary embodiment, the height adjustment device 8 may further include a scale indicator 84. The scale indicator 84 may be used to indicate the amount of height adjustment of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b. For example, the scale indicator 84 may be provided with scale values ​​that directly or indirectly indicate the amount of height adjustment of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b.

[0206] As an example, the scale value may include the amount of change in the height of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b, such as an increase in height, a decrease in height, or a combination of both.

[0207] Alternatively, the scale value may also include the amount of change in the rotation angle of the bracket 1 about the bracket rotation axis 13, for example, the amount of change in the maximum clockwise rotation angle and the maximum counterclockwise rotation angle of the bracket 1.

[0208] Alternatively, the scale value may also include the amount of movement of the limiting device 7, for example, the amount of translation of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 along the length direction of the height adjusting device 8.

[0209] The scale indicator 84 can also be configured to be easily visible to the operator when adjusting the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b. For example, the scale indicator 84 can be located on the outer surface of the height adjustment device 8. When the operator is adjusting the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b using the height adjustment device 8, they can visually see the scale value on the scale indicator 84 so that they can identify and determine how this adjustment operation may change the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b.

[0210] Furthermore, the scale value of the scale indicator 84 can be aligned with one or more of the adjustment features 81 of the height adjustment device 8, for example, with the adjustment feature of the first adjustment portion 82 or the adjustment feature of the second adjustment portion 83. In other words, when the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72 is engaged with a certain adjustment feature, the operator can know the amount of height adjustment of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b according to the scale value of the scale indicator 84.

[0211] Preferably, such as Figure 5 and Figure 7 As shown, the scale indicator 84 can also be mounted on the bracket 1. For example, the scale value of the scale indicator 84 can be marked on the outer surface of the bracket 1 along the length of the bracket 1.

[0212] The exemplary structure and arrangement of the scale indicator 84 will be described below, taking the scale value as the amount of translation of the limit device 7 along the length direction of the height adjustment device 8 as an example. It should be understood that this exemplary structure and arrangement are also applicable to situations where the scale value is selected as the amount of height change of the indicator roller assembly or the amount of rotation angle change of the support 1.

[0213] The scale indicator 84 may include a first scale indicator section 841 and a second scale indicator section 842 located on both sides of the support rotation axis 13 of the support 1. The first scale indicator section 841 may correspond to the first limiting device 71 and has continuous first scale values. The second scale indicator section 842 may correspond to the second limiting device 72 and has continuous second scale values. The first scale value can be used to indicate the adjustment amount of the height of the working position of the first roller assembly 2a, and the second scale value can be used to indicate the adjustment amount of the height of the working position of the second roller assembly 2b.

[0214] exist Figure 5 and Figure 7 In the illustrated embodiment, the first scale indication section 841 is located near the side of the second roller assembly 2b, and the second scale indication section 842 is located near the side of the first roller assembly 2a.

[0215] It should be understood that the term "continuous" here refers to the sequential arrangement of multiple scale values ​​along the length of the support 1, and is not intended to require that these scale values ​​be mathematically continuous. For example, as shown in the figure, the scale values ​​in the first scale indication section 841 and the second scale indication section 842 may include 0cm, 1cm, 2cm, 3cm, 4cm, and 5cm, wherein each centimeter scale may be further subdivided into ten equal parts, that is, each equal part corresponds to 1mm. The above division of scale values ​​is merely exemplary; similarly, scale values ​​may also include any one or more integer scales, fractional scales, or a combination of both from 0cm to 20cm.

[0216] In the above embodiments, the operator can directly obtain the height change of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b through the scale value of the scale indicator 84, or indirectly obtain the height change of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b through the rotation angle change of the bracket 1 or the translation amount of the limiting device 7. Therefore, the leveling mechanism 200 including the scale indicator 84 provided in this embodiment of the invention can help the operator intuitively identify and confirm the corresponding height change of the first roller assembly 2a or the second roller assembly 2b caused by the height adjustment operation.

[0217] Roller assembly In exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the roller assembly may include a roller member configured to rotate about its own axis of rotation. The roller member may also include at least one rotation axis. The axis of rotation of the at least one rotation axis may coincide with the axis of rotation of the roller member. For example, rotation of the at least one rotation axis about its axis of rotation may enable the roller member to rotate about its own axis of rotation.

[0218] like Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, the first roller assembly 2a may include a first roller member 21a, and the second roller assembly 2b may include a second roller member 21b. Optionally, the first roller member 21a and the second roller member 21b may be driven by the same drive motor.

[0219] In the embodiment shown in the figure, the first roller member 21a and the second roller member 21b may also be driven by different drive motors. For example, the first roller member 21a may be configured to rotate about a first axis 23a under the sole drive of the first drive motor 22a. Similarly, the second roller member 21b may be configured to rotate about a second axis 23b under the sole drive of the second drive motor 22b.

[0220] Furthermore, the first roller member 21a and the second roller member 21b can also be configured to rotate about their respective axes of rotation when in the working position. This rotational motion can help the respective roller members in the working position to achieve better leveling of the dripped ink, for example, to level, remove, or scrape the dripped ink more quickly and smoothly.

[0221] As described above, since the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are respectively disposed at both ends of the support 1, when the support 1 rotates around the support rotation axis 13, only one of them will be in the working position, while the other will be in the non-working position. Therefore, the first roller assembly 21a and the second roller assembly 21b can be further configured to rotate around their own rotation axis only when in the working position, and to stop rotating when in the non-working position. This can prevent the rotation of the non-working roller assembly from negatively affecting the leveling operation; for example, the vibration caused by the rotation of the non-working roller assembly may reduce the leveling effect of the working roller assembly on the dripped ink.

[0222] The first drive motor 22a or the second drive motor 22b can be selected from either a brushed motor or a brushless motor. Furthermore, their driving operation can be achieved through a belt, gear structure, worm gear structure, or other similar transmission or drive structure.

[0223] It should be understood that the drive motors proposed in the above embodiments for the rotational drive of the roller component are merely exemplary, not limiting or exhaustive, and are not intended to limit the drive method to only one implementation. Therefore, other similar devices, structures, or methods capable of enabling the roller component to rotate about its own axis of rotation are also included within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0224] Since the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b are arranged relative to or symmetrically along the length of the support 1, they have similar structures. To avoid redundancy, the specific structure of the roller assembly will be described below using only the first roller assembly 2a as an example. It should be understood that the corresponding description of the first roller assembly 2a herein also applies to the second roller assembly 2b.

[0225] refer to Figure 14 The first roller assembly 2a may further include a roller base for supporting the first roller member 21a and the first drive motor 22a. The roller base may include an elastic device. The elastic device may have an elastic extension direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the rotation axis of the first roller member 21a. The elastic device may be configured to allow at least a portion of the first roller member 21a to move along the extension direction of the elastic device. Thus, the elastic device can achieve leveling of the first roller member 21a, for example, adjusting the parallelism of the first roller member 21a relative to the printing platform.

[0226] The roller base may include a fixed portion and a movable portion. The fixed portion and the movable portion may be connected by an elastic device. For example, one end of the elastic device may be connected to the fixed portion, and the other end may be connected to the movable portion. In this example, the elastic device may allow the movable portion to form a free end relative to the fixed portion, thereby allowing at least a portion of the movable portion to move along the extension and contraction direction of the elastic device by adjusting the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic device.

[0227] The elastic device can be configured to be at least partially compressed or at least partially released, thereby enabling at least a portion of the movable part to move in the extension direction.

[0228] The elastic device may include an elastic element and a fastener, the fastener being configured to secure the elastic element between a moving part and a fixed part and to adjust the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic element.

[0229] The elastic device can be configured to: increase the elastic compression of the elastic element by tightening the fastener, thereby causing at least a portion of the movable part to move toward the fixed part in the extension direction, and / or decrease the elastic compression of the elastic element by loosening the fastener, thereby causing at least a portion of the movable part to move away from the fixed part in the extension direction.

[0230] In an exemplary embodiment, the fixed portion of the roller base can be implemented as a motor support portion 25 for supporting the first drive motor 22a, while the movable portion of the roller base can be implemented as a roller support portion 24 for supporting the first roller member 21a. Therefore, in this example, the roller support portion 24 can move relative to the motor support portion 25 via an elastic device along the extension / retraction direction of the elastic device, thereby achieving level adjustment of the roller support portion 24 or the roller member on the roller support portion 24. The extension / retraction direction of the elastic device can be approximately perpendicular to the extension direction of the rotation axis of the first roller member 21a.

[0231] The aforementioned arrangement of the elastic device allows for adjustment or maintenance of the levelness of the first roller member 21a by adjusting the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic device. Furthermore, the elastic device can be offset relative to the length center of the first roller member 21a along its axis of rotation.

[0232] The roller support portion 24 may have a first substrate 241 and a first side arm 242 and a second side arm 243. The first side arm 242 and the second side arm 243 are located at opposite ends of the first substrate 241 along its length (e.g., third direction D3) and extend outward in the same direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of the first substrate 241 (e.g., second direction D2). Thus, the first substrate 241, the first side arm 242, and the second side arm 243 together form a receiving cavity 244 for accommodating the first roller member 21a. One end of the first roller member 21a may be connected to the first side arm 241, and the other end may be connected to the second side arm 242. Furthermore, the first side arm 242 and the second side arm 243 may also be symmetrically provided with bearing holes 245 for receiving at least one rotating shaft of the first roller member 21a. The at least one rotating shaft may have a protruding first shaft end on one side of the length direction of the first roller member 21a and a protruding second shaft end on the other side of the length direction of the first roller member 21a. At least one rotating shaft has a first shaft end that can be rotatably connected to a first side arm 242 via a bearing hole 245, and a second shaft end that can be rotatably connected to a second side arm 243 via a bearing hole 245. Preferably, the first side arm 242 and the second side arm 243 have the same extension length.

[0233] In an exemplary embodiment, the first roller member 21a may include a roller body and a rotating shaft. The rotating shaft may extend through the roller body along its length. One end of the rotating shaft protrudes from one side of the roller body along its length, thereby forming a first shaft end. The other end of the rotating shaft protrudes from the other side of the roller body along its length, thereby forming a second shaft end.

[0234] In another example, the first roller member 21a may include a roller body and two rotating shafts. The two rotating shafts may each extend along the length of the roller body through at least a portion of the roller body. For example, the two rotating shafts may be respectively disposed on each side of the length of the roller body. The first rotating shaft of the two rotating shafts protrudes from one side of the length of the roller body, thereby forming a first shaft end. The second rotating shaft of the two rotating shafts protrudes from the other side of the length of the roller body, thereby forming a second shaft end. Preferably, the first rotating shaft and the second rotating shaft may be collinear with each other.

[0235] In the above embodiments, the rotating shaft and the roller body can be connected by a transmission connection, so that the rotation of the rotating shaft can be transmitted to the roller body. Optionally, the transmission of motion and torque between the roller body and the rotating shaft can be achieved by a key, coupling, interference fit, welding or other suitable means.

[0236] In exemplary embodiments, the roller body and the rotating shaft in the various embodiments described above can also be manufactured integrally. For example, the rotating shaft can be integrally manufactured on the roller body by means of machining, molding, casting, forging or other suitable methods, thereby forming the two into a single integral part.

[0237] Alternatively, the rotating shaft in the above embodiments may be arranged concentrically or eccentrically relative to the roller body.

[0238] It should be understood that the above examples are intended to exemplify how the roller component rotates about the axis of rotation. However, the present invention is not intended to limit the specific implementation of the rotational movement of the roller component to the above-described implementations. Therefore, other implementations that can achieve the rotational movement of the roller component are also possible and should be understood to be included within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0239] The motor support portion 25 may include a second substrate 251 and a support plate 252 extending substantially perpendicular to the second substrate 251. For example, the support plate 252 may extend from the second substrate 251 toward a direction away from the roller support portion 24. A notch 254 for receiving the output shaft of the first drive motor 22a is provided on the side edge 253 of the support plate 252 away from the roller support portion 24. The first drive motor 22a may be fixed to the motor support portion 25 by fasteners. For example, the motor support portion 25 may also be provided with at least one fixing hole 255 through which fasteners may pass to lock the first drive motor 22a onto the support plate 252 of the motor support portion 25.

[0240] As shown in the figure, the support plate 252 of the motor support portion 25 can extend from the second substrate 251 in a direction away from the first substrate 241. The first side arm 242 and the second side arm 243 of the roller support portion 24 can extend from the first substrate 241 in a direction away from the second substrate 251. In other words, the support plate 252 and the first side arm 242 and / or the second side arm 243 extend in opposite directions to each other.

[0241] Preferably, in the assembled first roller assembly 2a, the rotation axis of the first roller member 21a (i.e., the first axis 23a) can be parallel to the output shaft of the first drive motor 22a.

[0242] like Figure 12 As shown, the first roller assembly 2a can be connected to the bracket 1 via the motor support portion 25. For example, the second base plate 251 of the motor support portion 25 can be fixed to the first bracket end 11 of the bracket 1 by means of fasteners, welding, bonding, etc. When the first roller assembly 2a is installed on the bracket 1, the axis of rotation of the first roller member 21a is approximately perpendicular to the bracket 1. For example, the first axis 23a of the first roller member 21a extends approximately along the thickness direction (third direction D3) of the bracket 1.

[0243] like Figure 14 As shown, the elastic device may include a first elastic device 246a and a second elastic device 246b. The first elastic device 246a and the second elastic device 246b may be arranged at intervals along the length direction of the first substrate 241, for example, symmetrically arranged with respect to the centerline of the length direction of the first substrate 241. Preferably, the first elastic device 246a and the second elastic device 246b may be symmetrically disposed at both ends of the length direction of the first substrate 241.

[0244] For ease of description, this document designates the first elastic device 246a as the elastic device close to the support 1 after the first roller assembly 2a is installed on the support 1, and the second elastic device 246b as the elastic device away from the support 1 after installation. It should be understood that the above designation is not intended to constitute a limitation on the installation position, arrangement, etc. of the elastic devices, and therefore, the first elastic device 246a and the second elastic device 246b can be used interchangeably.

[0245] The first elastic device 246a and the second elastic device 246b can be configured to be clamped between the first substrate 241 and the second substrate 251 for adjusting the distance or tilt angle of the first substrate 241 relative to the second substrate 251. Since the first roller member 21a is mounted on the first substrate 241, the local distance or tilt of the first roller member 21a relative to the second substrate 251 can be indirectly adjusted by adjusting the first elastic device 246a and the second elastic device 246b.

[0246] The elastic device may further include an elastic element and a fastener. Figure 14 In this design, the elastic element and fastener are exemplarily shown as a spring and a bolt. The spring can be clamped between the first substrate 241 and the second substrate 251, and the two end faces of the spring can respectively contact or press against two opposing surfaces of the first substrate 241 and the second substrate 251. The bolt can pass sequentially through a through-hole in the second substrate 251 and the spring, thereby locking into a corresponding threaded hole in the first substrate 241.

[0247] The aforementioned structural design of the roller assembly allows for adjustment of the elastic deformation of the elastic devices to ensure the roller component's levelness. For example, when manufacturing or assembly errors cause the roller component to be non-parallel to the printing platform or its parallelism to the printing platform to be unsatisfactory, the height and orientation of the roller component relative to the printing platform can be locally adjusted by changing the elastic deformation of one or more of the elastic devices (e.g., by tightening or loosening bolts), thereby restoring it to parallelism with the printing platform and ensuring the required parallelism. Levelness adjustment ensures that the rotating surface of the roller component uniformly contacts the ink that needs to be leveled, thus improving print quality.

[0248] For example, after the 3D printing equipment 400 is assembled, the relative positional relationship between the first roller assembly 2a and the printing platform may have been fixed. At this time, if it is found that an angle of inclination is formed between the first axis 23a of the first roller assembly 21a and the printing surface of the printing platform—for example, the distance between the side of the first roller assembly 21a closer to the support 1 and the printing platform is smaller, while the distance between the side of the first roller assembly 21a farther from the support 1 and the printing platform is larger—in other words, in the above example scenario, the first axis 23a of the first roller assembly 21a gradually deviates from the printing platform along the direction away from the support 1. This deviation may affect the leveling effect of the first roller assembly 21a on the ink that has dripped onto the printing platform. Therefore, the aforementioned angular deviation can be corrected by the exemplary elastic device provided herein.

[0249] For example, the first elastic device 246a can be appropriately tightened. This tightening operation can force the first substrate 241 and the second substrate 251 to further compress the elastic element in the first elastic device 246a, thereby compressing the length of the elastic element to a shorter length. Since the second substrate 251 has already maintained a relatively fixed positional relationship with the printing platform via the support 1 and the base 3, the shortened elastic element can partially drive the first substrate 241 toward the second substrate 251. Furthermore, due to the relatively fixed positional relationship between the first roller member 21a and the first substrate 241, the height of the portion of the first roller member 21a near the support 1 will also be increased, thereby increasing the distance between this portion and the printing platform. This allows for correction of the tilt angle of the first roller member 21a relative to the printing platform, making it parallel to the printing platform again.

[0250] In this example, in addition to tightening the first elastic device 246a, the second elastic device 246b can also be loosened to achieve the same or similar effect. Specifically, when the second elastic device 246b is appropriately loosened, the elastic element, which was originally in a compressed state, will gradually restore its length as the clamping force between the first substrate 241 and the second substrate 251 decreases, thereby partially pushing the first substrate 241 away from the second substrate 251. This partial pushing action can reduce the distance between the portion of the first roller member 21a away from the support 1 and the printing platform until the first roller member 21a is once again parallel to the printing platform.

[0251] In the case where the deviation angle between the first roller component 21a and the printing platform is opposite, the adjustment method used is similar to the exemplary adjustment method described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0252] Alternatively, the elastic device may consist of only one elastic device. For example, when the elastic device is offset relative to the length center of the roller member along the rotation axis of the roller member, the local height of the roller member can be increased by tightening the elastic device, thereby keeping the adjusted local position of the roller member at the same height as other parts of the roller member (whose height is higher than the height before the local position was adjusted, causing the roller member to be tilted overall towards the printing platform), thus allowing the roller member to be parallel to the printing platform again as a whole. Alternatively, the local height of the roller member can be decreased by loosening the elastic device, thereby keeping the adjusted local position of the roller member at the same height as other parts of the roller member (whose height is lower than the height before the local position was adjusted, causing the roller member to be tilted overall towards the printing platform), thus allowing the roller member to be parallel to the printing platform again as a whole.

[0253] It should be understood that this document exemplifies the principle of adjusting the level of the roller component by using examples of elastic devices including only one elastic device or including two elastic devices (i.e., the first elastic device 246a and the second elastic device 246b). However, these embodiments are not intended to limit the number of elastic devices to one or two. Therefore, any scheme with other numbers of elastic devices should also be understood to be included within the scope of protection of this invention, as long as it conforms to and utilizes this principle.

[0254] To further ensure the adjustment effect on the parallelism of the first roller component 21a relative to the printing platform, in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the roller assembly may further include a limiting mechanism. The limiting mechanism serves to limit or guide the roller support portion 24 (e.g., the first substrate 241).

[0255] The limiting mechanism can be configured to constrain the roller support portion 24 or the roller member located thereon from moving along the extension and retraction direction of the elastic device. Further, the limiting mechanism can be configured to constrain the roller support portion 24 or the roller member located thereon from moving in a plane formed by the extension and retraction direction of the elastic device and the extension direction of the rotation axis of the roller member. The limiting mechanism may include a first limiting plate 247a and a second limiting plate 247b. The first limiting plate 247a and the second limiting plate 247b can be configured to jointly form a channel for the roller member to move in the extension and retraction direction of the elastic device or in the aforementioned plane.

[0256] Continue to refer to Figure 14 The first limiting plate 247a may be disposed on one side of the width direction (e.g., the first direction D1) of the first substrate 241, while the second limiting plate 247b may be disposed on the other side of the width direction of the first substrate 241. The first limiting plate 247a and the second limiting plate 247b may be configured to contact or abut against the corresponding side of the first substrate 241 and clamp the first substrate 241 between them. The width direction of the first substrate 241 may be substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the rotation axis of the first roller member 21a.

[0257] The first limiting plate 247a and the second limiting plate 247b may extend from the first substrate 241 to the second substrate 251 and have a fixing end at the second substrate 251. The fixing end can be used to fix the first limiting plate 247a and the second limiting plate 247b to the second substrate 251.

[0258] Preferably, the first limiting plate 247a and the second limiting plate 247b can extend to the corresponding side of the second substrate 251 along the width direction (e.g., the first direction D1), and are locked to the second substrate 251 by means of a fixing end and fasteners. In this example, the fixing end may be provided with a fixing hole.

[0259] Preferably, the first limiting plate 247a and the second limiting plate 247b can be disposed relative to each other (e.g., symmetrically) on each side of the first substrate 241 along the width direction.

[0260] In the above embodiment, the limiting plates located on both sides of the first substrate 241 can clamp the first substrate 241 therein, and at the same time the limiting plates are fixed to the second substrate 251. Therefore, when the local distance or inclination of the first substrate 241 relative to the second substrate 251 is adjusted by the elastic device, the presence of the limiting plates can always limit or constrain the movement of the first substrate 241 in the channel formed by the limiting plates (for example, the channel between the first limiting plate 247a and the second limiting plate 247b).

[0261] Preferably, the channel formed by the limiting plate can extend along the length direction of the first substrate 241 or the second substrate 251. More preferably, the extension direction of the channel can also be parallel to the thickness direction of the bracket 1.

[0262] Therefore, based on the above structural design of the limiting mechanism, when the position of the first substrate 241 is adjusted by the elastic device to adjust the parallelism of the first roller member 21a relative to the printing platform, even if the elastic device may potentially undergo some degree of bending or torsional deformation, the limiting or guiding effect of the limiting mechanism on the first substrate 241 can prevent the first roller member 21a from undergoing undesirable positional changes, thereby ensuring that no other positional deviations are introduced when adjusting the parallelism of the first roller member 21a.

[0263] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first roller assembly 2a may further include a cleaning device configured to clean the rotating surface of the first roller member 21a. The cleaning device may be fixed to the roller support portion 24, for example, to one or more of the first substrate 241, the first side arm 242, and the second side arm 243.

[0264] Preferably, the cleaning device can be a scraper assembly 26.

[0265] like Figure 14 and Figure 15 As shown, the doctor blade assembly 26 may include a doctor blade 261 and a collection container 262. The collection container 262 may have a collection chamber 263 for receiving residual ink (i.e., waste liquid) scraped from the first roller member 21a. The doctor blade 261 may be fixed to the collection container 262 and may be configured to partially extend beyond the collection container 262 and contact the rotating surface of the first roller member 21a. The doctor blade 261 may be generally elongated and extend along the length of the first roller member 21a. Preferably, the length of the doctor blade 261 corresponds to the length of the first roller member 21a to facilitate ink scraping over the entire length of the first roller member 21a.

[0266] The scraper assembly 26 may also include a liquid collection conduit 264. The liquid collection conduit 264 may be configured to communicate with the liquid collection chamber 263 of the liquid collection box 262 and to discharge waste liquid collected in the liquid collection box 262. Therefore, the liquid collection conduit 264 may also be configured to connect to the waste liquid box of the 3D printing equipment 400, thereby directly discharging the collected waste liquid into the corresponding waste liquid box.

[0267] Furthermore, the scraper assembly 26 may also include a clamping member 265. The clamping member 265 may be configured to press the scraper 261 against the rotating surface of the first roller member 21a. For example, the clamping member 265 may be configured as at least one elastic member. Preferably, the number of elastic members may be two, for example, two elastic members may be arranged symmetrically along the length direction of the scraper 261. The above-mentioned symmetrical arrangement of the elastic members allows the elastic members to apply a relatively uniform clamping force along the length direction of the scraper 261, thereby ensuring that the scraper 261 remains parallel to the first roller member 21a, thereby ensuring the scraping effect of waste liquid. At the same time, since the scraper 261 inevitably exerts a certain force on the first roller member 21a when scraping the waste liquid on the first roller member 21a (e.g., the clamping force from the elastic members), the symmetrical arrangement of the elastic members can also avoid or reduce the risk of positional or directional displacement of the first roller member 21a caused by this force, for example, making the first roller member 21a non-parallel to the printing platform.

[0268] Printing method An exemplary embodiment of the present invention also provides a printing method for a 3D printing device 400. This printing method is particularly suitable for printing 3D objects using SLA technology.

[0269] The printing method may include: during a single leveling process, the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b respectively level the ink ejected by the printhead actuator 100.

[0270] The printing method may also include: during a single printing process, the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment 400 may sequentially pass through the front side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator 100, and the rear side of the printing direction; during a single leveling process, the first roller assembly 2a levels the ink, while the second roller assembly 2b does not level the ink. or, During a single printing process, the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment 400 can sequentially pass through the rear side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator 100, and the front side of the printing direction. During the single leveling process, the second roller assembly 2b levels the ink, while the first roller assembly 2a does not level the ink.

[0271] The printing method may also include: in two adjacent leveling processes, the first roller assembly 2a participates in only one leveling process, and the second roller assembly 2b participates in only the other leveling process.

[0272] The printing method may also include: a leveling process participating in each printing process, or a leveling process participating in one of multiple printing processes.

[0273] The printing method may also include: positioning the first roller assembly 2a and the second roller assembly 2b in the working position at different times.

[0274] The printing method may further include: positioning the first roller assembly 2a to a working position via an actuation mechanism, while simultaneously positioning the second roller assembly 2b to a non-working position, and / or The second roller assembly 2b is positioned to the working position by the actuation mechanism, while the first roller assembly 2a is positioned to the non-working position.

[0275] The printing method may also include: rotating the support 1 clockwise or counterclockwise around the support rotation axis 13 by means of an actuation mechanism to switch the first roller assembly 2a and / or the second roller assembly 2b between a working position and a non-working position.

[0276] The printing method may further include: setting the limiting device 7 on the rotation path of the bracket 1 around the bracket rotation axis 13, and positioning the limiting device 7 toward the bracket 1 and at a preset gap from the bracket 1, thereby limiting the maximum angle by which the bracket 1 can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13 under the actuation of the actuation mechanism.

[0277] The printing method may further include: limiting the maximum angle by which the bracket 1 can rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13 under the actuation of the actuation mechanism by one of the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72, and The maximum angle by which the bracket 1 can rotate counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis 13 under the actuation of the actuation mechanism is limited by either the first limiting device 71 or the second limiting device 72.

[0278] As mentioned above, the traditional printing method using a single leveling roller cannot avoid the problem of empty return between two consecutive printing processes. Because an empty return operation must be performed between two consecutive printing processes, this results in traditional SLA printers only achieving about half of the total printing time when printing 3D objects; that is, an actual printing efficiency of only about 50%. This significantly impacts the overall printing efficiency of the printer.

[0279] The printing method provided by this invention enables continuous printing in the 3D printing process. For example, it effectively avoids the empty return problem that is unavoidable in traditional SLA printers. Therefore, this printing method can significantly improve the printing efficiency of the printer. For example, compared with traditional SLA printers, this printing method can more than double the printing efficiency.

[0280] The above description of various embodiments of the present invention is provided for illustrative purposes to a person skilled in the art. It is not intended to limit the invention to a single disclosed embodiment. As taught above, those skilled in the art will understand various alternatives and variations of the invention. Therefore, although some alternative embodiments have been specifically described, those skilled in the art will understand or relatively easily develop other embodiments. The present invention is intended to include all alternatives, modifications, and variations of the invention described herein, as well as other embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the invention described above.

Claims

1. A 3D printing device, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment includes a nozzle actuator and a leveling mechanism (200) connected to the nozzle actuator. The leveling mechanism (200) includes: A first roller assembly (2a) and a second roller assembly (2b) are located on both sides of the printhead actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism (200). The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are configured to level the ink ejected by the printhead actuator individually in a single leveling process.

2. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first roller assembly (2a) is located on the rear side of the printing direction, and the second roller assembly (2b) is located on the front side of the printing direction. The printing platform of the 3D printing equipment is configured to pass sequentially through the front side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the rear side of the printing direction during a single printing process. The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are configured to: during the single leveling process, the first roller assembly (2a) levels the ink, and the second roller assembly (2b) does not level the ink. or, The first roller assembly (2a) is located on the rear side of the printing direction, and the second roller assembly (2b) is located on the front side of the printing direction. The printing platform of the 3D printing equipment is configured to pass sequentially through the rear side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the front side of the printing direction during a single printing process. The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are configured to: during the single leveling process, the second roller assembly (2b) levels the ink, while the first roller assembly (2a) does not level the ink.

3. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are configured such that, in two adjacent leveling processes, the first roller assembly (2a) participates in only one leveling process and the second roller assembly (2b) participates in only the other leveling process.

4. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The leveling process is involved in each printing process, or the leveling process is involved in one of multiple printing processes.

5. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are configured to switch between working and non-working positions and to not be in the working position at the same time.

6. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that, The leveling mechanism (200) further includes an actuation mechanism, wherein the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are respectively connected to the actuation mechanism; The actuation mechanism is configured to: Position the first roller assembly (2a) to the working position, while simultaneously positioning the second roller assembly (2b) to the non-working position, and / or Position the second roller assembly (2b) to the working position, while positioning the first roller assembly (2a) to the non-working position.

7. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The actuation mechanism includes a first actuation mechanism and a second actuation mechanism. The first actuation mechanism is connected to the first roller assembly (2a) and is configured to switch the first roller assembly (2a) between a working position and a non-working position. Furthermore, the second actuation mechanism is connected to the second roller assembly (2b) and is configured to enable the second roller assembly (2b) to switch between a working position and a non-working position.

8. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The leveling mechanism (200) further includes a bracket (1), which has a first bracket end (11) and a second bracket end (12) in the length direction, and has a bracket rotation axis (13) located between the first bracket end (11) and the second bracket end (12). The first roller assembly (2a) is connected to the first support end (11), and the second roller assembly (2b) is connected to the second support end (12). Furthermore, the bracket (1) is connected to the actuation mechanism, which is configured to actuate the bracket (1) to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise about the bracket rotation axis (13) so that the first roller assembly (2a) and / or the second roller assembly (2b) can switch between working and non-working positions.

9. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The leveling mechanism (200) further includes: The base (3) is rotatably connected to the support (1) such that the support (1) can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise relative to the base (3) about the support rotation axis (13).

10. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 9, characterized in that, A rotary motor (6) is disposed at the junction of the bracket (1) and the base (3), and the axis of the output shaft of the rotary motor (6) coincides with the rotation axis (13) of the bracket.

11. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 8, characterized in that, The actuation mechanism includes: Reset device (4), said reset device (4) is connected to said bracket (1) and is configured to actuate said bracket (1) in either clockwise or counterclockwise rotation about said bracket rotation axis (13), and An actuating device (5) is connected to the support (1) and is configured to actuate the support (1) in either a clockwise or counterclockwise rotational motion about the support rotation axis (13).

12. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that, The reset device (4) is an elastic element, one end of which is connected to the bracket (1) and the other end of which is connected to the base (3). Alternatively, the reset device (4) may be a counterweight connected to the bracket (1).

13. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 11, characterized in that, The actuating device (5) is selected from at least one of pneumatic drive device, hydraulic drive device, electric drive device or electromagnetic drive device.

14. The 3D printing apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 13, characterized in that, The leveling mechanism (200) further includes: A limiting device (7) is fixed to the base (3) and is configured to limit the rotation angle of the bracket (1) about the bracket rotation axis (13) clockwise and / or counterclockwise.

15. The 3D printing apparatus according to claim 14, characterized in that, The limiting device (7) includes: A first limiting device (71) is fixed to the base (3) and configured to prevent further rotation of the bracket (1) after the bracket (1) has rotated clockwise by a first angle around the bracket rotation axis (13). The second limiting device (72) is fixed to the base (3) and is configured to block the continued rotation of the bracket (1) after the bracket (1) has rotated counterclockwise by a second angle around the bracket rotation axis (13).

16. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are configured to move synchronously with the nozzle actuator.

17. A 3D printing device, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment includes a nozzle actuator and a leveling mechanism (200) connected to the nozzle actuator. The leveling mechanism (200) includes: The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are located on both sides of the nozzle actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism (200); A support structure, wherein the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are respectively connected to the support structure, and the support structure is configured to drive the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) to move in a direction perpendicular to the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment; Height adjustment device (8), the height adjustment device (8) having at least one adjustment feature (81); and A limiting device (7) is configured to engage with at least one of the adjusting features (81) of the height adjusting device (8) to limit the movement of the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) in the direction perpendicular to the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment, so as to adjust the height of the working position of the first roller assembly (2a) and / or the second roller assembly (2b).

18. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 17, characterized in that, The support structure has a rotation axis located between the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b), and the engagement between the limiting device (7) and the height adjustment device (8) can limit the rotation angle of the support structure.

19. The 3D printing apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, In the leveling direction, the height adjustment device (8) has a plurality of adjustment features (81) distributed at intervals, and the limiting device (7) is configured to engage with any one of the adjustment features to limit the movement of the support structure.

20. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 19, characterized in that, The limiting device (7) includes: A first limiting device (71) is configured to move along the height adjustment device (8) and selectively engage with a first adjustment feature among the plurality of adjustment features (81) to limit the maximum angle of clockwise rotation of the support structure about the rotation axis for adjusting the height of the working position of the first roller assembly (2a). The second limiting device (72) is configured to move along the height adjustment device (8) and to selectively engage with the second adjustment feature of the plurality of adjustment features (81) to limit the maximum angle of counterclockwise rotation of the support structure about the rotation axis for adjusting the height of the working position of the second roller assembly (2b).

21. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 20, characterized in that, The leveling mechanism (200) further includes a scale indicator (84) for indicating the amount of height adjustment of the working position of the first roller assembly (2a) and / or the second roller assembly (2b), the scale indicator (84) being disposed on the support structure.

22. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 21, characterized in that, The scale indicator (84) includes a first scale indicator section (841) having a first scale value and a second scale indicator section (842) having a second scale value. The first scale value is used to indicate the adjustment amount of the height of the working position of the first roller assembly (2a), and the second scale value is used to indicate the adjustment amount of the height of the working position of the second roller assembly (2b).

23. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The height adjustment range of the working position of the first roller assembly (2a) and / or the second roller assembly (2b) is 0 mm to 2 mm.

24. A 3D printing device, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment includes: The nozzle actuator and the leveling mechanism (200) connected to the nozzle actuator, the leveling mechanism (200) comprising: The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are located on both sides of the nozzle actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism (200); Wherein, at least one of the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) includes: The roller base includes a first side arm (242) and a second side arm (243). A roller member rotatably disposed between a first side arm (242) and a second side arm (243), the roller member having a first end and a second end along its length, the first end being connected to the first side arm (242) and the second end being connected to the second side arm (243), the roller member having a rotation axis extending through the first end and the second end. A drive motor, configured to drive the roller member to rotate about the axis of rotation between the first side arm and the second side arm, and An elastic device is disposed on the roller base, and the extension direction of the elastic device is substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the rotation axis. The elastic device is configured to allow at least a portion of the roller member to move along the extension direction, thereby leveling the roller member.

25. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 24, characterized in that, The roller base includes a fixed part and a movable part. One end of the elastic device is connected to the fixed part, and the other end is connected to the movable part. The roller member, the first side arm, and the second side arm are connected to the movable part. The elastic device is configured to allow at least a portion of the movable part to move along the extension direction, thereby leveling the roller member.

26. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 25, characterized in that, The elastic device includes an elastic element and a fastener, the fastener being configured to secure the elastic element between the movable portion and the fixed portion.

27. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 25, characterized in that, The elastic device includes a first elastic device (246a) and a second elastic device (246b), which are located between the movable part and the fixed part. The first elastic device (246a) and the second elastic device (246b) are spaced apart along the extension direction of the rotation axis.

28. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 25, characterized in that, The roller base includes a limiting mechanism, one end of which is connected to the fixed part and the other end extends toward the movable part. The limiting mechanism is configured to restrict the movement of the movable part from deviating from the telescopic direction.

29. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 28, characterized in that, The limiting mechanism includes a first limiting plate (247a) and a second limiting plate (247b), which are configured to together form a channel for the roller component to move along the telescopic direction.

30. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 29, characterized in that, The movable part includes a first substrate (241), the fixed part includes a second substrate (251), and the elastic device is disposed between the first substrate (241) and the second substrate (251). The first limiting plate (247a) and the second limiting plate (247b) are fixed to the second substrate (251).

31. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 30, characterized in that, The first limiting plate (247a) and the second limiting plate (247b) each have a fixed end configured to be fixedly connected to the second substrate (251) and a free end configured to abut against the first substrate (241) and restrict the movement of the movable part in the telescopic direction.

32. The 3D printing equipment according to claim 24, characterized in that, The elastic device is offset relative to the center position of the roller member in the length direction.

33. A printing method for a 3D printing device, the 3D printing device including a nozzle actuator and a leveling mechanism (200) connected to the nozzle actuator, the leveling mechanism (200) including a first roller assembly (2a) and a second roller assembly (2b), the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) being located on opposite sides of the nozzle actuator along the leveling direction of the leveling mechanism (200). The printing method includes: During a single leveling process, the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) respectively level the ink ejected by the printhead actuator.

34. The printing method according to claim 33, characterized in that, The first roller assembly (2a) is located on the rear side in the printing direction, and the second roller assembly (2b) is located on the front side in the printing direction. The printing method includes: During a single printing process, the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment passes sequentially through the front side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the rear side of the printing direction. During the single leveling process, the first roller assembly (2a) levels the ink, while the second roller assembly (2b) does not level the ink. or, During a single printing process, the printing platform of the 3D printing equipment passes sequentially through the rear side of the printing direction, the nozzle actuator, and the front side of the printing direction. During the single leveling process, the second roller assembly (2b) levels the ink, while the first roller assembly (2a) does not level the ink.

35. The printing method according to claim 33, characterized in that, In two adjacent leveling processes, the first roller assembly (2a) participates in only one leveling process, and the second roller assembly (2b) participates in only the other leveling process.

36. The printing method according to claim 33, characterized in that, The leveling process is involved in each printing process, or the leveling process is involved in one of multiple printing processes.

37. The printing method according to claim 33, characterized in that, The first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are not simultaneously positioned in the working position.

38. The printing method according to claim 37, characterized in that, The leveling mechanism includes an actuation mechanism, and the first roller assembly (2a) and the second roller assembly (2b) are respectively connected to the actuation mechanism. The printing method further includes: The actuation mechanism positions the first roller assembly (2a) to the working position and simultaneously positions the second roller assembly (2b) to the non-working position, and / or The actuation mechanism positions the second roller assembly (2b) to the working position and simultaneously positions the first roller assembly (2a) to the non-working position.

39. The printing method according to claim 382, ​​characterized in that, The leveling mechanism (200) includes a bracket (1) connected to the actuation mechanism. The bracket (1) has a first bracket end (11) and a second bracket end (12) in the length direction and has a bracket rotation axis (13) located between the first bracket end (11) and the second bracket end (12). The first roller assembly (2a) is connected to the first bracket end (11), and the second roller assembly (2b) is connected to the second bracket end (12). The printing method further includes: The actuation mechanism causes the support (1) to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around the support rotation axis (13) to switch the first roller assembly (2a) and / or the second roller assembly (2b) between working and non-working positions.

40. The printing method according to any one of claims 33 to 39, characterized in that, The leveling mechanism (200) further includes a limiting device (7), and the printing method further includes: The limiting device (7) is set on the rotation path of the bracket (1) around the rotation axis (13) of the bracket, and the limiting device (7) is positioned toward the bracket (1) and at a predetermined gap from the bracket (1), thereby limiting the maximum angle by which the bracket (1) can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise around the rotation axis (13) of the bracket under the actuation of the actuation mechanism.

41. The printing method according to claim 40, characterized in that, The limiting device (7) includes a first limiting device (71) and a second limiting device (72), and the printing method further includes: The maximum angle by which the bracket (1) can rotate clockwise around the bracket rotation axis (13) under the actuation of the actuation mechanism is limited by either the first limiting device (71) or the second limiting device (72), and The maximum angle by which the bracket (1) can rotate counterclockwise around the bracket rotation axis (13) under the actuation of the actuation mechanism is limited by either the first limiting device (71) or the second limiting device (72).

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