Electroplating execution end, device and 3D printing in-situ electroplating process for 3D printing in-situ electroplating
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202610884298.X
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-06-18
- Publication Date
- 2026-09-25
AI Technical Summary
[0008]发明目的:本发明所要解决的技术问题是针对现有技术的不足,提供一种用于3D打印原位电镀的电镀执行端、设备及3D打印原位电镀工艺,旨在解决接触式3D打印原位电镀过程中电解液易外溢、拖尾和残留,进而导致聚合物基底溶胀、设备腐蚀、非目标区域误镀及绝缘性能下降的问题
[0045]1,本发明的电镀执行端通过自内向外同轴设置的弹性储液接触件、环形负压抽吸流场和内斜环形气墙射流,形成“接触供液-气刀压制-负压回收”的空间耦合结构。内斜环形气墙射流将局部反应区域外侧的电解液向内压制并导向环形负压抽吸流场,由负压回收口同步抽吸回收,从而将电解液有效约束在弹性储液接触件下方的局部反应区域内,抑制电解液向非目标区域外溢、拖尾和残留。由此降低聚合物基底的溶胀风险、避免电镀设备被腐蚀、防止非目标区域误镀及绝缘性能下降。
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Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the fields of additive manufacturing and electrochemical deposition technology, specifically to an electroplating execution end, equipment, and 3D printing in-situ electroplating process for 3D printing in-situ electroplating. Background Technology
[0002] In recent years, 3D printing technology has gradually expanded from structural component forming to the manufacturing of functional devices. By embedding conductive polymer tracks during the printing process, sensing, electrical connections, or signal transmission pathways can be formed within plastic parts. This type of technology shows promising application prospects for three-dimensional electronics, flexible sensors, wearable devices, and small-batch customized circuits.
[0003] Existing conductive polymer filaments typically use PLA thermoplastic polymer as a matrix and are filled with carbon black, graphite, graphene, or carbon nanotubes. Although these materials can be formed along the printing path, the trace resistance after printing is still significantly higher than that of metal wires due to the influence of the continuous phase of the polymer matrix and the dispersion state of the fillers. In applications requiring lower line loss, higher current carrying capacity, or stable signal transmission, relying solely on the conductive polymer itself is often insufficient.
[0004] To reduce the resistance of conductive polymer tracks, existing methods have attempted to locally electroplate the conductive polymer tracks after printing, covering their surface with a copper metal layer. Compared to whole-part immersion electroplating, in-situ local electroplating is more suitable for integration with 3D printing equipment and is also better at maintaining the insulation state of non-conductive areas. However, in actual operation, contact electroplating generally requires a sponge carrying electrolyte to contact the conductive polymer tracks, and the electrolyte is prone to overflowing from the edges when moving, turning, vibrating, or when the sponge is under uneven pressure.
[0005] Spilled acidic or saline electrolytes can cause several problems: First, the PLA polymer substrate may experience localized liquid absorption, swelling, softening, or dimensional changes; second, electrolyte vapor or splashing droplets may corrode printer nozzles, guide rails, lead screws, and heating components; third, residual liquid films may cross non-conductive areas, causing misplating, short circuits, or decreased insulation performance. These problems are even more pronounced with flexible TPU substrates or multi-channel circuits with small spacing.
[0006] Therefore, an in-situ electroplating process is needed that can move in sync with the 3D printing trajectory, ensuring that the electrolyte remains primarily in the electroplating reaction micro-region and that residual electrolyte is promptly recovered during the movement of the electroplating head. Ideally, this process should not rely on complex software reconstruction or require significant modifications to the 3D printer itself, thus facilitating implementation on existing equipment.
[0007] The information disclosed in this background section is intended only to enhance the understanding of the overall background of the invention and should not be construed as an admission or in any way implying that the information constitutes prior art known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention
[0008] Purpose of the invention: The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to address the shortcomings of the prior art by providing an electroplating execution end, equipment and 3D printing in-situ electroplating process for 3D printing, which aims to solve the problems of easy overflow, tailing and residue of electrolyte in contact 3D printing in-situ electroplating process, which leads to polymer substrate swelling, equipment corrosion, misplating of non-target areas and deterioration of insulation performance.
[0009] To address the aforementioned technical problems, a first aspect of the present invention discloses an electroplating execution end for in-situ electroplating in 3D printing, comprising:
[0010] The actuator body has an actuator end face facing the conductive polymer track to be electroplated on the substrate;
[0011] An electroplating assembly is supported on the execution end body. The electroplating assembly includes an elastic liquid reservoir contact and an anode body. The elastic liquid reservoir contact protrudes from the execution end face and is used to connect to an electrolyte supply system and supply electrolyte to the conductive polymer track to be electroplated, thereby forming a local reaction region between the elastic liquid reservoir contact and the conductive polymer track to be electroplated. The anode body extends at least partially into the elastic liquid reservoir contact and is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the electroplating power supply, and forms an electrodeposition current path with the conductive polymer track to be electroplated through the electrolyte in the elastic liquid reservoir contact.
[0012] A negative pressure recovery port is provided along the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact member, which is used to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact member.
[0013] The gas jet structure is arranged along the outer periphery of the negative pressure recovery port to form an inner oblique annular air wall jet on the outer periphery of the annular negative pressure suction flow field. This restricts the outward diffusion of electrolyte outside the local reaction area when the elastic liquid storage contact contacts the trajectory of the conductive polymer to be electroplated, and guides the electrolyte outside the local reaction area to the annular negative pressure suction flow field for suction and recovery by the negative pressure recovery port.
[0014] In one embodiment, the bottom end of the negative pressure recovery port and the gas injection structure is configured such that when the elastic liquid storage contact is in elastic contact with the conductive polymer track to be electroplated and is compressed, the bottom end of the negative pressure recovery port and the gas injection structure still maintain a non-contact gap with the substrate.
[0015] In one embodiment, the substrate is an insulating polymer substrate that is susceptible to saturation and softening by electrolyte; the conductive polymer trail can be formed on the insulating substrate by 3D printing, dispensing, inkjet printing, screen printing, or coating.
[0016] In one embodiment, the negative pressure recovery port is an annular suction port surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact element, and the gap width W1 of the annular suction port is 0.5mm-1.0mm.
[0017] In one embodiment, the gas injection structure is an inwardly inclined annular slit nozzle surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact element, with a slit width W2 of 0.10mm-0.15mm and an angle θ between the injection direction and the central axis of the electroplating execution end of 15°-30°.
[0018] In one embodiment, the elastic liquid reservoir contact is a PVA liquid reservoir sponge with an average pore size of 50μm-150μm, and the protrusion height H1 of the bottom end of the elastic liquid reservoir contact relative to the actuating end face is 0.5mm.
[0019] In one embodiment, the anode body is a metal anode adapted to the target deposited metal.
[0020] In one specific embodiment, the anode body is a copper wire with a diameter of φ1.0mm-φ1.2mm and a purity greater than or equal to 99.99%.
[0021] In one embodiment, the actuator body also includes an annular negative pressure suction chamber with a negative pressure suction port, an annular air knife chamber with a high-pressure air inlet, and an electrolyte supply channel.
[0022] The annular negative pressure suction chamber is connected to the negative pressure recovery port, and the negative pressure suction port is used to connect to the waste liquid bottle via the recovery pipeline. The waste liquid bottle is connected to the vacuum pump so that the vacuum pump forms the annular negative pressure suction flow field on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact through the waste liquid bottle and the recovery pipeline.
[0023] The annular air knife chamber is connected to the gas injection structure, and the high-pressure gas inlet is used to connect to the gas supply source via the gas supply pipeline;
[0024] One end of the electrolyte supply channel is connected to the elastic liquid storage contact, and the other end is used to connect to the electrolyte storage container via the supply pump.
[0025] In one embodiment, the gas injection structure, the negative pressure recovery port, and the electrolyte supply channel are integrally formed on the actuator body.
[0026] A second aspect of the present invention discloses an in-situ electroplating apparatus for 3D printing, comprising: an electroplating execution end as described in any of the above embodiments; a platform for carrying and holding a 3D printed part to be processed, the 3D printed part including a substrate and a conductive polymer trajectory to be electroplated formed on the substrate; a motion execution mechanism, at least one of the electroplating execution end and the platform being connected to the motion execution mechanism for causing the electroplating execution end to travel relative to the conductive polymer trajectory to be electroplated on an insulating substrate; and an electroplating power supply, the positive terminal of the electroplating power supply being electrically connected to the anode body of the electroplating execution end, wherein the electroplating power supply... The negative electrode is electrically connected to the conductive polymer track; the electrolyte supply system is connected to the electroplating execution end and is used to supply electrolyte to the elastic liquid storage contact of the electroplating execution end; the negative pressure recovery system is connected to the negative pressure recovery port of the electroplating execution end and is used to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field at the negative pressure recovery port; the gas supply system is connected to the gas injection structure of the electroplating execution end and is used to form an inwardly oblique annular air wall jet at the gas injection structure; and the control system is connected to the motion execution mechanism, the electroplating power supply, the electrolyte supply system, the negative pressure recovery system and the gas supply system respectively.
[0027] In one embodiment, the control system is configured to: control the negative pressure recovery system and the gas supply system to start before the elastic liquid storage contact contacts the conductive polymer trajectory to be electroplated and supplies electrolyte; after the elastic liquid storage contact contacts the conductive polymer trajectory to be electroplated, control the electrolyte supply system to supply electrolyte, control the electroplating power supply to form an electrodeposition current path, and control the motion actuator to make the electroplating execution end move relative to the conductive polymer trajectory to be electroplated; after the electroplating execution end reaches the end point of the conductive polymer trajectory to be electroplated, control the electroplating power supply and the electrolyte supply system to stop, and continue to maintain the operation of the negative pressure recovery system and the gas supply system for a predetermined time.
[0028] In one embodiment, the electrolyte supply system includes a supply pump and an electrolyte storage container. The electrolyte storage container is connected to the electroplating execution end via the supply pump and is used to supply electrolyte to the elastic storage contact of the electroplating execution end.
[0029] In one embodiment, the negative pressure recovery system includes a waste liquid bottle, a vacuum pump, and a recovery pipeline. The negative pressure suction port of the electroplating execution end is connected to the waste liquid bottle via the recovery pipeline, and the waste liquid bottle is connected to the vacuum pump, so as to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field in the negative pressure recovery structure.
[0030] In one embodiment, the gas supply system includes a gas supply source and a gas supply pipeline. The gas supply source is connected to the gas injection structure of the electroplating execution end via the gas supply pipeline, so as to enable the gas injection structure to form an inwardly oblique annular air wall jet.
[0031] A third aspect of the present invention discloses a 3D printing in-situ electroplating process for in-situ metal deposition on the surface of a conductive polymer track formed on an insulating substrate by 3D printing. This process can be implemented using the electroplating execution end described in any of the foregoing embodiments, and includes the following steps:
[0032] S1, flow field pre-start: Move the electroplating execution end above the conductive polymer trajectory to be electroplated and keep it hovering. A ring-shaped negative pressure suction flow field and an inwardly inclined ring-shaped air wall jet are formed above the conductive polymer trajectory through the negative pressure recovery port and the gas injection structure, respectively.
[0033] S2, Contact Liquid Supply: The elastic liquid storage contact of the electroplating execution end is brought into contact with and pressed against the conductive polymer track, and then a small amount of electrolyte is supplied to the elastic liquid storage contact to form a local reaction liquid film between the bottom surface of the elastic liquid storage contact and the conductive polymer track.
[0034] S3, follow-up electroplating: forming an electrodeposition current path between the anode body in the electroplating execution end and the conductive polymer trajectory, while driving the electroplating execution end to move along the conductive polymer trajectory; during the movement, the inward oblique annular gas wall jet formed by the gas jet structure restricts the electrolyte from spreading outward, and the negative pressure recovery port simultaneously removes the residual liquid after the reaction and the follow-up tail liquid film.
[0035] S4, Liquid Disconnection Cleaning: After the electroplating execution end reaches the end of the conductive polymer trajectory, the electrodeposition current path and the electrolyte supply to the elastic liquid storage contact are disconnected, so that the electroplating execution end leaves the conductive polymer trajectory, and the annular negative pressure suction flow field and the inner inclined annular air wall jet are maintained for a predetermined time to remove the residual electrolyte in the endpoint area and the bottom of the elastic liquid storage contact.
[0036] In one embodiment, in step S1, the electroplating execution end is suspended above the conductive polymer trajectory at a distance of 1.0mm-2.0mm.
[0037] In one embodiment, in steps S1 and S3, the gas source pressure of the gas injection structure is 0.20MPa-0.60MPa, preferably 0.35MPa-0.50MPa; the suction negative pressure of the negative pressure recovery port is -20kPa to -55kPa, preferably -30kPa to -45kPa.
[0038] In step S2, the axial compression of the elastic liquid reservoir contact after contacting the conductive polymer track is 0.3mm-0.5mm and less than the protrusion height of the bottom end of the elastic liquid reservoir contact relative to the actuating end face. The supply flow rate of the electrolyte is 0.10mL / min-0.80mL / min, preferably 0.20mL / min-0.50mL / min.
[0039] In step S3, the electroplating execution end moves continuously along the conductive polymer trajectory, and the moving speed of the electroplating execution end is 0.05mm / s-5.00mm / s, preferably 0.10mm / s-1.00mm / s;
[0040] In step S3, the electroplating power supply is a DC electroplating power supply with a peak current density of 4.5A / dm²-10A / dm².
[0041] In one embodiment, in step S4, the predetermined duration is 3s-5s.
[0042] In one embodiment, the electrolyte is an acidic copper sulfate electrolyte.
[0043] In one embodiment, the conductive polymer trajectory is formed by a thermoplastic polymer composite material modified with conductive filler, wherein the thermoplastic polymer includes any one or a combination of two or more of PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU; the conductive filler is any one or a combination of two or more of carbon black, graphite, graphene, or carbon nanotubes; and the insulating substrate is any one or a combination of two or more of PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU.
[0044] Beneficial effects:
[0045] 1. The electroplating execution end of this invention forms a spatially coupled structure of "contact liquid supply - air knife suppression - negative pressure recovery" through an elastic liquid storage contact element coaxially arranged from the inside out, an annular negative pressure suction flow field, and an inwardly inclined annular air wall jet. The inwardly inclined annular air wall jet suppresses the electrolyte outside the local reaction area inward and guides it to the annular negative pressure suction flow field, where it is simultaneously sucked back by the negative pressure recovery port. This effectively confines the electrolyte within the local reaction area below the elastic liquid storage contact element, suppressing electrolyte overflow, tailing, and residue in non-target areas. This reduces the risk of polymer substrate swelling, avoids corrosion of the electroplating equipment, prevents misplating in non-target areas, and prevents degradation of insulation performance.
[0046] 2. In the process of this invention, before the elastic liquid reservoir contact element contacts the conductive polymer trajectory and supplies electrolyte, the negative pressure recovery system and the air supply system are activated to pre-form a stable liquid control boundary above the trajectory. After electroplating, the negative pressure suction and air wall jet operation are maintained for a delay to clean the residual electrolyte in the endpoint area and at the bottom of the elastic liquid reservoir contact element. This timing control can reduce the common droplet residue at the start and end points of the trajectory, and improve the selectivity and surface cleanliness of the electroplating area.
[0047] 3. The electroplating actuator of this invention can be integrated into the motion actuator of an existing 3D printer. That is, it utilizes the existing motion platform and trajectory data of the 3D printer, requiring only the addition of a simple gas-liquid control module to achieve in-situ electroplating without significant modifications to the main structure of the printer. Therefore, this invention has good versatility and is easy to promote and apply on existing equipment.
[0048] 4. The negative pressure recovery port and gas jet structure maintain a non-contact gap with the substrate during operation, avoiding rigid scratching; simultaneously, the flexible contact of the elastic liquid storage contact can adapt to the surface morphology of the conductive polymer trajectory. This invention is applicable to various insulating substrate materials such as PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU, and is especially suitable for flexible substrates sensitive to liquid residue and high-density circuits with small spacing.
[0049] 5. By independently adjusting process parameters such as electrolyte supply flow rate, negative pressure suction intensity, air knife pressure, and electroplating execution end travel speed, this invention can adapt to the needs of different conductive polymer trajectory widths and different conductive filler materials, facilitating subsequent parameter optimization and batch application. Attached Figure Description
[0050] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, and the advantages of the present invention in the above and / or other aspects will become clearer.
[0051] Figure 1 This is a front cross-sectional view of the electroplating execution end for in-situ electroplating in 3D printing, provided in the first embodiment of the present invention, in the hovering position.
[0052] Figure 2 This is a main cross-sectional view of the electroplating execution end contacting and compressing the conductive polymer trajectory for in-situ electroplating in 3D printing, provided as a first embodiment of the present invention.
[0053] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the 3D printing in-situ electroplating equipment provided in the first embodiment of the present invention;
[0054] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the 3D printing in-situ electroplating process provided in the first embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0055] The reference numerals in the accompanying drawings of this invention are explained as follows: 100, electroplating actuator; 110, actuator body; 111, actuator face; 112, negative pressure suction port; 113, annular negative pressure suction chamber; 114, high-pressure gas inlet; 115, annular air knife chamber; 116, electrolyte supply channel; 120, electroplating assembly; 121, elastic liquid storage contact; 122, anode body; 123, local reaction zone; 130, negative pressure recovery port; 131, annular negative pressure suction flow field; 140, gas jet structure. ; 141. Inner inclined annular air wall jet; 210. Substrate; 220. Conductive polymer trajectory; 300. Electrolyte supply system; 310. Supply pump; 320. Electrolyte storage container; 400. Electroplating power supply; 500. Negative pressure recovery system; 510. Waste liquid bottle; 520. Vacuum pump; 530. Recovery pipeline; 600. Gas supply system; 610. Gas supply source; 620. Gas supply pipeline; 630. Pressure regulating valve; 700. Platform; 800. Motion actuator; 900. Control system.
[0056] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the first aspect of this application provides an electroplating execution end 100 for in-situ electroplating in 3D printing. The electroplating execution end 100 includes an execution end body 110, an electroplating component 120, a negative pressure recovery port 130, and a gas jet structure 140.
[0057] The actuator body 110 has an actuator face 111 facing the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated on the substrate 210.
[0058] The electroplating assembly 120 is supported on the execution end body 110. The electroplating assembly 120 includes an elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 and an anode body 122. The elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 protrudes from the execution end face 111 and is used to connect to the electrolyte supply system 300 and supply liquid to the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated, so as to form a local reaction region 123 between the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 and the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated. The anode body 122 extends at least partially into the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 and is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the electroplating power supply 400, and forms an electrodeposition current path with the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated through the electrolyte in the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121.
[0059] The negative pressure recovery port 130 is provided along the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact 121 to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact 121.
[0060] The gas jet structure 140 is arranged along the outer periphery of the negative pressure recovery port 130 to form an inner oblique annular gas wall jet 141 on the outer periphery of the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131. This enables the electrolyte outside the local reaction area 123 to be restricted from spreading outward when the elastic liquid storage contact 121 contacts the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated, and guides the electrolyte outside the local reaction area 123 to the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 for suction and recovery by the negative pressure recovery port 130.
[0061] In this application, contact liquid supply refers to the elastic contact element making elastic contact with the conductive polymer track to be electroplated, and forming a local reaction liquid film between the bottom surface of the elastic contact element and the conductive polymer track to be electroplated through the electrolyte stored or continuously replenished inside the elastic contact element.
[0062] In one embodiment, such as Figure 2 As shown, the bottom ends of the negative pressure recovery port 130 and the gas injection structure 140 are configured such that when the elastic liquid storage contact 121 is in elastic contact with the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated and is compressed, the bottom ends of the negative pressure recovery port 130 and the gas injection structure 140 still maintain a non-contact gap with the substrate 210.
[0063] In one embodiment, the substrate 210 is an insulating polymer substrate; the conductive polymer trace 220 may be formed on the insulating substrate by 3D printing, dispensing, inkjet printing, screen printing or coating.
[0064] In one embodiment, the negative pressure recovery port 130 is an annular suction port surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact 121, and the gap width W1 of the annular suction port is 0.5mm-1.0mm.
[0065] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the gas injection structure 140 is an inwardly inclined annular slit nozzle surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact 121. The slit width W2 is 0.10mm-0.15mm, and the angle θ between the injection direction and the central axis of the electroplating execution end 100 is 15°-30°.
[0066] The gas jet structure 140 ejects an inwardly inclined annular gas wall jet 141 that acts towards the inside of the local reaction region 123, which can push the outwardly expanding liquid film toward the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131, rather than simply blowing it away to the external substrate.
[0067] In one embodiment, the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 can be made of PVA liquid reservoir sponge. For acidic copper sulfate electrolyte, PVA microporous sponge has good capillary liquid holding capacity and resilience. Its average pore size is 50μm-150μm. The protrusion height H1 of the bottom end of the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 relative to the actuating end face 111 is 0.3mm-0.5mm, so as to form a stable elastic clamping when contacting the conductive polymer track 220.
[0068] In one embodiment, the anode body 122 employs an anode material compatible with the target deposited metal, such as copper wire for depositing a copper layer, nickel wire for depositing a nickel layer, or other metallic materials suitable for use as an anode in a corresponding electrolyte system. More specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 wraps around the outside of the anode body 122 and extends along the direction of the anode body 122. The elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 extends beyond the anode body 122, and the extended portion is used to form an elastic contact with the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated during the in-situ electroplating process, such as... Figure 2 As shown.
[0069] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, an annular negative pressure suction chamber 113 with a negative pressure suction port 112 is also formed inside the execution end body 110. The annular negative pressure suction chamber 113 is connected to the negative pressure recovery port 130. The negative pressure suction port 112 is used to connect to the waste liquid bottle 510 through the recovery pipeline 530. The waste liquid bottle 510 is connected to the vacuum pump 520 so that the vacuum pump 520 forms an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact member 121 through the waste liquid bottle 510 and the recovery pipeline 530.
[0070] Specifically, by controlling the start / stop or suction power of the vacuum pump 520, an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 is established on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact 121. More specifically, when the vacuum pump 520 is started, the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 is established; when the vacuum pump 520 is turned off, the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 is canceled.
[0071] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the execution end body 110 also forms an annular air knife chamber 115 with a high-pressure air inlet 114. The annular air knife chamber 115 is connected to the gas injection structure 140. The high-pressure air inlet 114 is used to connect to the air supply source 610 via the air supply pipeline 620.
[0072] Specifically, by controlling the start / stop or supply pressure of the gas source 610, an inwardly inclined annular air wall jet 141 is established at the gas injection structure 140. More specifically, when the gas source 610 is started, an inwardly inclined annular air wall jet 141 is formed at the gas injection structure 140; when the gas source 610 is turned off, the inwardly inclined annular air wall jet 141 is canceled.
[0073] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, an electrolyte supply channel 116 is also formed inside the execution end body 110. One end of the electrolyte supply channel 116 is connected to the elastic liquid storage contact 121, and the other end is used to connect to the electrolyte storage container 320 via the supply pump 310.
[0074] Specifically, electrolyte is supplied to the elastic reservoir contact 121 by controlling the start / stop or flow rate of the supply pump 310. More specifically, when the supply pump 310 is started, electrolyte is delivered to the elastic reservoir contact 121 through the electrolyte supply channel 116; when the supply pump 310 is turned off, the electrolyte supply to the elastic reservoir contact 121 is disconnected.
[0075] In one embodiment, such as Figure 1 As shown, the gas injection structure 140 and the negative pressure recovery port 130 can be integrally formed on the actuator body 110.
[0076] More specifically, the actuator body 110 can be 3D printed using photosensitive resin, or it can be machined from corrosion-resistant materials such as PTFE and PEEK.
[0077] The second aspect of this application provides a 3D printing in-situ electroplating apparatus, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the device includes: an electroplating execution end 100 according to any of the above embodiments; a platform 700 for carrying and holding a 3D printed part to be processed, the 3D printed part including a substrate and a conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated formed on the substrate; a motion execution mechanism 800, at least one of the electroplating execution end 100 and the platform 700 being connected to the motion execution mechanism 800 for causing the electroplating execution end 100 to travel relative to the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated on the insulating substrate; and an electroplating power supply 400, the positive terminal of the electroplating power supply 400 being electrically connected to the anode body 122 of the electroplating execution end 100, and the negative terminal of the electroplating power supply 400 being electrically connected to the conductive polymer track 220. An electrolyte supply system 300 is connected to the electroplating execution end 100 and is used to supply electrolyte to the elastic liquid storage contact 121 of the electroplating execution end 100; a negative pressure recovery system 500 is connected to the negative pressure recovery port 130 of the electroplating execution end 100 and is used to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 in the negative pressure recovery port 130; a gas supply system 600 is connected to the gas injection structure 140 of the electroplating execution end 100 and is used to form an inwardly inclined annular air wall jet 141 in the gas injection structure 140; and a control system 900 is connected to the motion execution mechanism 800, the electroplating power supply 400, the electrolyte supply system 300, the negative pressure recovery system 500, and the gas supply system 600.
[0078] In one embodiment, the control system 900 is configured to: start the negative pressure recovery system 500 and the gas supply system 600 before the elastic liquid storage contact 121 contacts the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated and supplies electrolyte; after the elastic liquid storage contact 121 contacts the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated, control the electrolyte supply system 300 to supply electrolyte, control the electroplating power supply 400 to form an electrodeposition current path, and control the motion actuator 800 to make the electroplating execution end 100 move relative to the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated; after the electroplating execution end 100 reaches the end point of the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated, control the electroplating power supply 400 and the electrolyte supply system 300 to stop, and continue to maintain the operation of the negative pressure recovery system 500 and the gas supply system 600 for a predetermined period of time.
[0079] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the electrolyte supply system 300 includes a supply pump 310 and an electrolyte storage container 320. The electrolyte storage container 320 is connected to the electroplating execution end 100 via the supply pump 310 and is used to supply electrolyte to the elastic storage contact 121 of the electroplating execution end 100.
[0080] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the negative pressure recovery system 500 includes a waste liquid bottle 510, a vacuum pump 520, and a recovery pipeline 530. The negative pressure suction port 112 of the electroplating execution end 100 is connected to the waste liquid bottle 510 via the recovery pipeline 530. The waste liquid bottle 510 is connected to the vacuum pump 520 to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 in the negative pressure recovery structure.
[0081] In one embodiment, such as Figure 3 As shown, the gas supply system 600 includes a gas supply source 610 and a gas supply pipeline 620. The gas supply source 610 is connected to the gas injection structure 140 of the electroplating execution end 100 via the gas supply pipeline 620, for forming an inwardly inclined annular air wall jet 141 by the gas injection structure 140. Further, the gas supply system 600 of this embodiment may also include a pressure regulating valve 630, which is disposed at the outlet of the gas supply source 610 and is used to regulate the gas supply pressure of the gas supply source 610.
[0082] A third aspect of this application provides a 3D printing in-situ electroplating process. Please refer to... Figure 4 , Figure 4 This is an example flowchart of the 3D printing in-situ electroplating process provided in this embodiment. The 3D printing in-situ electroplating process is used to perform in-situ metal deposition on the surface of the conductive polymer track 220 formed on an insulating substrate by 3D printing. It can be implemented using the electroplating execution end 100 of any of the foregoing embodiments. The process includes the following steps:
[0083] S1, flow field pre-start: move the electroplating execution end 100 above the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated and keep it suspended, and form an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 and an inward inclined annular air wall jet 141 above the conductive polymer trajectory 220 through the negative pressure recovery port 130 and the gas jet structure 140 respectively.
[0084] S2, Contact Liquid Supply: The elastic liquid storage contact 121 of the electroplating execution end 100 is brought into contact with and pressed against the conductive polymer track 220. Then, a small amount of electrolyte is supplied to the elastic liquid storage contact 121, forming a local reaction liquid film between the bottom surface of the elastic liquid storage contact 121 and the conductive polymer track 220.
[0085] S3, follow-up electroplating: an electrodeposition current path is formed between the anode body 122 in the electroplating execution end 100 and the conductive polymer trajectory 220, and the electroplating execution end 100 is driven to move along the conductive polymer trajectory 220. During the movement, the inner inclined annular gas wall jet 141 formed by the gas jet structure 140 restricts the outward diffusion of the electrolyte, and the negative pressure recovery port 130 simultaneously removes the residual liquid after the reaction and the follow-up tail liquid film.
[0086] S4, Liquid Disconnection Cleaning: After the electroplating execution end 100 reaches the end of the conductive polymer trajectory 220, the electrodeposition current path and the electrolyte supply to the elastic liquid storage contact 121 are disconnected, so that the electroplating execution end 100 leaves the conductive polymer trajectory 220, and the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 and the inward inclined annular air wall jet 141 are maintained for a predetermined time to remove the residual electrolyte in the endpoint area and the bottom of the elastic liquid storage contact 121.
[0087] In one embodiment, in step S1, the electroplating execution end is suspended above the conductive polymer trajectory at a distance of 1.0 mm to 2.0 mm.
[0088] In one embodiment, in steps S1 and S3, the gas source pressure of the gas injection structure 140 is 0.20MPa-0.60MPa, preferably 0.35MPa-0.50MPa; the suction negative pressure of the negative pressure recovery port 130 is -20kPa to -55kPa, preferably -30kPa to -45kPa.
[0089] In one embodiment, in step S2, the axial compression of the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 after contacting the conductive polymer track 220 is 0.3mm-0.5mm and less than the protrusion height of the bottom end of the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 relative to the actuating end face 111; the electrolyte supply flow rate is 0.10mL / min-0.80mL / min, preferably 0.20mL / min-0.50mL / min. This flow rate range can maintain the continuity of the reaction liquid film and avoid the risk of overflow due to oversaturation of the liquid inside the sponge.
[0090] In one embodiment, in step S3, the electroplating execution end 100 travels continuously along the conductive polymer trajectory 220, and the traveling speed of the electroplating execution end 100 is 0.05 mm / s-5.00 mm / s, preferably 0.10 mm / s-1.00 mm / s;
[0091] In one embodiment, in step S3, the electroplating power supply 400 is a DC electroplating power supply 400 with an average current density of 4.5 A / dm²-10 A / dm². For different materials and trajectory widths, the travel speed, liquid supply flow rate, and current density can be adjusted within the above range.
[0092] In one embodiment, the predetermined duration of step S4 is 3-5 seconds. This delayed cleaning helps reduce residual droplets at the endpoint and allows the bottom surface of the elastic liquid-retaining contact 121 to return to a more stable liquid-containing state, facilitating the next stage of trajectory electroplating.
[0093] In one embodiment, the electrolyte is an acidic copper sulfate electrolyte.
[0094] In one embodiment, the conductive polymer trajectory 220 is formed of a thermoplastic polymer composite material modified with conductive filler, wherein the thermoplastic polymer includes any one or a combination of two or more of PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU; the conductive filler is any one or a combination of two or more of carbon black, graphite, graphene, or carbon nanotubes; and the insulating substrate is any one or a combination of two or more of PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU.
[0095] Example 1: Leakage-proof electroplating process for rigid substrates used in embedded 3D circuits
[0096] This embodiment uses the in-situ deposition of a copper layer on the CPLA conductive polymer trajectory surface on a PLA substrate 210 as an example to illustrate the 3D printing in-situ electroplating process of the present invention. This embodiment focuses on illustrating the synergistic relationship between the coaxial liquid supply, annular negative pressure recovery, internal oblique air knife pressing, and electrochemical deposition electrical connection of the electroplating execution end 100.
[0097] The 3D printed part to be processed in this embodiment includes a substrate 210 and conductive polymer tracks 220 formed on its surface. At least a portion of the conductive polymer tracks 220 is exposed for subsequent localized electroplating. The substrate 210 is an insulating polymer substrate; in this embodiment, the substrate 210 is formed by 3PLA material through material extrusion 3D printing. The conductive polymer tracks 220 are polymer composite tracks containing conductive fillers; in this embodiment, the conductive polymer tracks 220 are formed by printing using conductive PLA composite material, which can be referred to as CPLA material. The conductive polymer tracks 220 have a width of 0.4 mm and a layer thickness of 0.2 mm. Conductive connection areas are reserved at the ends of the tracks, and these are electrically connected to the negative terminal of an electroplating power supply 400 via a copper brush. This electroplating power supply 400 is a DC electroplating power supply.
[0098] like Figure 3 As shown, the electroplating actuator 100 used in this embodiment includes an actuator body 110, an electroplating assembly 120, a negative pressure recovery port 130, and a gas jet structure 140. The actuator body 110 has an actuator end face 111 facing the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated on the substrate 210, and this actuator end face 111 is the lowest end face of the actuator body 110. The electroplating assembly 120 is supported on the execution end body 110. The electroplating assembly 120 includes an elastic liquid storage contact 121 and an anode body 122. The elastic liquid storage contact 121 protrudes from the execution end face 111 and is used to connect to the electrolyte supply system 300 and supply liquid to the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated, so as to form a local reaction region 123 between the elastic liquid storage contact 121 and the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated. The anode body 122 extends at least partially into the elastic liquid storage contact 121 and is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the electroplating power supply 400, and to form an electrodeposition current path with the conductive polymer track 220 to be electroplated through the electrolyte in the elastic liquid storage contact 121. A negative pressure recovery port 130 is provided along the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact 121 to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact 121. The gas jet structure 140 is arranged along the outer periphery of the negative pressure recovery port 130 to form an inner oblique annular air wall jet 141 on the outer periphery of the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131, and the jet direction of the gas jet structure 140 is inclined toward the central axis of the electroplating execution end 100.
[0099] like Figure 3 As shown, the electrolyte outside the local reaction region 123 moves into the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 under the constraint of the inner inclined annular air wall jet 141, and is sucked back by the negative pressure recovery port 130, so that the electroplating liquid is kept in the local reaction region 123 formed between the elastic liquid storage contact 121 and the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated.
[0100] In this embodiment, for depositing the copper layer, the anode body 122 is a copper wire with a diameter of φ1.0 mm and a purity greater than or equal to 99.99%. The elastic reservoir contact 121 is made of PVA reservoir sponge with an average pore size of 80 μm, and the PVA reservoir sponge covers the outside of the copper wire. In its uncompressed natural state, the protrusion height H1 of the bottom end of the elastic reservoir contact 121 relative to the actuating end face 111 is 0.5 mm.
[0101] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, the negative pressure recovery port 130 and the gas jet structure 140 are both integrally formed on the actuator body, and their lowest points are both located on the actuator end face 111, making the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 the flexible contact part that first contacts the conductive polymer trajectory 220 in the electroplating actuator 100. Therefore, when the electroplating actuator 100 descends, the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 undergoes elastic compression first, rather than the rigid actuator body 110 contacting the surface of the 3D printed part.
[0102] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, the negative pressure recovery port 130 is an annular suction port surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact 121, and the gap width W1 of the annular suction port is 0.6 mm; the gas injection structure 140 is an inwardly inclined annular slit nozzle surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact 121, the slit width W2 is 0.12 mm, and the angle θ between the injection direction and the central axis of the electroplating execution end 100 is 20°.
[0103] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, an annular negative pressure suction chamber 113 with a negative pressure suction port 112 is also formed inside the actuator body 110. The annular negative pressure suction chamber 113 is connected to the negative pressure recovery port 130. The negative pressure suction port 112 is located on the side or top of the annular negative pressure suction chamber 113, and is used to connect to the waste liquid bottle 510 via the recovery pipeline 530. The waste liquid bottle 510 is connected to the vacuum pump 520, thereby realizing that the vacuum pump 520 forms an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact member 121 through the waste liquid bottle 510 and the recovery pipeline 530.
[0104] In this embodiment, as Figure 3 As shown, an annular air knife chamber 115 with a high-pressure air inlet 114 is also formed inside the actuator body 110. The annular air knife chamber 115 is connected to the gas injection structure 140, and the high-pressure air inlet 114 is used to connect to the air supply source 610 via the air supply pipeline 620.
[0105] In this embodiment, as Figure 3As shown, the electroplating actuator 100 is generally rotationally symmetrical about its central axis, that is, the annular negative pressure suction chamber 113, the annular air knife chamber 115, the electroplating component 120, the negative pressure recovery port 130, and the gas jet structure 140 are coaxially arranged and integrally formed on the actuator body 110. The actuator body 110 is 3D printed using photosensitive resin.
[0106] The electrolyte used in this embodiment is an acidic copper sulfate electrolyte, with the following composition: 160 g / L copper sulfate, 60 g / L sulfuric acid, and 50 mg / L chloride ions, with Cl... - The remainder is deionized water. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the electrolyte is placed in an electrolyte storage container 320. The electrolyte supply line includes, in sequence, the electrolyte storage container 320, a supply pump 310, an acid-resistant supply pipeline, an electrolyte supply channel 116, and an elastic storage contact 121. The waste liquid extraction pipeline includes, in sequence, an annular negative pressure suction chamber 113, a negative pressure suction port 112, a waste liquid bottle 510, and a vacuum pump 520. The gas supply pipeline includes, in sequence, a gas supply source 610, a pressure regulating valve 630, a high-pressure gas inlet 114, an annular gas knife chamber 115, and a gas jet structure 140. The electrochemical deposition electrical connection circuit is as follows: the positive terminal of the electroplating power supply 400 is connected to the anode body 122, and the negative terminal of the electroplating power supply 400 is connected to the end conductive connection area of the conductive polymer track 220.
[0107] In this embodiment, the liquid supply pump 310 is a micro peristaltic pump, and the waste liquid bottle 510 is made of corrosion-resistant material and is relatively sealed.
[0108] The 3D printing in-situ electroplating process provided in this embodiment is implemented using the aforementioned electroplating execution end 100, combined with... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the process includes the following steps:
[0109] First, after the 3D printing equipment completes the printing of the conductive polymer trajectory 220, the printing nozzle of the 3D printing equipment leaves the area to be electroplated, and the motion actuator 800 drives the electroplating execution end 100 to move above the starting end of the conductive polymer trajectory 220 to be electroplated. The motion actuator 800 drives the electroplating execution end 100 to descend along the Z-axis, and the distance from the execution end face 111 of the electroplating execution end 100 to the upper surface of the conductive polymer trajectory 220 is used as the hovering distance; when this hovering distance is reached, the descent of the electroplating execution end 100 is stopped, so that the elastic liquid reservoir contact 121 has not yet contacted the conductive polymer trajectory 220.
[0110] Specifically, the hovering distance in this embodiment is 1.5mm.
[0111] Subsequently, the gas supply source 610 is turned on, and the gas supply pressure of the gas supply source 610 is adjusted to 0.45MPa through the pressure regulating valve 630. After the pressure is adjusted, the gas enters the annular air knife chamber 115 through the high-pressure gas inlet 114, flows downward along the annular air knife chamber 115, and is ejected downward and inward by the gas injection structure 140, forming an inwardly inclined annular air wall jet 141 above the conductive polymer trajectory 220. At the same time, the vacuum pump 520 is started to form a negative pressure of -38kPa in the annular negative pressure suction chamber 113, and establishes an annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 outside the elastic liquid storage contact 121.
[0112] Specifically, in this embodiment, the gas supply system 600 and the negative pressure recovery system 500 are started before the electrolyte supply system 300, so as to form a stable liquid control boundary before the electrolyte comes into contact with the conductive polymer trajectory 220.
[0113] Subsequently, after the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 and the inward oblique annular air wall jet 141 stabilize, the motion actuator 800 drives the electroplating actuator 100 to continue moving downwards until the elastic liquid storage contact 121 makes elastic contact with the surface of the conductive polymer track 220. After contact, the axial compression ΔH of the elastic liquid storage contact 121 is controlled to be 0.35 mm. Since H1 is greater than ΔH, the gas jet structure 140 and the negative pressure recovery port 130 remain above the surface of the conductive polymer track 220 in this working state, without rigidly scraping against the conductive polymer track 220 or the insulating polymer substrate 210. Then, the liquid supply pump 310 is started to supply acidic copper sulfate electrolyte into the elastic liquid storage contact 121 at a flow rate of 0.35 mL / min, so that a local continuous reaction liquid film is formed between the bottom surface of the elastic liquid storage contact 121 and the conductive polymer track 220.
[0114] Next, the electroplating power supply 400 is turned on. The anode body 122 is connected to the positive terminal of the electroplating power supply 400, and the conductive connection area at the end of the conductive polymer track 220 is connected to the negative terminal of the electroplating power supply 400. The electroplating power supply 400 is a DC electroplating power supply, and its average current density is set to 4.5 A / dm². Simultaneously with the electroplating power supply 400 being turned on, the motion actuator 800 drives the electroplating actuator end 100 to move uniformly along the conductive polymer track 220 at a speed of 0.1 mm / s. Figure 3 For example, the electroplating execution end 100 is perpendicular to... Figure 3 The direction of the cross section shown is shifted.
[0115] During the follow-up movement of the electroplating execution end 100, the elastic liquid storage contact 121 continuously provides a small amount of electrolyte to the surface of the conductive polymer trajectory 220, with the flow rate maintained at 0.35 mL / min. An electrochemical deposition circuit is formed between the anode body 122 and the conductive polymer trajectory 220, allowing the copper layer to be gradually deposited on the surface of the conductive polymer trajectory 220. The outer inclined annular air wall jet 141 forms an airflow suppression and back-pushing effect on the outer edge of the local reaction area 123. When the electrolyte film tends to diffuse towards the insulating polymer substrate 210, the inner inclined annular air wall jet 141 pushes the outwardly expanding liquid film back from the outside to the inside. At the same time, the annular negative pressure suction chamber 113, through its lower negative pressure recovery port 130, synchronously sucks up and recovers the pushed-back excess electrolyte, the residual liquid after the reaction, and the tail liquid film formed after the electroplating execution end 100 moves. Correspondingly, the bottom fluid trajectory can be understood as a continuous path of "air knife suppression - waste liquid converging inward - negative pressure upward suction", in which the waste liquid enters the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 from the outside to the inside and then upward.
[0116] When the electroplating actuator 100 reaches the end position of the conductive polymer trajectory 220, the electroplating power supply 400 and the liquid supply pump 310 are stopped first. Then, the motion actuator 800 drives the electroplating actuator 100 to rise along the Z-axis, causing the elastic liquid storage contact 121 to leave the surface of the conductive polymer trajectory 220. After the electroplating actuator 100 is lifted off, the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 and the inward inclined annular air wall jet 141 are maintained for 4 seconds. During this delayed cleaning process, the inward inclined annular air wall jet 141 presses the residual electrolyte in the end area and near the bottom of the elastic liquid storage contact 121 inward and pushes it towards the annular negative pressure suction flow field 131 formed by the negative pressure recovery port 130. The annular negative pressure suction chamber 113 recovers the residual liquid through the negative pressure suction port 112 to the corrosion-resistant and sealed waste liquid bottle 510. After the delayed cleaning is completed, the air supply 610 and vacuum pump 520 are turned off to complete the in-situ electroplating of the conductive polymer track 220.
[0117] After the above process, a continuous copper deposition layer is formed on the surface of the conductive polymer trajectory 220, and the conductivity is improved. Because the electroplating process first establishes an inner oblique annular air wall jet 141, i.e., air knife isolation and annular negative pressure suction flow field 131, and through the structure of the elastic liquid storage contact 121 contacting the lowest point first, the gas jet structure 140 not touching the conductive polymer trajectory 220, and the negative pressure recovery port 130 recovering the electrolyte nearby, the electrolyte is less likely to diffuse into the non-target area of the insulating polymer substrate 210, which can reduce the risk of residual liquid on the surface of the substrate 210, equipment corrosion, and misplating in non-target areas.
[0118] The above-described implementation can be carried out in conjunction with the platform 700 and motion actuator 800 of the 3D printing equipment without requiring major modifications to the main structure of the printer. It is suitable for local, follow-up, and in-situ metal deposition of conductive polymer trajectories.
[0119] This invention provides an electroplating execution end, equipment, and a concept and method for in-situ electroplating in 3D printing. Many methods and approaches exist for implementing this technical solution; the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principles of this invention, and these improvements and modifications should also be considered within the scope of protection of this invention. All components not explicitly stated in this embodiment can be implemented using existing technologies.
Claims
1. An electroplating execution end (100) for in-situ electroplating in 3D printing, characterized in that, include: The actuator body (110) has an actuator face (111) facing the conductive polymer track (220) to be electroplated on the substrate (210). An electroplating assembly (120) is supported on the execution end body (110); the electroplating assembly (120) includes an elastic liquid reservoir contact (121) and an anode body (122); the elastic liquid reservoir contact (121) protrudes from the execution end face (111) and is used to connect to the electrolyte supply system (300) and supply liquid to the conductive polymer track (220) to be electroplated, forming a local reaction area (123); the anode body (122) extends at least partially into the elastic liquid reservoir contact (121) and is used to be electrically connected to the positive electrode of the electroplating power supply (400); A negative pressure recovery port (130) is provided along the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact (121) to form an annular negative pressure suction flow field (131) on the outer periphery of the elastic liquid storage contact (121). And a gas jet structure (140) is provided along the outer periphery of the negative pressure recovery port (130) to form an inner oblique annular gas wall jet (141) on the outer periphery of the annular negative pressure suction flow field (131), thereby restricting the outward diffusion of electrolyte outside the local reaction area (123) when the elastic liquid storage contact (121) contacts the conductive polymer trajectory (220) to be electroplated, and guiding the electrolyte outside the local reaction area (123) to the annular negative pressure suction flow field (131) for suction and recovery by the negative pressure recovery port (130).
2. The electroplating execution end (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bottom ends of the negative pressure recovery port (130) and the gas injection structure (140) are configured such that when the elastic liquid storage contact (121) is in elastic contact with the conductive polymer track (220) to be electroplated and compressed, the bottom ends of the negative pressure recovery port (130) and the gas injection structure (140) still maintain a non-contact gap with the substrate (210).
3. The electroplating execution end (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The substrate (210) is an insulating polymer substrate; The conductive polymer track (220) is formed on the insulating substrate by 3D printing, dispensing, inkjet printing, screen printing or coating.
4. The electroplating execution end (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The negative pressure recovery port (130) is an annular suction port surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact (121), and the gap width W1 of the annular suction port is 0.5mm-1.0mm. The gas injection structure (140) is an inwardly inclined annular slit nozzle surrounding the elastic liquid storage contact (121), with a slit width W2 of 0.10mm-0.15mm and an angle θ between the injection direction and the central axis of the electroplating execution end (100) of 15°-30°.
5. The electroplating execution end (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic liquid storage contact (121) is selected as a PVA liquid storage sponge with an average pore size of 50μm-150μm. The protrusion height H1 of the bottom end of the elastic liquid storage contact (121) relative to the actuating end face (111) is 0.3mm-0.5mm. The anode body (122) is a metal anode adapted to the target deposited metal.
6. The electroplating execution end (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The execution end body (110) also forms an annular negative pressure suction chamber (113) with a negative pressure suction port (112), an annular air knife chamber (115) with a high pressure air inlet (114), and an electrolyte supply channel (116). The annular negative pressure suction chamber (113) is connected to the negative pressure recovery port (130), the negative pressure suction port (112) is used to connect to the waste liquid bottle (510) via the recovery pipeline (530), and the waste liquid bottle (510) is connected to the vacuum pump (520); The annular air knife chamber (115) is connected to the gas injection structure (140), and the high-pressure gas inlet (114) is used to connect to the gas supply source (610) via the gas supply pipeline (620); One end of the electrolyte supply channel (116) is connected to the elastic liquid storage contact (121), and the other end is used to connect to the electrolyte storage container (320) via the supply pump (310); The gas injection structure (140), the negative pressure recovery port (130), and the electrolyte supply channel (116) are integrally formed on the execution end body (110).
7. A 3D printing in-situ electroplating device, characterized in that, include: The electroplating execution end (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Platform (700) for carrying and holding a 3D printed part to be processed, the 3D printed part including a substrate and a conductive polymer track (220) to be electroplated formed on the substrate. A motion actuator (800) is provided, wherein at least one of the electroplating actuator (100) and the platform (700) is connected to the motion actuator (800) for causing the electroplating actuator (100) to travel relative to the trajectory (220) of the conductive polymer to be electroplated; An electroplating power supply (400) is provided, wherein the positive terminal of the electroplating power supply (400) is electrically connected to the anode body (122) of the electroplating execution terminal (100), and the negative terminal of the electroplating power supply (400) is electrically connected to the conductive polymer track (220). An electrolyte supply system (300) is connected to the electroplating execution end (100) and is used to supply electrolyte to the elastic liquid storage contact (121) of the electroplating execution end (100); The negative pressure recovery system (500) is connected to the negative pressure recovery port (130) of the electroplating execution end (100) and is used to make the negative pressure recovery port (130) form an annular negative pressure suction flow field (131). The gas supply system (600) is connected to the gas injection structure (140) of the electroplating execution end (100) and is used to make the gas injection structure (140) form an inward oblique annular air wall jet (141). The system (900) is connected to the motion actuator (800), the electroplating power supply (400), the electrolyte supply system (300), the negative pressure recovery system (500), and the gas supply system (600), respectively.
8. A 3D printing in-situ electroplating process for in-situ metal deposition on the surface of conductive polymer tracks (220) formed on an insulating substrate by 3D printing, characterized in that, The process, implemented using the electroplating actuator (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, includes the following steps: S1, flow field pre-start: Move the electroplating execution end (100) above the conductive polymer trajectory (220) to be electroplated and keep it hovering. Through the negative pressure recovery port (130) and the gas jet structure (140), an annular negative pressure suction flow field (131) and an inward oblique annular air wall jet (141) are formed above the conductive polymer trajectory (220). S2, Contact Liquid Supply: The elastic liquid storage contact (121) of the electroplating execution end (100) is brought into contact with and pressed against the conductive polymer track (220), and then a small amount of electrolyte is supplied to the elastic liquid storage contact (121) to form a local reaction liquid film between the bottom surface of the elastic liquid storage contact (121) and the conductive polymer track (220). S3, Follow-up electroplating: an electrodeposition current path is formed between the anode body (122) in the electroplating execution end (100) and the conductive polymer trajectory (220), and the electroplating execution end (100) is driven to move along the conductive polymer trajectory (220); during the movement, the inward oblique annular gas wall jet (141) formed by the gas jet structure (140) restricts the outward diffusion of the electrolyte, and the negative pressure recovery port (130) simultaneously removes the residual liquid after the reaction and the follow-up tail liquid film; S4, Liquid Disconnection Cleaning: After the electroplating execution end (100) reaches the end of the conductive polymer trajectory (220), the electrodeposition current path and the electrolyte supply to the elastic liquid storage contact (121) are disconnected, so that the electroplating execution end (100) leaves the conductive polymer trajectory (220), and the annular negative pressure suction flow field (131) and the inward inclined annular air wall jet (141) are maintained for a predetermined time to remove the residual electrolyte in the end area and the bottom of the elastic liquid storage contact (121).
9. The process according to claim 8, characterized in that, In steps S1 and S3, the gas source pressure of the gas injection structure (140) is 0.20MPa-0.60MPa, preferably 0.35MPa-0.50MPa; the suction negative pressure of the negative pressure recovery port (130) is -20kPa to -55kPa, preferably -30kPa to -45kPa. In step S2, the axial compression of the elastic liquid reservoir contact (121) after contacting the conductive polymer track (220) is 0.3mm-0.5mm and less than the protrusion height of the bottom end of the elastic liquid reservoir contact (121) relative to the actuating end face (111). The supply flow rate of the electrolyte is 0.10mL / min-0.80mL / min, preferably 0.20mL / min-0.50mL / min. In step S3, the electroplating execution end (100) travels continuously along the conductive polymer trajectory (220), and the traveling speed of the electroplating execution end (100) is 0.05mm / s-5.00mm / s, preferably 0.10mm / s-1.00mm / s; In step S3, the electroplating power supply (400) is a DC electroplating power supply (400) with an average current density of 4.5A / dm²-10A / dm². In step S4, the predetermined duration is 3s-5s.
10. The process according to claim 8, characterized in that, The electrolyte is an acidic copper sulfate electrolyte; And / or, the conductive polymer trajectory (220) is formed of a thermoplastic polymer composite material modified with conductive filler, wherein the thermoplastic polymer includes any one or more combinations of PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU; the conductive filler is any one or more combinations of carbon black, graphite, graphene, or carbon nanotubes; and the insulating substrate is any one or more combinations of PLA, ABS, PETG, and TPU.