Slag powder treatment system for additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and particularly relates to a slag powder treatment system for additive manufacturing equipment, which comprises a slag powder tank, a slag powder conveying device, a powder mixing cylinder, a stirring device and an inerting agent supplementing device, the slag powder tank is connected with the powder mixing cylinder through the slag powder conveying device, and the slag powder conveying device conveys slag powder in the slag powder tank into the powder mixing cylinder; the inerting agent supplementing device is connected with the powder mixing barrel, and the inerting agent supplementing device is used for conveying an inerting agent into the powder mixing barrel; and the stirring device is mounted on the powder mixing barrel and is used for mixing the slag powder and the inerting agent in the powder mixing barrel. The problems that the manual participation degree is high, operation is troublesome, certain risks exist, and the treatment efficiency is low due to an existing slag powder treatment mode are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and specifically relates to a slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment. Background Art

[0002] Additive Manufacturing (AM) is an advanced manufacturing technology with distinctive features such as digital manufacturing, high flexibility and adaptability, direct CAD model drive, fast speed, and rich and diverse material types. Since its development in the late 1980s, it has become a pillar technology in modern advanced manufacturing technology. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is one of the fastest-growing additive manufacturing technologies in recent years.

[0003] For existing additive manufacturing equipment (taking selective laser sintering equipment as an example), the basic process of the selective laser sintering process is: the powder feeding device delivers a certain amount of powder to the worktable, the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of powder material on the upper surface of the formed part on the worktable, and the galvanometer system controls the laser to scan the solid part of the powder layer according to the cross-sectional contour of the layer, so that the powder melts and fuses with the formed part below; when a layer of cross section is sintered, the worktable drops by a layer thickness, and the powder spreading mechanism spreads a layer of uniform and dense powder on it, and scans and sinters a new layer of cross section, and after several layers of scanning and superposition, the entire prototype manufacturing is completed.

[0004] The existing treatment method for the slag powder generated during the sintering process of the selective laser sintering equipment is: the slag powder is filtered out by a circulating filtration system, the slag powder is stored in a slag powder tank, and then silicone oil is manually injected into the slag powder tank to isolate the slag powder from the air, or talcum powder is manually added to the slag powder tank to inert the slag powder. The above treatment methods have a high degree of manual participation, are cumbersome to operate, have certain risks, and have low treatment efficiency. Utility Model Content

[0005] The utility model provides a slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment, so as to solve the problems of high manual participation, cumbersome operation, certain risks and low processing efficiency brought about by the existing slag powder processing method.

[0006] The specific technical solutions adopted by the utility model are as follows:

[0007] A slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment comprises a slag powder tank, a slag powder conveying device, a powder mixing cylinder, a stirring device and an inerting agent replenishing device; the slag powder tank is connected to the powder mixing cylinder through the slag powder conveying device, and the slag powder conveying device conveys the slag powder in the slag powder tank to the powder mixing cylinder; the inerting agent replenishing device is connected to the powder mixing cylinder, and the inerting agent replenishing device conveys the inerting agent into the powder mixing cylinder; the stirring device is installed on the powder mixing cylinder, and is used to mix the slag powder and the inerting agent in the powder mixing cylinder.

[0008] Furthermore, the slag powder conveying device includes a fan, a main pipeline and a screw conveyor, the fan is installed at one end of the main pipeline, the middle of the main pipeline is connected to the slag powder tank through the screw conveyor, and the other end of the main pipeline is connected to the powder mixing cylinder.

[0009] Furthermore, the stirring device includes a stirring motor, a stirring shaft and a stirring blade arranged on the stirring shaft; the stirring motor is installed at the top above the powder mixing barrel, the stirring shaft and the stirring blade are located in the powder mixing barrel, and the stirring shaft is rotatably installed on the powder mixing barrel, and the end of the stirring shaft passes through the powder mixing barrel and is connected to the stirring motor.

[0010] Furthermore, the slag powder processing system further comprises a first weighing device, which is arranged at the bottom of the powder mixing cylinder, and is used to weigh the weight of the slag powder in the powder mixing cylinder;

[0011] The inerting agent replenishing device includes an inerting agent storage cylinder, a delivery pipe, a switch valve and a second weighing device. The inerting agent storage cylinder is connected to the powder mixing cylinder through the delivery pipe. The delivery pipe is provided with the switch valve. The bottom of the inerting agent storage cylinder is provided with the second weighing device. The second weighing device is used to weigh the weight of the inerting agent in the inerting agent storage cylinder.

[0012] Furthermore, the switch valve is a pneumatic butterfly valve.

[0013] Furthermore, the powder mixing cylinder is provided with an inert gas filling inlet, and the inert gas filling inlet is connected to the inert gas supply device.

[0014] Furthermore, the bottom of the powder mixing cylinder is in an inverted cone structure, and a discharge port is provided in the middle of the bottom of the powder mixing cylinder.

[0015] The utility model provides a slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment, which conveys the slag powder in the slag powder tank to the powder mixing cylinder through the slag powder conveying device, conveys the inerting agent to the powder mixing cylinder through the inerting agent replenishing device, and then fully mixes the slag powder and the inerting agent in the powder mixing cylinder through the stirring device, thus completing the inerting treatment of the slag powder. At this time, the treated slag powder can be safely taken out from the powder mixing cylinder, and then the next slag powder treatment is carried out. The entire treatment process can be automatically operated, reducing the degree of manual participation, simple operation, and is carried out in a closed manner in the powder mixing cylinder, which improves the safety and efficiency of slag powder treatment and provides a strong guarantee for continuous printing of the equipment.

[0016] When the slag powder conveying device of the utility model conveys the slag powder into the powder mixing cylinder, the first weighing device weighs the weight of the slag powder in the powder mixing cylinder in real time. When the slag powder reaches the set weight, the slag powder conveying device stops conveying the slag powder into the powder mixing cylinder. In addition, the inerting agent is manually added to the inerting agent storage cylinder, and the second weighing device weighs the weight of the inerting agent in the inerting agent storage cylinder in real time until the inerting agent reaches the set weight, and no more inerting agent is added to the inerting agent storage cylinder. When the slag powder is processed, the switch valve is opened, and the inerting agent in the inerting agent storage cylinder falls into the powder mixing cylinder through the conveying pipe. After completing one slag powder processing, the inerting agent corresponding to the weight ratio of the slag powder is manually added to the inerting agent storage cylinder. Under the action of the first weighing device and the second weighing device, it is effectively guaranteed that the weight ratio of the slag powder to the inerting agent in the powder mixing cylinder is within the set ratio range.

[0017] The utility model conveys inert gas into the powder mixing cylinder through the inert gas supply device, and the whole powder mixing process is under the protection of the inert gas, thereby ensuring the safety of slag powder processing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the utility model. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the utility model.

[0020] The above reference numerals:

[0021] 1. Slag powder tank; 2. Slag powder conveying device; 20. Fan; 21. Main pipeline; 22. Screw conveyor; 3. Powder mixing cylinder; 4. Stirring device; 40. Stirring motor; 41. Stirring shaft; 42. Stirring blade; 5. Inerting agent replenishing device; 50. Inerting agent storage cylinder; 51. Conveying pipe; 52. Switch valve; 6. First weighing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to facilitate the understanding of the present invention, the present invention will be described more comprehensively with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings provide preferred embodiments of the present invention. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of the present invention more thorough and comprehensive.

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the present embodiment provides a slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment, comprising a slag powder tank 1, a slag powder conveying device 2, a powder mixing cylinder 3, a stirring device 4 and an inerting agent replenishing device 5; the slag powder tank 1 is connected to the powder mixing cylinder 3 through the slag powder conveying device 2, and the slag powder conveying device 2 conveys the slag powder in the slag powder tank 1 to the powder mixing cylinder 3; the inerting agent replenishing device 5 is connected to the powder mixing cylinder 3, and the inerting agent replenishing device 5 conveys the inerting agent into the powder mixing cylinder 3; the stirring device 4 is installed on the powder mixing cylinder 3, and is used to mix the slag powder and the inerting agent in the powder mixing cylinder 3.

[0024] In this embodiment, the slag powder in the slag powder tank 1 is transported to the powder mixing cylinder 3 by the slag powder transporting device 2, the inertizing agent is transported to the powder mixing cylinder 3 by the inertizing agent replenishing device 5, and the slag powder and the inertizing agent in the powder mixing cylinder 3 are fully mixed by the stirring device 4, that is, one slag powder treatment is completed. At this time, the treated slag powder can be safely taken out from the powder mixing cylinder 3, and the next slag powder treatment is carried out. The whole treatment process can be automatically operated, reducing the degree of manual participation, simple operation, and is carried out in a closed manner in the powder mixing cylinder 3, which improves the safety and efficiency of slag powder treatment and provides a strong guarantee for continuous printing of the equipment.

[0025] In this embodiment, the slag powder conveying device 2 preferably includes a fan 20, a main pipeline 21 and a screw conveyor 22. The fan 20 is installed at one end of the main pipeline 21. The middle of the main pipeline 21 is connected to the slag powder tank 1 through the screw conveyor 22. The other end of the main pipeline 21 is connected to the powder mixing barrel 3. When the slag powder conveying device 2 is working, the screw conveyor 22 conveys the slag powder in the slag powder tank 1 to the main pipeline 21, and under the action of the fan 20, the slag powder in the main pipeline 21 is blown into the powder mixing barrel 3. The screw conveyor 22 is an existing mature product and can be directly purchased on the market, so it is not specifically described.

[0026] In this embodiment, the stirring device 4 preferably includes a stirring motor 40, a stirring shaft 41, and a stirring blade 42 provided on the stirring shaft 41; the stirring motor 40 is installed at the top above the powder mixing cylinder 3, the stirring shaft 41 and the stirring blade 42 are located in the powder mixing cylinder 3, and the stirring shaft 41 is rotatably installed on the powder mixing cylinder 3, and the end of the stirring shaft 41 passes through the powder mixing cylinder 3 and is connected to the stirring motor 40. When the stirring device 4 is working, the stirring motor 40 is started, driving the stirring shaft 41 to rotate, thereby driving the stirring blade 42 on the stirring shaft 41 to rotate, and the stirring blade 42 fully mixes the slag powder and the inertizing agent.

[0027] Further preferably, the slag powder processing system also includes a first weighing device 6, which is arranged at the bottom of the powder mixing cylinder 3, and is used to weigh the weight of the slag powder in the powder mixing cylinder 3; the inerting agent replenishing device 5 includes an inerting agent storage cylinder 50, a conveying pipe 51, a switch valve 52 and a second weighing device (not shown in the figure), the inerting agent storage cylinder 50 is connected to the powder mixing cylinder 3 through the conveying pipe 51, the switch valve 52 is provided on the conveying pipe 51, and the bottom of the inerting agent storage cylinder 50 is provided with the second weighing device, and the second weighing device is used to weigh the weight of the inerting agent in the inerting agent storage cylinder 50.

[0028] In this embodiment, when the slag powder conveying device 2 conveys the slag powder to the powder mixing cylinder 3, the first weighing device 6 weighs the weight of the slag powder in the powder mixing cylinder 3 in real time. When the slag powder reaches the set weight, the slag powder conveying device 2 stops conveying the slag powder to the powder mixing cylinder 3. In addition, the inerting agent is manually added to the inerting agent storage cylinder 50, and the second weighing device weighs the weight of the inerting agent in the inerting agent storage cylinder 50 in real time until the inerting agent reaches the set weight, and no more inerting agent is added to the inerting agent storage cylinder 50. When the slag powder is processed, the switch valve 52 is opened, and the inerting agent in the inerting agent storage cylinder 50 falls into the powder mixing cylinder 3 through the conveying pipe 51. After completing a slag powder process, the inerting agent corresponding to the weight ratio of the slag powder is manually added to the inerting agent storage cylinder 50. Under the action of the first weighing device 6 and the second weighing device, it is effectively ensured that the weight ratio of the slag powder to the inerting agent in the powder mixing cylinder 3 is within the set ratio range.

[0029] In this embodiment, the inertizing agent is preferably talcum powder, and other inertizing agents may also be used, which is not limited. When the inertizing agent is talcum powder, the weight ratio of the slag powder to the inertizing agent is 1:5.

[0030] Preferably in this embodiment, the switch valve 52 is a pneumatic butterfly valve.

[0031] In this embodiment, the conveying direction of the conveying tube 51 is from top to bottom, so that the inerting agent falls into the powder mixing cylinder 3 by gravity, and no other power source is required. Figure 1The delivery pipe 51 shown is for reference only and is not intended to be a specific limitation.

[0032] In this embodiment, the powder mixing cylinder 3 is preferably provided with an inert gas filling port, and the inert gas filling port is connected to an inert gas supply device. The inert gas supply device is used to deliver inert gas into the powder mixing cylinder 3, so that the entire powder mixing process is under the protection of the inert gas, thereby ensuring the safety of slag powder processing. The inert gas supply device is a conventional configuration device of existing additive manufacturing equipment, and the existing technology can be directly adopted, so it is not elaborated in detail.

[0033] In this embodiment, the bottom of the powder mixing tube 3 is preferably in an inverted cone structure, and a discharge port is provided in the middle of the bottom of the powder mixing tube 3. Obviously, during the slag powder processing, the discharge port is in a closed state. When the slag powder is processed and the slag powder in the powder mixing tube 3 needs to be taken out, the discharge port is opened, and under the action of the inverted cone structure, the slag powder in the powder mixing tube 3 can be quickly discharged from the discharge port.

[0034] The above shows and describes the basic principle, main features and advantages of the utility model. Those skilled in the art should understand that the utility model is not limited by the above embodiments. The above embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principle of the utility model. The utility model may have various changes and improvements without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model. These changes and improvements fall within the scope of the utility model to be protected. The scope of protection claimed by the utility model is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment, characterized in that: The invention comprises a slag powder tank (1), a slag powder conveying device (2), a powder mixing cylinder (3), a stirring device (4) and an inerting agent replenishing device (5); the slag powder tank (1) is connected to the powder mixing cylinder (3) via the slag powder conveying device (2), and the slag powder conveying device (2) conveys the slag powder in the slag powder tank (1) into the powder mixing cylinder (3); the inerting agent replenishing device (5) is connected to the powder mixing cylinder (3), and the inerting agent replenishing device (5) conveys the inerting agent into the powder mixing cylinder (3); the stirring device (4) is installed on the powder mixing cylinder (3) and is used to mix the slag powder and the inerting agent in the powder mixing cylinder (3).

2. The slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slag powder conveying device (2) comprises a fan (20), a main pipeline (21) and a screw conveyor (22); the fan (20) is installed at one end of the main pipeline (21); the middle of the main pipeline (21) is connected to the slag powder tank (1) through the screw conveyor (22); and the other end of the main pipeline (21) is connected to the powder mixing cylinder (3).

3. The slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stirring device (4) comprises a stirring motor (40), a stirring shaft (41) and a stirring blade (42) arranged on the stirring shaft (41); the stirring motor (40) is installed on the top of the powder mixing cylinder (3), the stirring shaft (41) and the stirring blade (42) are located in the powder mixing cylinder (3), and the stirring shaft (41) is rotatably installed on the powder mixing cylinder (3), and the end of the stirring shaft (41) passes through the powder mixing cylinder (3) and is connected to the stirring motor (40).

4. The slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slag powder processing system further comprises a first weighing device (6), wherein the first weighing device (6) is arranged at the bottom of the powder mixing cylinder (3), and the first weighing device (6) is used to weigh the weight of the slag powder in the powder mixing cylinder (3); The inerting agent replenishing device (5) comprises an inerting agent storage cylinder (50), a delivery pipe (51), a switch valve (52) and a second weighing device. The inerting agent storage cylinder (50) is connected to the powder mixing cylinder (3) via the delivery pipe (51). The delivery pipe (51) is provided with the switch valve (52). The bottom of the inerting agent storage cylinder (50) is provided with the second weighing device, and the second weighing device is used to weigh the weight of the inerting agent in the inerting agent storage cylinder (50).

5. The slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The switch valve (52) is a pneumatic butterfly valve.

6. The slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder mixing cylinder (3) is provided with an inert gas filling inlet, and the inert gas filling inlet is connected to an inert gas supply device.

7. The slag powder processing system for additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower part of the powder mixing cylinder (3) is in an inverted cone-shaped structure, and a discharge port is provided in the middle of the bottom of the lower part of the powder mixing cylinder (3).

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