Partitioned powder discharging device, powder conveying and spreading mechanism and additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a partitioned powder discharging device, a powder conveying and laying mechanism and additive manufacturing equipment. The driving unit is arranged on one side of the powder storage box through a bracket; one end of the inserting plate is connected with the driving unit, and the other end of the inserting plate is driven by the driving unit to move below the powder storage box; the inserting plate is transversely provided with at least two strip-shaped holes in the moving direction of the inserting plate, and all the strip-shaped holes are formed in a staggered mode. The sealing piece is arranged between the inserting plate and the periphery of the lower notch; the supporting plate is arranged below the inserting plate, and a plurality of inserting shafts are arranged on the lower portion of the supporting plate; the powder feeding base is arranged below the supporting plate, a plurality of shaft holes matched with the insertion shafts are formed in the powder feeding base, and the insertion shafts are inserted into the insertion shafts after being sleeved with elastic pieces; and the inserting plate moves below the powder storage box, and powder is stored and discharged through different strip-shaped holes, so that partitioned powder discharging of a working area is realized. The device is simple in structure; and powder can be discharged in different areas in a working area, so that the powder consumption is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and specifically relates to a partitioned powder feeding device, a powder feeding and spreading mechanism and additive manufacturing equipment. Background Art

[0002] Additive manufacturing technology is an advanced manufacturing technology with distinctive features such as digital manufacturing, high flexibility and adaptability, direct CAD model drive, fast, and rich and diverse material types. Since it is not limited by the complexity of the part shape and does not require any tooling, it has a very wide range of applications. Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is one of the additive manufacturing technologies that has developed rapidly in recent years. It uses powder materials as raw materials and uses lasers to scan the cross-section of three-dimensional entities layer by layer to complete prototype manufacturing. Its basic working process is: the powder feeding device delivers a certain amount of powder to the working platform surface, the powder spreading device spreads a layer of powder material on the upper surface of the working chamber pressure plate or the formed part, and the laser galvanometer system controls the laser to scan the solid part powder layer with an approximately constant spot size and beam energy according to the cross-sectional profile of the layer, so that the powder melts and bonds with the formed part below; when a layer of cross section is sintered, the working platform drops a layer of thickness, and the powder spreading device 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.

[0003] In the above technology, the powder raw material is mainly supplied by the movement of the roller or plug in the powder discharging device to realize the supply of the current layer of powder: the surface of the powder discharging roller has a groove, the powder in the powder storage box fills the groove and transfers the powder to the bottom through axial rotation. The roller of this type of powder discharging device is difficult to process, has high rigidity requirements for the roller, occupies a large space, and is not conducive to compact design; the surface of the powder discharging plug is processed with a through hole, which is sealed by the powder discharging base, and the powder is received in the area where the plug hole, the powder storage box powder slot and the powder discharging base overlap. Then the powder in the plug hole moves to the edge of the powder discharging base for powder dropping. This type of powder discharging device is relatively easy to process and has obvious advantages in cost control and space design. Although both types of powder discharging devices can achieve the purpose of powder supply, since the current powder discharging roller and plug are designed as a whole section, it is impossible to achieve local powder discharging in the working area, which causes redundant waste of powder when the equipment does not need full-width printing or front and rear partition printing, which is not conducive to powder management and production efficiency improvement. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art, the utility model provides a partitioned powder feeding device, a powder feeding and spreading mechanism and an additive manufacturing device. The partitioned powder feeding device not only has a simple structure, but also can realize partitioned powder feeding in the working area, thus saving the amount of powder.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the utility model provides a partitioned powder feeding device, comprising:

[0006] A powder storage box having an upper opening and a lower notch;

[0007] The driving unit is arranged on one side of the powder storage box through a bracket;

[0008] A plug plate, one end of which is connected to the driving unit, and the other end of which moves under the powder storage box under the drive of the driving unit; the plug plate is provided with at least two strip holes in the transverse direction of its movement, and all the strip holes are staggered;

[0009] A sealing member, which is arranged between the insert plate and the periphery of the lower notch;

[0010] The support plate is arranged below the plug plate, and a plurality of insertion shafts are arranged at the lower part of the support plate;

[0011] The powder lowering base is arranged below the support plate, and the powder lowering base is provided with a plurality of shaft holes matching the insertion shaft, and the insertion shaft is inserted into the shaft hole after the elastic member is covered on the outer sleeve, and the two ends of the powder lowering base are installed on the powder storage box through the pads; wherein,

[0012] The inserting plate moves under the powder storage box under the action of the driving unit, and realizes the partitioned powder discharging of the working area through the powder storage and powder discharging of different strip holes.

[0013] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, a wear-resistant layer is provided on one side of the support plate close to the plug plate; or a sealing plate made of a wear-resistant material is provided above the support plate and below the plug plate.

[0014] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the width of the sealing plate or the supporting plate is greater than the width of the powder lowering base.

[0015] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cushion block is L-shaped, and at least one rotatable guide column is provided at the end of the cushion block close to the plug plate, and when the plug plate moves to the closest distance to the cushion block, the outer side of the guide column is tangent to the plug plate.

[0016] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the length of the strip holes is greater than the width of the corresponding partition in the working area, and the offset spacing between different strip holes is greater than the width of the powder lowering base.

[0017] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the powder storage box includes a box body formed by splicing four plates, and a base installed at the bottom of the box body, and the base has a trapezoidal groove, which forms the lower notch with the bottom of the box body.

[0018] The utility model also provides a powder feeding and spreading mechanism, which includes the partitioned powder discharging device described in any of the above items, and a powder spreading device, wherein the powder spreading device is provided with a powder receiving groove, and when the powder spreading device moves to one side of the partitioned powder discharging device, a strip hole of the plug plate is moved to the lower slot position of the powder storage box for storing powder, and the plug plate continues to move so that the strip hole exceeds the position of the support plate, so that the powder in the strip hole falls into the powder receiving groove of the powder spreading device.

[0019] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, one or two scrapers are provided at the bottom of the powder spreading device to spread the powder in the powder receiving trough to a corresponding area in the working area.

[0020] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, an L-shaped powder scraping assembly is installed on the other side of the powder storage box, and a powder scraping rubber strip is provided at the bottom of the powder scraping assembly for clearing excess powder from the surface of the powder spreading device after the powder dropping device is completed.

[0021] The utility model further provides an additive manufacturing device, which comprises the powder feeding and spreading mechanism described in any one of the above items.

[0022] The partitioned powder dispensing device, powder feeding and spreading mechanism and additive manufacturing equipment of the utility model adopt the above technical scheme, so that the utility model has the following beneficial technical effects:

[0023] (1) The partitioned powder feeding device is not only simple in structure, but also has at least two strip holes arranged transversely along the moving direction of the plug plate, and all the strip holes are staggered, so that the partitioned powder feeding of the working area can be achieved by adjusting the relative position of the plug plate and the lower notch of the powder storage box, that is, the amount of powder used can be saved;

[0024] (2) The utility model includes a powder lowering base and a support plate, and through the cooperation of the insertion shaft, elastic member and shaft hole provided thereon, the dynamic stability of the plug plate in the horizontal and vertical directions when the plug plate moves is ensured, and the sealing of the strip hole of the plug plate at the powder storage position and the stability of the continuous movement of the plug plate are improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure decomposition of an embodiment of the partitioned powder discharging device of the utility model;

[0026] Figure 2 A cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the partitioned powder feeding device of the utility model;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the plug board of the partition powder discharging device of the utility model;

[0028] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of an embodiment of the powder feeding and spreading mechanism of the utility model;

[0029] Figure 5 The working state of the powder feeding mechanism of the utility model Figure 1 ;

[0030] Figure 6 The working state of the powder feeding mechanism of the utility model Figure 2 ;

[0031] Figure 7 The working state of the powder feeding mechanism of the utility model Figure 3 ;

[0032] Figure 8 The working state of the powder feeding mechanism of the utility model Figure 4 .

[0033] The parts in the figure are marked as follows:

[0034] 1. Powder storage box, 2. Bracket, 3. Electric cylinder, 4. Insert plate, 5. Powder spreading device, 51. Powder receiving slot, 6. Sealing felt, 7. Sealing plate, 8. Support plate, 9. Spring, 10. Powder lowering base, 11. Cushion block, 12. Insert shaft, 13. Front strip hole, 14. Rear strip hole, 15. Guide column, 16. Powder scraping assembly, 101. Box body, 102. Base, 161. Powder scraping rubber strip. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the technical solution of the utility model, further detailed description will be given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 The partitioned powder discharging device shown comprises:

[0037] The powder storage box 1 has an upper opening and a lower notch; specifically, the powder storage box 1 includes a box body 101 formed by splicing four plates, and a base 102 installed at the bottom of the box body 101, and the base 102 has a trapezoidal groove, which forms the lower notch with the bottom of the box body 101.

[0038] The driving unit is arranged on one side of the powder storage box 1 through the bracket 2; preferably, the driving unit is an electric cylinder 3, which has a compact and simple structure; of course, it can also be other driving devices, such as hydraulic drive or mechanical drive, which are not listed here one by one.

[0039] The plug plate 4 has one end connected to the driving unit, and the other end moves under the powder storage box 1 under the drive of the driving unit; the plug plate 4 is provided with at least two strip holes in the transverse direction of its movement, and all the strip holes are staggered; in the specific implementation, Figure 3 As shown, there are two strip holes arranged on the plug board 4, namely a front strip hole and a rear strip hole.

[0040] A sealing member is disposed between the insert plate 4 and the periphery of the lower notch; specifically, the sealing member is a sealing felt 6 to isolate the upper surface of the insert plate 4 from the powder storage box 1 for external powder;

[0041] The support plate 8 is arranged below the insert plate 4, and a plurality of insert shafts 12 are arranged at the lower part of the support plate 8;

[0042] The powder base 10 is arranged below the support plate 8. The powder base 10 is provided with a plurality of shaft holes matching the insertion shaft 12. The insertion shaft 12 is inserted into the shaft hole after being covered with an elastic member. The two ends of the powder base 10 are installed on the powder storage box 1 through a cushion block 11. The elastic member is a spring 9, wherein

[0043] The inserting plate 4 moves under the powder storage box 1 under the action of the driving unit, and realizes the partitioned powder discharge of the working area through the powder storage and powder discharge of different strip holes.

[0044] Preferably, in order to avoid wear of the support plate 8 caused by the movement of the plug plate 4, that is, to increase the service life of the support plate 8, a wear-resistant layer is provided on one side of the support plate 8 close to the plug plate 4; or a sealing plate 7 made of wear-resistant material is provided above the support plate 8 and below the plug plate 4.

[0045] Further preferably, the width of the sealing plate 7 or the supporting plate 8 is greater than the width of the powder discharging base 10, so as to avoid powder being mixed into the shaft hole during powder discharging, causing the spring 9 to fail.

[0046] In a specific implementation, the pad 11 is L-shaped, and its height is determined according to the support plate 8 and the powder discharging base 10, so that the plug plate 4 located above the support plate 8 moves smoothly and steadily under the powder storage box 1. Preferably, in order to further avoid the movement deviation of the plug plate 4, maintain the linearity of the movement of the plug plate 4, and improve the service life of the electric cylinder 3, at least one rotatable guide column 15 is provided at the end of the pad 11 close to the plug plate 4, and when the plug plate 4 moves to the closest distance of the pad 11, the outer side of the guide column 15 is tangent to the plug plate 4. In this way, by providing rotatable guide columns on the pads located at both ends of the plug plate, the oblique movement of the plug plate can be corrected, which not only improves the uniformity of a single powder discharging, but also prolongs the service life of the drive unit.

[0047] In order to avoid that the operations of different strip holes do not affect each other, that is, to ensure the working independence of all strip holes, the length of the strip holes is greater than the area width of the corresponding partition in the working area, and the offset spacing of different strip holes is greater than the width of the powder lowering base 10.

[0048] The insert plate 4 can be provided with a specific number of strip holes according to actual molding requirements (such as the number of partitions of the working area), and the thickness of the insert plate and the width of the strip holes can be adjusted to quantitatively control the amount of powder added at a single time. In addition, insert plates with different shapes and numbers of strip holes can be replaced as needed. The insert plates are easy to replace and have high versatility of parts, which reduces the production and use costs and thus improves work efficiency.

[0049] like Figure 4 As shown, the utility model also provides a powder feeding and spreading mechanism, which includes the partitioned powder discharging device described in any of the above embodiments, and a powder spreading device 5, wherein the powder spreading device 5 is provided with a powder receiving groove 51, and when the powder spreading device 5 moves to one side of the partitioned powder discharging device, a strip hole of the plug plate 4 is moved to the lower slot position of the powder storage box 1 for storing powder, and the plug plate 4 continues to move so that the strip hole exceeds the position of the support plate 8, so that the powder in the strip hole falls into the powder receiving groove 51 of the powder spreading device 5.

[0050] Specifically, one or two scrapers (not shown in the figure) are provided at the bottom of the powder spreading device 5 to spread the powder in the powder receiving groove 51 to the corresponding area in the working area.

[0051] Preferably, an L-shaped powder scraping assembly 16 is installed on the other side of the powder storage box 1, and a powder scraping rubber strip 161 is provided at the bottom of the powder scraping assembly 16 for clearing excess powder from the surface of the powder spreading device 5 after the powder dropping device is completed.

[0052] The utility model further provides an additive manufacturing device, which includes the powder feeding and spreading mechanism described in any of the above embodiments.

[0053] In order to allow those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the technical solution of the present invention, the working process of the present invention is specifically described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings:

[0054] When the molding area is in the front half, the powder spreading device 5 moves to the left side of the powder lowering base 10 to wait, and the insert plate 4 moves to the right until the front strip hole 13 is aligned with the lower notch at the bottom of the powder storage box 1. Figure 5 As shown, at this time, the powder in the powder storage box 1 flows into the front strip hole 13 from the top, and the bottom is closed due to the contact of the sealing plate 7, and the front strip hole 13 is gradually filled; after the powder storage is completed, the inserting plate 4 moves to the left until the front strip hole 13 completely exceeds the edge of the sealing plate 7, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, at this time, the bottom of the front strip hole 13 is connected, and the powder in the front strip hole 13 falls into the powder receiving groove 51 of the powder spreading device 5 by gravity or impact, and a single powder discharging cycle is completed; the powder storage and powder discharging cycles are repeated many times until the printing requirements of the working area are met, and the powder spreading device 5 can perform the powder spreading operation.

[0055] When the molding area is in the rear half, the powder spreading device 5 moves to the right side of the powder lowering base 10 to wait, and the insert plate 4 moves to the left until the rear strip hole 14 is aligned with the lower notch at the bottom of the powder storage box 1. Figure 7 As shown, the rear strip hole 14 is gradually filled; after the powder is received, the insert plate 4 moves to the right until the rear strip hole 14 completely exceeds the edge of the sealing plate 7, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, the powder in the rear strip hole 14 falls into the powder spreading device 5, and a single powder dispensing cycle is completed; the powder storage and powder dispensing cycles are repeated multiple times until the printing requirements of the working area are met, and the powder spreading device 5 can perform the powder spreading operation.

[0056] The above embodiments are only preferred implementations of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions under the concept of the present invention should belong to the protection scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out that some modifications and modifications without departing from the principle of the present invention should be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A partition powder feeding device, characterized in that: include: A powder storage box having an upper opening and a lower notch; The driving unit is arranged on one side of the powder storage box through a bracket; A plug plate, one end of which is connected to the driving unit, and the other end of which moves under the powder storage box under the drive of the driving unit; the plug plate is provided with at least two strip holes in the transverse direction of its movement, and all the strip holes are staggered; A sealing member, which is arranged between the insert plate and the periphery of the lower notch; The support plate is arranged below the plug plate, and a plurality of insertion shafts are arranged at the lower part of the support plate; The powder lowering base is arranged below the support plate, and the powder lowering base is provided with a plurality of shaft holes matching the insertion shaft, and the insertion shaft is inserted into the shaft hole after the elastic member is covered on the outer sleeve, and the two ends of the powder lowering base are installed on the powder storage box through the pads; wherein, The inserting plate moves under the powder storage box under the action of the driving unit, and realizes the partitioned powder discharging of the working area through the powder storage and powder discharging of different strip holes.

2. The partition powder feeding device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A wear-resistant layer is provided on one side of the support plate close to the plug plate; or a sealing plate made of a wear-resistant material is provided above the support plate and below the plug plate.

3. The partition powder feeding device according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The width of the sealing plate or the supporting plate is greater than the width of the powder lowering base.

4. The partitioned powder feeding device according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The cushion block is L-shaped, and at least one rotatable guide column is provided at the end of the cushion block close to the plug board. When the plug board moves to the closest distance of the cushion block, the outer side of the guide column is tangent to the plug board.

5. The partitioned powder feeding device according to claim 2 is characterized in that: The length of the strip holes is greater than the width of the corresponding partition in the working area, and the offset spacing between different strip holes is greater than the width of the powder lowering base.

6. The zoning powder feeding device according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The powder storage box comprises a box body formed by splicing four plates, and a base installed at the bottom of the box body, wherein the base has a trapezoidal groove, which forms the lower notch with the bottom of the box body.

7. A powder feeding mechanism, characterized in that: It comprises the partitioned powder discharging device as described in any one of claims 1 to 6, and a powder spreading device, wherein the powder spreading device is provided with a powder receiving groove, and when the powder spreading device moves to one side of the partitioned powder discharging device, a strip hole of the plug plate is moved to the lower slot position of the powder storage box for storing powder, and the plug plate continues to move so that the strip hole exceeds the position of the support plate, so that the powder in the strip hole falls into the powder receiving groove of the powder spreading device.

8. The powder feeding mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that: One or two scrapers are provided at the bottom of the powder spreading device to spread the powder in the powder receiving trough to the corresponding area in the working area.

9. The powder feeding mechanism according to claim 8, characterized in that: An L-shaped powder scraping assembly is installed on the other side of the powder storage box, and a powder scraping rubber strip is arranged at the bottom of the powder scraping assembly, which is used for the partition powder feeding device to clean the excess powder on the surface of the powder spreading device after the powder feeding is completed.

10. An additive manufacturing device, characterized in that: It comprises the powder feeding mechanism as described in any one of claims 7 to 9.

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