Blanking mechanism and blanking device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a blanking mechanism which comprises a material guide assembly and a blanking assembly connected with the material guide assembly, the material guide assembly comprises a shell and an inclined material guide plate arranged in the shell, a plurality of uniformly distributed blanking holes are formed in the material guide plate, and powder received by the shell penetrates through the material guide plate through the blanking holes; the blanking assembly comprises a blanking part which is connected with the shell and located below the guide plate and a driving unit connected with the blanking part, the blanking part is provided with a blanking groove for receiving the powder falling from the blanking hole, and the blanking part is driven by the driving unit to rotate so as to discharge the powder in the blanking groove. The blanking mechanism can realize uniform and quantitative powder supply. The utility model further provides a blanking device comprising the blanking mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of 3D printing equipment, and in particular to a blanking mechanism and a blanking device having the blanking mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In the process of 3D printing, powder materials are usually laid layer by layer on the printing plane for sintering. To ensure the quality of product printing, uniform feeding is required. In the current feeding method, the feeding bin is first raised upward and raised above the printing plane, and then the scraper pushes the powder material onto the printing plane to form a thin layer of powder. However, the above feeding method cannot accurately control the feeding amount, which can easily lead to uneven feeding. Utility Model Content

[0003] In view of the above, it is necessary to propose a blanking mechanism and a blanking device having the blanking mechanism, which can accurately control the feeding amount to achieve uniform quantitative feeding.

[0004] An embodiment of the present application provides a material dropping mechanism, which includes a material guiding assembly, including a shell and an inclined material guiding plate arranged in the shell, wherein the material guiding plate is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed material dropping holes, and the powder received by the shell passes through the material guiding plate through the material dropping holes; a material dropping assembly, which is connected to the material guiding assembly and includes a material dropping piece connected to the shell and located below the material guiding plate, and a driving unit connected to the material dropping piece, wherein the material dropping piece is provided with a material dropping trough for receiving the powder dropped from the plurality of material dropping holes, and the material dropping piece rotates under the drive of the driving unit to discharge the powder in the material dropping trough.

[0005] When using the above-mentioned blanking mechanism, after the powder enters the shell, it first falls onto the guide plate and slides along the guide plate. When the powder moves to the blanking hole, the powder passes through the guide plate from the blanking hole. At this time, the powder is evenly laid into the blanking trough on the blanking piece under the action of the guide plate. Then the driving unit drives the blanking piece to rotate to rotate the blanking trough, so that the powder in the blanking trough falls out of the shell. Under the action of the guide plate, the powder is evenly laid in the blanking trough, so that the thickness of the laid powder is uniform. Since the volume of the blanking trough remains unchanged, the amount of powder is the same each time the material is discharged, thereby realizing quantitative discharge. Under the joint action of the guide plate and the blanking piece, the blanking mechanism realizes uniform quantitative discharge.

[0006] In some embodiments, the material guide assembly further includes an adjusting unit, which is connected to the material guide plate and movably connected to the housing to adjust the inclination angle of the material guide plate.

[0007] In some embodiments, the adjusting unit includes an adjusting member and a fixing member connected to the adjusting member, wherein the adjusting member is connected to the material guide plate and movably penetrates the outer shell to adjust the inclination angle of the material guide plate, and the fixing member is located at one end of the adjusting member penetrating the outer shell and abuts against the outer shell to lock the adjusting member to the outer shell.

[0008] In some embodiments, there are multiple guide plates, and the multiple guide plates are connected in sequence, and two adjacent guide plates are arranged in a V shape or an inverted V shape.

[0009] In some embodiments, the outer shell includes a shell and a base connected to the shell, the shell is provided with a material cavity and a feed port connected to the material cavity, the material guide plate is provided in the material cavity and below the feed port, the powder enters the material cavity through the feed port and falls onto the material guide plate, the base is provided with a accommodating cavity connected to the material cavity and a discharge port connected to the accommodating cavity, the blanking piece is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the accommodating cavity to discharge the received powder from the discharge port.

[0010] In some embodiments, a guide portion is provided in the base, and the guide portion is located above the blanking piece, and the powder material slides down to the blanking trough through the guide portion.

[0011] In some embodiments, the material dropping mechanism further includes a heating element, and the heating element is disposed in the base to heat the powder.

[0012] In some embodiments, the material dropping mechanism further includes a measuring sensor connected to the shell, and the measuring sensor is used to measure the remaining amount of the powder in the shell.

[0013] In some embodiments, the driving unit includes a driving member and a driving module connected to the driving member, and the driving module is connected to the blanking member to drive the blanking member to rotate under the drive of the driving member.

[0014] The embodiment of the present application also provides a material dropping device, including the material dropping mechanism as described above; a feeding mechanism connected to the outer shell, used to supply powder to the outer shell; a powder quantity sensor, arranged in the feeding mechanism, and the powder quantity sensor is used to measure the remaining amount of powder in the feeding mechanism. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the blanking device provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the exploded structure of the blanking mechanism in the blanking device shown.

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the driving unit and the base in the blanking mechanism is shown.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the material guiding assembly in the blanking mechanism is shown.

[0019] Main component symbols

[0020] Dropping device 100

[0021] Feeding mechanism 10

[0022] Barrel 11

[0023] Feed pipe 12

[0024] Powder sensor 20

[0025] Blanking mechanism 30

[0026] Material guide component 31

[0027] Shell 311

[0028] Housing 3111

[0029] Base 3112

[0030] Cavity 3113

[0031] Feed port 3114

[0032] Arc hole 3115

[0033] Discharge port 3116

[0034] Guide 3117

[0035] Guide plate 312

[0036] Dropping hole 3121

[0037] Through hole 3122

[0038] Adjustment unit 313

[0039] Adjustment Part 3131

[0040] Fixing parts 3132

[0041] Blanking assembly 32

[0042] Blanking parts 321

[0043] Drop chute 3211

[0044] Drive unit 322

[0045] Drive Components 3221

[0046] Drive wheel 3222

[0047] Driven wheel 3223

[0048] Cover 33

[0049] Heating element 34

[0050] Measuring sensor 35 DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below, and examples of the embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be understood as limiting the present application.

[0052] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms indicating orientation or positional relationship are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, in the description of the present application, it should be noted that the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0053] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the term "connection" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, or mutual communication; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0054] The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0055] See also Figure 1, an embodiment of the present application provides a material dropping device 100. The material dropping device 100 is used to evenly spread powder used for 3D printing on a printing platform. The material dropping device 100 includes a feeding mechanism 10, a powder quantity sensor 20 provided on the feeding mechanism 10, and a material dropping mechanism 30 connected to the feeding mechanism 10. The feeding mechanism 10 contains powder, and the feeding mechanism 10 is used to provide powder to the material dropping mechanism 30. The powder quantity sensor 20 is used to detect the remaining amount of powder in the feeding mechanism 10. The material dropping mechanism 30 is used to receive the powder provided by the feeding mechanism 10 and evenly spread the received powder on the printing platform. Among them, the powder is a material for 3D printing. For example, after the powder is evenly spread on the printing platform, the powder can be irradiated with a laser to sinter the powder to form a desired shape.

[0056] See also Figure 1 The feeding mechanism 10 includes a barrel 11 and a feeding pipe 12 connected to the barrel 11. The barrel 11 contains powder for feeding to the blanking mechanism 30. One end of the feeding pipe 12 away from the barrel 11 is connected to the blanking mechanism 30. The feeding pipe 12 is used to transport the powder in the barrel 11 to the blanking mechanism 30.

[0057] The powder quantity sensor 20 is provided on the feeding pipe 12, and is used to sense the powder. For example, when the powder quantity sensor 20 senses that there is powder passing through the feeding pipe 12, a light signal is issued. When there is no powder passing through the feeding pipe 12, the powder quantity sensor 20 does not issue a signal. At this time, the operator can judge whether there is any powder remaining in the barrel 11 through the signal issued by the powder quantity sensor 20. The powder quantity sensor 20 can also be connected to the barrel 11. The powder quantity sensor 20 is used to detect the amount of powder in the barrel 11. When there is no powder in the barrel 11, the powder quantity sensor 20 issues a prompt signal to remind the operator to add powder.

[0058] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 The material-dropping mechanism 30 includes a material-guiding component 31 connected to the material-delivering pipe 12 and a material-dropping component 32 connected to the material-guiding component 31. The powder in the barrel 11 enters the material-guiding component 31 through the material-delivering pipe 12, and the material-guiding component 31 causes the powder to drop evenly to the material-dropping component 32, and the material-dropping component 32 then discharges the powder quantitatively. Since the powder evenly drops on the material-dropping component 32 under the action of the material-guiding component 31, the material-dropping component 32 can discharge powder with uniform thickness; since the material-dropping component 32 can realize quantitative discharge, the material-dropping component 32 can evenly spread the powder on the printing platform when discharging. Under the joint action of the material-guiding component 31 and the material-dropping component 32, the material-dropping mechanism 30 realizes uniform quantitative discharge.

[0059] See also Figures 1 to 3The material guiding assembly 31 includes a shell 311 , a material guiding plate 312 disposed inside the shell 311 , and an adjusting unit 313 connected to the material guiding plate 312 and to the shell 311 .

[0060] The housing 311 includes a shell 3111 and a base 3112 connected to the shell 3111. A material chamber 3113 for storing powder and a feed port 3114 connected to the material chamber 3113 are provided in the shell 3111. The shell 3111 is connected to the feed pipe 12 and the feed port 3114 is connected to the pipe mouth of the feed pipe 12, and the powder flows into the material chamber 3113 of the shell 3111 through the feed port 3114. An arc hole 3115 is provided on the side wall of the shell 3111. The adjustment unit 313 is slidably arranged in the arc hole 3115. When the adjustment unit 313 slides along the arc hole 3115, the inclination angle of the guide plate 312 can be adjusted. When the guide plate 312 is adjusted, the adjustment unit 313 can fix the guide plate 312.

[0061] The base 3112 is embedded in a side of the shell 3111 opposite to the feed port 3114 . The base 3112 is provided with a discharge port 3116 penetrating the base 3112 and communicating with the material cavity 3113 . The discharge port 3116 is used to discharge the powder from the material cavity 3113 .

[0062] See also Figure 3 The base 3112 is provided with a guide portion 3117, and the number of the guide portions 3117 is two. The two guide portions 3117 are respectively located on two opposite side walls of the base 3112, and the two guide portions 3117 are located above the blanking assembly 32. The two guide portions 3117 have inclined surfaces on the side facing the housing 3111, and the distance between the inclined surfaces of the two guide portions 3117 gradually increases from the side close to the blanking assembly 32 to the side away from the blanking assembly 32, so as to guide the powder to the blanking assembly 32.

[0063] See also Figure 2 and Figure 4 The guide plate 312 is roughly plate-shaped and each guide plate 312 is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed drop holes 3121 . The drop holes 3121 may be round holes or square holes. The powder passes through the drop holes 3121 of the guide plate 312 and falls into the drop assembly 32 .

[0064] The number of the guide plates 312 can be multiple, and the multiple guide plates 312 are connected in sequence, and two adjacent guide plates 312 are arranged in a V shape or an inverted V shape. In this embodiment, the number of the guide plates 312 is two, and the two guide plates 312 are arranged in the material chamber 3113 and below the feed port 3114, wherein one end of the two guide plates 312 is connected and close to the feed port 3114, and the other ends of the two guide plates 312 are far away from each other, and the two guide plates 312 are in an inverted V shape. In this embodiment, the ends of the two guide plates 312 connected to each other are connected together through the same rotating shaft, and the two guide plates 312 can rotate relative to the rotating shaft to adjust the inclination angle between the two guide plates 312. The two ends of the rotating shaft are connected to the opposite side walls of the housing 3111, and the rotating shaft is used to connect the two guide plates 312 to the housing 3111.

[0065] Since the two guide plates 312 are in an inverted V shape, each guide plate 312 is inclined. When the powder falls onto the guide plate 312, the powder slides downward along the guide plate 312 under the action of gravity. While the powder slides along the guide plate 312, the powder falls from the plurality of drop holes 3121 to the drop assembly 32. Since the plurality of drop holes 3121 are evenly distributed, when the powder falls from the drop holes 3121, it can be evenly laid on the drop assembly 32, thereby avoiding the phenomenon of powder accumulation in the middle of the drop assembly 32.

[0066] In order to connect the adjusting unit 313 to the material guide plate 312, a through hole 3122 for connecting the adjusting unit 313 is provided on the material guide plate 312. Specifically, there are two through holes 3122 on each material guide plate 312, and one through hole 3122 is provided on each side of the material guide plate 312. Correspondingly, two oppositely arranged arc holes 3115 are respectively provided on the opposite side walls of the shell 3111, and each through hole 3122 corresponds to each arc hole 3115. Each through hole 3122 is connected to an adjusting unit 313, and the adjusting unit 313 passes through the through hole 3122 and is slidably connected to the arc hole 3115. When adjusting the inclination angle of the two material guide plates 312, the material guide plate 312 is rotated to change the inclination angle of the material guide plate 312. At the same time, the material guide plate 312 drives the adjustment unit 313 to move so that the adjustment unit 313 slides along the arc hole 3115. When the material guide plate 312 is adjusted to a suitable position, the adjustment unit 313 fixes the material guide plate 312.

[0067] In order to adjust the inclination angle of the material guide plate 312. The adjustment unit 313 includes an adjustment member 3131 and a fixing member 3132. The adjustment member 3131 can be a bolt, and the adjustment member 3131 is inserted into the corresponding through hole 3122 on the material guide plate 312, and one end of the adjustment member 3131 is slidably inserted into the corresponding arc hole 3115. When the material guide plate 312 is rotated, the adjustment member 3131 slides in the arc hole 3115 to adjust the inclination angle of the material guide plate 312.

[0068] The fixing member 3132 may be a nut, which is connected to the adjusting member 3131 and is located at one end of the adjusting member 3131 that passes through the housing 311. When the fixing member 3132 is tightened, the fixing member 3132 locks the adjusting member 3131 so that the guide plate 312 no longer rotates, thereby achieving the purpose of locking the guide plate 312 to the housing 311. Under the adjustment of the adjustment unit 313, the inclination angle of the guide plate 312 can be adjusted, so that the powder can slide along the guide plate 312 more smoothly. For example, in this embodiment, the angle between the two guide plates 312 is 120 degrees, which is the best angle. At this time, the powder can slide quickly along the guide plate 312.

[0069] See also Figure 2 In order to prevent powder from overflowing from the arc hole 3115 during the blanking process, the blanking mechanism 30 also includes two cover plates 33, which are respectively connected to the two side walls of the shell 3111, and the cover plates 33 are covered on the outside of the arc hole 3115, thereby achieving the purpose of sealing the arc hole 3115.

[0070] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 The blanking assembly 32 includes a blanking piece 321 and a driving unit 322 for driving the blanking piece 321 to rotate. The blanking piece 321 is connected to the housing 3111 of the housing 311 and is located below the guide plate 312. The blanking piece 321 is generally cylindrical, and the blanking piece 321 is rotatably disposed on the base 3112 along the extension direction of the discharge port 3116 and is located in the discharge port 3116. Specifically, the blanking piece 321 is located below the two guide portions 3117.

[0071] The blanking member 321 is provided with a blanking trough 3211 for receiving powder, and the extension direction of the blanking trough 3211 is parallel to the extension direction of the blanking member 321. When the powder slides downward along the guide portion 3117, the powder falls into the blanking trough 3211 along the guide portion 3117, and when the blanking member 321 rotates under the drive of the driving unit 322, the blanking trough 3211 will discharge the powder out of the housing 311. Since the amount of powder discharged by the blanking member 321 each time is the capacity of the blanking trough 3211, the blanking assembly 32 realizes quantitative discharge, and when the blanking member 321 rotates continuously and at a uniform speed, the discharged powder can be evenly spread on the printing platform.

[0072] In this embodiment, there are multiple material drop grooves 3211, and the multiple material drop grooves 3211 are evenly distributed along the circumference of the material drop part 321. By providing multiple material drop grooves 3211, the efficiency of material discharge can be improved, so that the material drop mechanism 30 can quickly lay the powder on the printing platform.

[0073] The driving unit 322 includes a driving member 3221, a driving wheel 3222 connected to the driving member 3221, and a driven wheel 3223 connected to the blanking member 321. The driving member 3221 may be a servo motor, the driving wheel 3222 and the driven wheel 3223 may be pulleys, and the driving wheel 3222 and the driven wheel 3223 are driven by a belt. In addition, the driving wheel 3222 and the driven wheel 3223 may be gears, and the driving wheel 3222 and the driven wheel 3223 are meshed with each other. When the driving member 3221 drives the driving wheel 3222 to rotate, the driving wheel 3222 drives the driven wheel 3223 to rotate, and at this time, the blanking member 321 will rotate with the driven wheel 3223, so that the blanking trough 3211 rotates from the inside of the base 3112 to the outside of the base 3112, so as to discharge the powder from the material cavity 3113.

[0074] See also Figure 1 The blanking mechanism 30 further includes two heating elements 34, which may be heating rods, and the two heating elements 34 are disposed through the base 3112. Specifically, the two heating elements 34 are respectively located on both sides of the discharge port 3116. The heating elements 34 are used to preheat the powder passing through the discharge port 3116, thereby improving the printing efficiency.

[0075] The material dropping mechanism 30 further includes a measuring sensor 35, which is disposed in a shell 3111 of the housing 311. The measuring sensor 35 is used to measure the powder in the housing 311. For example, when the measuring sensor 35 senses the powder, the measuring sensor 35 may emit a light signal to indicate that there is powder remaining in the housing 311. When the measuring sensor 35 does not emit a light signal, it indicates that the powder in the housing 311 has been used up and that powder needs to be added to the housing 311.

[0076] The working process of the blanking device 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application is roughly as follows:

[0077] The powder in the barrel 11 flows through the feeding pipe 12 into the material cavity 3113 of the housing 311. When the powder enters the material cavity 3113, the powder slides along the two guide plates 312. Since the guide plates 312 are provided with drop holes 3121, the powder continues to fall through the guide plates 312. When the powder falls to the guide part 3117 on the base 3112, the powder slides to the drop groove 3211 of the drop part 321 under the action of the two guide parts 3117.

[0078] The driving member 3221 drives the driven wheel 3223 to rotate through the driving wheel 3222, so that the driven wheel 3223 drives the blanking member 321 to rotate, so that the blanking member 321 carries the powder in the blanking trough 3211 from the inside of the base 3112 to the outside of the base 3112, so that the powder in the blanking trough 3211 is discharged from the outer shell 311.

[0079] The blanking device 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application, under the action of the guide plate 312, the powder is evenly laid in the blanking trough 3211, and when the blanking trough 3211 discharges the powder, the powder with uniform thickness can be obtained on the printing platform. Since the capacity of the blanking trough 3211 remains unchanged, the discharge amount each time is the capacity of the blanking trough 3211, so that the blanking device 100 realizes quantitative discharge. The blanking device 100 realizes uniform quantitative discharge under the joint action of the guide plate 312 and the blanking member 321. In addition, the blanking device 100 can preheat the powder to be discharged through the heating member 34, so that the powder can be quickly heated during the printing process, thereby improving the efficiency of 3D printing. The blanking device 100 can detect the remaining amount of powder in the barrel 11 and the remaining amount of powder in the shell 311 respectively through the powder amount sensor 20 and the measuring sensor 35, so as to avoid the powder in the barrel 11 and the shell 311 being used up.

[0080] It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present application is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the present application can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present application. Therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive, and the scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims are included in the present application.

[0081] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present application and are not intended to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art should understand that the technical solution of the present application may be modified or replaced by equivalents without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present application.

Claims

1. A blanking mechanism, characterized in that: include: A material guide assembly comprises a shell and an inclined material guide plate arranged in the shell, wherein the material guide plate is provided with a plurality of evenly distributed material drop holes, and the powder received by the shell passes through the material guide plate through the material drop holes; A material dropping component is connected to the material guide component and includes a material dropping piece connected to the shell and located below the material guide plate, and a driving unit connected to the material dropping piece. The material dropping piece is provided with a material dropping trough for receiving the powder dropped from the plurality of material dropping holes. The material dropping piece is driven by the driving unit to rotate to discharge the powder in the material dropping trough.

2. The blanking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material guide assembly further comprises an adjusting unit, which is connected to the material guide plate and movably connected to the shell to adjust the inclination angle of the material guide plate.

3. The blanking mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adjusting unit includes an adjusting member and a fixing member connected to the adjusting member, wherein the adjusting member is connected to the material guide plate and movably penetrates the outer shell to adjust the inclination angle of the material guide plate, and the fixing member is located at one end of the adjusting member penetrating the outer shell and abuts against the outer shell to lock the adjusting member to the outer shell.

4. The blanking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple material guide plates, and the multiple material guide plates are connected in sequence, and two adjacent material guide plates are arranged in a V shape or an inverted V shape.

5. The blanking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer shell includes a shell and a base connected to the shell, the shell is provided with a material cavity and a feed port connected to the material cavity, the material guide plate is provided in the material cavity and below the feed port, the powder enters the material cavity through the feed port and falls onto the material guide plate, the base is provided with a accommodating cavity connected to the material cavity and a discharge port connected to the accommodating cavity, the blanking piece is rotatably connected to the inner wall of the accommodating cavity to discharge the received powder from the discharge port.

6. The blanking mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: A guide portion is arranged in the base, and the guide portion is located above the blanking piece, and the powder material slides down to the blanking trough through the guide portion.

7. The blanking mechanism according to claim 5, characterized in that: The material dropping mechanism further comprises a heating element, and the heating element is arranged through the base to heat the powder.

8. The blanking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material dropping mechanism further comprises a measuring sensor connected to the shell, and the measuring sensor is used to measure the remaining amount of the powder in the shell.

9. The blanking mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The driving unit includes a driving member and a driving module connected to the driving member, and the driving module is connected to the blanking member to drive the blanking member to rotate under the drive of the driving member.

10. A blanking device, characterized in that: include: The blanking mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 9; a feeding mechanism connected to the shell and used to supply powder to the shell; A powder quantity sensor is arranged on the feeding mechanism, and the powder quantity sensor is used to measure the remaining amount of powder in the feeding mechanism.

Images