Piston structure and additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a piston structure which comprises a piston bottom plate, a jacking plate, a zero point positioning system and a gas supply mechanism. The zero point positioning system comprises a positioning raised head and a zero point positioner; the positioning raised head is mounted on the lower surface of the piston bottom plate; a groove is formed in the upper surface of the jacking plate, and the zero-point positioner is mounted in the groove; an air hole is formed in the jacking plate, is communicated with the groove and is connected with an air supply mechanism; the gas supply mechanism conveys high-pressure gas to the zero-point positioner through the gas hole, the clamping jaw is clamped with the positioning protruding head, and the jacking plate and the piston bottom plate are connected. The utility model discloses additive manufacturing equipment which comprises the piston structure. The piston bottom plate and the jacking plate are rigidly connected through the zero-point positioning system, mechanical tension is far larger than resistance caused by powder feeding of the side wall of the cylinder body, the piston bottom plate cannot be loosened from the jacking plate in the printing process, the stability of the piston structure in the moving process is effectively guaranteed, and it is guaranteed that the printing process is more reliable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and in particular relates to a piston structure and additive manufacturing equipment. Background Art

[0002] During the printing process of the existing additive manufacturing equipment, the piston structure inside the cylinder 5' will gradually descend as the thickness of the printed layer increases under the action of the lifting mechanism 3'. Figure 2 As shown, the existing piston structure includes a piston bottom plate 1' and a lifting plate 2', the lifting plate 2' is connected to a lifting mechanism 3', and the lifting mechanism 3' drives the lifting plate 2' to rise and fall, wherein the side of the piston bottom plate 1' is tightly attached to the inner wall of the cylinder body 5' through a sealing gasket, and the lifting plate 2' is provided with two through holes 20', wherein the through holes 20' penetrate the upper and lower surfaces of the lifting plate 2', and an end surface groove 21' is provided on the upper surface of the lifting plate 2' corresponding to the through holes 20', and two sealing rings 4' are also provided on the upper surface of the lifting plate 2', and the two end surface grooves 21' are located between the two sealing rings 4'. When preparing for printing, the lifting plate 2' is raised to close to the piston bottom plate 1' through the lifting mechanism 3', and the sealing ring 4' will be pressed between the piston bottom plate 1' and the lifting plate 2'. At this time, the vacuum system is connected below the through hole 20' to extract the air in the two end surface grooves 21', so that negative pressure is formed in the end surface grooves 21', thereby connecting the lifting plate 2' and the piston bottom plate 1' into a whole. This negative pressure suction connection method is limited by air pressure and has instability, because during the printing process, powder will fill the gap between the piston bottom plate 1' and the inner wall of the cylinder body 5', causing the friction resistance between the piston bottom plate 1' and the side wall of the cylinder body 5' to increase, so when the negative pressure tension is reduced to a resistance lower than the resistance of the powder stuck on the side wall of the cylinder body 5', the piston bottom plate 1' will stop moving, and the lifting mechanism 3' will continue to descend, which will cause the piston bottom plate 1' to separate from the lifting plate 2', and the printing will be terminated. The workpiece cannot be connected, which will cause the workpiece to be scrapped or produce defective products. Utility Model Content

[0003] The utility model provides a piston structure, in which a piston bottom plate and a lifting plate are rigidly connected through a zero-point positioning system, and the mechanical pulling force is much greater than the resistance caused by powder feeding on the side wall of the cylinder body, so that the piston bottom plate will not loosen from the lifting plate during printing, effectively ensuring the stability of the piston structure during movement and ensuring a more reliable printing process.

[0004] The specific technical solutions adopted by the utility model are as follows:

[0005] A piston structure comprises a piston base plate, a lifting plate, a zero-point positioning system and a gas supply mechanism; the zero-point positioning system comprises a positioning boss and a zero-point locator; the positioning boss is mounted on the lower surface of the piston base plate; a groove is provided on the upper surface of the lifting plate, and the zero-point locator is mounted at the groove; an air hole is provided on the lifting plate, the air hole is communicated with the groove, and the air hole is connected to the gas supply mechanism; the gas supply mechanism transports high-pressure gas to the zero-point locator through the air hole, so that the claw on the zero-point locator opens, and the claw engages with the positioning boss to connect the lifting plate and the piston base plate.

[0006] Furthermore, there are two zero-point positioning systems, which are symmetrically arranged along the vertical center line of the lifting plate. Correspondingly, two grooves are arranged on the lifting plate, and an internal air passage connecting the two grooves is arranged on the lifting plate.

[0007] Furthermore, the inlet of the air hole is arranged on the side of the lifting plate, and a gas nozzle is installed at the inlet of the air hole, and the gas nozzle is connected to the gas supply mechanism.

[0008] An additive manufacturing device comprises the piston structure and a lifting mechanism located below the lifting plate, wherein the lifting mechanism is connected to the lower surface of the lifting plate.

[0009] Beneficial effects of the utility model: the piston base plate and the lifting plate of the utility model are rigidly connected through the zero-point positioning system. Specifically, when the piston base plate and the lifting plate are connected, the claws on the zero-point locator open under the action of high-pressure gas, and the lifting mechanism drives the lifting plate to rise until the claws hold the positioning protrusion. After the gas supply mechanism stops delivering high-pressure gas, the claws will automatically hold the positioning protrusion to achieve a mechanically clamped connection. When the lifting mechanism drives the lifting plate and the piston base plate to descend, the clamping tension provided by the claws is much greater than the friction resistance between the piston base plate and the side wall of the cylinder body, that is, much greater than the resistance caused by the powder feeding of the side wall of the cylinder body, so that the piston base plate will not loosen from the lifting plate during printing, effectively ensuring the stability of the piston structure during movement, and ensuring a more reliable printing process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] 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.

[0011] Figure 1 It is a cross-sectional view of the utility model;

[0012] Figure 2 It is a cross-sectional view of the prior art.

[0013] The above reference numerals:

[0014] 1. Piston base plate; 2. Lifting plate; 201. Air hole; 202. Internal air channel; 3. Zero point positioning system; 30. Positioning boss; 31. Zero point locator; 4. Lifting mechanism; 5. Air nozzle; 6. Cylinder body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] 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.

[0016] like Figure 1 As shown, a piston structure provided in this embodiment includes a piston base plate 1, a lifting plate 2, a zero point positioning system 3 and a gas supply mechanism; the zero point positioning system 3 includes a positioning boss 30 and a zero point locator 31; the positioning boss 30 is installed on the lower surface of the piston base plate 1; the upper surface of the lifting plate 2 is provided with a groove, and the zero point locator 31 is installed at the groove; the lifting plate 2 is provided with an air hole 201, the air hole 201 is connected to the groove, and the air hole 201 is connected to the gas supply mechanism; the gas supply mechanism transports high-pressure gas to the zero point locator 31 through the air hole 201, so that the claw on the zero point locator 31 opens, and the claw engages with the positioning boss 30 to connect the lifting plate 2 and the piston base plate 1.

[0017] In this embodiment, the gas supply mechanism includes a gas storage tank, a gas delivery pipeline, etc. The gas supply mechanism is a conventional configuration mechanism of existing additive manufacturing equipment and is an existing technology, so no further detailed description is given. The gas can be an inert gas or compressed air.

[0018] The zero-point positioning system 3 of the present embodiment is an existing mature product, which can be directly purchased on the market. The AMF zero-point positioning system produced by Andreas Maier GmbH & Co. KG (AMF) is preferably adopted. The opening and closing power of the clamping jaw in this zero-point positioning system 3 comes from high-pressure gas. The working principle of the existing zero-point positioning system 3 is: the high-pressure gas is delivered to the zero-point locator 31, so that the clamping jaw opens, the clamping jaw holds the positioning protrusion 30, and then the high-pressure gas is stopped to be delivered to the zero-point locator 31, so that the clamping jaw will automatically clamp the positioning protrusion 30 tightly, and the mechanical clamping connection between the clamping jaw and the positioning protrusion 30 is completed. Of course, the zero-point locator 31 includes other parts for opening and closing the clamping jaw in addition to the clamping jaw. Since it is a purchased part, the structure of the zero-point positioning system 3 is not described in detail.

[0019] In this embodiment, the piston base plate 1 and the lifting plate 2 are rigidly connected through the zero-point positioning system 3. Specifically, when the piston base plate 1 and the lifting plate 2 are connected, the gas supply mechanism delivers high-pressure gas to the groove through the air hole 201, so that the claw on the zero-point locator 31 opens under the action of the high-pressure gas, and the lifting mechanism 4 drives the lifting plate 2 to rise until the claw holds the positioning protrusion 30, and then the gas supply mechanism stops delivering high-pressure gas to the air hole 201, and the claw automatically holds the positioning protrusion 30, realizing a mechanically clamped connection. When the lifting mechanism 4 drives the lifting plate 2 and the piston base plate 1 to descend, the clamping tension provided by the claw is much greater than the friction resistance between the piston base plate 1 and the side wall of the cylinder body 6, that is, much greater than the resistance caused by the powder feeding of the side wall of the cylinder body 6, so that the piston base plate 1 will not loosen from the lifting plate 2 during printing, effectively ensuring the stability of the piston structure during movement, and ensuring that the printing process is more reliable.

[0020] In this embodiment, the number of the zero-point positioning systems 3 is two, and the two zero-point positioning systems 3 are symmetrically arranged along the vertical center line of the lifting plate 2. Correspondingly, the lifting plate 2 is provided with two grooves, and the lifting plate 2 is provided with an internal airway 202 connecting the two grooves.

[0021] The two grooves are connected through the two internal air passages 202 , so that when the gas supply mechanism delivers high-pressure gas to the air hole 201 , the high-pressure gas will quickly pass through the two grooves, thereby opening the claws on the two zero point positioners 31 .

[0022] Under the action of the two zero-point positioning systems 3, the reliability and connection strength of the rigid connection between the piston base plate 1 and the lifting plate 2 are guaranteed, ensuring that the piston base plate 1 will not loosen from the lifting plate 2 during the printing process.

[0023] In this embodiment, the inlet of the air hole 201 is arranged on the side of the lifting plate 2, and a gas nozzle 5 is installed at the inlet of the air hole 201, and the gas nozzle 5 is connected to the gas supply mechanism.

[0024] An additive manufacturing device includes the piston structure and a lifting mechanism 4 located below the lifting plate 2, wherein the lifting mechanism 4 is connected to the lower surface of the lifting plate 2. The lifting mechanism 4 is a conventional configuration mechanism of existing additive manufacturing devices, and the basic configuration currently used is a ball screw lifting mechanism, which is an existing technology, so it will not be described in detail. Of course, the additive manufacturing device also includes other conventional configuration mechanisms, which will not be described in detail.

[0025] 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 piston structure, characterized in that: The invention comprises a piston bottom plate (1), a lifting plate (2), a zero point positioning system (3) and a gas supply mechanism; the zero point positioning system (3) comprises a positioning convex head (30) and a zero point positioner (31); the positioning convex head (30) is installed on the lower surface of the piston bottom plate (1); the upper surface of the lifting plate (2) is provided with a groove, and the zero point positioner (31) is installed in the groove; The lifting plate (2) is provided with an air hole (201), the air hole (201) is communicated with the groove, and the air hole (201) is connected to the gas supply mechanism; the gas supply mechanism delivers high-pressure gas to the zero point locator (31) through the air hole (201), so that the claw on the zero point locator (31) opens, and the claw engages with the positioning protrusion (30), thereby connecting the lifting plate (2) and the piston bottom plate (1).

2. The piston structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the zero-point positioning systems (3) is two, and the two zero-point positioning systems (3) are symmetrically arranged along the vertical center line of the lifting plate (2). Correspondingly, the lifting plate (2) is provided with two grooves, and the lifting plate (2) is provided with an internal air passage (202) connecting the two grooves.

3. The piston structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inlet of the air hole (201) is arranged on the side of the lifting plate (2), and a gas nozzle (5) is installed at the inlet of the air hole (201), and the gas nozzle (5) is connected to the gas supply mechanism.

4. An additive manufacturing device, characterized in that: It comprises the piston structure according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and further comprises a lifting mechanism (4) located below the lifting plate (2), wherein the lifting mechanism (4) is connected to the lower surface of the lifting plate (2).

Images