Metal 3D printing cylinder body assembly with piston structure

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of 3D printing, and discloses a metal 3D printing cylinder body assembly with a piston structure, which comprises a cylinder body and a middle assembly, and the middle assembly is movably arranged in the cylinder body; the middle assembly comprises a first heat insulation plate and a sealing plate which are arranged in a stacked mode. Wherein a first sealing groove is formed in the edge of the first heat insulation plate, and a second sealing groove is formed in the edge of the sealing plate; a first sealing piece is arranged in the first sealing groove, a second sealing piece is arranged in the second sealing groove, the first sealing piece is connected between the first heat insulation plate and the cylinder body in an abutting mode, and the second sealing piece is connected between the sealing plate and the cylinder body in an abutting mode; and the second sealing element is a Y-shaped sealing element. Through the structural design of the piston, the maintenance frequency of the lower-layer seal is reduced, the maintenance time of the whole piston is shortened, and the working efficiency is effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of 3D printing, and in particular relates to a metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure. Background Art

[0002] During the powder bed 3D printing process, a large amount of powder is filled around the piston in the cylinder. A gap is left between the inner wall of the cylinder and the piston to cope with the expansion of the material after heating. Therefore, sealing is required to prevent the printing powder from leaking downwards.

[0003] The internal structure of the existing printing cylinder is composed of a base plate, a heating plate, two layers of felt seals, a heat insulation plate, a sealing plate, and a water cooling plate, wherein upper and lower layers of felt seals are arranged to prevent powder from leaking downwards.

[0004] However, during maintenance work, the felt seal needs to be replaced regularly because the maintenance cycle is about 3 months. It is relatively easy to replace the upper felt seal, which can be replaced by removing the heating plate after the printing task is completed, but it is time-consuming and labor-intensive to replace the lower felt seal. The lower felt seal needs to be replaced by removing the heating plate, the first layer of felt seal, the insulation plate, and the center meson. The lower seal layer needs to be maintained and replaced frequently, and the maintenance operation is time-consuming and labor-intensive. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the deficiencies of the prior art, the utility model provides a metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure. Through the piston structure design and in combination with the presence of a large amount of powder in the working environment, the upper layer is sealed with felt and the lower layer is sealed with a Y-shaped seal. Under the premise of ensuring equivalent sealing, the shape and structure of the Y-shaped seal has good anti-bending ability. Compared with felt as a flexible material, it effectively improves the friction resistance, and the failure cycle of the Y-shaped seal can exceed 1 year under continuous printing conditions. Therefore, the maintenance frequency of the lower seal is reduced, the maintenance time of the entire piston is shortened, and the working efficiency is effectively improved.

[0006] The technical effects to be achieved by the utility model are achieved through the following aspects:

[0007] In a first aspect, the utility model provides a metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure, comprising a cylinder, an upper assembly, a middle assembly and a lower assembly, wherein the middle assembly is connected between the upper assembly and the lower assembly, and the upper assembly, the middle assembly and the lower assembly move in the cylinder;

[0008] The middle component includes a first heat insulation board and a sealing board which are stacked, wherein the first heat insulation board is arranged close to the upper component, and the sealing board is arranged close to the lower component;

[0009] Wherein, a first sealing groove is provided at the edge of the first heat insulation plate, and a second sealing groove is provided at the edge of the sealing plate;

[0010] A first seal is provided in the first sealing groove, a second seal is provided in the second sealing groove, the first seal abuts between the first heat insulation plate and the cylinder body, and the second seal abuts between the sealing plate and the cylinder body; the second seal is a Y-shaped seal.

[0011] In some implementations, the second seal includes a body, a first abutment portion, and a second abutment portion, the body extending upward toward the sealing plate to form the first abutment portion, and the body extending upward toward the cylinder body to form the second abutment portion; a accommodating cavity is formed between the first abutment portion and the second abutment portion.

[0012] In some implementations, an angle formed between the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion is any value between 20° and 80°.

[0013] In some implementations, the first seal is a rubber seal.

[0014] In some implementations, the first seal includes a compression spring, a pressing plate, and a felt, wherein the pressing plate is connected between the compression spring and the felt, the other end of the compression spring is connected to the first sealing groove, and the other end of the felt abuts against the cylinder body.

[0015] In some implementations, the lower component includes a second thermal insulation plate and a mounting plate, one side of the second thermal insulation plate is connected to the sealing plate, and the other side of the second thermal insulation plate is connected to the mounting plate.

[0016] In some implementations, the second thermal insulation board is a porous vacuum silicon thermal insulation board.

[0017] In some implementations, the second thermal insulation board has a thickness of 0.4 mm-0.6 mm.

[0018] In some implementations, the upper assembly includes a base plate and a heating plate connected between the base plate and the first thermal insulation plate.

[0019] In summary, the utility model has at least the following benefits:

[0020] 1. The cylinder assembly provided by the utility model is designed with a large amount of powder in the working environment, so the upper layer is sealed with felt and the lower layer is sealed with a Y-shaped seal. Under the premise of ensuring equivalent sealing, the shape structure of the Y-shaped seal has good anti-bending ability, which effectively improves the friction resistance compared to felt, so that the failure period of the Y-shaped seal under continuous printing conditions can exceed 1 year, reducing the maintenance frequency of the lower seal.

[0021] 2. The cylinder assembly provided by the utility model shortens the maintenance time of the entire piston and effectively improves the working efficiency by adopting a Y-shaped seal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional structural diagram of the cylinder assembly in Example 1.

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Enlarged schematic diagram of the structure of part A in the middle.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the second sealing member in Example 1.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first sealing member in Example 1.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the upper component in Example 1.

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the partial structure of the lower component in Example 2.

[0028] Markings in the figure:

[0029] 1. Cylinder body; 2. Upper component, 21. Base plate, 22. Heating plate; 3. Middle component, 31. First heat insulation board, 311. First sealing groove, 312. First sealing member, 3121. Compression spring, 3122. Top plate, 3123. Felt, 32. Sealing plate, 321. Second sealing groove, 322. Second sealing member, 3221. Main body, 3222. First abutting portion, 3223. Second abutting portion, 3224. Accommodating chamber; 4. Lower component, 41. Second heat insulation board, 42. Mounting plate. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the implementation of the utility model clearer, the technical solution in the implementation of the utility model will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the implementation of the utility model. The described implementation is a part of the implementation of the utility model, not all of the implementations.

[0031] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely represents selected embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] Embodiment 1:

[0033] Please see attached Figure 1-2 The cylinder assembly of the utility model includes a cylinder 1, an upper assembly 2, a middle assembly 3 and a lower assembly 4, the middle assembly 3 is connected between the upper assembly 2 and the lower assembly 4, the upper assembly 2, the middle assembly 3 and the lower assembly 4 are movable in the cylinder 1; the middle assembly 3 includes a first heat insulation plate 31 and a sealing plate 32 which are stacked, the first heat insulation plate 31 is arranged close to the upper assembly 2, and the sealing plate 32 is arranged close to the lower assembly 4; wherein, a first sealing groove 311 is arranged at the edge of the first heat insulation plate 31, and a second sealing groove 321 is arranged at the edge of the sealing plate 32; a first sealing member 312 is arranged in the first sealing groove 311, and a second sealing member 322 is arranged in the second sealing groove 321, the first sealing member 312 abuts between the first heat insulation plate 31 and the cylinder 1, and the second sealing member 322 abuts between the sealing plate 32 and the cylinder 1; the second sealing member 322 is a Y-shaped sealing member.

[0034] The upper component 2 is used for 3D printing, and the top is where the 3D printed parts are formed. The middle component 3 is used to block the heat and dust in the upper component 2 to prevent the dust and heat from leaking to the lower component 4. The lower component 4 is used to block the heat again to prevent the transmission parts and other electrical components of the cylinder assembly from being affected by heat radiation. The first seal 312 is a felt 3123 seal.

[0035] In this embodiment, during the powder bed 3D printing process, the cylinder 1 is fixed and the cylinder assembly moves downward from top to bottom. The top of the upper assembly 2 is where the 3D printed parts are formed. The physical action sequence of 3D printing is: first, a layer of metal powder is spread on the upper assembly 2, then the laser system located above the upper assembly 2 scans and melts the metal powder, then the cylinder assembly descends a certain height in the cylinder 1, and a layer of powder printing is completed, and finally this process is repeated to achieve 3D printing of parts.

[0036] During this process, a large amount of powder is gradually generated around the piston in the cylinder 1. Most of the powder is retained on the first seal 312 through the first seal 312. Since the first seal 312 is set as a felt 3123 seal, the structural gap of the first seal 312 is larger, which can fully retain large particles of powder, and can also increase the sealing capacity accordingly, effectively ensuring that most of the powder is blocked by the first seal 312, and its sealing performance is effectively guaranteed. When a small part of the powder leaks from the first seal 312, it is blocked again by the second seal 322, effectively preventing the powder from leaking to the transmission parts and other electrical components of the cylinder assembly, ensuring its sealing performance.

[0037] Since the upper layer is sealed with felt 3123 and the lower layer is sealed with a Y-shaped seal, under the premise of ensuring equivalent sealing, felt 3123, as a flexible material, will wear under continuous printing conditions and affect the sealing effect. In contrast, the shape and structure of the Y-shaped seal has good bending resistance. Compared with felt 3123, the Y-shaped seal effectively improves the friction resistance, so that the failure period of the Y-shaped seal under continuous printing conditions can exceed 1 year, reducing the maintenance frequency of the lower layer seal.

[0038] During maintenance and replacement, the first seal 312 can be maintained and replaced after the upper assembly 2 is removed. If the second seal 322 is also sealed with felt 3123, the upper assembly 2, the first seal 312, the center meson, the first heat insulation board 31, etc. need to be removed for maintenance and replacement, and when reinstalling, it needs to be re-leveled, which consumes more man-hours. In this embodiment, the second seal 322 adopts a Y-shaped seal. When the first seal 312 is replaced regularly, the second seal 322 does not need to be replaced, which saves more man-hours, shortens the maintenance man-hour of the entire piston, and effectively improves the working efficiency.

[0039] Please see attached Figure 3 The second sealing member 322 includes a body 3221, a first abutting portion 3222 and a second abutting portion 3223. The body 3221 extends upward toward the sealing plate 32 to form the first abutting portion 3222, and the body 3221 extends upward toward the cylinder body 1 to form the second abutting portion 3223; a receiving cavity 3224 is formed between the first abutting portion 3222 and the second abutting portion 3223. Specifically, the angle formed between the first abutting portion 3222 and the second abutting portion 3223 is any value between 20° and 80°. The first sealing member 312 is a rubber sealing member. The receiving cavity 3224 is used to load powder.

[0040] In this embodiment, through the structural shape and material setting of the second sealing member 322, during the up and down movement of the second sealing member 322, the second abutting portion 3223 can abut against the inner wall of the cylinder body 1. When the cylinder assembly moves downward, the second abutting portion 3223 is subjected to a force in the direction of the first abutting portion 3222, so that the second abutting portion 3223 reacts against the inner wall of the cylinder body 1, thereby achieving close contact with the cylinder body 1. When the cylinder assembly moves upward, the second abutting portion 3223 is subjected to a force in the direction away from the first abutting portion 3222 and the accommodating chamber 3224. When the second abutting portion 3223 is not subjected to a force, the second abutting portion 3223 is equivalent to the hypotenuse of a right triangle. When the piston structure moves upward, the second abutting portion 3223 is subjected to a downward force, so that the second abutting portion 3223 is deflected downward, that is, equivalent to the hypotenuse of a right triangle with a triangle point as a fixed point, and its hypotenuse is close to the right side. According to the Pythagorean theorem, it can be known that the second abutting portion 3223 moves to a narrower position, so that the second abutting portion 3223 and the cylinder body 1 are more closely connected. This structure enables the second sealing member 322 to have good anti-bending ability and improves wear resistance. A receiving groove is formed between the first abutting portion 3222 and the second abutting portion 3223, which can ensure the sealing performance for long-term use while ensuring a large capacity for carrying powder, effectively reducing the maintenance frequency of the second sealing member 322.

[0041] Please see attached Figure 4 The first sealing member 312 includes a compression spring 3121, a pressing plate 3122 and a felt 3123. The pressing plate 3122 is connected between the compression spring 3121 and the felt 3123. The other end of the compression spring 3121 is connected to the first sealing groove 311. The other end of the felt 3123 abuts against the cylinder body 1. The pressing plate 3122 and the felt 3123 can be fixed by gluing. Through this arrangement, after the felt 3123 has been used for a long time, the side of the felt 3123 that abuts against the inner wall of the cylinder body 1 will be severely worn. The length of the felt 3123 after long-term use will be shorter than that of a new felt 3123. Therefore, the gap between the felt 3123 and the cylinder body 1 will be larger after long-term use. In this case, the compression spring will provide a force for the felt 3123 to approach the inner wall of the cylinder body 1, so that the felt 3123 abuts against the inner wall of the cylinder body 1 again, thereby reducing the gap between the cylinder body 1 and the felt 3123, improving the sealing effect between the two, and effectively improving the service life of the felt 3123.

[0042] Please see attached Figure 5 The upper component 2 includes a substrate 21 and a heating plate 22, and the heating plate 22 is connected between the substrate 21 and the first heat insulation plate 31. The substrate 21 is where the 3D printed parts are formed. Through this position setting, the heating plate 22 is set under the substrate 21, providing a certain temperature during the 3D printing process, reducing heat loss, and ensuring the stability of 3D printing.

[0043] Embodiment 2:

[0044] The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 is that this embodiment further optimizes the structure of the cylinder assembly of the utility model.

[0045] See also Figure 6 The lower component 4 of this embodiment includes a second heat insulation board 41 and a mounting board 42. One side of the second heat insulation board 41 is connected to the sealing board 32, and the other side of the second heat insulation board 41 is connected to the mounting board 42. The second heat insulation board 41 is a porous vacuum silicon heat insulation board. Specifically, the thickness of the second heat insulation board 41 is 0.5 mm.

[0046] Among them, porous vacuum silicon has super high thermal insulation performance. Specifically, silicon is a thermal insulation material with a special structure and has the effect of low thermal conductivity. It uses the characteristics of porous materials and the thermal insulation effect of the vacuum layer to achieve thermal insulation. The pore size of this material is usually between 10 and 40 nanometers, which is smaller than the mean free path of air molecules of 68 nanometers. Therefore, it can achieve a porosity of more than 97% and a density as low as 0.03 g / ml, thus achieving a thermal insulation effect similar to that of a vacuum. Since there is no collision between molecules inside the pores, porous vacuum silicon has super high thermal insulation performance.

[0047] During the 3D printing process, the metal powder needs to maintain a certain temperature due to the powder bed printing process. Therefore, the heating plate 22 located below the substrate 21 needs to radiate heat outward. While the heating plate 22 radiates heat upward, it also radiates heat downward. Therefore, when the heating plate 22 radiates heat, it is necessary to consider the heat insulation of the parts below the heating plate 22 that do not need to be heated. The existing conventional method is to set a water cooling plate under the heating plate 22 to take away the heat. Since there is a water flow channel in the water cooling plate, its thickness reaches about 50 mm, which will reduce the effective height of the cylinder body 1.

[0048] Through the above arrangement, the porous vacuum silicon insulation board has a lower thermal conductivity and can effectively isolate the transfer of heat. While achieving thermal insulation, the thickness is reduced to 0.5 mm, which greatly increases the effective height of the cylinder body 1.

[0049] Embodiment 3:

[0050] Based on the above embodiment, this embodiment provides a printer, including the above cylinder assembly. The printer in this embodiment adopts a Y-shaped seal and a porous vacuum silicon heat insulation board, which can shorten the entire piston maintenance time and improve the operation efficiency, while preventing the transmission parts and required electrical components under the piston from being affected by powder and heat radiation, and at the same time increase the effective height of the cylinder, correspondingly improve the printer performance, and facilitate the operator to use.

[0051] In the present invention, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "install", "connect", "connect", "fix" and the like 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 or an electrical connection; 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 the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0052] In the description of the present utility model, it should be noted that the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc. indicate the orientation or position relationship based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or position relationship in which the utility model product is usually placed when in use, which is only for the convenience of describing the utility model and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply 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 utility model. In addition, the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. are only used to distinguish the description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0053] In addition, the terms "horizontal", "vertical", "overhanging" and the like do not mean that the components are required to be absolutely horizontal or overhanging, but can be slightly tilted. For example, "horizontal" only means that its direction is more horizontal than "vertical", and does not mean that the structure must be completely horizontal, but can be slightly tilted.

[0054] In the present utility model, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the first feature being above or below the second feature may include the first and second features being in direct contact, or may include the first and second features not being in direct contact but being in contact through another feature between them. Moreover, the first feature being above, above, and above the second feature includes the first feature being directly above and obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being below, below, and below the second feature includes the first feature being directly below and obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0055] Although the utility model is described in conjunction with the above specific embodiments, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can make many substitutions, modifications and changes based on the above content. Therefore, all such substitutions, improvements and changes are included in the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A metal 3D printed cylinder assembly with a piston structure, characterized in that: It comprises a cylinder body, an upper component, a middle component and a lower component, wherein the middle component is connected between the upper component and the lower component, and the upper component, the middle component and the lower component move in the cylinder body; The middle component includes a first heat insulation board and a sealing board which are stacked, wherein the first heat insulation board is arranged close to the upper component, and the sealing board is arranged close to the lower component; Wherein, a first sealing groove is provided at the edge of the first heat insulation plate, and a second sealing groove is provided at the edge of the sealing plate; A first seal is provided in the first sealing groove, a second seal is provided in the second sealing groove, the first seal abuts between the first heat insulation plate and the cylinder body, and the second seal abuts between the sealing plate and the cylinder body; the second seal is a Y-shaped seal.

2. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second sealing member includes a body, a first abutting portion and a second abutting portion. The body extends upward toward the sealing plate to form the first abutting portion, and the body extends upward toward the cylinder body to form the second abutting portion. An accommodating cavity is formed between the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion.

3. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: An included angle formed between the first abutting portion and the second abutting portion is any value between 20° and 80°.

4. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first sealing member is a rubber sealing member.

5. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first sealing member includes a compression spring, a pressing plate and a felt, wherein the pressing plate is connected between the compression spring and the felt, the other end of the compression spring is connected to the first sealing groove, and the other end of the felt abuts against the cylinder body.

6. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The lower component includes a second heat insulation plate and a mounting plate, one side of the second heat insulation plate is connected to the sealing plate, and the other side of the second heat insulation plate is connected to the mounting plate.

7. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second thermal insulation board is a porous vacuum silicon thermal insulation board.

8. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to claim 7, characterized in that: The thickness of the second heat insulation board is 0.4 mm-0.6 mm.

9. The metal 3D printing cylinder assembly with a piston structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper component includes a base plate and a heating plate, wherein the heating plate is connected between the base plate and the first thermal insulation plate.

Images