Automatic feeding mechanism for 3D printing

Abstract

An automatic feeding mechanism for 3D printing relates to the technical field of 3D printing and comprises a wire feeding device, a shell and a welding mechanism. A welding mechanism is arranged at one end in the shell, and a wire feeding device used for feeding printing supplies into the welding mechanism is arranged at the other end in the shell. The welding mechanism comprises an electric heating pipe which is correspondingly connected with the shell in a fastening manner, and a wire feeding channel is arranged between the electric heating pipe and the wire feeding device; the end, away from the wire feeding device, of the electric heating pipe communicates with a guide pipe, an opening is formed in one side of the guide pipe, and a clamping mechanism used for abutting against printing supplies is arranged at the position corresponding to the opening. The welding device is simple in structure, broken or used old printing supplies can be clamped through the clamping mechanism in the welding operation process, and the problem that welding fails or is not firm due to the fact that the old printing supplies retreat in the welding process is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of 3D printing, and in particular to an automatic material feeding mechanism for 3D printing. Background Art

[0002] When it is necessary to print a larger molding model, the problem of running out of printing consumables in the middle of printing and stopping printing will occur, affecting the progress of the printing work; or the remaining part of the printing consumables after the model is printed cannot be handled well at present, and throwing it away will cause material waste and environmental pollution; in order to improve the utilization rate of printing consumables, most users' solution is manual welding, but manual welding of two sections of printing consumables cannot make the joint smooth at all, and it will also be affected by factors such as the environment and operating techniques, and the joint will not be firm, and the joint will cause jamming and breakage in the extruder; therefore, automatic 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism has appeared on the market;

[0003] For example, a Chinese patent (publication number: CN207954679U) discloses an automatic filament splicing device and a 3D printer equipped with the device; the patent includes a feeding mechanism and multiple material trays, the feeding mechanism is provided with multiple feeding ports and a feeding port, and a filament detection mechanism is provided at the feeding port to detect whether the filament is broken. When the filament detection mechanism detects that the filament of the working material tray is broken, the filament of the spare material tray enters the intersection of the feeding port and the feeding port, merges and splices with the filament of the working material tray and is sent out from the feeding port; although the patent can realize automatic filament splicing, it is found in actual use that due to the lack of restrictions on broken printing consumables, the broken printing consumables will retreat during the extrusion welding process, which often leads to welding failure or loose welding. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to overcome the deficiencies in the background technology, the present invention discloses a 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the new use, this new use adopts the following technical solutions:

[0006] A 3D printing automatic material feeding mechanism comprises a shell and a wire feeding device, and also comprises a welding mechanism; the welding mechanism is provided at one end of the shell, and the wire feeding device for feeding printing consumables into the welding mechanism is provided at the other end; the welding mechanism comprises an electric heating tube which is correspondingly and tightly connected to the shell, and a wire feeding channel is provided between the electric heating tube and the wire feeding device; the end of the electric heating tube which is away from the wire feeding device is connected to a conduit, and an opening is provided on one side of the conduit, and a clamping mechanism for pressing the printing consumables is provided at the corresponding opening position.

[0007] Preferably, the clamping mechanism comprises a servo motor installed in the housing, and an output shaft of the servo motor is fastened with a swing arm capable of contacting the printing consumables.

[0008] Preferably, a groove or an arc-shaped bending portion is provided on a side of the conduit away from the opening thereof.

[0009] Preferably, the welding mechanism further comprises a cooling device for cooling the electric heating tube.

[0010] Preferably, the wire feeding channel is provided with a sensor for detecting printing consumables.

[0011] Preferably, there are two wire feeding channels, which are connected to the electric heating tubes after converging.

[0012] Due to the adoption of the above-mentioned technical solution, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0013] The invention discloses a 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism with a simple structure. The end of the electric heating tube away from the wire feeding device is connected to a conduit, and an opening is provided on one side of the conduit. A clamping mechanism for pressing the printing consumables is provided at the corresponding position of the opening, that is, the broken or used old printing consumables can be clamped by the clamping mechanism during the welding operation to prevent the old printing consumables from retreating during the welding process, resulting in welding failure or loose welding. A groove or an arc-shaped bending portion is provided on the side of the conduit away from its opening, that is, the swing arm can press the printing consumables into the groove or the arc-shaped bending portion of the conduit to bend and deform the printing consumables, thereby effectively improving the firmness of clamping the printing consumables. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the welding mechanism;

[0015] Figure 2 The present invention uses a novel structural schematic diagram;

[0016] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the catheter structure.

[0017] In the figure: 1. Shell; 2. Wire feeding device; 3. Welding mechanism; 3-1. Electric heating tube; 3-2. Servo; 3-3. Swing arm; 3-4. Conduit; 3-5. Cooling device; 3-6. Sensor; 3-7. Wire feeding channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The present invention can be explained in detail through the following embodiments. The purpose of disclosing the present invention is to protect all technical improvements within the scope of the present invention. In the description of the present invention, it should be understood that if there are terms such as "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", etc. indicating directions or positional relationships, they only correspond to the drawings of the present application for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction.

[0019] Embodiment 1, in combination with Figures 1 to 3 , a 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism, comprising a shell 1 and a wire feeding device 2, and also comprising a welding mechanism 3; the shell 1 is provided with a welding mechanism 3 at one end, and a wire feeding device 2 for feeding printing consumables into the welding mechanism 3 at the other end; the welding mechanism 3 comprises an electric heating tube 3-1 which is fastened to the shell 1, and a wire feeding channel 3-7 is provided between the electric heating tube 3-1 and the wire feeding device 2, that is, the printing consumables can be fed into the electric heating tube 3-1 along the wire feeding channel 3-7 through the wire feeding device 2, and the printing consumables enter the proximal wire feeding device of the 3D printer after passing through the electric heating tube 3-1; during normal printing operation, the electric heating tube 3-1 and the wire feeding device 2 are turned off, and the printing consumables are fed by the proximal wire feeding device of the 3D printer;

[0020] The end of the electric heating tube 3-1 away from the wire feeding device 2 is connected to a guide tube 3-4, one side of the guide tube 3-4 is provided with an opening, and a clamping mechanism for pressing against the printing consumables is provided at the corresponding position of the opening, that is, the broken or used old printing consumables can be clamped by the clamping mechanism during the welding process to prevent the old printing consumables from retreating during the welding process, resulting in welding failure or loose welding;

[0021] According to needs, the clamping mechanism includes a steering gear 3-2 installed in the housing 1, and the output shaft of the steering gear 3-2 is tightly connected to a swing arm 3-3 that can resist the printing consumables. When it is necessary to clamp the printing consumables, the steering gear 3-2 can be started, and the steering gear 3-2 drives the swing arm 3-3 to deflect until the corresponding end of the swing arm 3-3 enters the opening of the conduit 3-4 and presses the printing consumables; further, the conduit 3-4 is provided with a groove or an arc-shaped bending portion on the side away from its opening, that is, the swing arm 3-3 can press the printing consumables into the groove or arc-shaped bending portion of the conduit 3-4, so that the printing consumables are bent and deformed, thereby effectively improving the firmness of clamping the printing consumables;

[0022] When the material is cut off or the printing consumables are used up, the proximal wire feeding device of the 3D printer drives the end of the broken or used printing consumables to enter the electric heating tube 3-1; insert the new printing consumables into the wire feeding channel 3-7, start the wire feeding device 2 to drive the new printing consumables to feed, until the new printing consumables enter the electric heating tube 3-1, and conflict with the corresponding end of the old printing consumables that are cut off or used up in the electric heating tube 3-1, and close the wire feeding device 2; start the electric heating tube 3-1, heat the corresponding conflicting ends of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables, and when the corresponding conflicting ends of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables are melted, close the electric heating tube 3-1, and wait for the melted ends of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables to cool down, and the corresponding ends of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables are fused into one; complete the automatic welding operation of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables;

[0023] It should be noted that during the welding operation, the end of the old printing consumable can first be allowed to enter the electric heating tube 3-1, and the corresponding end of the old printing consumable can be melted through the electric heating tube 3-1, and then the wire feeding device 2 is started to feed the new printing consumable into the electric heating tube 3-1 until the new printing consumable and the corresponding end of the old printing consumable are in contact with each other, so that the old printing consumable and the corresponding end of the new printing consumable can be correspondingly welded, and then the wire feeding device 2 and the electric heating tube 3-1 are closed, and the welding point between the old printing consumable and the new printing consumable is cooled;

[0024] It should be noted that the length and inner diameter of the electric heating tube 3 - 1 can be controlled to control the diameter of the welding point between the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables.

[0025] Embodiment 2: In actual use, it is found that it is difficult to ensure that the corresponding ends of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables are exactly located at the appropriate positions in the electric heating tube 3-1; in addition, the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables cool down slowly after being fused, which seriously affects the subsequent 3D printing process; in order to solve the above defects, this embodiment is further improved;

[0026] Combined with Figures 1 to 3 , a 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism, based on Example 1, the wire feeding channel 3-7 is provided with a sensor 3-6 for detecting printing consumables, the sensor 3-6 can be a photoelectric switch or a micro switch, that is, when the end of the printing consumables passes through the sensor 3-6, the sensor 3-6 can be triggered, and since the distance between the sensor 3-6 and the electric heating tube 3-1 is fixed, it is convenient to control the feeding length of the old printing consumables driven by the proximal wire feeding device of the 3D printer, and control the feeding length of the new printing consumables driven by the wire feeding device 2, that is, the sensor 3-6 detects the ends of the old printing consumables and the new printing consumables to ensure that the corresponding ends of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables are exactly located at the appropriate positions in the electric heating tube 3-1, thereby ensuring the welding effect;

[0027] In order to speed up the cooling speed of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables after welding, the welding mechanism 3 further includes a cooling device 3-2 for cooling the electric heating tube 3-1, that is, the electric heating tube 3-1 can be cooled by the cooling device 3-2, and the welding position of the new printing consumables and the old printing consumables can be indirectly cooled, thereby effectively improving the welding efficiency;

[0028] It should be noted that the cooling device 3 - 2 can be an air cooling device or a water cooling device. Since the air cooling device or the water cooling device are both conventional technologies, their specific structures will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0029] Embodiment 3, in order to improve the efficiency of welding operation, this embodiment is further improved; Figures 1 to 3, a 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism, based on embodiment 1 or 2, the wire feeding channels 3-7 are two, and the two wire feeding channels 3-7 are connected to the electric heating tube 3-1 after converging, that is, the printing consumables can be respectively inserted into the two wire feeding channels 3-7, and the two wire feeding channels 3-7 are provided with a wire feeding device 2;

[0030] When in use, one group of printing consumables is inserted into the proximal wire feeding device of the 3D printer, and the other group of printing consumables is used as a backup; a material breakage detection device for detecting whether the printing consumables are broken is arranged between the two groups of printing consumables and the housing 1. The material breakage detection device is a mature product on the market, so its specific structure is not repeated in this embodiment;

[0031] When the material break detection device detects that the printing consumables are broken or used up, the proximal wire feeding device of the 3D printer drives the group of printing consumables to continue feeding until the end of the broken or used up printing consumables enters the electric heating tube 3-1; the wire feeding device 2 of the spare printing consumables is started until the spare printing consumables enter the electric heating tube 3-1 and contact with the corresponding end of the broken or used up printing consumables in the electric heating tube 3-1, and then the welding operation can be started. No manual intervention by the operator is required throughout the process, and it is fully automatic, which effectively improves the welding efficiency.

[0032] The parts of the present invention that are not described in detail are prior art. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above-mentioned exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or basic features of the present invention; therefore, no matter from which point of view, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-restrictive, and it is intended that all changes that fall within the meaning and scope of equivalent elements are included in the present invention.

Claims

1. A 3D printing automatic material feeding mechanism, comprising a housing (1) and a wire feeding device (2), characterized in that: The invention also comprises a welding mechanism (3); the welding mechanism (3) is provided at one end of the shell (1), and a wire feeding device (2) for feeding printing consumables into the welding mechanism (3) is provided at the other end; the welding mechanism (3) comprises an electric heating tube (3-1) fixedly connected to the shell (1), and a wire feeding channel (3-7) is provided between the electric heating tube (3-1) and the wire feeding device (2); the end of the electric heating tube (3-1) facing away from the wire feeding device (2) is connected to a conduit (3-4), and an opening is provided on one side of the conduit (3-4), and a clamping mechanism for pressing against the printing consumables is provided at a position corresponding to the opening.

2. The 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clamping mechanism comprises a steering gear (3-2) installed in a housing (1), and an output shaft of the steering gear (3-2) is tightly connected to a swing arm (3-3) capable of contacting printing consumables.

3. The 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A groove or an arc-shaped bending portion is provided on the side of the conduit (3-4) away from the opening thereof.

4. The 3D printing automatic feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The welding mechanism (3) further comprises a cooling device (3-5) for cooling the electric heating tube (3-1).

5. The 3D printing automatic material feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wire feeding channel (3-7) is provided with a sensor (3-6) for detecting printing consumables.

6. The 3D printing automatic material feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are two wire feeding channels (3-7), and the two wire feeding channels (3-7) are connected to the electric heating tube (3-1) after being converged.

Images