A new leveling mechanism for FDM 3D printers
By designing a new leveling mechanism including sliding blocks, contact plates and wipe silicone brushes, the problem of manual operation of ZOFFSET value adjustment during the leveling process of FDM3D printer is solved, automatic leveling and nozzle consumable removal are achieved, and printing stability and efficiency are improved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202420384759.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-02-29
- Publication Date
- 2025-04-04
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-02-28
AI Technical Summary
During the leveling process of existing FDM3D printers, the second step to adjust the ZOFFSET value requires manual operation, which has errors and cannot be fully automated, resulting in the entire leveling process not being completely automated.
A new leveling mechanism is designed, including a base, sliding block, upper contact plate and a silicone brush for rubbing. Through the cooperation of sliding block and contact plate, the ZOFFSET value is automatically measured and adjusted, and the residual consumables on the nozzle are automatically removed through the silicone brush for rubbing.
The automatic leveling of the FDM3D printer is realized, which reduces the error of manual adjustment, improves the stability and efficiency of printing, and automatically removes residual consumables on the nozzle, extending the service life of the printer.
Smart Images

Figure CN222712851U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The utility model belongs to the field of FDM 3D printer leveling mechanisms, and specifically relates to a novel leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printers. Background Art
[0002] Leveling is a very important step for 3D printers. The three major steps of 3D printer leveling are: adjust the X-axis beam to the same level as the hot bed, adjust the distance between the nozzle and the hot bed, which we usually call the ZOFFSET value, detect the bumps of the hot bed and compensate for it; it can be said that the more level the hot bed is, the easier it is to print the first layer, and the less likely it is to fail in printing.
[0003] However, in reality, due to the errors of assembly and parts, the hot bed is not completely flat, and there are often some errors, so we still need to adjust it. At present, we can automatically adjust the first step of leveling through the motor drive function of the 3D printer itself, and the third step can also be automatically detected through the proximity switch on the nozzle. Only the second step still requires visual inspection and manual adjustment. The error is large if it is only visual inspection. The height of the metal hot bed is different each time it is heated and expanded. The actual value each time is actually slightly different, which means that we may need to repeat this step before each printing. The three major steps cannot be completed by the machine autonomously, so the entire leveling process cannot actually be called automatic leveling. Then how to make such a device to allow the machine to detect autonomously, so that the second step can also be completely automatically operated by the machine, autonomously detected, and complete a complete automatic leveling process has become the focus of our attention. Utility Model Content
[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art, provide a new leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printers, and solve the problems raised in the above-mentioned background technology.
[0005] In order to solve the above technical problems, the basic concept of the technical solution adopted by the utility model is:
[0006] A novel leveling mechanism suitable for an FDMD printer comprises: a base, a lower contact plate is arranged at the bottom of the base, a sliding block is arranged at the upper side of the base, an upper contact plate corresponding to the lower contact plate is arranged on the sliding block, and the upper contact plate is located at the upper side of the base;
[0007] A shell is arranged on the upper side of the base, a sliding block is located between the shell and the base, and a wiping silicone brush is located on the shell.
[0008] Optionally, a hot-melt nut is installed inside the upper side of the sliding block, and a metal hand screw that matches the thread of the hot-melt nut is provided on the outer shell.
[0009] Optionally, two extended hot-melt nuts are installed inside the upper side of the base, and two plug screws that match the threads of the two extended hot-melt nuts are provided on the outer shell.
[0010] Optionally, two springs are installed between the base and the sliding block, and the two springs are respectively located around the two driving screws.
[0011] Optionally, the bottom thread of the upper contact plate is matched with two washer screws that match with the threads of the sliding block.
[0012] Optionally, the bottom thread of the base is matched with two screws with washers, and the nuts of the two screws with washers abut against the lower contact plate.
[0013] After adopting the above technical solution, the utility model has the following beneficial effects compared with the prior art. Of course, any product implementing the utility model does not necessarily need to achieve all the advantages described below at the same time:
[0014] This new model is a Z offset automatic adjustment auxiliary device. Its main function is to help the machine measure the Zoffset value so that it can adjust automatically. Its secondary function is that it has a fixed eraser silicone brush that can erase the remaining molten consumables on the nozzle.
[0015] The specific implementation of the utility model is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] The drawings described below are merely some embodiments. A person skilled in the art can derive other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.
[0017] In the attached picture:
[0018] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a leveling mechanism;
[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the explosion of the structure of the leveling mechanism;
[0020] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the shell structure;
[0021] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the contact plate structure;
[0022] Figure 5 It is a structural schematic diagram of the second leveling mechanism;
[0023] Figure 6 This is the exploded diagram of the second structure of the leveling mechanism;
[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the wiping material silicone block;
[0025] Figure 8 Schematic diagram of the wiping steel mesh structure.
[0026] In the accompanying drawings, the components represented by the reference numerals are listed as follows:
[0027] Plug screw 1, wipe silicone brush 2, shell 3, metal thumb screw 4, hot melt nut 5,
[0028] Sliding block 6, upper contact plate 7, screw with washer 8, spring 9, base 10, lower contact plate 11, lengthened hot-melt nut 12, cone head screw 13, wiping steel mesh 14, heightening column 15, wiping silicone block 16, silicone block pressing block 17.
[0029] It should be noted that these drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the conceptual scope of the present invention in any way, but rather to illustrate the concept of the present invention for those skilled in the art by referring to specific embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] The utility model will now be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0031] Example 1: Please refer to Figure 1-2 As shown, in this embodiment, a new leveling mechanism suitable for an FDM 3D printer is provided, comprising: a base 10, a lower contact plate 11 is mounted at the bottom of the base 10, a sliding block 6 is mounted on the upper side of the base 10, an upper contact plate 7 corresponding to the lower contact plate 11 is mounted on the sliding block 6, and the upper contact plate 7 is located on the upper side of the base 10;
[0032] A shell 3 is installed on the upper side of the base 10, a sliding block 6 is located between the shell 3 and the base 10, and an erasing silicone brush 2 is located on the shell 3, which can help the machine measure the Z offset value so that it can adjust automatically. The secondary function is that it has a fixed erasing silicone brush 2, which can wipe off the molten consumables remaining on the nozzle.
[0033] like Figure 1-2 As shown, a hot-melt nut 5 is installed in the upper side of the sliding block 6 of this embodiment, and a metal hand-tightening screw 4 which is threadedly matched with the hot-melt nut 5 is provided on the outer shell 3; two extended hot-melt nuts 12 are installed in the upper side of the base 10, and two plug screws 1 which are threadedly matched with the two extended hot-melt nuts 12 are provided on the outer shell 3; two springs 9 are installed between the base 10 and the sliding block 6, and the two springs 9 are respectively located on the surrounding sides of the two plug screws 1; the bottom thread of the upper contact plate 7 is matched with two washer screws 8 which are threadedly matched with the sliding block 6; the bottom thread of the base 10 is matched with two washer screws 8, and the nuts of the two washer screws 8 are abutted against the lower contact plate 11.
[0034] Among them, Figure 1-4As shown, two concentric mounting holes are provided on the housing 3, the sliding block 6 and the base 10, and two extended hot-melt nuts 12 and two plug screws 1 are both located in the two mounting holes. The housing 3, the sliding block 6 and the base 10 can be fixed at the same time by using two plug screws 1, which simplifies the installation method and saves parts. The upper part of the plug screw 1 is smooth and threadless, and the lower part has threads for fixing. The threaded section of the plug screw 1 can fix it on the two extended hot-melt nuts 12 of the base 10, and then the upper smooth part is used as a guide rod so that the entire sliding block 6 can slide up and down with light resistance; the spring 9 is located in a smooth and threadless section of the plug screw 1. The spring 9 relies on the plug screw 1 for positioning and guiding, which can shorten the overall size of the mechanism and save space. Its function is that when the sliding block 6 is pressed down, its own elastic force can make the sliding block 6 bounce up and reset;
[0035] When the sliding block 6 is pressed downward, the upper contact plate 7 contacts the lower contact plate 11, the circuit is closed, and the machine starts to move after receiving the signal. The nozzle of the pressed object is lifted upward and away from the pressed object. The sliding block 6 is lifted upward and reset under the elastic force of the spring 9, and the upper contact plate 7 is away from the lower contact plate 11. The circuit is disconnected and waits for the next contact.
[0036] The reason for selecting the metal thumb screw 4 as the contact object with the pressing object is:
[0037] 1. The pressed object is sometimes in a high temperature state. If the contact object is not resistant to high temperature, it may be damaged;
[0038] 2. The pressing object is usually made of metal. If the contact object is not hard enough, it will be easily damaged if it is pressed by the pressing object for a long time.
[0039] 3. The proximity switch needs to detect a metal object;
[0040] In view of these three points, a metal hand screw 4 is selected as the contact object pressed by the pressed object. At the same time, it is a standard hand screw, which is very convenient to install. It only needs to be screwed into the hot melt nut 5 on the top of the sliding block. If it is damaged later, it is also convenient to screw it out and replace it.
[0041] The sliding block 6 is provided with a positioning retaining edge structure, and the upper contact plate 7 is located in the positioning retaining edge structure, which is convenient for positioning and installing the upper contact plate 7. The washer screws 8 for fixing the lower contact plate 11 on each side and the plug screws 1 for fixing the whole body share an extended hot melt nut 12 for fixing, which can save space and parts.
[0042] Since the plug screw 1 for fixing the housing 3 occupies only the left half of the structure, a buckle structure is designed on the right side of the base. When the housing 3 is combined with the base 10, the right half of the housing 3 can be fixed by the buckle so that it will not loosen; the fixing principle of the washer screw 8 for fixing the lower contact plate 11 is that the outer edge of the washer screw 8 nut can press the lower contact plate 11 so that it will not fall downward, and the remaining edges of the lower contact plate 11 are limited by the base 10 and will not loosen;
[0043] For the installation of the wiping silicone brush 2, a silicone installation groove is opened on the upper side of the outer shell 3, and an inner support is provided in the silicone installation groove. The wiping silicone brush 2 only needs to be attached to the silicone installation groove of the outer shell 3, and the inner support in the silicone groove will support the wiping silicone brush 2 to prevent it from falling.
[0044] Z offset measurement principle:
[0045] 1. The height of the nozzle when it is pressed and triggered is recorded as H1;
[0046] 2. The height when the proximity switch detects is recorded as H2;
[0047] 3. The height difference between the nozzle and the proximity switch can be obtained as H = H2-H1, which is the Z offset value;
[0048] 4. When the proximity switch detects the hot bed, it is recorded as the height H3, and then it can be concluded that the distance between the nozzle and the hot bed is H4 = H3-H. This method is used to achieve automatic detection each time and automatically calculate the Z offset value.
[0049] Example 2: Please refer to Figure 5 -As shown, in this embodiment, a new leveling mechanism suitable for FDM3D printer is provided, and the difference from the first embodiment is that: the plug screw 1, the wiping silicone brush 2, the metal hand screw 4, the hot melt nut 5, the sliding block 6, the upper contact plate 7, the screw with a washer 8 and the lower contact plate 11 are reduced, and two springs 9, a silicone block pressing block 17 and an wiping silicone block 16 are sequentially installed on the upper right side of the base 10, and the wiping silicone block 16 is located in the silicone mounting groove of the outer shell 3. Two heightening columns 15 corresponding to the two mounting holes are installed on the upper side of the outer shell 3, and a wiping steel mesh 14 is provided on the upper side of the two heightening columns 15. Two cone head screws 13 that are threadedly matched with two lengthened hot melt nuts 12 are provided on the upper side of the wiping steel mesh 14.
[0050] At low temperatures, the consumables on the nozzle are in a condensed state and are relatively hard. In this case, it is not easy to remove the remaining consumables on the nozzle when the nozzle is repeatedly wiped on the soft eraser silicone brush 2. It is easier to remove by wiping with this eraser steel mesh 14.
[0051] The erasing silicone is changed from an erasing silicone block 16 to an erasing silicone block 16, and a pressable rebound structure is added, which relieves part of the pressure of the nozzle on the erasing silicone block 16 and reduces the wear of the nozzle on the erasing silicone block 16.
[0052] A novel leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printer can be divided into two mechanism forms according to different assembly parts. One is a Z offset automatic adjustment auxiliary device, the main function of which is to help the machine measure the Z offset value so that it can adjust automatically. The secondary function is that it has a fixed eraser silicone brush 2, which can erase the molten consumables remaining on the nozzle. The other form is a multifunctional consumable erasing device, which removes the Z offset adjustment device, and is modified to add an eraser steel mesh 14. At the same time, the fixed silicone eraser brush is modified into an eraser silicone block 16 that slides up and down. The eraser steel mesh 14 can erase the cold, hard, condensed consumables on the nozzle that are difficult to be erased by the eraser silicone brush 2. Combined with the eraser silicone block 16 that can move up and down, it can adapt to a variety of complex situations and wipe the consumables on the nozzle to the greatest extent.
[0053] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned implementation modes. Anyone should be aware of the structural changes made under the inspiration of the present invention. Any technical solution that is the same or similar to the present invention falls within the protection scope of the present invention. The technology, shape, and structure that are not described in detail in the present invention are all known technologies.
Claims
1. A new leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printer, characterized in that: include: A base (10), wherein a lower contact plate (11) is mounted at the bottom of the base (10), a sliding block (6) is mounted on the upper side of the base (10), an upper contact plate (7) corresponding to the lower contact plate (11) is mounted on the sliding block (6), and the upper contact plate (7) is located on the upper side of the base (10); A shell (3) is arranged on the upper side of the base (10), a sliding block (6) is located between the shell (3) and the base (10), and a wiping silicone brush (2) is located on the shell (3).
2. A novel leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: A hot-melt nut (5) is arranged inside the upper side of the sliding block (6), and a metal hand screw (4) which is threadably matched with the hot-melt nut (5) is arranged on the outer shell (3).
3. A novel leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: Two extended hot-melt nuts (12) are installed in the upper side of the base (10), and two plug screws (1) threadably matched with the two extended hot-melt nuts (12) are provided on the outer shell (3).
4. According to claim 3, a novel leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printer is characterized in that: Two springs (9) are installed between the base (10) and the sliding block (6), and the two springs (9) are respectively located on the peripheral sides of the two plug screws (1).
5. A novel leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom thread of the upper contact plate (7) is matched with two screws with washers (8) which are matched with the threads of the sliding block (6).
6. A novel leveling mechanism suitable for FDM 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom thread of the base (10) is matched with two screws with washers (8), and the nuts of the two screws with washers (8) are in contact with the lower contact plate (11).