Laser-plasma dual-energy-source composite directional energy deposition device

Abstract

The utility model discloses a laser-plasma dual-energy-source composite directional energy deposition device which comprises a connecting plate. The laser assembly comprises a laser and a laser deposition head, and the laser emits laser to the laser deposition head; the plasma assembly comprises a plasma welding machine and a plasma stacking and covering head, and the plasma welding machine outputs plasma electric arcs to the plasma stacking and covering head; and the powder feeding assembly comprises a powder feeder and a powder uniformizing device, and the powder feeder is connected with the powder uniformizing device and supplies metal powder to the powder uniformizing device. The internal structure of the part is formed through the plasma stack covering head, and the outline of the part is formed through the laser deposition head, so that higher machining efficiency is achieved when the internal structure of the part is machined, and higher machining precision is achieved when the outline of the part is machined. The utility model relates to the technical field of laser 3D printing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of laser 3D printing technology, and in particular to a laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device. Background Art

[0002] Directed energy deposition technology is one of the printing methods in 3D printing technology. It uses energy sources such as laser and plasma to melt metal powder. After the metal powder re-solidifies, a workpiece of a specified shape can be obtained. It has gradually become an important method for manufacturing complex metal parts.

[0003] At present, metal powder is generally melted by a single energy source, but the traditional single energy source heating method has some limitations in practical applications, such as limited processing speed, low forming accuracy, and difficulty in meeting material performance requirements. There are energy deposition devices on the market that use laser beams or plasma arcs as energy sources. Among them, plasma printing has the characteristics of high efficiency and easy melting of powder inside parts but low accuracy, while laser beams have the characteristics of high printing accuracy but low printing efficiency. Therefore, if the advantages of these two energy beams are used in the printing process, the printing efficiency and printing quality can be significantly improved. Summary of the invention

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art and to provide a laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device that can improve the processing efficiency of melting metal powder during metal processing and improve the printing accuracy during metal forming.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present application, a laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device is provided, comprising:

[0006] Connecting plate;

[0007] A laser assembly, the laser assembly comprising a laser and a laser deposition head, the laser emitting laser light to the laser deposition head, and the laser deposition head being mounted on the connecting plate;

[0008] A plasma assembly, the plasma assembly comprising a plasma welder and a plasma cladding head, the plasma welder outputs a plasma arc to the plasma cladding head, and the plasma cladding head is mounted on the connecting plate;

[0009] A powder feeding assembly, the powder feeding assembly comprising a powder feeder and a powder leveler, the powder feeder is connected to the powder leveler and supplies metal powder to the powder leveler, the powder leveler is used to control the ratio of powder output to the laser deposition head and the plasma cladding head;

[0010] The laser deposition head is used to print the part outline, and the plasma deposition head is used to print the part internal structure.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the laser assembly also includes a lens base, on which a lens for focusing the laser is installed, and the lens base is interconnected with the laser deposition head.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the laser assembly also includes a water-cooling base connected to the lens base, the water-cooling base is connected to an external water storage device through a pipeline, and the water-cooling base is used to cool the lens base.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the laser assembly also includes a protective gas delivery device, which is arranged between the lens base and the laser deposition head and is used to deliver protective gas to protect the lens base and the laser deposition head.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the laser assembly also includes a centering cylinder, which is connected to the laser deposition head and is used to adjust the irradiation position of the laser.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the laser assembly also includes a focusing barrel, which is connected to the laser deposition head and is used to adjust the focusing focal length of the laser.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the powder feeder includes a powder cylinder and a driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism fills the powder cylinder with protective gas to increase the air pressure in the powder cylinder, driving the powder in the powder cylinder to be transported to the powder mixer.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the plasma assembly also includes a pressure cover, and the pressure cover is connected to the connecting plate by bolts, and the pressure cover fixes the plasma stacking head to the connecting plate.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the connecting plate is provided with a sliding groove, and the bolts connecting the pressure cover pass through the sliding groove and are tightened, and the pressure cover can move along the sliding groove to change the fixed position.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present application, further, the laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device also includes a mechanical arm, and the connecting plate is installed at the end of the mechanical arm.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the embodiments of the present application include at least: the present application forms the internal structure of a part by a plasma stacking head, and forms the contour of a part by a laser deposition head, thereby having higher processing efficiency when processing the internal structure of the part, and having higher processing accuracy when processing the contour of the part. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments are briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings described are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other design solutions and drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0022] Figure 1 It is a connection diagram of a laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 2 It is a front view of the connecting plate 100, the laser component and the plasma component in the laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device of the embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 3 It is a working schematic diagram of the laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device of an embodiment of the present application.

[0025] Figure numerals: 100 - connecting plate, 110 - slide, 210 - laser, 220 - laser deposition head, 230 - lens base, 240 - water-cooling base, 250 - protective gas delivery device, 260 - centering cylinder, 270 - focusing cylinder, 310 - plasma welder, 320 - plasma coating head, 330 - pressure cover, 410 - powder feeder, 420 - powder leveler, 500 - robotic arm, 600 - gas tank. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] This section will describe in detail the specific embodiments of the present application. The preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings. The purpose of the accompanying drawings is to supplement the description of the text part of the specification with graphics, so that people can intuitively and vividly understand each technical feature and the overall technical solution of the present application, but it cannot be understood as a limitation on the scope of protection of the present application.

[0027] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that descriptions involving orientation, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do 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 should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0028] In the description of this application, "several" means one or more, "more" means more than two, "greater than", "less than", "exceed", etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within", etc. are understood to include the number itself. If there is a description of "first" or "second", it is only used for the purpose of distinguishing technical features, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0029] In the description of this application, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, connecting, etc. should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in this application based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0030] Directed energy deposition technology is one of the printing methods in 3D printing technology. It uses an energy beam to melt metal powder. After the metal powder re-solidifies, a workpiece of a specified shape can be obtained. It has gradually become an important method for manufacturing complex metal parts.

[0031] At present, metal powder is generally melted by a single energy source, but the traditional single energy source heating method has some limitations in practical applications, such as limited processing speed, low forming accuracy, and difficulty in meeting material performance requirements. There are energy deposition devices on the market that use laser beams or plasma arcs as energy sources. Among them, plasma printing has the characteristics of high efficiency and easy melting of powder inside parts but low accuracy, while laser beams have the characteristics of high printing accuracy but low printing efficiency. Therefore, if the advantages of these two energy beams are used in the printing process, the printing efficiency and printing quality can be significantly improved.

[0032] In this regard, the present application proposes a laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device, which forms the internal structure of the part through a plasma stacking head 320, and forms the external contour of the part through a laser deposition head 220, thereby having higher processing efficiency when forming the internal structure and higher processing accuracy when forming the external contour.

[0033] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device in the embodiment of the present application includes a connecting plate 100, a laser component, a plasma component and a powder feeding component. The connecting plate 100 is the main structure of the laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device, which is used to connect the laser component and the plasma component. The laser component is used to emit a laser to melt the metal powder, and the plasma component is used to generate a high-temperature plasma gas to melt the metal powder. The cooperation between the two can improve the heating efficiency of the metal powder. The powder feeding component is used to transport the metal powder to ensure the metal parts forming work.

[0034] Specifically, the laser assembly includes a laser 210 and a laser deposition head 220. The laser 210 emits laser light to the laser deposition head 220, and the laser deposition head 220 is used to focus the laser light on the metal powder to complete the melting of the metal powder. The laser deposition head 220 is installed on the connecting plate 100.

[0035] The plasma assembly includes a plasma welder 310 and a plasma cladding head 320. The plasma welder 310 outputs a plasma arc to the plasma cladding head 320, and the plasma cladding head 320 is used to spread plasma gas to the working area of ​​the laser deposition head 220. The plasma cladding head 320 is installed on the connecting plate 100.

[0036] The powder feeding assembly includes a powder feeder 410 and a powder leveler 420 . The powder feeder 410 is connected to the powder leveler 420 and supplies metal powder thereto. The powder leveler 420 is used to control the ratio of powder output to the laser deposition head 220 and the plasma cladding head 320 .

[0037] Among them, refer to Figure 3 The laser deposition head 220 is used to print the part outline, and the plasma cladding head 320 is used to print the part internal structure.

[0038] Furthermore, the laser assembly also includes a lens base 230, which is equipped with a lens for focusing the laser. The lens base 230 is interconnected with the laser deposition head 220, and the laser is focused by the lens, so that the laser focus is set on the surface of the metal powder to achieve the effect of melting the metal powder.

[0039] Furthermore, the laser assembly also includes a water-cooling base 240 connected to the lens base 230. The water-cooling base 240 is connected to an external water storage device through a pipeline. The external water storage device can continuously output cooling liquid to the water-cooling base 240, so that the water-cooling base 240 can cool the lens base 230.

[0040] Furthermore, the laser assembly further includes a protective gas delivery device 250, which is disposed between the lens base 230 and the laser deposition head 220 and is used to deliver protective gas to protect the lens base 230 and the laser deposition head 220. In this embodiment, the protective gas is argon, and the protective gas delivery device 250 is connected to a gas storage tank 600 storing argon, and the gas storage tank 600 supplies argon to the protective gas delivery device 250.

[0041] Furthermore, the laser assembly also includes a centering cylinder 260 , which is connected to the laser deposition head 220 and is used to adjust the irradiation position of the laser so that the laser emitted from the laser 210 can be accurately emitted into the laser deposition head 220 .

[0042] Furthermore, the laser assembly also includes a focusing tube 270, which is connected to the laser deposition head 220 and is used to adjust the focusing focal length of the laser. Therefore, for parts of different heights, the focal length can be adjusted by the focusing tube 270 so that the focus of the laser is maintained on the surface of the part, thereby preventing the heating temperature from not meeting the requirements due to inaccurate focusing.

[0043] Furthermore, the powder feeder 410 includes a powder cylinder and a driving mechanism, and the driving mechanism fills the powder cylinder with protective gas to increase the air pressure in the powder cylinder, and drives the powder in the powder cylinder to be transported to the powder leveler 420. The powder cylinder is connected to a gas storage tank 600, and the gas storage tank 600 stores argon gas. In this embodiment, the driving mechanism fills the argon gas in the gas storage tank 600 into the powder cylinder to increase the air pressure of the powder cylinder, and then outputs the powder in the powder cylinder to the powder leveler 420.

[0044] Furthermore, the plasma assembly further includes a gland 330, which is connected to the connecting plate 100 by bolts, and a space is reserved between the gland 330 and the connecting plate 100 for clamping the plasma stacking head 320. When the bolts are tightened, the gland 330 applies a force to the connecting plate 100 to the plasma stacking head 320, so that the gland 330 and the connecting plate 100 clamp the plasma stacking head 320 together, and fix the plasma stacking head 320 on the connecting plate 100.

[0045] Further, the connecting plate 100 is provided with a slide groove 110, and the bolts connecting the gland 330 can pass through the slide groove 110 and be tightened. The bolts can move along the slide groove 110, so that the gland 330 can move along the slide groove 110 to change the fixed position. After determining the position to be fixed, the bolts are tightened to fix the gland 330 there. Therefore, when replacing the plasma stacking head 320 of different sizes, the fixing position of the gland 330 can be changed to adapt to different types of plasma stacking heads 320.

[0046] Furthermore, the laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device also includes a robotic arm 500, and the connecting plate 100 is installed at the end of the robotic arm 500. The robotic arm 500 can drive the connecting plate 100 to move, thereby causing the laser component and the plasma component on the connecting plate 100 to move accordingly, thereby completing the melting and molding of the metal powder.

[0047] The following is an introduction to the working process of the laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device:

[0048] S100. Start the powder feeder 410, whose driving mechanism delivers argon gas into the powder cylinder, outputs the powder outward by increasing the gas pressure of the powder cylinder, and supplies the powder to the laser deposition head 220 and the plasma cladding head 320, waiting for subsequent metal forming work;

[0049] S200. Fix the workpiece on the working platform;

[0050] S300. Start the laser 210 to generate laser light directed toward the laser deposition head 220;

[0051] S400. Start the plasma welder 310 to generate a plasma arc output to the plasma cladding head 320;

[0052] S500. The plasma arc emitted by the plasma cladding head 320 is shot onto the surface of the metal powder, and the plasma cladding head 320 prints the internal structure of the part;

[0053] S600. The laser emitted by the laser deposition head 220 is projected onto the surface of the metal powder, and the laser deposition head 220 prints the part outline;

[0054] S700. The water-cooled base 240 continuously cools the lens base 230, while the protective gas delivery device 250 outputs protective gas to protect the lens base 230 and the laser deposition head 220;

[0055] S800. The metal powder is cooled and solidified into the desired part surface;

[0056] S900. The above steps are repeated in a loop to complete the additive manufacturing of each slice layer of the workpiece, and the workpiece is removed from the work platform after cooling.

[0057] The above is a specific description of the preferred implementation methods of the present application, but the invention is not limited to the embodiments. Those skilled in the art may make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without violating the spirit of the present application, and these equivalent modifications or substitutions are all included in the scope defined by the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device, characterized in that: include: Connecting plate; A laser assembly, the laser assembly comprising a laser and a laser deposition head, the laser emitting laser light to the laser deposition head, and the laser deposition head being mounted on the connecting plate; A plasma assembly, the plasma assembly comprising a plasma welder and a plasma cladding head, the plasma welder outputs a plasma arc to the plasma cladding head, and the plasma cladding head is mounted on the connecting plate; A powder feeding assembly, the powder feeding assembly comprising a powder feeder and a powder leveler, the powder feeder is connected to the powder leveler and supplies metal powder to it, the powder leveler is used to control the ratio of powder output to the laser deposition head and the plasma cladding head; wherein the laser deposition head is used to print the part contour, and the plasma cladding head is used to print the part internal structure.

2. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser assembly further comprises a lens base, on which a lens for focusing the laser is mounted, and the lens base is connected to the laser deposition head.

3. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The laser assembly also includes a water cooling base connected to the lens base, the water cooling base is connected to an external water storage device through a pipeline, and the water cooling base is used to cool the lens base.

4. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The laser assembly further comprises a protective gas delivery device, which is disposed between the lens base and the laser deposition head and is used for delivering protective gas to protect the lens base and the laser deposition head.

5. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser assembly further comprises a centering cylinder, which is connected to the laser deposition head and is used for adjusting the irradiation position of the laser.

6. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The laser assembly also includes a focusing cylinder, which is connected to the laser deposition head and is used to adjust the focusing focal length of the laser.

7. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder feeder comprises a powder cylinder and a driving mechanism. The driving mechanism fills the powder cylinder with protective gas to increase the gas pressure in the powder cylinder, thereby driving the powder in the powder cylinder to be transported to the powder mixer.

8. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plasma assembly further includes a pressure cover, which is connected to the connecting plate via bolts, and the pressure cover fixes the plasma stacking head to the connecting plate.

9. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The connecting plate is provided with a slide groove, and the bolts connected to the gland pass through the slide groove and are tightened, and the gland can move along the slide groove to change the fixed position.

10. The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directed energy deposition device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that: The laser-plasma dual energy source composite directional energy deposition device also includes a mechanical arm, and the connecting plate is installed at the end of the mechanical arm.

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