Novel nozzle structure and 3D printing head

Through the split nozzle structure and interference plug-in limit design, the problem of nozzle wear of FDM 3D printers is solved, and the nozzle structure with low cost and high accuracy is realized, which is suitable for printing needs of different consumables.

CN223085414UActive Publication Date: 2025-07-11JIANGSU RUILISI 3D TECH CO LTD +1
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202422044500.7
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Utility models(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-08-22
Publication Date
2025-07-11
Estimated Expiration
2034-08-22

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The nozzles of existing FDM 3D printers are prone to wear during high-speed printing, especially when using reinforced materials such as carbon fiber or glass fiber, which leads to changes in the nozzle diameter, affecting printing speed and accuracy, and wear resistance and high-performance materials are expensive and difficult to popularize.

Method used

The split nozzle structure is adopted, and the nozzle body and the head core are designed separately, and different materials are used to process them. The nozzle body is copper alloy. The head core selects the appropriate material according to the performance of the consumables, and wraps the outer peripheral surface of the discharge part through interference plugs and limits to ensure stable connection.

Benefits of technology

It reduces processing costs and difficulty, improves the wear resistance and stability of the nozzle, ensures printing accuracy and speed, avoids loosening and fragmentation of the nozzle, and is suitable for mass production.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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    Figure CN223085414U_ABST
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Abstract

The utility model discloses a novel nozzle structure and a 3D printing head. The novel nozzle structure comprises a nozzle body and a head core which are arranged in a split mode. The nozzle body comprises a feeding part and a mounting part, the two ends of the mounting part are open, the interior of the mounting part is hollow, and a containing cavity for containing the head core and limiting the head core to move vertically, horizontally or circumferentially is formed between the inner wall of the mounting part and the lower surface of the feeding part. And the accommodating cavity is matched with the head core structure. The nozzle has higher wear resistance, the processing cost and the processing difficulty are effectively reduced, and the stability and the printing precision of the nozzle structure during 3D printing are ensured.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of 3D printers, in particular to a novel nozzle structure and a 3D printer. Background Art

[0002] The fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printer has a simple mechanical structure, and the manufacturing cost and maintenance cost are also the lowest. Therefore, FDM is also the most widely used 3D printing technology in the world today. The print head (Hotend) of an FDM-level 3D printer includes sub-components such as a heat sink, a throat tube, a heating block, and a nozzle.

[0003] When a conventional FDM printer prints at high speed, the orifice of a common material nozzle will be worn during the process of extruding the consumable material. Especially for reinforcing materials such as carbon fiber and glass fiber, the wear is more serious, which will lead to the wear of the orifice diameter of the nozzle and the change of the overall size. The nozzle diameter and the overall size not only affect the extrusion speed of the material, but also affect the resolution of 3D printing. A stable nozzle diameter and overall size are crucial for balancing the printing speed and accuracy. However, nozzles made of more wear-resistant cemented carbide or other materials are expensive because of the high price of the materials, and the processing difficulty of high-performance materials is higher, and the dimensional accuracy is more difficult to control, so the selling price is high and it is difficult to popularize.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a novel nozzle structure and a 3D print head to solve the above problems. Summary of the Utility Model

[0005] To overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks, the purpose of the utility model is to provide a novel nozzle structure and a 3D print head, which have high wear resistance, effectively reduce the processing cost and processing difficulty, and ensure the stability of the nozzle structure and the printing accuracy during 3D printing.

[0006] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is: a novel nozzle structure, the nozzle body includes a feeding part and an installation part. The installation part has openings at both ends and is hollow inside. A receiving cavity for accommodating the head core and restricting its movement in the vertical, horizontal or circumferential direction is formed between the inner wall of the installation part and the lower surface of the feeding part, and the receiving cavity is matched with the structure of the head core.

[0007] Furthermore, the head core includes an integrally formed connecting part and a discharging part, the installation part includes an integrally formed fixing part and a limiting part. The connecting part is press-fitted into the fixing part, and one end of the limiting part away from the fixing part is inclined towards the direction close to its axis to wrap at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the discharging part.

[0008] By adopting the method of interference plugging and the limiting part wrapping the outer peripheral surface of the discharging part, the connection between the whole head core and the installation part is made more reliable and stable, and the head core will not be separated from the nozzle body during the printing process; the wrapping of the limiting part on the outer peripheral surface of the head core can enable it to obtain higher bearing capacity, thus ensuring that the head core is not easily broken during use and playing a good protective role for the head core.

[0009] Further, a feeding channel is arranged inside the feeding part along its height direction, a discharging channel is arranged inside the discharging part along its height direction, a discharging port is arranged at the bottom of the head core, and the feeding channel, the discharging channel and the discharging port are sequentially communicated. Ensure that the extruded consumables can be smoothly extruded from the discharging port. The axes of the feeding channel, the discharging channel and the discharging port are on the same straight line.

[0010] Further, a transition section arranged in a funnel shape is communicated with the bottom of the feeding channel. The extruded consumables entering the feeding channel converge through this transition section and then flow into the head core.

[0011] Further, the diameter of one end of the transition section close to the discharging channel is smaller than the diameter of the inlet end of the discharging channel. If the diameter of the bottom of the transition section is larger than the diameter of the top of the discharging channel, the extruded consumables will be blocked in the feeding channel, thus affecting the extrusion rate of the consumables.

[0012] Further, at least part of the head core protrudes from the lower surface of the installation part. Specifically, the lower part of the discharging part on the head core protrudes from the lower surface of the installation part, ensuring that while the installation part wraps and supports the head core, it will not interfere with the extrusion of the consumables from the discharging port at the bottom of the head core.

[0013] Further, the connecting part is arranged in a cylindrical shape, and the discharging part is arranged in an inverted frustum shape.

[0014] Further, the nozzle body is made of copper alloy. The copper alloy material has elasticity, and when the limiting part at its bottom is pressed against the surface of the head core by the riveting process, there will be no phenomenon of fracture at the bending part, which can ensure the processing quality of the nozzle body.

[0015] Further, the feeding channel is arranged in a cylindrical shape, and the discharging channel is arranged in an inverted frustum shape.

[0016] A 3D printing head further includes a heat sink, a throat pipe and a heating block, and the novel nozzle structure is communicated with the throat pipe.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present utility model:

[0018] 1. In the present utility model, the nozzle body and the head core are designed in a split manner. The nozzle body and the head core can be processed using different materials. Among them, the head core selects the corresponding processing material according to the performance of the consumable to be extruded, while there are no special requirements for the material of the nozzle body. This enables the head core to have sufficient wear resistance or high heat resistance while effectively reducing the processing cost and difficulty.

[0019] 2. In the present utility model, the setting of the accommodating cavity can limit the movement of the head core, making the connection between the assembled nozzle body and the head core more stable. This ensures that during subsequent printing, the head core is wrapped by the accommodating cavity and will not become detached from the nozzle body or loose, thereby ensuring the stability of the nozzle structure and the printing accuracy during 3D printing. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is an overall cross-sectional schematic view of the nozzle structure in the prior art;

[0021] Figure 2 is an axonometric view of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0022] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the overall structure of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0023] Figure 4 is an axonometric view of the overall structure of the nozzle body of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0024] Figure 5 is an axonometric view of the overall structure of the head core of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0025] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the overall structure of the nozzle body of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0026] In the figure:

[0027] 1. Nozzle body; 11. Feeding part; 111. Feeding channel;

[0028] 12. Mounting part; 121. Accommodating cavity; 122. Fixing part; 123. Limiting part; 13. Transition section;

[0029] 2. Head core; 21. Connecting part; 22. Discharging part; 23. Discharging channel; 24. Discharging port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0030] The following elaborates on the preferred embodiments of the present utility model in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, so that the advantages and features of the present utility model can be more easily understood by those skilled in the art, thereby making the protection scope of the present utility model more clearly defined.

[0031] In the prior art, referring to the attached Figure 1 , the nozzle body 1 and the head core 2 are of an integral structure. This makes it necessary for the materials of the two to be the same during production and processing. In order to ensure that the extrusion of consumables does not cause wear to the diameter of the head core 2 on the nozzle during long-term use, harder and more wear-resistant alloys or other materials need to be used to make the nozzle structure. Such materials are expensive and difficult to process. Therefore, they are not suitable for mass production.

[0032] To solve the above technical problems, in this application, referring to the attached Figures 2 - 5 , a new type of nozzle structure is provided, which is characterized in that it includes a separately arranged nozzle body 1 and a head core 2, that is, the nozzle body 1 and the head core 2 can be disassembled. During processing, the nozzle body 1 and the head core 2 can be processed with different processing materials respectively, and both meet the performance requirements of the consumables and have high cost performance after processing.

[0033] In some embodiments, for different consumables, materials that adapt to their performance requirements can be selected. When the consumable is PLA with low wear resistance requirements and high thermal conductivity requirements, the head core 2 is often made of brass for processing; when the consumable is CF or GF fiber-reinforced resin consumables with high wear resistance and high thermal conductivity requirements, the head core 2 is often made of tungsten carbide or silicon carbide for processing.

[0034] The nozzle body 1 can be processed with ordinary materials without special requirements for the material properties of the two. After processing, they are assembled together to form a complete nozzle structure. The complete nozzle structure not only meets the requirements of wear resistance and high heat resistance, ensures the diameter size of the nozzle structure under long-term use, but also reduces the production cost of the enterprise.

[0035] In addition, the nozzle body 1 and the head core 2 are coaxially arranged, so that the amount of consumables entering the head core 2 from the nozzle body 1 is uniform everywhere in the head core 2, thereby ensuring the stability of the extrusion of the consumables;

[0036] Specifically, referring to the attached Figures 3 - 6 , the nozzle body 1 includes a feeding part 11 and a mounting part 12. The mounting part 12 has openings at both ends and is hollow inside. A receiving cavity 121 is formed between the inner wall of the mounting part 12 and the lower surface of the feeding part 11 for accommodating the head core 2 and restricting its movement in the vertical, horizontal or circumferential directions. The receiving cavity 121 is matched with the structure of the head core 2. During operation, the consumables are extruded through the feeding part 11 into the interior of the nozzle body 1 and are extruded from the lower end of the head core 2.

[0037] In the prior art, when a 3D printer prints consumables, the extrusion of the consumables at a high temperature state will exert pressure on the head, and the head is prone to looseness, resulting in printing leakage or the peeling off of the precious stone head. In the present application, the accommodation cavity 121 positions and fixes the head core 2. Refer to the attached Figure 3 , in some embodiments, the head core 2 protrudes from one end of the accommodation cavity 121 away from the feeding part 11, so that the extruded consumables entering the feeding part 11 will not remain or hang on the inner wall of the installation part 12 when passing through the head core 2, which is convenient for cleaning after the head core 2 finishes printing;

[0038] At the same time, the semi-encapsulation structure formed between the accommodation cavity 121 and the head core 2 can also better fix the head core 2 under the condition of not hindering the extrusion of the consumables, ensuring that the head core 2 will not fall off or loosen from the nozzle body 2 under the stress state during printing, and the structural reliability is higher.

[0039] After the head core 2 and the nozzle body 1 are processed separately, the head core 2 is then installed in the accommodation cavity 121 and fixed. Compared with the integral nozzle structure, the overall processing has high material costs and great processing difficulties. The head core 2 of the present application is small in volume, low in cost, small in processing difficulty, and the processing dimension accuracy is easier.

[0040] In some embodiments, refer to the attached Figure 5 , the head core 2 includes an integrally formed connecting part 21 and a discharging part 22, the installation part 12 includes an integrally formed fixing part 122 and a limiting part 123, the connecting part 21 is in interference fit with the inside of the fixing part 122, and one end of the limiting part 123 away from the fixing part 122 is inclined towards the direction close to its axis to wrap at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the discharging part 22.

[0041] In the prior art, the connecting part 21 is usually of a crimping structure, and the crimping structure has a large interference amount for crimping, which easily causes the material of the head core 2 to be fragile due to excessive pressure and a high scrap rate. And during the printing process, due to the phenomenon of bottom layer warping, abnormal extrusion of the consumables will cause collision or rubbing between the nozzle structure and the consumables.

[0042] In the present application, the method of interference fit and the limiting part 123 wrapping the outer peripheral surface of the discharging part 22 are adopted, so that the overall connection between the head core 2 and the installation part 12 is more reliable and stable, and the head core 2 will not be separated from the nozzle body 1 during the printing process; the wrapping of the outer peripheral surface of the head core 2 by the limiting part 123 can enable it to obtain a higher bearing capacity, thereby ensuring that the head core 2 is not easily broken during use, and playing a good protective role for the head core 2.

[0043] In some embodiments, the limiting part 123 is pressed and fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the discharging part 22 of the head core 2 by means of press riveting.

[0044] It should be noted that at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the discharging part 22 refers to the outer peripheral surface of a part of the discharging part 22 in the height direction.

[0045] An inlet channel 111 is provided inside the feeding part 11 along its height direction, an outlet channel 23 is provided inside the discharging part 22 along its height direction, a discharging port 24 is provided at the bottom of the head core 2, and the inlet channel 111, the outlet channel 23 and the discharging port 24 are connected in sequence. Ensure that the extruded consumables can be smoothly extruded from the discharging port 24. The axes of the inlet channel 111, the outlet channel 23 and the discharging port 24 are on the same straight line.

[0046] A transition section 13 is connected to the bottom of the inlet channel 111 and is funnel-shaped. The extruded consumables entering the inlet channel 111 converge through the transition section 13 and then flow into the head core 2.

[0047] The diameter of one end of the transition section 13 close to the outlet channel 23 is smaller than the diameter of the inlet end of the outlet channel 23. If the diameter of the bottom of the transition section 13 is larger than the diameter of the top of the outlet channel 23, the extruded consumables will be blocked in the inlet channel 111, thereby affecting the extrusion rate of the consumables.

[0048] At least a part of the head core 2 protrudes from the lower surface of the mounting part 12. Specifically, the lower part of the discharging part 22 on the head core 2 protrudes from the lower surface of the mounting part 12, ensuring that while the mounting part 12 supports the head core 2, it will not interfere with the extrusion of the consumables from the discharging port 24 at the bottom of the head core.

[0049] The connecting part 21 is cylindrical, and the discharging part 22 is in the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone.

[0050] The nozzle body 1 is made of copper alloy. The copper alloy material has elasticity, and when the limiting part 123 at its bottom is pressed against the surface of the head core 2 by the riveting process, there will be no phenomenon of fracture at the bending part, which can ensure the processing quality of the nozzle body 1. It should be noted that it is not limited to only copper alloy material, as long as it is a metal material with elasticity, and the copper alloy material is the best embodiment of this application.

[0051] The inlet channel 111 is cylindrical, and the outlet channel 23 is in the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone.

[0052] A 3D printing head further includes a heat sink, a throat tube and a heating block, and the new nozzle structure is connected to the throat tube.

[0053] The above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical concept and features of the present utility model, and the purpose is to enable those who are familiar with this technology to understand the content of the present utility model and implement it. It should not be used to limit the protection scope of the present utility model. Any equivalent changes or modifications made according to the spirit and essence of the present utility model should be covered within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A novel nozzle structure, characterized in that: It includes a nozzle body and a head core that are separately arranged; the nozzle body includes a feeding part and an installation part. The installation part has openings at both ends and is hollow inside. A receiving cavity for accommodating the head core and restricting its movement in the vertical, horizontal or circumferential directions is formed between the inner wall of the installation part and the lower surface of the feeding part, and the receiving cavity is matched with the structure of the head core.

2. The novel nozzle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The head core includes an integrally formed connecting part and a discharging part. The installation part includes an integrally formed fixing part and a limiting part. The connecting part and the fixing part are interference-fitted inside. One end of the limiting part away from the fixing part is inclined towards the direction close to its axis to wrap at least a part of the outer peripheral surface of the discharging part.

3. A novel nozzle structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: A feeding channel is opened inside the feeding part along its height direction, a discharging channel is opened inside the discharging part along its height direction, and a discharging port is arranged at the bottom of the head core. The feeding channel, the discharging channel and the discharging port are sequentially connected and communicated.

4. A novel nozzle structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: A transition section in a funnel shape is connected to the bottom of the feeding channel.

5. A novel nozzle structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The diameter of one end of the transition section close to the discharging channel is smaller than the diameter of the inlet end of the discharging channel.

6. A novel nozzle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: At least a part of the head core protrudes from the lower surface of the installation part.

7. A novel nozzle structure according to claim 2, wherein: The connecting part is arranged in a cylindrical shape, and the discharging part is arranged in an inverted frustum shape.

8. A novel nozzle structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nozzle body is made of copper alloy material.

9. A novel nozzle structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: The feeding channel is arranged in a cylindrical shape, and the discharging channel is arranged in an inverted frustum shape.

10. A 3D printing head, comprising the novel nozzle structure according to any one of claims 1-9, further comprising a heat sink, a throat tube, and a heating block, characterized in that: The new nozzle structure is communicated with the throat pipe.