3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and 3D printing leveling calibration system

Abstract

The utility model provides a 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and a 3D printing leveling calibration system. The 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism comprises a hot bed support, a seat plate fixed to the hot bed support and a hot bed arranged above the seat plate. The hot bed and the seat plate are connected through an adjusting piece, an elastic piece is arranged between the hot bed and the seat plate, and the upper end and the lower end of the elastic piece abut against the hot bed and the seat plate respectively so that the hot bed can float relative to the seat plate and be temporarily fixed; the piezoelectric ceramic sensor is arranged on the seat plate, is electrically connected with the master controller and the motor, and is used for sensing the deformation of the elastic piece when the motor drives the hot bed bracket and the hot bed on the hot bed bracket to rise to touch the spray head, generating a voltage signal and sending the corresponding voltage signal to the master controller, so that the master controller controls the motor to stop running in time; and a motor encoder is controlled to record the height value of the hot bed at the moment. The method is used for improving the judgment precision of the flatness of the 3D printing platform / hot bed, and then the leveling precision of the 3D printing platform / hot bed is improved, so that the operation safety and the printing success rate of a printer are guaranteed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and further relates to a 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and a 3D printing leveling and calibration system. Background Art

[0002] As is well known, in 3D printing forming technology, the flatness of the printing platform / heating bed plays a crucial role in the smooth operation of the printer and the yield rate of the model. Therefore, before starting 3D printing in related technologies, the printing platform / heating bed is generally leveled.

[0003] Currently, the leveling operation of 3D printers in the industry is generally carried out manually. Specifically, after the printing platform / heating bed rises to a position close to the printer nozzle, the operator uses a feeler gauge or A4 paper to judge the distance between the printer nozzle and the printing platform / heating bed, and then manually adjusts the adjusting nuts at the bottom of the printing platform / heating bed to adjust the height of the printing platform / heating bed. However, in this way, purely relying on human vision and touch to judge the height of each part of the printing platform / heating bed and then assisting in the leveling operation of the printing platform / heating bed, due to the subjective initiative of people, the error of the height judgment result of the printing platform / heating bed is relatively large, which in turn makes the leveling accuracy relatively low, there are potential safety hazards during the operation of the printer, and the printing failure rate is relatively high, so there is room for improvement. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and a 3D printing leveling and calibration system, by improving the automation level of the 3D printing platform / heating bed height measurement operation, reducing the 3D printing platform / heating bed height measurement error, thereby effectively improving the corresponding leveling accuracy, enhancing the safety of the printer operation, and ensuring the printing success rate.

[0005] The technical solution provided by this application is as follows:

[0006] This application provides a 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism, including:

[0007] A heating bed bracket, which is vertically lifted and lowered by a motor drive;

[0008] A seat plate, which is fixed on the heating bed bracket to vertically lift and lower with the heating bed bracket;

[0009] A heating bed, which is arranged above the seat plate through an adjusting member; an elastic member is arranged between the heating bed and the seat plate, and the upper and lower ends of the elastic member respectively abut against the heating bed and the seat plate, so that the heating bed is floatingly arranged relative to the seat plate and temporarily fixed;

[0010] The piezoelectric ceramic sensor is disposed on the base plate and electrically connected to the main controller of the printer and the motor encoder of the motor. It is used to sense the deformation of the elastic member after the motor drives the hot bed bracket and the hot bed thereon to rise until the hot bed touches the print head of the printer, generate a voltage signal, and send the corresponding voltage signal to the main controller of the printer, so that the main controller of the printer controls the motor to stop running and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed at this moment.

[0011] In practical applications of a 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism provided by the present application, before starting 3D printing, the print head of the printer moves above the reference point. When the motor drives the hot bed bracket and the hot bed thereon to rise until the upper surface of the hot bed touches the print head, since the print head resists and presses the hot bed, the hot bed presses down and squeezes the elastic member, thereby deforming the elastic member. The piezoelectric ceramic sensor senses the deformation of the elastic member, generates a voltage signal, and immediately sends the corresponding voltage signal to the main controller of the printer. After receiving the corresponding voltage signal, the main controller promptly controls the motor to stop running and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed at this moment; then, the motor drives the hot bed bracket and the hot bed thereon to descend a short distance, and the print head moves to other positions; subsequently, the motor drives the hot bed bracket and the hot bed thereon to rise again until the hot bed touches the print head of the printer. The piezoelectric ceramic sensor senses the deformation of the elastic member again, generates a voltage signal, and sends the corresponding voltage signal to the main controller of the printer. The main controller controls the motor to stop running again and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed at this moment... and so on in a cycle, the height values of each point on the hot bed can be recorded, that is, the vertical direction values of each point on the hot bed are recorded.

[0012] By adopting this method, by integrating a piezoelectric ceramic sensor on the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and using the piezoelectric ceramic sensor to be electrically connected to the main controller of the printer and the motor encoder of the motor, the motor can be stopped in time when the hot bed touches the print head of the printer, and the motor encoder is triggered to record the height of the hot bed at this moment, thus replacing the operation of relying solely on manual vision and touch to judge the height of each point on the hot bed. The automation level of the height measurement process of each point on the hot bed is high, and the measurement results are accurate.

[0013] Moreover, when using the obtained height values for subsequent leveling of the 3D printing platform / hot bed and actual printing operations, the leveling accuracy of the 3D printing platform / hot bed is high, and it effectively reduces the situations such as print head damage and printing failure caused by the fact that the 3D printing platform / hot bed is actually not leveled, effectively improving the safety of the printer operation, and thus improving the printing success rate.

[0014] Meanwhile, since the height measurement process of each point on the hot bed does not require manual operation, it effectively simplifies the operation steps of 3D printing platform / hot bed height measurement and leveling operations. The measurement and leveling processes save time and effort, and effectively reduce the labor intensity of the staff.

[0015] In some embodiments, the adjusting members are disposed between the hot bed and the seat plate, and a plurality of them are evenly spaced along the plane where the hot bed is located;

[0016] Any one of the adjusting members includes a bolt and an adjusting nut. The bolt vertically penetrates the hot bed and the seat plate from top to bottom in sequence, and the elastic member is sleeved on the bolt; the adjusting nut is screwed on the position of the bolt below the seat plate and abuts against the lower end face of the seat plate to ensure that the hot bed and the seat plate are temporarily relatively fixed.

[0017] Through a 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism provided by the present application, the hot bed and the seat plate are connected by using a bolt and an adjusting nut, and combined with an elastic member, so as to realize the floating setting of the hot bed above the seat plate. The structure is simple and the setting is convenient, which helps to reduce the production and use costs of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and is beneficial to energy conservation and cost reduction.

[0018] In some embodiments, the elastic plate is in a Z-shaped structure and is disposed below the seat plate, and includes a fixed section and a deformation section that are arranged in parallel;

[0019] The fixed section abuts against the lower end face of the seat plate and is detachably and fixedly connected to the seat plate; the deformation section is arranged in parallel and spaced from the seat plate, and the deformation section is located at one end of the fixed section and protrudes from the lower end face of the seat plate;

[0020] The bolt penetrates the deformation section from top to bottom, the elastic member abuts between the hot bed and the deformation section, the adjusting nut is screwed on the position of the bolt below the deformation section and abuts against the lower end face of the deformation section;

[0021] The piezoelectric ceramic sensor is detachably disposed on the deformation section.

[0022] Through a 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism provided by the present application, an elastic plate is disposed below the seat plate, and the piezoelectric ceramic sensor is disposed on the elastic plate, which helps to improve the installation convenience of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor on the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism, thereby reducing the production difficulty of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and saving the production cost of the enterprise.

[0023] In some embodiments, fastening screws are provided on the elastic plate, and the fastening screws penetrate the fixed section from bottom to top and are screwed into the seat plate.

[0024] Through an auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform provided by the present application, a fastening screw is provided to detachably mount the elastic plate on the seat plate. The connection structure between the elastic plate and the seat plate is simple, which helps to further improve the production convenience of the auxiliary leveling mechanism for the 3D printing platform.

[0025] In some embodiments, positioning posts are provided on the seat plate, and the positioning posts are perpendicular to the seat plate.

[0026] The fixing section is formed with positioning holes corresponding to the positioning posts, and the positioning holes include round holes.

[0027] The positioning post penetrates through the corresponding round hole from top to bottom and is slidably matched with the inner wall of the corresponding round hole along its own axis.

[0028] In some embodiments, the positioning holes further include waist-shaped holes, and the positioning posts are slidably matched with the inner walls of the waist-shaped holes along the length direction of the waist-shaped holes.

[0029] Through an auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform provided by the present application, in practical applications, when the elastic plate is mounted on the seat plate, first, with the positioning function of the positioning posts and the positioning holes, the mounting position of the elastic plate on the seat plate is determined, which helps to improve the convenience of the operation of mounting the elastic plate on the seat plate.

[0030] At the same time, setting the positioning holes to include round holes and waist-shaped holes helps to reduce the production precision of the corresponding seat plate and the elastic plate, thereby further reducing the production difficulty of the auxiliary leveling mechanism for the 3D printing platform.

[0031] In some embodiments, the piezoelectric ceramic sensor is in a sheet structure and is adhesively fixed to the upper end face and / or the lower end face of the deformation section.

[0032] Through an auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform provided by the present application, setting the piezoelectric ceramic sensor in a sheet structure and adhesively fixing it to the deformation section facilitates the installation of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor on the elastic plate by the staff. The auxiliary leveling mechanism for the 3D printing platform is convenient to produce, has low cost, and is beneficial for enterprises to save energy and reduce costs.

[0033] In some embodiments, the deformation section is in a porous plate structure.

[0034] With an auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform provided by this application, in practical applications, when the heated bed touches the print head of the printer, the elastic member is compressed under force and drives the deformation section of the elastic plate to deform. The piezoelectric ceramic sensor senses the deformation of the deformation section and emits a voltage signal. By setting the deformation section of the elastic plate as a porous plate-like structure, it helps to reduce the deformation resistance of the deformation section, so as to generate a deformation that can be sensed by the piezoelectric ceramic sensor when the heated bed touches the print head of the printer, thereby ensuring the sensitivity of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and the stability of the leveling function of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism.

[0035] In some embodiments, it further includes a circuit board;

[0036] The circuit board is detachably arranged below the seat plate and is electrically connected to the piezoelectric ceramic sensor and the main controller of the printer, and is used to amplify the piezoelectric signal of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor and output it to the main controller of the printer.

[0037] In some embodiments, it further includes a housing, and the housing is detachably fixed below the seat plate and covers the piezoelectric ceramic sensor and the circuit board.

[0038] With an auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform provided by this application, a housing is provided to cover the piezoelectric ceramic sensor and the circuit board, so as to reduce the probability of the external environment affecting and damaging the piezoelectric induction circuit, which helps to extend the service life of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism.

[0039] On the other hand, this application also provides a 3D printing leveling and calibration system, including the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism described in any one of the above, and further including:

[0040] A print head, which is arranged above the heated bed and moves within a horizontal coordinate system to perform printing operations for each layer;

[0041] A motor, which is used to drive the heated bed bracket, the seat plate thereon, and the heated bed to move vertically up and down;

[0042] A main controller, which is electrically connected to the motor and the piezoelectric ceramic sensor, and is used to receive the voltage signal sent by the piezoelectric ceramic sensor after the piezoelectric ceramic sensor senses the deformation of the elastic member and generates a voltage signal, and control the motor to stop running in time, and control the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the heated bed at this moment.

[0043] Through the 3D printing leveling system provided by the present application, in actual applications, before starting 3D printing, the nozzle moves above the reference point, and the motor drives the heated bed support and the heated bed on it to rise. When the upper surface of the heated bed touches the nozzle, the nozzle contacts and squeezes the heated bed, causing the heated bed to press down and squeeze the elastic member, thereby causing the elastic member to deform. The piezoelectric ceramic sensor senses the deformation of the elastic member and generates a voltage signal, and then sends the corresponding voltage signal to the main controller. After receiving the corresponding voltage signal, the main controller promptly controls the motor to stop running, and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the heated bed at this moment; thereafter, the motor drives the heated bed support and the heated bed on it to move upward. The upper hot bed descends a short distance so that the nozzle can move to other positions; then, the motor drives the hot bed to rise again and touch the nozzle, and the piezoelectric ceramic sensor senses the deformation of the elastic part again, and then generates a voltage signal, and sends the corresponding voltage signal to the printer's main controller, which controls the motor to stop running again, and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed at this moment... After that, the motor drives the hot bed bracket and the upper hot bed to descend a short distance again, so that the nozzle can move to other positions... In this way, the piezoelectric ceramic sensor is triggered many times to record the height value of each point on the hot bed, that is, the height value of each point on the hot bed is measured. In this way, the height value of each point on the hot bed is measured by automated means, instead of relying solely on artificial vision and touch to judge the height of each point on the hot bed. The hot bed height measurement process is highly automated and intelligent, without manual operation, and the measurement result is highly accurate, effectively reducing the error of the hot bed flatness judgment result.

[0044] Subsequently, the master controller compares the height values of each point on the hot bed obtained in the above manner to obtain the height value range of all points. If the height value range of all points is within a certain range, it is considered that the hot bed does not need to be leveled. Otherwise, manual leveling calibration is required according to the height value of each point. After the manual leveling operation, the aforementioned cycle steps need to be performed again until the height value range of each point on the hot bed is controlled within a certain range, and the hot bed leveling calibration operation is completed. Since the height value measurement results of each point on the hot bed are accurate, the accuracy of the hot bed leveling calibration results is effectively improved.

[0045] Compared with the prior art, the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism and 3D printing leveling calibration system provided by the present application have at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0046] 1. In this application, by integrating a piezoelectric ceramic sensor on the leveling mechanism of the 3D printing platform, when the upper surface of the heated bed touches the printer nozzle, the piezoelectric ceramic sensor generates and sends a voltage signal to the main controller, causing the main controller to control the motor to stop running in a timely manner and controlling the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the heated bed at this moment, thereby obtaining the height values of each point on the heated bed. The automation level of the measurement process of the heated bed height value is high, without manual intervention, effectively improving the accuracy of the measurement results. At the same time, when applying the obtained height data to the subsequent leveling of the 3D printing platform / heated bed and the actual printing operation, the corresponding leveling accuracy can be effectively improved, thereby reducing the potential safety hazards during the operation of the printer and improving the printing success rate. Moreover, since automated means are used instead of manual operations, the corresponding measurement process saves time and effort, effectively improving the efficiency of the corresponding leveling operation and printing operation.

[0047] 2. In this application, the elastic deformation of the elastic member is transferred to the deformation section of the Z-shaped elastic plate, and the piezoelectric ceramic sensor is arranged on the deformation section. The installation method of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor on this 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism is simple; at the same time, the deformation section is set as a porous plate-like structure, reducing the deformation resistance of the deformation section and ensuring the sensitivity of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor. While ensuring the stability of the leveling function of this 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism, the overall structure is simple, easy to set up, effectively promoting energy conservation and cost reduction for enterprises. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0048] The following will further illustrate the above characteristics, technical features, advantages and their implementation manners of the solution in a clear and understandable manner in combination with the drawings of the preferred embodiments.

[0049] Figure 1 is an axonometric schematic diagram mainly showing the overall structure of this 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism in the embodiment of the application;

[0050] Figure 2 is an axonometric schematic diagram mainly showing the overall structure of this 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism in the embodiment of the application;

[0051] Figure 3 is Figure 2 the enlarged view of part A in

[0052] Figure 4 is a bottom view mainly showing the installation position of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor on the seat plate in the embodiment of the application;

[0053] Figure 5 is Figure 4 the enlarged view of part B in

[0054] Figure 6This is an axonometric schematic diagram mainly showing the opening positions of ventilation holes in the embodiments of the present application.

[0055] Description of reference numerals:

[0056] 1. Hot bed bracket; 2. Seat plate; 21. Positioning column; 22. Support column; 3. Hot bed; 31. Bolt; 32. Adjusting nut; 33. Elastic member; 4. Piezoelectric ceramic sensor; 5. Elastic plate; 51. Fixed section; 511. Round hole; 512. Waist-shaped hole; 52. Connecting section; 53. Deformation section; 6. Circuit board; 7. Housing; 71. Avoidance hole; 72. Ventilation hole. Specific embodiments

[0057] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the specific embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings, and other embodiments can be obtained.

[0058] To make the drawings concise, only the parts related to the present application are schematically shown in each drawing, and they do not represent the actual structure of the product. In addition, to make the drawings concise and easy to understand, in some drawings, parts with the same structure or function are only schematically shown for one of them, or only one of them is marked. In this article, "one" not only means "only this one", but also means "more than one" situation.

[0059] In the FDM 3D printing forming technology, the flatness of the printing platform / hot bed is crucial for the normal operation of the 3D printer. Therefore, before a user uses a 3D printer to perform a 3D printing operation, the printing platform / hot bed (hereinafter all named after the hot bed) is usually raised to a distance close to the nozzle, and the nozzle is moved back and forth and left and right. A feeler gauge or A4 paper is used to judge the distance between the nozzle and the four corners of the hot bed, judge the height values of the four corners of the hot bed, and manually adjust the four adjusting nuts at the bottom of the hot bed with a wrench until the distances between the nozzle and the four corners of the hot bed are all the same. However, in this leveling method, since the height of each part of the hot bed is estimated purely by human vision and touch, due to the influence of human subjective initiative, the error of the hot bed flatness judgment result is relatively large, so that the accuracy of the hot bed leveling operation based on this result is relatively low, and further the printing failure rate is relatively high. There are potential safety hazards during the operation of the 3D printer, and it affects the service life of the 3D printer.

[0060] In this regard, in one embodiment, referring to the accompanying drawings of the specification Figures 1 to 6, a 3D printing platform assisted leveling mechanism is provided, which obtains the height values of each point on the hot bed through automated means, reduces the error of the judgment results of the height values at various places on the hot bed, improves the accuracy of the judgment results of the flatness of the hot bed, thereby improving the leveling accuracy, ensuring the safe operation of the printer, increasing the finished product rate of the model, and extending the service life of the corresponding 3D printer.

[0061] Specifically, referring to Figures 1 to 3 , it includes a hot bed bracket 1 and a seat plate 2 installed thereon. Among them, the hot bed bracket 1 is driven by a motor and vertically moves up and down relative to the nozzle of the printer. The seat plate 2 moves up and down synchronously with the hot bed bracket 1. A hot bed 3 is connected above the seat plate 2 through an adjusting member. An elastic member 33 is provided between the hot bed 3 and the seat plate 2. The upper and lower ends of the elastic member 33 respectively abut against the hot bed 3 and the seat plate 2, so that the hot bed 3 is arranged parallelly and spaced apart, floating, and temporarily relatively fixed relative to the seat plate 2; it further includes a piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4. The piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 is arranged on the seat plate 2 and is electrically connected to the main controller and the motor of the printer. It is used to sense the deformation of the elastic member 33 and generate a voltage signal when the motor drives the hot bed bracket 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to rise until the hot bed 3 touches the nozzle of the printer, and send the corresponding voltage signal to the main controller of the printer, so that the main controller can timely control the motor to stop running and control the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed 3 at this moment.

[0062] In practical applications, before starting 3D printing, the nozzle moves above the reference point, and the motor drives the hot bed support 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to rise. When the hot bed 3 touches the nozzle of the printer, the hot bed 3 squeezes the elastic member 33, causing the elastic member 33 to deform. The piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 then senses the deformation of the elastic member 33, emits a voltage signal, and immediately feeds the corresponding voltage signal back to the main controller of the printer. The main controller promptly controls the motor to stop running, that is, controls the hot bed support 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to stop rising, and at the same time controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed 3 at this moment, that is, records the height value at the reference point of the hot bed 3; thereafter, the motor repeatedly drives the hot bed 3 to rise and touches the nozzle of the printer multiple times to trigger the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 multiple times and record the height values at the reference point of the hot bed 3 multiple times, and finally obtains the average value of the reference point height; subsequently, the motor drives the hot bed support 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to descend a short distance, the nozzle of the printer moves to other positions in turn, the motor then drives the hot bed support 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to rise until the hot bed 3 touches the nozzle of the printer, the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 senses the deformation of the elastic member 33 again, and after generating a corresponding voltage signal, sends the corresponding voltage signal to the main controller of the printer. The main controller promptly controls the motor to stop running and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height values of different points on the hot bed 3... and so on in a cycle to complete the recording of the height values of each point on the hot bed 3; this replaces the operation of purely relying on manual vision and touch to judge the height of each point on the hot bed 3. The automation level of the height measurement process of each point on the hot bed 3 is high, and the measurement results are accurate.

[0063] When actually performing the leveling operation of the hot bed 3, the main controller compares the height values of each point on the hot bed 3 obtained in the above manner to obtain the range of differences between the height values of all points. If the range of differences between the height values of all points is within a certain range in the end, for example, the range of differences between the height values of all points is less than 0.5 mm in the end, it is considered that the hot bed 3 does not need to be leveled and printing is allowed; otherwise, manual leveling and calibration need to be performed according to the height values of each point. Of course, if manual leveling is performed, the above steps of rising, touching, sensing, recording, etc. need to be performed again until the range of differences between the height values of all points on the hot bed 3 is controlled within a certain range.

[0064] When actually performing 3D printing operations, spatial plane fitting is performed based on the height values of each point on the hot bed 3 obtained in the above manner to obtain the fitting plane of the hot bed 3; during the operation of the printer, as the nozzle moves in the XY plane, the motor relies on the height values of each point on the hot bed 3 to drive the hot bed 3 to make micro-lifting and lowering to compensate for the movement route of the nozzle according to the fitting plane, ensuring that the bottom layer or the lower several layers of the printed model adhere better to the printing platform, and finally obtaining the expected model finished product. Since the measurement results of the height values of each point on the hot bed 3 are accurate, it greatly improves the accuracy of the leveling result of the hot bed 3, effectively ensures the stable and safe operation of the corresponding 3D printer, and improves the yield of the printed model.

[0065] In one embodiment, based on the above embodiments, specifically. In this embodiment of the present application, both the seat plate 2 and the hot bed 3 are in the shape of rectangular plates, and a plurality of adjusting members are uniformly spaced along the plane where the hot bed 3 is located. In this embodiment of the present application, with reference to Figure 2 , taking one adjusting member being provided at each of the four corners of the hot bed 3 as an example for illustration. Specifically, in this embodiment of the present application, any adjusting member includes a bolt 31 and an adjusting nut 32. That is, the hot bed 3 is connected above the seat plate 2 through the bolt 31 and the adjusting nut 32. Among them, the bolt 31 vertically penetrates through the hot bed 3, the elastic member 33, and the seat plate 2 from top to bottom in sequence. That is, the elastic member 33 is sleeved on the bolt 31, and the adjusting nut 32 is screwed on the position of the bolt 31 below the seat plate 2 and abuts against the lower end surface of the seat plate 2 to ensure that the upper and lower ends of the elastic member 33 respectively abut against the hot bed 3 and the seat plate 2, so that the hot bed 3 and the seat plate 2 are arranged in parallel at intervals and are temporarily relatively fixed. Of course, in the implementation manner of the present application, the adjusting member can also be set in other forms such as a tenon and mortise structure or a hook and buckle structure, which will not be elaborated one by one in this embodiment of the present application.

[0066] With reference to Figure 3 , the piezoelectric ceramic sensors 4 correspond to the adjusting nuts 32 one by one. And, to improve the installation convenience of the piezoelectric ceramic sensors 4, in this embodiment of the present application, an elastic plate 5 is provided below the seat plate 2 for transferring the deformation of the elastic member 33 and carrying the piezoelectric ceramic sensors 4; the elastic plate 5 also corresponds to the adjusting nuts 32 one by one.

[0067] Specifically, in this embodiment of the present application, with reference to Figure 3 and Figure 5 , the elastic plate 5 includes a fixed section 51, a connecting section 52, and a deformation section 53. Among them, the fixed section 51 and the deformation section 53 are arranged in parallel and are located at opposite ends of the connecting section 52 and extend to the opposite sides of the connecting section 52, so that the elastic plate 5 as a whole is in a Z-shaped structure. During installation, the fixed section 51 abuts against the lower end surface of the seat plate 2 and is detachably and fixedly connected to the seat plate 2; the deformation section 53 is arranged in parallel at intervals with the seat plate 2 to protrude from the lower end surface of the seat plate 2; after the bolt 31 penetrates through the hot bed 3 and the seat plate 2 from top to bottom in sequence, it also penetrates through the deformation section 53. In this embodiment of the present application, the elastic member 33 abuts between the hot bed 3 and the deformation section 53; the adjusting nut 32 is screwed on the position of the bolt 31 below the deformation section 53 and abuts against the lower end surface of the deformation section 53. In practical applications, when the hot bed 3 rises to touch the nozzle of the printer, the elastic member 33 is compressed by force and drives the lower end of the bolt 31 to move downward, and the bolt 31 drives the deformation section 53 of the elastic plate 5 to deform. The piezoelectric ceramic sensors 4 are detachably arranged on the upper end surface or the lower end surface of the deformation section 53 to sense the deformation of the deformation section 53 in real time and emit voltage signals.

[0068] In this embodiment of the present application, to ensure the structural strength of the elastic plate 5, the fixed section 51, the connecting section 52 and the deformation section 53 are integrally formed, that is, the elastic plate 5 is a whole plate structure; in this embodiment of the present application, to ensure the elasticity of the elastic plate 5, the elastic plate 5 can be set as a sheet metal plate. Of course, the elastic plate 5 can also be set as other plates, and this embodiment of the present application will not elaborate one by one.

[0069] Refer to Figure 3 , in this embodiment of the present application, the elastic member 33 is set as a spring, and both ends of the spring in the telescopic direction are respectively abutted against the hot bed 3 and the deformation section 53, and are respectively fixedly connected to the hot bed 3 and the deformation section 53. Of course, the elastic member 33 can also be set as other forms such as an elastic block. In the implementation manner of the present application, this will not be elaborated one by one, and the specific setting form of the elastic member 33 should not be used as a limitation to the protection scope of the present application.

[0070] In this embodiment of the present application, fastening screws are provided on the elastic plate 5. The fastening screws penetrate through the fixed section 51 of the elastic plate 5 from bottom to top and are screwed into the seat plate 2 in a threaded manner, so as to realize the detachable fixed installation of the elastic plate 5 on the seat plate 2. Of course, the detachable fixed connection between the fixed section 51 of the elastic plate 5 and the seat plate 2 can also be realized by setting a clamping structure, a locking structure, etc. between the fixed section 51 and the seat plate 2. Or, the fixed section 51 can also be directly fixed on the seat plate 2 by means of adhesion; in the implementation manner of the present application, the specific connection manner between the elastic plate 5 and the seat plate 2 should not be used as a limitation to the protection scope of the present application. In this embodiment of the present application, only the example of installing the elastic plate 5 on the seat plate 2 by fastening screws is described.

[0071] Further, refer to Figure 3 And Figure 5 , to facilitate the installation of the elastic plate 5 on the seat plate 2 and improve the assembly efficiency of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism, a plurality of positioning columns 21 are formed below the seat plate 2; correspondingly, the fixed section 51 of the elastic plate 5 is provided with positioning holes corresponding to the plurality of positioning columns 21. The positioning holes include round holes 511. When the fixed section 51 of the elastic plate 5 approaches the seat plate 2 from bottom to top, the positioning columns 21 penetrate through the corresponding round holes 511 from top to bottom and are slidably matched with the inner walls of the corresponding round holes 511 along their own axes, so as to position through the cooperation of the positioning columns 21 and the positioning holes, and realize the determination of the installation position of the elastic plate 5 on the seat plate 2, which is convenient for the subsequent fastening screws to be screwed into the corresponding installation holes on the seat plate 2.

[0072] Moreover, to improve the assembly convenience between the positioning holes and the positioning posts 21, in this embodiment of the present application, the positioning holes further include waist-shaped holes 512. When a positioning post 21 is individually inserted into a waist-shaped hole 512, the positioning post 21 can slidably cooperate with the inner wall of the waist-shaped hole 512 along the length direction of the waist-shaped hole 512. In practical applications, when the fixed section 51 of the elastic plate 5 approaches the seat plate 2 from bottom to top, some of the positioning posts 21 can be first passed through the corresponding waist-shaped holes 512, and then the remaining positioning posts 21 can be passed through the corresponding round holes 511, so as to quickly position the positioning posts 21 and the positioning holes, reduce the manufacturing precision of the positioning posts 21 on the seat plate 2 and the positioning holes on the elastic plate 5, and improve the production convenience of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism.

[0073] Referring to Figure 3 and Figure 5 , in this embodiment of the present application, the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 has a sheet-like structure. To ensure the sensitivity of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 and enhance the deformation ability of the deformation section 53, the deformation section 53 is arranged in a porous plate-like structure, and the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 is fixed at the position without holes in the middle of the deformation section 53 to ensure its connection stability with the deformation section 53. In this embodiment of the present application, the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 is fixed to the lower end face of the deformation section 53 of the elastic plate 5 by an adhesive method. Of course, it can also be fixed to the upper end face of the deformation section 53; during production, the actual installation position of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 can be selected according to actual needs.

[0074] Referring to Figure 3 , Figure 5 and Figure 6 , a circuit board 6 is further provided below the seat plate 2. The circuit board 6 is detachably connected to the seat plate 2 and is electrically connected to the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 and the main controller, and is used to amplify the piezoelectric signal of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 and output it to the main controller.

[0075] Meanwhile, referring to Figure 6 , a housing 7 is further provided below the seat plate 2. The housing 7 is detachably fixed below the seat plate 2 and covers the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 and the circuit board 6 to reduce the probability of the external environment affecting and damaging the piezoelectric induction circuit, and extend the service life of the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism. An avoidance hole 71 is opened on the housing 7 corresponding to the position of the adjusting nut 32, and the adjusting nut 32 is located in the corresponding avoidance hole 71 to facilitate the manual leveling of the corresponding hot bed 3 by the staff. In addition, to facilitate the heat dissipation of the piezoelectric induction circuit, a plurality of ventilation holes 72 are further opened on the side wall of the housing 7 along the connection direction of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 and the circuit board 6.

[0076] In this embodiment of the present application, both the circuit board 6 and the housing 7 are locked to the lower part of the seat plate 2 by connecting screws; specifically, referring to Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 6, a plurality of support columns 22 are provided on the lower end surface of the seat plate 2, and corresponding mounting holes are provided on both the circuit board 6 and the housing 7; after the circuit board 6 and the housing 7 are buckled to the corresponding positions on the seat plate 2, the connecting screws penetrate through the corresponding mounting holes from bottom to top and are screwed into the seat plate 2 in a threaded manner, so as to realize the detachable mounting of the circuit board 6 and the housing 7 on the seat plate 2. Of course, in the implementation mode of the present application, the circuit board 6 and the housing 7 can also be mounted on the seat plate 2 by means of a clamping structure, adhesive fixation, etc., and this embodiment of the present application will not elaborate on this one by one.

[0077] Next, taking the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism applied to a specific 3D printer as an example, the technical principle of the present application will be further elaborated. A 3D printing leveling and calibration system includes the 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism described in any one of the above embodiments, and further includes: a nozzle and a motor. Among them, the nozzle is arranged above the hot bed 3 and moves within a horizontal coordinate system to perform printing operations for each layer; the motor is installed on the frame of the 3D printer and is used to drive the hot bed bracket 1, its upper seat plate 2, and the hot bed 3 to move vertically up and down; a total controller is also included, and the total controller is electrically connected to both the motor and the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4, and is used to receive the voltage signal sent by the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 after the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 senses the deformation of the elastic member 33 and generates a voltage signal, and control the motor to stop running in time, and control the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed 3 at this moment.

[0078] The implementation principle of the embodiment of the present application is as follows: In practical applications, before starting a 3D printing operation, the nozzle moves above the reference point of the hot bed 3, and the motor drives the hot bed bracket 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to rise. When the hot bed 3 touches the nozzle of the 3D printer, the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 immediately senses the deformation of the deformation section 53 of the elastic plate 5 and generates a voltage signal, and immediately sends the corresponding voltage signal to the total controller. The total controller controls the motor to stop running immediately and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed 3 at this moment; then, the motor repeatedly drives the hot bed 3 to rise and touch the nozzle of the 3D printer to trigger the piezoelectric ceramic sensor 4 multiple times and record the height value of the hot bed 3 multiple times, and finally obtains the average value of the reference point height; then, the motor drives the hot bed bracket 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to descend a short distance, the nozzle moves to other points in turn, and the motor drives the hot bed bracket 1 and the hot bed 3 thereon to rise again until the hot bed 3 touches the nozzle of the 3D printer... and so on in a cycle to complete the operation of recording the height values of other points on the hot bed 3. Then, the height values of each point on the hot bed 3 obtained in the above manner are compared. If the range of the extreme difference of the height values of all points on the hot bed 3 finally is within a certain range, it is considered that the hot bed 3 does not need leveling and calibration and printing is allowed; otherwise, manual leveling needs to be performed according to the height values of each point, that is, leveling is performed by screwing the adjusting nut 32. Of course, if manual leveling is performed, the above cycle operation needs to be performed again until the range of the extreme difference of the height values of all points on the hot bed 3 is controlled within a certain range to complete the leveling operation of the hot bed 3.

[0079] Afterwards, if a 3D printing operation is performed, a spatial plane fitting is performed according to the height values of each point on the hot bed 3 obtained in the above manner, and the fitting plane of the hot bed 3 can be obtained; during the operation of the printer, as the nozzle moves in the XY plane, the motor drives the hot bed 3 to do a slight rise and fall based on the height values of each point on the hot bed 3, so as to compensate for the movement route of the nozzle according to the fitting plane, thereby ensuring that the bottom layer or the lower layers of the printed model are better adhered to the printing platform, and finally the expected model product is obtained.

[0080] In this way, the height values of each point on the hot bed 3 are obtained through automated means, and the flatness of the hot bed 3 is judged. The hot bed 3 flatness judgment process has a high intelligence level and a small error in the judgment result, which helps to promote the precise leveling of the hot bed 3, while effectively ensuring the safety of the printer operation and the yield rate of the 3D printed model. In addition, since the corresponding operation process does not require manual operation, it saves time and effort, effectively reduces the labor intensity of the staff, and improves the operation efficiency.

[0081] It should be noted that the above embodiments can be freely combined as needed. The above is only the preferred implementation of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principle of the present application, and these improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A 3D printing platform assisted leveling mechanism, characterized in that, Comprising: A hot bed support, which is vertically lifted and lowered by a motor drive; A seat plate, which is fixed on the hot bed support to vertically lift and lower along with the hot bed support; A hot bed, which is arranged above the seat plate through an adjusting member; an elastic member is arranged between the hot bed and the seat plate, and the upper and lower ends of the elastic member respectively abut against the hot bed and the seat plate, so that the hot bed is floatingly arranged relative to the seat plate and temporarily fixed; A piezoelectric ceramic sensor, which is arranged on the seat plate and electrically connected to the main controller of the printer and the motor, and is used for sensing the deformation of the elastic member when the motor drives the hot bed support and the hot bed thereon to rise until the hot bed touches the nozzle of the printer, generating a voltage signal, and sending the corresponding voltage signal to the main controller of the printer, so that the main controller of the printer controls the motor to stop running and controls the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed at this moment.

2. The auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform according to claim 1, wherein The adjusting members are arranged between the hot bed and the seat plate, and a plurality of them are evenly spaced along the plane where the hot bed is located; Any one of the adjusting members includes a bolt and an adjusting nut. The bolt vertically penetrates through the hot bed and the seat plate from top to bottom in sequence, and the elastic member is sleeved on the bolt; the adjusting nut is screwed on the position of the bolt below the seat plate and abuts against the lower end face of the seat plate to ensure the temporary relative fixation of the hot bed and the seat plate.

3. The auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform according to claim 2, wherein An elastic plate, which is in a Z-shaped structure and is arranged below the seat plate, including a fixed section and a deformation section arranged in parallel; The fixed section abuts against the lower end face of the seat plate and is detachably and fixedly connected to the seat plate; the deformation section is arranged in parallel and spaced from the seat plate, the deformation section is located at one end of the fixed section and protrudes from the lower end face of the seat plate; The bolt vertically penetrates through the deformation section from top to bottom, the elastic member abuts between the hot bed and the deformation section, and the adjusting nut is screwed on the position of the bolt below the deformation section and abuts against the lower end face of the deformation section; The piezoelectric ceramic sensor is detachably arranged on the deformation section.

4. The auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform according to claim 3, wherein A fastening screw is arranged on the elastic plate, and the fastening screw vertically penetrates through the fixed section from bottom to top and is screwed into the seat plate.

5. The auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform according to claim 3, wherein A positioning post is arranged on the seat plate, and the positioning post is perpendicular to the seat plate; The fixed section is formed with a positioning hole corresponding to the positioning post, and the positioning hole includes a round hole; The positioning post vertically penetrates through the corresponding round hole from top to bottom and is slidably matched with the inner wall of the corresponding round hole along its own axis.

6. The auxiliary leveling mechanism for a 3D printing platform according to claim 5, wherein The positioning hole further includes an oval hole, and the positioning post is slidably matched with the inner wall of the oval hole along the length direction of the oval hole.

7. A 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that the piezoelectric ceramic sensor is in a sheet structure and is adhesively fixed to the upper end face and / or the lower end face of the deformation section.

8. A 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that the deformation section is in a porous plate structure.

9. A 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that it further includes a circuit board; the circuit board is detachably arranged below the seat plate and is electrically connected to the piezoelectric ceramic sensor and the main controller of the printer, and is used for amplifying the piezoelectric signal of the piezoelectric ceramic sensor and outputting it to the main controller of the printer.

10. A 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism according to claim 9, characterized in that it further includes a housing, and the housing is detachably fixed below the seat plate and covers the piezoelectric ceramic sensor and the circuit board.

11. A 3D printing leveling and calibration system, characterized in that, A 3D printing platform auxiliary leveling mechanism including any one of the above claims 1-10 further includes: a nozzle, arranged above the hot bed and moving within a horizontal coordinate system to perform printing operations for each layer; a motor, used to drive the hot bed bracket, the seat plate thereon, and the hot bed to move vertically up and down; a main controller, electrically connected to the motor and the piezoelectric ceramic sensor, and is used for receiving the voltage signal sent by the piezoelectric ceramic sensor after the piezoelectric ceramic sensor senses the deformation of the elastic member and generates a voltage signal, and controlling the motor to stop running in time, and controlling the motor encoder of the motor to record the height value of the hot bed at this moment.

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