Scraper calibration device of additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

A scraper calibration device of additive manufacturing equipment comprises a calibration base, a plurality of distance measuring instruments and a standard block, a stepped and open cavity is formed in the calibration base, and the calibration base is at least provided with a first supporting face, a second supporting face and a mounting face from bottom to top by forming the cavity, a plurality of distance measuring instruments are placed on the first supporting surface, a standard block is placed on the second supporting surface, and the bottom of the standard block is in contact with the tops of the distance measuring instruments; and after the calibration seat is calibrated by the standard block and the cavity is removed, a scraper assembly is placed between the mounting surface and the second supporting surface. The vertical dial indicator and the standard block are combined for calibration, compared with a feeler gauge in the prior art, calibration is more accurate, and for some materials with relatively low scraper strip hardness, as the top of the scraper assembly is installed on the calibration base through the screw, the scraper strip freely falls and is not influenced by the gravity of the scraper assembly, and the calibration accuracy is improved. Therefore, deformation caused by self weight of the scraper assembly can be greatly reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and in particular relates to a scraper calibration device for additive manufacturing equipment. Background Art

[0002] With the advancement of additive manufacturing technology, the market demand for larger equipment is increasing. Scrapers are crucial components of AM equipment, determining factors such as the uniformity and flatness of the powder coating surface, the overlap between multiple laser devices, and the performance of the workpiece. Scrapers are made of a wide variety of materials, including ceramic, rubber, brush, and hard scrapers, with rubber scrapers being the most widely used. Calibration of each scraper assembly requires significant time to ensure the blade's bottom surface is aligned when placed in the equipment and on the calibration fixture. Larger equipment requires more time to calibrate using feeler gauges. Furthermore, since rubber scraper blades are placed directly on the fixture by free fall, the weight of the aluminum strip above the scraper assembly causes the rubber to deform. Consequently, when the scraper assembly is removed from the fixture, the rubber rebounds, causing the actual calibration surface to misalign with the powder coating surface. This can lead to variations in the overlap of the AM equipment and poor workpiece quality. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art, the utility model provides a scraper calibration device for additive manufacturing equipment. Compared with the feeler gauge inspection in the prior art, the scraper calibration device is more accurate and has a shorter calibration time. Moreover, for some materials with relatively low scraper bar hardness, the deformation caused by the scraper bar's own weight can be greatly reduced, thereby improving the overlap between the scraper bar and the actual printed powder surface.

[0004] To achieve the above-mentioned objectives, the utility model provides a scraper calibration device for additive manufacturing equipment, which includes a calibration seat, several distance measuring instruments and a standard block. A stepped and open cavity is provided in the calibration seat, and the cavity is provided so that the calibration seat has at least a first supporting surface, a second supporting surface and a mounting surface which are horizontally arranged from bottom to top. The first supporting surface is used to place the several distance measuring instruments, and the second supporting surface is used to place the standard block, and the bottom of the standard block contacts the top of the several distance measuring instruments; after the standard block calibrates the calibration seat and removes the cavity, a scraper assembly is placed between the mounting surface and the second supporting surface, the overall height of the scraper assembly is equal to the distance between the mounting surface and the second supporting surface, and the top of the scraper assembly is mounted on the calibration seat by screws.

[0005] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is one first supporting surface located at the bottom of the cavity, there are two second supporting surfaces located symmetrically on both sides of the cavity, and there are two mounting surfaces located symmetrically on both sides of the cavity.

[0006] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the parallelism of the first supporting surface, the second supporting surface and the mounting surface are all less than 0.04 mm, and the roughness thereof all meets Ra1.6.

[0007] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the parallelism of the upper and lower surfaces of the standard block is less than or equal to 0.04 mm, and the roughness meets Ra1.6.

[0008] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the material of the standard block is marble or aviation duralumin.

[0009] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the distance measuring instrument is a vertical dial indicator, a vertical micrometer or a laser distance measuring instrument.

[0010] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, when the length of the scraper bar of the scraper assembly is 600 mm, the distance measuring instruments are 5 vertical dial indicators, which are evenly arranged on the first supporting surface.

[0011] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, both sides of the top of the scraper assembly are respectively mounted on the calibration seat by two screws.

[0012] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the standard block is square.

[0013] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the cavity is symmetrical in shape.

[0014] The scraper calibration device for additive manufacturing equipment of the present invention has the following beneficial technical effects by adopting the above technical solution:

[0015] 1. The scraper bar of the prior art falls freely and is affected by its own weight, resulting in material compression, which causes deviation in the height detected by the feeler gauge. After the scraper assembly is taken out, the calibration accuracy deviation is large. The utility model can adjust the scraper bar through the set screw on the scraper assembly, and observe the height of the scraper bar in real time through the distance measuring instrument, thereby reducing installation errors and improving installation efficiency.

[0016] 2. The present application combines a vertical dial indicator and a standard block for calibration, which is more accurate than the feeler gauge calibration of the prior art. Moreover, for some materials with relatively low scraper blade hardness, since the top of the scraper assembly is mounted on the calibration base by screws, the scraper blade falls freely and is not affected by the gravity of the scraper assembly, thereby significantly reducing the deformation caused by the scraper assembly's own weight, thereby improving the overlap between the scraper blade and the actual optical inspection surface.

[0017] 3. The scraper calibration device of the present application can be used for all additive manufacturing equipment of different sizes, as long as the overall height of the scraper assembly is equal to the distance between the mounting surface and the second support surface. Moreover, the efficiency of scraper calibration is higher for equipment with larger molding width. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a scraper calibration device for additive manufacturing equipment according to the present invention;

[0019] Figure 2 A working state diagram of an embodiment of the scraper calibration device for additive manufacturing equipment provided by the utility model;

[0020] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the calibration seat in the utility model.

[0021] The components in the figure are marked as follows:

[0022] C. First supporting surface, B. Second supporting surface, A. Mounting surface, 1. Calibration seat, 2. Standard block, 3. Vertical dial indicator, 4. Cavity, 5. Screw, 6. Scraper assembly, 7. Scraper strip. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the technical solution of the present invention, the following will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, the scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment of the present invention includes a calibration base 1, a plurality of distance measuring instruments and a standard block 2. The calibration base 1 is provided with a stepped and open cavity 4, and the calibration base 1 has at least a first support surface C, a second support surface B and a mounting surface A arranged horizontally from bottom to top by opening the cavity 4 (see Figure 3 ), the first supporting surface C is used to place a plurality of distance measuring instruments, and the second supporting surface B is used to place a standard block 2, and the bottom of the standard block 2 is in contact with the top of the plurality of distance measuring instruments; after the standard block 2 calibrates the calibration seat 1 and removes the cavity 4, the scraper assembly 6 is placed between the mounting surface A and the second supporting surface B, the overall height of the scraper assembly 6 is equal to the distance between the mounting surface A and the second supporting surface B, and the top of the scraper assembly 6 is mounted on the calibration seat 1 by a screw 5.

[0025] There is one first supporting surface C located at the bottom of the cavity 4, two second supporting surfaces B located symmetrically on either side of the cavity 4, and two mounting surfaces A located symmetrically on either side of the cavity 4. Preferably, to further ensure the accuracy of scraper calibration, the parallelism of the first supporting surface C, the second supporting surface B, and the mounting surface A are all less than 0.04 mm, and their roughness meets Ra 1.6. The parallelism of the upper and lower surfaces of the standard block 2 is less than or equal to 0.04 mm, and their roughness meets Ra 1.6. The material of the standard block 2 is marble or aviation duralumin.

[0026] In a specific implementation, the distance measuring instrument is preferably a vertical dial indicator 3, a vertical micrometer or a laser distance measuring instrument. Of course, it can also be other instruments with distance measuring functions, which will not be listed in detail here.

[0027] It can be understood that the number of distance measuring instruments in the present application can be increased as the length of the scraper strip 7 of the scraper assembly 6 increases. For example, when the length of the scraper strip 7 of the scraper assembly 6 is 600 mm, the distance measuring instruments are 5 vertical dial indicators 3, and are evenly arranged on the first support surface C.

[0028] Specifically, if Figure 2 As shown, the top two sides of the scraper assembly 6 are respectively mounted on the calibration base 1 by two screws 5; preferably, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown, the standard block 2 is preferably square; the cavity 4 is preferably symmetrical. Of course, in a specific implementation, the shapes of the standard block 2 and the cavity 4 can also be specifically designed according to needs, and there is no limitation thereto.

[0029] The working process of the scraper calibration device of the utility model material manufacturing equipment is as follows:

[0030] like Figure 1 As shown, multiple vertical dial indicators 3 are placed on the first support surface C of the calibration base 1 with flatness requirements (the number of vertical dial indicators 3 is increased according to the length of the scraper), and then a calibration block with flatness and parallelism requirements is placed in the cavity 4 of the calibration base 1, and the two ends are placed on the two first support surfaces C. At this time, the vertical dial indicator 3 contacts the calibration block, and the display value of the vertical dial indicator 3 is adjusted to zero. The calibration block is moved away to ensure that the position of the dial indicator remains unchanged. At this time, the calibration base 1 has been calibrated.

[0031] Take out the scraper assembly 6 from the additive equipment and place it between the mounting surface A and the second support surface B of the calibration base 1. The overall height of the scraper assembly 6 is equal to the distance between the mounting surface A and the second support surface B. The top two sides of the scraper assembly 6 are respectively mounted on the calibration base 1 by screws 5, and the bottom surface of the scraper strip 7 of the scraper assembly 6 contacts the vertical dial indicator 3 (see Figure 2), adjust the flat head set screw 5 on the scraper assembly 6, place a pad under the flat head set screw 5 so that it contacts the aluminum strip on the scraper strip 7 for surface contact; start from the middle to both sides and adjust the flat head in turn to observe the reading of the dial indicator. When the readings of all vertical dial indicators 3 are at the previously calibrated zero position (the readings of all vertical dial indicators 3 when the calibration seat 1 is calibrated are zero), it means that the scraper calibration is completed. After the calibration is completed, remove the scraper assembly 6 and install it in the additive manufacturing equipment for use. It should be noted here that the cumulative error of each vertical dial indicator 3 can be within the allowable error range, for example, the error cannot exceed 0.03mm.

[0032] The above embodiments are merely preferred implementations of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions based on the concept of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that certain modifications and alterations that do not depart from the principles of the present invention should be considered as included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A scraper calibration device for additive manufacturing equipment, characterized in that: The apparatus comprises a calibration base, several distance measuring instruments and a standard block. A stepped and open cavity is provided in the calibration base. The cavity is provided so that the calibration base has at least a first supporting surface, a second supporting surface and a mounting surface which are horizontally arranged from bottom to top. The first supporting surface is used to place several distance measuring instruments, and the second supporting surface is used to place the standard block. The bottom of the standard block contacts the top of the several distance measuring instruments. After the calibration base is calibrated by the standard block and the cavity is removed, a scraper assembly is placed between the mounting surface and the second supporting surface. The overall height of the scraper assembly is equal to the distance between the mounting surface and the second supporting surface, and the top of the scraper assembly is mounted on the calibration base by screws.

2. The scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is one first supporting surface located at the bottom of the cavity, there are two second supporting surfaces located symmetrically on both sides of the cavity, and there are two mounting surfaces located symmetrically on both sides of the cavity.

3. The scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that: The parallelism of the first supporting surface, the second supporting surface and the mounting surface are all less than 0.04 mm, and the roughness thereof all meets Ra1.

6.

4. The scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The parallelism of the upper and lower surfaces of the standard block is less than or equal to 0.04 mm, and the roughness meets Ra 1.

6.

5. The scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that: The material of the standard block is marble or aviation duralumin.

6. The scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: The distance measuring instrument is a vertical dial indicator, a vertical micrometer or a laser distance measuring instrument.

7. The scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 5, characterized in that: When the length of the scraper strip of the scraper assembly is 600 mm, the distance measuring instruments are 5 vertical dial indicators, which are evenly arranged on the first supporting surface.

8. The scraper calibration device of the additive manufacturing equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that: Both sides of the top of the scraper assembly are respectively mounted on the calibration seat by two screws.

9. The scraper calibration device of an additive manufacturing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The standard block is square.

10. The scraper calibration device of an additive manufacturing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The cavity is symmetrical in shape.

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