Light spot switching device for additive manufacturing, light path system and additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a light spot switching device for additive manufacturing, a light path system and additive manufacturing equipment, and the light spot switching device comprises a first linear motion module which is vertically provided with a plurality of specifications of optical diffraction units for standby application; two or more up-down motion modules are arranged below the second linear motion module, an optical diffraction unit is connected below the up-down motion modules or used for being connected with the optical diffraction unit on the first linear motion module, and the optical diffraction unit comprises a lens fixing seat and an optical diffraction lens arranged on the lens fixing seat; and the specifications of the optical diffraction units under all the up-and-down movement modules are different, so that when the optical diffraction units under the up-and-down movement modules are sequentially located on a light path system of the additive manufacturing equipment, light spots of different sizes are generated, and light spot switching in the laser sintering process is achieved. According to the utility model, transverse and longitudinal spaces can be well utilized, so that the light spot specification of additive manufacturing can be greatly expanded under the same volume.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and in particular to a light spot switching device, an optical path system, and additive manufacturing equipment for additive manufacturing. Background Art

[0002] Additive manufacturing is a rapid manufacturing technique that creates three-dimensional objects by controlling a laser to scan layer by layer, stacking them one by one. The process is as follows: First, the 3D model of the workpiece is sliced ​​to obtain cross-sectional information for each layer. Powdered material is evenly spread on the work surface, and the laser selectively melts the powder according to system instructions. After completing a section, a new layer of material is applied, and scanning continues selectively based on the cross-sectional information corresponding to the 3D object. This method is repeated for the next section, ultimately resulting in the 3D object.

[0003] For additive manufacturing of metal materials, due to the high energy required for metal melting, a focused spot is generally used for scanning. For a certain optical system, its focused spot is fixed, which also limits key parameters such as scanning speed, power, scanning spacing, and powder layer thickness, resulting in a large proportion of filling scanning time. In order to improve efficiency, if a larger filling spot is used for scanning, it will effectively reduce the scanning time and improve scanning efficiency. The existing methods of switching spots are: (1) Generally, two sets of laser optical systems are used, one set is dedicated to contour scanning, and the other set is dedicated to filling scanning. This method greatly increases material costs and space costs. (2) Defocused spot scanning is used, but it is difficult to ensure the consistency of the spot on the powder bed plane with a defocused spot. The filling spot is prone to change when scanning different filling areas, resulting in poor final forming quality.

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the existing method of switching the light spot, a circular turntable is currently used to switch and obtain the focused light spot. The disk turntable is made by punching holes in the disk to place different optical diffraction units. When the light spot needs to be switched, the disk is rotated so that the laser passes through different optical diffraction units to obtain light spots of different sizes. However, due to the volume of the optical diffraction unit itself and the size of the disk, generally less than 6 optical diffraction units are set on the disk, that is, the disk turntable can only be used for less than 6 different specifications of optical diffraction units, and cannot be used for more different specifications of optical diffraction units; moreover, the optical diffraction units in the disk turntable are generally fixed, which makes replacement inconvenient. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems existing in the prior art, the utility model provides a light spot switching device, an optical path system and additive manufacturing equipment for additive manufacturing. The light spot switching device for additive manufacturing greatly expands the light spot specifications of additive manufacturing, effectively improves the forming efficiency of the scanning system, and reduces costs.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a light spot switching device for additive manufacturing, comprising:

[0007] The first linear motion module has a plurality of optical diffraction units vertically arranged thereon as backup;

[0008] The second linear motion module has two or more up and down motion modules arranged thereunder, and an optical diffraction unit is connected to the up and down motion module or is used to connect to the optical diffraction unit on the first linear motion module, and the optical diffraction unit includes a lens fixing seat and an optical diffraction lens arranged on the lens fixing seat; and the specifications of the optical diffraction units under all the up and down motion modules are different, so that when the optical diffraction units under all the up and down motion modules are sequentially located in the optical path system of the additive manufacturing equipment, light spots of different sizes are generated, thereby realizing light spot switching during the laser sintering process.

[0009] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the first linear motion module and the second linear motion module are vertically arranged, and two or three vertical motion modules are arranged under the second linear motion module.

[0010] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the up and down motion module and the optical diffraction unit are connected through a male head and a female head, wherein the male head is arranged at the bottom of the up and down motion module and the female head is arranged at the top of the optical diffraction unit; or the male head is arranged at the top of the optical diffraction unit and the female head is arranged at the bottom of the up and down motion module.

[0011] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the male and female heads are clamped and loosened using a quick-change disc, an electric clamp, or a pneumatic clamp.

[0012] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the up-and-down motion module is installed under the second linear motion module through a second mounting seat.

[0013] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the first linear motion module is provided with a plurality of slidable first mounting seats, and the optical diffraction unit is connected to the first mounting seats through magnetic force.

[0014] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, a mounting groove is provided on the top of the first mounting seat, a first magnet is provided in the middle of the mounting groove, two positioning pins are provided on both sides of the mounting groove, and a second magnet with opposite magnetic properties to the first magnet is provided on the bottom of the optical diffraction unit, so that the optical diffraction unit can be inserted into the mounting groove under the guidance of the two positioning pins, and connected to the first mounting seat under the interaction of the first magnet and the second magnet.

[0015] The utility model also provides an optical path system for additive manufacturing, which includes any of the above-mentioned light spot switching devices.

[0016] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, it includes a laser, a galvanometer system, a collimator, a dynamic focusing module, and a light spot switching device as described in any of the above items. The laser, collimator, optical diffraction unit, dynamic focusing module and galvanometer system are arranged in the optical path in sequence, so that the laser emitted by the laser enters the collimator from the optical fiber head, and after the collimator converts the laser into parallel light, the laser is emitted to the optical diffraction unit, and after being deflected by the optical diffraction unit, the dynamic focusing module and the galvanometer system, a focused light spot with the same focal plane is formed on the working flour surface.

[0017] The utility model also provides an additive manufacturing device, which includes any of the above-mentioned optical path systems.

[0018] The light spot switching device, optical path system, and additive manufacturing equipment for additive manufacturing of the present invention have the following beneficial effects by adopting the above technical solutions:

[0019] 1. The light spot switching device of the utility model can make good use of the horizontal and vertical space, so that it can greatly expand the light spot specifications of additive manufacturing under the same volume, effectively improve the forming efficiency of the scanning system, and reduce costs at the same time;

[0020] 2. The optical diffraction unit of the present invention can not only be disassembled and replaced, but also be easily replaced, thereby greatly saving the waiting time for spot switching during the sintering process, further improving the forming efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of an embodiment of a light spot switching device for additive manufacturing provided by the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the first mounting base in the present utility model;

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of the lens fixing seat in the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4This is a working state diagram of an embodiment of the light spot switching device for additive manufacturing provided by the present invention.

[0025] Markings in the figure:

[0026] 1. Laser, 2. Collimating lens, 3. Lens fixing seat, 4. Dynamic focusing module, 5. Two-axis galvanometer, 6. First linear motion module, 7. First mounting seat, 8. Male head, 9. Optical diffraction lens, 10. Second linear motion module, 11. Female head, 12. Up and down motion module, 13. Second mounting seat, 14. First magnet, 15. Guide chamfer, 16. Locating pin, 17. Mounting slot, 18. Second magnet, 19. Locating hole. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of this application more clear, the following further describes this application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0028] like Figure 1-Figure 3 As shown, the utility model provides a light spot switching device for additive manufacturing, comprising:

[0029] The first linear motion module has a plurality of optical diffraction units vertically arranged thereon as backup;

[0030] The second linear motion module has two or more up and down motion modules arranged thereunder, and an optical diffraction unit is connected to the up and down motion module or is used to connect to the optical diffraction unit on the first linear motion module, and the optical diffraction unit includes a lens fixing seat 3 and an optical diffraction lens 9 arranged on the lens fixing seat 3; and the specifications of the optical diffraction units under all the up and down motion modules are different, so that when the optical diffraction units under all the up and down motion modules are sequentially located in the optical path system of the additive manufacturing equipment, light spots of different sizes are generated, thereby realizing light spot switching during the laser 1 sintering process.

[0031] Specifically, the up and down motion module, the first linear motion module 6, and the second linear motion module 10 can use any existing device with a driving function, including but not limited to a cylinder, an electric cylinder, a screw guide rail + controller, a linear motor + guide rail + controller.

[0032] The second linear motion module 10 may be limited by space constraints, and the number of optical diffraction units installed may be limited. Therefore, to achieve a more compact structure for the spot switching device and more efficient use of horizontal and vertical space, the first and second linear motion modules are preferably arranged vertically, with two or three vertical motion modules positioned below the second linear motion module.

[0033] In a specific implementation, the up-down movement module and the optical diffraction unit are connected through a male head 8 and a female head 11, wherein the male head 8 is arranged at the bottom of the up-down movement module, and the female head 11 is arranged at the top of the optical diffraction unit; or the male head 8 is arranged at the top of the optical diffraction unit, and the female head 11 is arranged at the bottom of the up-down movement module. Specifically, the male head 8 and the female head 11 are clamped and released through quick-change plates, electric clamps, or pneumatic clamps. The up-down movement module is installed below the second linear movement module through a second mounting seat 13.

[0034] Further referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , a plurality of slidable first mounting seats 7 are arranged on the first linear movement module, and the optical diffraction unit is connected with the first mounting seat 7 through magnetic force. A mounting groove 17 is arranged at the top of the first mounting seat 7, a first magnet 14 is arranged in the middle of the mounting groove 17, and two positioning pins 16 are arranged at both sides of the mounting groove 17 and arranged in the mounting groove 17 through positioning holes 19; a second magnet 18 with opposite magnetic properties to the first magnet 14 is arranged at the bottom of the optical diffraction unit, so that the optical diffraction unit is inserted into the mounting groove 17 under the guidance of the two positioning pins 16 and connected in the first mounting seat 7 under the interaction of the first magnet 14 and the second magnet 18. Specifically, a hole can be pre-processed on the first mounting seat, and the hole is used for laying the first magnet 14. Preferably, in order to better insert the lens fixing seat 3 into the mounting groove 17, a guide chamfer 15 is processed on the inner wall of the upper part of the mounting groove 17.

[0035] The utility model further provides a kind of light path system of additive manufacturing, it includes the light spot switching device described in any of the above embodiments.

[0036] As an embodiment of the present application, the optical path system comprises a laser, a galvanometer system, a collimating mirror 2, a dynamic focusing module 4, and the spot switching device of any of the above embodiments, the laser, the collimating mirror 2, the optical diffraction unit, the dynamic focusing module 4, and the galvanometer system (which is a two-axis galvanometer 5 or a three-axis galvanometer) are sequentially arranged in the optical path, so that the laser 1 emitted by the laser is emitted from the fiber head into the collimating mirror 2, and after the laser 1 becomes parallel light through the collimating mirror 2, the laser 1 is emitted to the optical diffraction unit, and after being deflected by the optical diffraction unit, the dynamic focusing module 4, and the galvanometer system, a focused spot with the same focal plane is formed on the working plane. Of course, the optical path system of the present application can also include a laser, a galvanometer system, a collimating mirror 2, a field lens, and the spot switching device of any of the above embodiments. It should be noted that since the core of the present application is to protect a spot switching device for an optical path system, the optical path system of the present application is not limited to the above two embodiments, and can also be other specific structures of the prior art, as long as it contains the spot switching device of the present application, it belongs to the protection scope of the present application.

[0037] The utility model also provides a kind of additive manufacturing equipment, it includes the optical path system described in any of the above embodiments.

[0038] In order for those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the technical scheme of the utility model, the disassembly and assembly of the optical diffraction unit in the utility model will be described in detail below in the form of drawings.

[0039] As shown in Figure 4 When the optical diffraction unit needs to be loaded, the female head 11 is not clamped with the lens fixing seat 3, and is in an idle state. At this time, the second linear motion module 10 can be controlled to move the female head 11 to the loading position, the first linear motion module 6 is controlled to move the first mounting seat 7 with the optical diffraction lens 9 to the corresponding replacement position point, a control signal is sent, the female head 11 is controlled to loosen, a control signal is sent to make the up-down motion module 12 move downward, the female head 11 is nested with the male head 8 on the lens fixing seat 3, a control signal is sent to make the female head 11 and the male head 8 clamp tightly, and a control signal is sent to make the up-down motion module 12 move upward. From this, the loading process of the optical diffraction unit is completed. If multiple optical diffraction units need to be loaded, the above process can be repeated. The loaded optical diffraction unit is moved by the second linear motion module 10 to participate in the laser 1 scanning process.

[0040] When unloading the optical diffraction unit, the second linear motion module 10 is controlled to move until the unloaded lens holder 3 reaches the replacement position. The first linear motion module 6 is then controlled to move the empty first mounting seat 7 to the corresponding replacement position. A control signal is then sent to move the vertical motion module 12 downward. Under the action of the vertical motion module 12, the lens holder 3 is displaced downward to the specified height by the combined action of the guide chamfer 15 and the positioning pin 16 of the first mounting seat 7. Simultaneously, due to the opposite polarity of the first magnet 14 in the first mounting seat 7 and the second magnet 18 at the bottom of the lens holder 3, opposite magnets attract each other. Thus, the first mounting seat 7 and the lens holder 3 are firmly fixed. A control signal is then sent to release the female connector 11, and a control signal is sent to move the vertical motion module 12 upward, completing the unloading process of the optical diffraction unit. If multiple optical diffraction units need to be unloaded, the above process can be repeated.

[0041] During the scanning process, if the light spot specifications need to be temporarily increased, it is only necessary to install the optical diffraction unit to be added on the first mounting seat 7. When the light spot needs to be replaced, a command is sent to perform the above-mentioned loading process. The process of adding the optical diffraction unit does not affect the sintering process and does not require a pause, thereby greatly improving the flexibility of the process; moreover, the disassembly and assembly process of the optical diffraction unit of the present application is automated and easy to operate.

[0042] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0043] The above-described embodiments merely represent several implementation methods of the present application. While the descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the utility model patent. It should be noted that a person skilled in the art could make various modifications and improvements without departing from the spirit of the present application, all of which fall within the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present patent application shall be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A spot switching device for additive manufacturing, characterized in that: include: The first linear motion module has a plurality of optical diffraction units vertically arranged thereon as backup; The second linear motion module has two or more up and down motion modules arranged thereunder, and an optical diffraction unit is connected to the up and down motion module or is used to connect to the optical diffraction unit on the first linear motion module, and the optical diffraction unit includes a lens fixing seat and an optical diffraction lens arranged on the lens fixing seat; and the specifications of the optical diffraction units under all the up and down motion modules are different, so that when the optical diffraction units under all the up and down motion modules are sequentially located in the optical path system of the additive manufacturing equipment, light spots of different sizes are generated, thereby realizing light spot switching during the laser sintering process.

2. The spot switching device for additive manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first linear motion module and the second linear motion module are vertically arranged, and two or three vertical motion modules are arranged under the second linear motion module.

3. The spot switching device for additive manufacturing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The up and down motion module and the optical diffraction unit are connected through a male head and a female head, wherein the male head is arranged at the bottom of the up and down motion module and the female head is arranged at the top of the optical diffraction unit; or the male head is arranged at the top of the optical diffraction unit and the female head is arranged at the bottom of the up and down motion module.

4. The spot switching device for additive manufacturing according to claim 3, characterized in that: The male and female heads are clamped and released by using a quick-change plate, an electric clamp, or a pneumatic clamp.

5. The spot switching device for additive manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vertical motion module is installed under the second linear motion module through a second mounting seat.

6. The spot switching device for additive manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first linear motion module is provided with a plurality of slidable first mounting seats, and the optical diffraction unit is connected to the first mounting seats through magnetic force.

7. The spot switching device for additive manufacturing according to claim 6, characterized in that: A mounting groove is provided on the top of the first mounting seat, a first magnet is provided in the middle of the mounting groove, two positioning pins are provided on both sides of the mounting groove, and a second magnet with opposite magnetic properties to the first magnet is provided on the bottom of the optical diffraction unit, so that the optical diffraction unit can be inserted into the mounting groove under the guidance of the two positioning pins, and connected to the first mounting seat under the interaction of the first magnet and the second magnet.

8. An optical path system for additive manufacturing, characterized in that: The light spot switching device comprises the light spot switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The optical path system for additive manufacturing according to claim 8, characterized in that: The invention comprises a laser, a galvanometer system, a collimator, a dynamic focusing module, and the light spot switching device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the laser, collimator, optical diffraction unit, dynamic focusing module and galvanometer system are sequentially arranged in the light path, so that the laser emitted by the laser enters the collimator from the optical fiber head, is converted into parallel light by the collimator, and then is emitted to the optical diffraction unit, and after being deflected by the optical diffraction unit, the dynamic focusing module and the galvanometer system, a focused light spot with the same focal plane is formed on the working flour surface.

10. An additive manufacturing device, characterized in that: The additive manufacturing equipment includes the optical path system according to claim 8 or 9.

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