Powder falling device for additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of additive manufacturing, in particular to a powder falling device for additive manufacturing equipment, which mainly solves the serious fault problems of non-uniform powder falling, stuck operation and the like of a powder falling system caused by poor sealing performance of a powder falling roller and a powder falling base and powder storage and clamping in the prior art. Comprising a servo motor, a coupler, a powder falling seat, a powder falling roller, two bearings, a powder guiding bin, two felt rings and two powder guiding-out mechanisms, a powder falling cavity is formed in the powder falling seat, through holes communicated with the powder falling cavity are formed in the two transverse side faces of the powder falling seat, the two powder guiding-out mechanisms are arranged on the two transverse side faces of the powder falling seat respectively, the powder falling roller is arranged in the powder falling cavity, and the felt rings are arranged in the powder guiding-out mechanisms. The two transverse ends of the powder falling roller penetrate out of the powder falling cavity through the through holes and are rotationally arranged on the two powder guiding-out mechanisms through bearings, the servo motor is connected with one transverse end of the powder falling roller through a coupler, and the two felt ring sleeves are arranged on the two transverse sides of the powder falling roller in a sleeving mode respectively.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The utility model relates to additive manufacturing technical field especially, a kind of powder falling device for additive manufacturing equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] Additive manufacturing technology is an advanced manufacturing technology with digital manufacturing, high flexibility and adaptability, direct CAD model driving, fast, material type rich and various distinctive characteristics, since it is not limited by the complexity of part shape, does not need any tooling mold, so application range is very wide.As one of additive manufacturing technology, the development of selective laser sintering technology in recent years is also very rapid, and its main process is: powder feeding device sends a certain amount of powder to the workbench surface, powder laying device lays a layer of powder material on the upper surface of the piston formed part, galvanometer controls laser to scan the solid powder layer according to the cross section contour of the layer, so that the temperature of the powder rises to the melting point, the powder is sintered and bonded with the lower formed part; when a layer of cross section is sintered, the workbench is lowered by one layer thickness, and the powder laying device lays a layer of uniform and dense powder on it, and a new layer of cross section is scanned and sintered, and after a plurality of layers of scanning and superposition, the whole three-dimensional entity manufacturing is completed.

[0003] The existing powder feeding device generally includes powder feeding box and roller set below the powder feeding box, the powder in the powder feeding box falls through the gap between the roller and the side wall of the powder feeding box to complete powder feeding, such as Chinese patent publication No. CN210236491 U discloses a kind of powder feeding mechanism of multiple powder suitable for additive manufacturing equipment, including driving unit and powder falling unit;The powder falling unit includes installation base provided with upper cavity and lower cavity, the upper cavity and lower cavity are through from top to bottom, the lower cavity is internally fixed with powder falling roller driven by driving unit, the lower cavity is provided with powder outlet nozzle in lower part;The powder falling roller inside the lower cavity is further provided with embedded wear-resistant adjusting block on both sides, this powder feeding mode has small space occupation, and can solve the problem of uneven powder falling of additive manufacturing equipment.

[0004] However, the powder roller is rotatably arranged on the mounting base through bearings, and the powder material is a relatively fine granular structure, which is difficult to achieve effective sealing through the embedded wear-resistant adjusting block alone, and frequent disassembly and cleaning are required. Chinese Patent Publication No. CN115229216A discloses a quantitative powder falling device for laser sintering, and the specification discloses that: bearings are symmetrically arranged between the left and right ends of the powder roller and the powder falling base, the bearing seats and the powder falling base are positioned and fixed by four pins and four screws, bearings are arranged between the bearing seats and the powder roller, the inside of the bearings is sealed by a cover and the powder roller, and the bearings and the cover are sealed by a lip seal. The cover and the powder falling base are sealed by felt, which improves the sealing performance of the axial ends of the powder roller to a certain extent, reduces the number of disassembly and cleaning, but cannot completely solve the problem. After a long time of use, powder leakage still exists, which causes bearing blockage and powder jamming. Moreover, the structure of the powder roller makes it difficult to rotate, and the required torque increases, so gear transmission or synchronous belt transmission is required to expand the torque, which increases the required installation space and increases the failure factors. Practical new type content

[0005] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present application provides a powder falling device for additive manufacturing equipment, which mainly solves the poor sealing performance of the powder roller and the powder falling base, powder storage and powder jamming in the prior art, and the serious failure problems of uneven powder falling and running jamming of the powder falling system.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0007] A powder falling device for additive manufacturing equipment, comprising a servo motor, a shaft coupling, a powder falling seat, a powder falling roller, two bearings, a powder guide bin, two felt rings, and two powder discharge mechanisms, and the transverse direction is defined as the axial direction of the powder falling roller;

[0008] The powder falling seat has a powder falling cavity, the upper surface of the powder falling seat is provided with a powder inlet communicated with the powder falling cavity, the lower surface of the powder falling seat is provided with a powder outlet communicated with the powder falling cavity, the powder guide bin is arranged at the powder outlet, the transverse sides of the powder falling seat are provided with through holes communicated with the powder falling cavity, the two powder discharge mechanisms are respectively arranged on the transverse sides of the powder falling seat and distributed at the through holes, the powder falling roller is arranged in the powder falling cavity, and the transverse ends of the powder falling roller pass through the through holes to the outside of the powder falling cavity, the transverse ends of the powder falling roller are rotatably arranged on the two powder discharge mechanisms through the bearings, and the transverse end of the powder falling roller is connected with the servo motor through the shaft coupling;

[0009] The two felt rings are respectively sleeved on the transverse sides of the powder falling roller and are distributed between the powder falling seat and the powder discharge mechanisms, the powder discharge mechanism has a powder discharge port for facilitating overflow of the powder, and the powder discharge port is distributed at the lower part of the powder discharge mechanism.

[0010] Further, the powder discharging mechanism comprises a first mounting base and a second mounting base, the first mounting base is locked on the powder falling seat by bolts, the first mounting base is provided with a first mounting hole through which a transverse end of the powder falling roller passes, the first mounting hole is coaxially arranged with the through hole, the second mounting base is locked on the first mounting base, the second mounting base is provided with a second mounting hole through which a transverse end of the powder falling roller passes, and the bearing is distributed at the second mounting hole.

[0011] Further, the powder discharging port is arranged on the first mounting base and communicates with the first mounting hole.

[0012] Further, the powder discharging port comprises a first powder discharging port and a second powder discharging port, the first powder discharging port is arranged on the first mounting base and communicates with the first mounting hole, and the second powder discharging port is arranged on the second mounting base and communicates with the second mounting hole.

[0013] Further, the second powder discharging port is distributed on an end surface of the second mounting base in contact with the first mounting base.

[0014] Further, a convex ring is convexly arranged in the first mounting hole, and the convex ring is distributed on a transverse side of the first powder discharging port close to the second mounting base.

[0015] Further, a chamfer structure is arranged on a peripheral edge of a transverse side of the second mounting hole close to the first mounting base, and an upper end of the second powder discharging port is distributed at the chamfer structure.

[0016] Further, the powder falling roller comprises a main body part and wear-resistant shaft necks locked on transverse two ends of the main body part by bolts, the main body part is distributed in the powder falling cavity, and the two wear-resistant shaft necks are connected with the powder discharging mechanism respectively.

[0017] Further, the powder falling seat is provided with a material guiding port for receiving the powder discharged from the powder discharging port on transverse two sides of the powder falling seat and on the lower side of the powder discharging mechanism, and a lower end of the material guiding port communicates with the inside of the material guiding bin.

[0018] Further, the powder falling seat comprises an upper seat body and a lower seat body, the powder inlet is distributed on an upper surface of the upper seat body, a lower surface of the upper seat body is concavely provided with an upper groove, the powder outlet is distributed on a lower surface of the lower seat body, an upper surface of the lower seat body is concavely provided with a lower groove, the upper seat body is locked and connected with the lower seat body by bolts, and the upper groove and the lower groove communicate to form the powder falling cavity.

[0019] By adopting the aforementioned technical solution, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: In this powder-feeding device for additive manufacturing equipment, the powder stored in the powder hopper at the top of the equipment enters the powder-feeding chamber on the powder-feeding seat through the powder inlet, and covers the storage trough on the upper side of the powder-feeding roller. Simultaneously, a servo motor drives the powder-feeding roller to rotate, and the cooperation between the powder-feeding roller and the powder-feeding seat ensures that the powder is evenly spread in the storage trough during the rotation of the powder-feeding roller. Then, the roller rotates to the upper side of the powder outlet, and the powder in the storage trough is discharged from the powder outlet. Finally, it is guided out through the powder guide hopper, achieving precise quantitative powder feeding. Furthermore, felt rings are respectively fitted on both sides of the powder-feeding roller and distributed on the powder-feeding seat and the powder. The discharge mechanism provides an initial seal, and when the felt ring wears due to prolonged rotation of the powder discharge roller, the overflowing powder is discharged through the discharge port located between the felt ring and the bearing on the powder discharge mechanism. This prevents powder from accumulating on the bearing and causing blockage or powder jamming. Furthermore, the use of wear-resistant felt rings and dustproof bearings extends service life. The powder discharge mechanisms are located in the through holes on both sides of the powder discharge seat, and the easily detachable wear-resistant journals at both ends of the powder discharge roller are rotatably mounted on the two powder discharge mechanisms via bearings. This facilitates the disassembly and installation of the powder discharge mechanisms and improves the ease of replacing the bearings and felt rings. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 2 This is an exploded structural diagram of an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a first-view exploded structural diagram of the embodiment of the present invention, omitting the powder dropping seat and the feed hopper;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a second-view exploded structural diagram of the embodiment of the present invention, omitting the powder dropping seat and the material guiding bin;

[0024] Figure 5 This is a third-view exploded structural diagram of the embodiment of the present invention, omitting the powder dropper and the feed hopper;

[0025] Figure 6 This is an exploded structural diagram of the powder-discharging seat in an embodiment of this utility model.

[0026] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0027] 1. Servo motor; 2. Coupling; 3. Powder drop seat; 4. Powder drop roller; 5. Bearing; 6. Powder guide hopper; 7. Felt ring; 8. Powder discharge mechanism; 9. Powder discharge port; 10. Chamfered structure; 11. Convex ring; 12. Guide port; 13. Relief groove;

[0028] 30, powder falling cavity; 31, powder inlet; 32, powder outlet; 34, upper seat body; 35, lower seat body; 36, upper groove; 37, lower groove;

[0029] 40, storage groove; 41, main body; 42, wear-resistant journal;

[0030] 81, first mounting seat; 82, second mounting seat; 83, first mounting hole; 84, second mounting hole;

[0031] 91, first powder discharging port; 92, second powder discharging port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The utility model will be further explained in connection with the drawings and specific embodiments.

[0033] The utility model embodiment is:

[0034] Reference Figures 1 to 6 As shown in the figure, a powder falling device for additive manufacturing equipment, including servo motor 1, shaft coupling 2, powder falling seat 3, powder falling roller 4, two bearings 5, powder guide bin 6, two felt rings 7 and two powder discharging mechanisms 8, define as transverse direction along the axial direction of powder falling roller 4;

[0035] The powder falling seat 3 has a powder falling cavity 30, the upper surface of the powder falling seat 3 is provided with the powder inlet 31 that communicates with the powder falling cavity 30, the lower surface of the powder falling seat 3 is provided with the powder outlet 32 that communicates with the powder falling cavity 30, the powder guide bin 6 is arranged at the powder outlet 32, the transverse two side surfaces of the powder falling seat 3 are provided with the through hole (not shown in the figure) that communicates with the powder falling cavity 30, two powder discharging mechanisms 8 are arranged on the transverse two side surfaces of the powder falling seat 3 respectively and are distributed at the through hole, the powder falling roller 4 is arranged in the powder falling cavity 30, and the transverse two ends of the powder falling roller 4 pass out the powder falling cavity 30 through the through hole, a plurality of storage grooves 40 are arranged on the circumferential surface of the powder falling roller 4, the storage grooves 40 are distributed along the transverse direction, the transverse two ends of the powder falling roller 4 are rotatably arranged on two powder discharging mechanisms 8 through the bearing 5, and the servo motor 1 is connected with the transverse one end of the powder falling roller 4 through the shaft coupling 2;

[0036] Two felt rings 7 are respectively sleeved on the transverse two sides of the powder falling roller 4 and are distributed between the powder falling seat 3 and the powder discharging mechanism 8, the powder discharging mechanism 8 has the powder discharging port 9 that is convenient for overflow on the powder discharging mechanism 8 and between the felt ring 7 and the bearing 5, and the powder discharging port 9 is distributed at the lower part of the powder discharging mechanism 8.

[0037] The bearing 5 is a dustproof bearing.

[0038] The powder falling device for additive manufacturing equipment, the powder stored in the powder bin at the top of the equipment enters the powder falling cavity 30 on the powder falling seat 3 through the powder inlet 31 and covers the storage groove 40 on the upper side of the powder falling roller 4, at the same time, the powder falling roller 4 is driven to rotate by the servo motor 1, and the cooperation of the powder falling roller 4 and the powder falling seat 3 makes the powder evenly laid in the storage groove 40 during the rotation of the powder falling roller 4, and then rotates on the upper side of the powder outlet 32, the powder in the storage groove 40 is discharged through the powder outlet 32, and finally, the powder is discharged through the powder guide bin 6, so as to realize accurate and quantitative powder falling. In addition, the felt ring 7 is arranged on the transverse two sides of the powder falling roller 4 and is distributed between the powder falling seat 3 and the powder discharging mechanism 8, so as to realize the initial sealing effect. In the case that the felt ring 7 is worn out due to the long-time rotation of the powder falling roller 4, the overflowed powder is discharged through the powder discharge port 9 between the felt ring 7 and the bearing 5 on the powder discharging mechanism 8, so as to avoid the problems of bearing 5 blockage and powder jamming caused by the accumulation of powder on the bearing 5. At the same time, the use of the felt ring 7 with good wear resistance and the dustproof bearing can improve the service life. At the same time, the powder discharging mechanism 8 is arranged in the through hole on the transverse two sides of the powder falling seat 3, and the transverse two ends of the powder falling roller 4 are rotatably arranged on the two powder discharging mechanisms 8 through the bearings 5, so as to facilitate the disassembly and installation of the powder discharging mechanism 8 and improve the convenience of replacing the bearings 5 and the felt ring 7.

[0039] In addition, the powder discharging mechanism 8 includes a first mounting seat 81 and a second mounting seat 82, the first mounting seat 81 is locked on the powder falling seat 3 through bolts, the first mounting seat 81 is provided with a first mounting hole 83 through which the transverse one end of the powder falling roller 4 passes, the first mounting hole 83 is coaxially arranged with the through hole, the second mounting seat 82 is locked on the first mounting seat 81, the second mounting seat 82 is provided with a second mounting hole 84 through which the transverse one end of the powder falling roller 4 passes, and the bearing 5 is distributed at the second mounting hole 84, so as to further improve the convenience of disassembly and installation of the powder discharging mechanism 8, so that the powder can be better discharged through the powder discharge port 9, and the cleaning of the powder discharge port 9 is facilitated.

[0040] In the embodiment, the powder discharge port 9 includes a first powder discharge port 91 and a second powder discharge port 92, the first powder discharge port 91 is arranged on the first mounting seat 81 and communicates with the first mounting hole 83, and the second powder discharge port 92 is arranged on the second mounting seat 82 and communicates with the second mounting hole 84. Through the two-stage powder discharging structure of the first powder discharge port 91 and the second powder discharge port 92, the powder discharging efficiency and effect are improved, and the powder jamming phenomenon is reduced. Of course, the powder discharge port 9 can also be arranged on the first mounting seat 81 and communicate with the first mounting hole 83, and the powder can be discharged through only one powder discharge port 9, which has relatively poor powder discharging effect, but can also solve the technical problems to be solved in the present application.

[0041] It is worth noting that the second row of powder outlet 92 is distributed on the end surface of the second mounting seat 82 in contact with the first mounting seat 81, and the periphery of the second mounting hole 84 on the side close to the first mounting seat 81 is provided with a chamfer structure 10, and the upper end of the second row of powder outlet 92 is distributed at the chamfer structure 10, which is convenient for cleaning the second row of powder outlet 92, and is also conducive to the processing of the second row of powder outlet 92 and the discharge of the powder.

[0042] Further, the first mounting hole 83 is provided with a convex ring 11 inside, and the convex ring 11 is distributed on the side close to the second mounting seat 82 of the first row of powder outlet 91, which is convenient for positioning and installing the bearing 5 and further improves the sealing effect to prevent the powder from penetrating into the bearing 5.

[0043] Specifically, the powder falling roller 4 includes a main body part 41 and wear-resistant shaft necks 42 locked on the transverse two ends of the main body part 41 by bolts, the main body part 41 is distributed in the powder falling cavity 30, and the two wear-resistant shaft necks 42 are connected with the powder guide mechanism 8 respectively, which further improves the convenience of equipment disassembly and installation, reduces the difficulty of accessory processing, and further reduces the production cost.

[0044] In addition, the transverse two sides of the powder falling seat 3 and the lower side of the powder guide mechanism 8 are provided with guide openings 12 for receiving the powder discharged from the powder outlet 9, and the lower end of the guide opening 12 is in communication with the inside of the guide bin 6, so that the powder overflowing from the first row of powder outlet 91 and the second row of powder outlet 92 enters the guide bin 6 through the guide opening 12, which reduces the influence of the external environment and improves the cleanliness of the equipment.

[0045] In the embodiment, the powder falling seat 3 includes an upper seat body 34 and a lower seat body 35, the powder inlet 31 is distributed on the upper surface of the upper seat body 34, the lower surface of the upper seat body 34 is concavely provided with an upper groove 36, the powder outlet 32 is distributed on the lower surface of the lower seat body 35, the upper surface of the lower seat body 35 is concavely provided with a lower groove 37, the upper seat body 34 is locked and connected with the lower seat body 35 by bolts, and the upper groove 36 and the lower groove 37 are in communication to form the powder falling cavity 30, and the periphery of the first mounting hole 83 on the side close to the powder falling seat 3 is provided with a displacement slot 13 for accommodating the felt ring 7, which improves the convenience of installation.

[0046] In addition, the terms "first", "second" are only used for description purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the utility model, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.

[0047] In the utility model, unless another definite provision and limitation, the term " install " " link " " connect " " fixed " and so on term should do broad sense understanding, for example, can be fixed connection, also can be detachable connection, or be integrated; can be direct link, also can pass through intermediate medium indirectly link, can be two element inside link or two element mutual action relation. For ordinary skilled person in the art, can understand the specific meaning of above-mentioned term in the utility model according to specific circumstances.

[0048] In the utility model, unless another definite provision and limitation, first feature " on " or " under " second feature can be first and second feature direct contact, or first and second feature indirectly contact by intermediate medium. Moreover, first feature " on " " above " and " top " second feature can be first feature directly above or obliquely above second feature, or just indicate that the horizontal height of first feature is higher than second feature. First feature " under " " below " and " bottom " second feature can be first feature directly below or obliquely below second feature, or just indicate that the horizontal height of first feature is less than second feature.

[0049] Although the utility model has been specifically shown and introduced in combination with preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that various changes can be made to the utility model in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the utility model defined by the appended claims, and all are within the protection scope of the utility model.

Claims

1. A powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus, characterized by: The servo motor, the shaft coupling, the powder falling seat, the powder falling roller, two bearings, a powder guide bin, two felt rings and two powder guide mechanisms are arranged. The powder falling seat is provided with a powder falling cavity, an upper surface of the powder falling seat is provided with a powder inlet communicated with the powder falling cavity, a lower surface of the powder falling seat is provided with a powder outlet communicated with the powder falling cavity, the powder guide bin is arranged at the powder outlet, lateral sides of the powder falling seat are provided with through holes communicated with the powder falling cavity, the two powder guide mechanisms are arranged on the lateral sides of the powder falling seat and distributed at the through holes, the powder falling roller is arranged in the powder falling cavity and the lateral ends of the powder falling roller pass through the through holes and are rotatably arranged on the two powder guide mechanisms through the bearings, and the servo motor is connected with one lateral end of the powder falling roller through the shaft coupling. The two felt rings are respectively sleeved on the lateral sides of the powder falling roller and are distributed between the powder falling seat and the powder guide mechanisms, the powder guide mechanisms are provided with powder discharging outlets for facilitating overflow of the powder, and the powder discharging outlets are distributed on lower portions of the powder guide mechanisms.

2. A powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The powder guide mechanism comprises a first mounting seat and a second mounting seat, the first mounting seat is locked on the powder falling seat by bolts, the first mounting seat is provided with a first mounting hole through which one lateral end of the powder falling roller passes, the first mounting hole is coaxially arranged with the through hole, and the second mounting seat is locked on the first mounting seat and is provided with a second mounting hole through which one lateral end of the powder falling roller passes.

3. A powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 2, characterised in that: The powder discharging outlet is arranged on the first mounting seat and is communicated with the first mounting hole.

4. The powder fall-out device for an additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, wherein: The powder discharging outlet comprises a first powder discharging outlet and a second powder discharging outlet, the first powder discharging outlet is arranged on the first mounting seat and is communicated with the first mounting hole, and the second powder discharging outlet is arranged on the second mounting seat and is communicated with the second mounting hole.

5. A powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein: The second powder discharging outlet is distributed on an end surface of the second mounting seat which is in contact with the first mounting seat.

6. A powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein: A convex ring is convexly arranged in the first mounting hole and is distributed on a lateral side of the first powder discharging outlet close to the second mounting seat.

7. A powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that: A chamfer structure is arranged on a circumferential edge of the second mounting hole close to a lateral side of the second mounting seat, and an upper end of the second powder discharging outlet is distributed at the chamfer structure.

8. The powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, wherein: The powder falling roller comprises a main body and wear-resistant shaft necks which are locked on the lateral ends of the main body by bolts, the main body is arranged in the powder falling cavity, and the wear-resistant shaft necks are connected with the powder guide mechanisms.

9. A powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The powder falling seat is provided with guide openings for receiving the powder discharged from the powder discharging outlets, and lower ends of the guide openings are communicated with the interior of the guide bin.

10. The powder drop device for an additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein: The powder falling seat comprises an upper seat body and a lower seat body, the powder inlet is distributed on an upper surface of the upper seat body, a lower surface of the upper seat body is concavely provided with an upper groove, the powder outlet is distributed on a lower surface of the lower seat body, an upper surface of the lower seat body is concavely provided with a lower groove, the upper seat body is locked and connected with the lower seat body by bolts, and the upper groove and the lower groove are communicated to form the powder falling cavity.

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