Conductive nozzle

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the field of additive manufacturing, and relates to a contact tube which comprises a contact tube body, a wire guide hole and a cooling flow channel. The wire guide hole is arranged along the axial direction of the contact tube main body; the cooling runner is arranged in the contact tube main body and is positioned at the side part of the wire guide hole; and the contact tube is provided with a cooling liquid outlet and a cooling liquid inlet which are respectively communicated with the cooling flow channel. The utility model provides the contact tube which can effectively prevent the material of the contact tube from being softened, enhance the wear resistance of the contact tube and prolong the service life of the contact tube.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of additive manufacturing and relates to a conductive nozzle, and more particularly to a closed-loop water-cooled conductive nozzle. Background Technology

[0002] Arc additive manufacturing utilizes an electric arc as a heat source to melt metal wires or powders, continuously transferring the molten metal as droplets along a predetermined path to form metal components. Compared to lasers and electron beams, arc additive manufacturing offers higher forming efficiency and lower material requirements, giving it a significant advantage in forming large-size, multi-dimensional, heterogeneous components. However, the conductive nozzles in arc printing equipment often suffer from the following problems: 1) Electrical contact heating, locally exceeding 500°C, softens the nozzle material, leading to reduced wear resistance; 2) Prolonged contact and friction between the wire and the inner wall of the nozzle cause severe wear and shorten its lifespan. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems in the background art, the present invention provides a conductive tip that can effectively avoid softening of the conductive tip material, enhance the wear resistance of the conductive tip, and improve the service life of the conductive tip.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0005] A conductive nozzle, characterized in that: the conductive nozzle includes a conductive nozzle body, a guide wire hole, and a cooling channel; the guide wire hole is arranged along the axial direction of the conductive nozzle body; the cooling channel is located inside the conductive nozzle body and on the side of the guide wire hole; the conductive nozzle is provided with a coolant outlet and a coolant inlet respectively communicating with the cooling channel.

[0006] The axial direction of the aforementioned cooling channel is parallel to the axial direction of the guide wire hole.

[0007] The aforementioned cooling channel includes a bottom-level annular cooling cavity and an upper-level annular cooling cavity arranged sequentially around the guide wire hole from bottom to top; the coolant inlet communicates with the coolant outlet through the upper-level annular cooling cavity and the bottom-level annular cooling cavity; the bottom-level annular cooling cavity and the upper-level annular cooling cavity are not in contact.

[0008] The length of the lowest annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole is L. 下 The length of the upper annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole is L. 上 The L 下 >L 上 .

[0009] The aforementioned cooling channel also includes a middle annular cooling cavity that communicates with the bottommost annular cooling cavity and the top annular cooling cavity respectively; the bottommost annular cooling cavity, the middle annular cooling cavity, and the top annular cooling cavity are arranged sequentially around the guide wire hole from bottom to top; the bottommost annular cooling cavity and the middle annular cooling cavity, as well as the middle annular cooling cavity and the top annular cooling cavity, are not in contact.

[0010] The length of the aforementioned middle-layer annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole is L. 中 The L 下 >L 中 ≥L 上 .

[0011] The aforementioned conductive nozzle body includes an upper body, a middle body, a lower body, and a bottom body arranged sequentially from top to bottom; the guide wire hole sequentially penetrates the upper body, the middle body, the lower body, and the bottom body; the upper annular cooling cavity is located inside the upper body; the middle annular cooling cavity is located inside the middle body; and the lowest annular cooling cavity is located inside the lower body.

[0012] The aforementioned conductive nozzle body is either a split structure or an integrated structure.

[0013] The aforementioned conductive nozzle also includes a temperature sensor disposed within the conductive nozzle body.

[0014] The temperature sensor mentioned above is a thermocouple temperature sensor.

[0015] The advantages of this utility model are:

[0016] This invention provides a conductive nozzle, including a conductive nozzle body, a guide wire hole, and a cooling channel. The guide wire hole is arranged along the axial direction of the conductive nozzle body. The cooling channel is located inside the conductive nozzle body and on the side of the guide wire hole. The conductive nozzle has a coolant outlet and a coolant inlet that communicate with the cooling channel. This invention provides a cooling channel inside the conductive nozzle body, especially on the side of the guide wire hole. The flow of the cooling medium in the cooling channel removes heat from the vicinity of the guide wire hole, preventing the material of the conductive nozzle body from softening and thus avoiding a decrease in wear resistance due to softening, directly improving the service life of the conductive nozzle. Furthermore, this invention can use a built-in thermocouple sensor to monitor the temperature of the conductive nozzle in real time and use closed-loop control to adjust the cooling flow rate to keep the temperature of the conductive nozzle below the rated temperature. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the conductive tip provided by this utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the conductive tip provided by this utility model.

[0019] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the closed-loop control device used in this utility model;

[0020] in:

[0021] 1-Coolant outlet; 2-Guide wire hole; 3-Coolant inlet; 4-Temperature sensor; 5-Upper body; 6-Middle body; 7-Lower body; 8-Bottom body. Detailed Implementation

[0022] See Figure 1 This invention provides a conductive nozzle, comprising a conductive nozzle body, a guide wire hole 2, and a cooling channel. The guide wire hole 2 is arranged along the axial direction of the conductive nozzle body. The cooling channel is located inside the conductive nozzle body and on the side of the guide wire hole 2. The conductive nozzle is provided with a coolant outlet 1 and a coolant inlet 3, which are respectively connected to the cooling channel. This invention provides a cooling channel inside the conductive nozzle body, especially on the side of the guide wire hole 2. The flow of the cooling medium in the cooling channel can remove heat near the guide wire hole 2, preventing the material of the conductive nozzle body from softening and thus avoiding a decrease in wear resistance due to softening, directly improving the service life of the conductive nozzle. For example, the cooling medium can be cooling water, refrigerant, cooling oil, or cold air; any commonly used cooling medium can be used in this invention, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0023] Since the wire passes through the guide hole from top to bottom, the wear on the conductive tip is mainly concentrated on the inner wall of the guide hole. Therefore, cooling channels are evenly distributed around the guide hole 2. To improve the cooling effect, the axial direction of the cooling channels used in this invention is parallel to the axial direction of the guide hole 2. The form of the cooling channels is not limited; it can be a spiral winding pipe or a straight pipe.

[0024] See Figure 2 The cooling channel includes a lowermost annular cooling cavity and an uppermost annular cooling cavity arranged sequentially around the guide wire hole 2 from bottom to top; the coolant inlet 3 communicates with the coolant outlet 1 through the uppermost and lowermost annular cooling cavities; the lowermost annular cooling cavity is not in contact with the uppermost annular cooling cavity. The length of the lowermost annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole 2 is L. 下 The length of the upper annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole 2 is L. 上 Since the wear of the wire on the guide hole 2 is most severe at the lowest wire exit point, and the distance between the bottom of the conductive tip and the molten pool is relatively close, resulting in the highest heat radiation, the lower flow channel cooling cavity is extended axially, i.e., L. 下 >L 上 On the one hand, the volume of the cavity is increased to ensure the cooling effect; on the other hand, the cooling cavity is placed as close as possible to the wire outlet within the structural limits to carry away the heat from the tip of the conductive nozzle.

[0025] To further improve the cooling effect, the cooling channel used in this invention also includes a middle annular cooling cavity that communicates with the bottom and top annular cooling cavities respectively. The bottom, middle, and top annular cooling cavities are arranged sequentially around the guide wire hole 2 from bottom to top. There is no contact between the bottom and middle annular cooling cavities, or between the middle and top annular cooling cavities. That is, the cooling channel used in this invention consists of three layers: top, middle, and bottom. The cooling medium, after entering, first reaches the bottom annular cooling cavity, then, under its own pressure, sequentially reaches the middle and top annular cooling cavities, and finally flows out from the coolant outlet 1. The length of the middle annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole 2 is L. 中 L 下 >L 中 ≥L 上 The axial lengths of the bottom annular cooling cavity, the middle annular cooling cavity, and the top annular cooling cavity of this invention decrease sequentially. For example, they can be arranged in an arithmetic sequence to maximize or minimize the temperature below the conductive nozzle and further prevent the material of the conductive nozzle body from softening and deforming.

[0026] See Figure 1 as well as Figure 2 The conductive nozzle body of this invention comprises, from top to bottom, an upper body 5, a middle body 6, a lower body 7, and a bottom body 8; a guide wire hole 2 sequentially penetrates the upper body 5, the middle body 6, the lower body 7, and the bottom body 8; an upper annular cooling cavity is located inside the upper body 5; a middle annular cooling cavity is located inside the middle body 6; and a bottom annular cooling cavity is located inside the lower body 7. The conductive nozzle body can be a split structure or a one-piece structure. When it is a split structure, it is formed by welding together the corresponding cooling cavities of each part, reducing the processing difficulty; when the conductive nozzle body is a one-piece structure, it can also be formed in one piece using metal 3D printing technology, further ensuring the sealing of the flow channel.

[0027] See Figure 1 The conductive nozzle provided by this utility model also includes a temperature sensor 4 disposed within the conductive nozzle body. Exemplarily, the temperature sensor 4 is a thermocouple temperature sensor. See also... Figure 3 This invention can monitor the internal temperature of the conductive nozzle in real time through a built-in thermocouple sensor and feed the temperature data back to the comparator; an electromagnetic throttle valve is installed in the cooling medium outlet pipeline, and the controller adjusts the flow rate of the throttle valve according to the result obtained from the comparator to achieve temperature control, or the refrigeration temperature of the refrigerator can be directly adjusted by the controller to achieve closed-loop control and keep the temperature of the conductive nozzle below the set temperature.

Claims

1. A conductive tip, characterized in that: The conductive nozzle includes a conductive nozzle body, a guide wire hole (2), and a cooling channel; the guide wire hole (2) is arranged along the axial direction of the conductive nozzle body; the cooling channel is located inside the conductive nozzle body and on the side of the guide wire hole (2); the conductive nozzle is provided with a coolant outlet (1) and a coolant inlet (3) that are respectively connected to the cooling channel.

2. The conductive tip according to claim 1, characterized in that: The axial direction of the cooling channel is parallel to the axial direction of the guide wire hole (2).

3. The conductive tip according to claim 2, characterized in that: The cooling channel includes a bottom annular cooling cavity and an upper annular cooling cavity arranged sequentially around the guide wire hole (2) from bottom to top; the coolant inlet (3) is connected to the coolant outlet (1) through the upper annular cooling cavity and the bottom annular cooling cavity; the bottom annular cooling cavity and the upper annular cooling cavity are not in contact.

4. The conductive tip according to claim 3, characterized in that: The length of the lowest annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole (2) is L. 下 The length of the upper annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole (2) is L. 上 The L 下 >L 上 .

5. The conductive tip according to claim 4, characterized in that: The cooling channel also includes a middle annular cooling cavity that communicates with the bottom annular cooling cavity and the top annular cooling cavity respectively; the bottom annular cooling cavity, the middle annular cooling cavity and the top annular cooling cavity are arranged around the guide wire hole (2) from bottom to top; the bottom annular cooling cavity and the middle annular cooling cavity and the middle annular cooling cavity and the top annular cooling cavity are not in contact.

6. The conductive tip according to claim 5, characterized in that: The length of the middle annular cooling cavity along the axial direction of the guide wire hole (2) is L. 中 The L 下 >L 中 ≥L 上 .

7. The conductive tip according to claim 6, characterized in that: The conductive nozzle body includes an upper body (5), a middle body (6), a lower body (7), and a bottom body (8) arranged sequentially from top to bottom; the guide wire hole (2) passes through the upper body (5), the middle body (6), the lower body (7), and the bottom body (8) in sequence; the upper annular cooling cavity is placed inside the upper body (5); the middle annular cooling cavity is placed inside the middle body (6); and the lowest annular cooling cavity is placed inside the lower body (7).

8. The conductive tip according to claim 7, characterized in that: The conductive nozzle body can be either a split structure or an integrated structure.

9. The conductive tip according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that: The conductive nozzle also includes a temperature sensor (4) disposed within the conductive nozzle body.

10. The conductive tip according to claim 9, characterized in that: The temperature sensor (4) is a thermocouple temperature sensor.

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