Calibration device and 3D printer
By setting a calibration device with a local contact structure in the 3D printer, the problem of insufficient calibration accuracy between the nozzle and the printing platform is solved, and high-precision calibration and printing are achieved at printing temperature.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-03-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-24
AI Technical Summary
In existing 3D printing technologies, the calibration accuracy between the nozzle and the printing platform is affected by residual filament on the nozzle, resulting in inaccurate thermal deformation compensation and making it difficult to meet the requirements of high-precision printing.
A calibration device is designed to reduce the direct contact area between the nozzle and the contact surface by setting a local contact structure on the contact surface, and to perform calibration at the nozzle printing temperature, thereby avoiding thermal deformation compensation and improving calibration accuracy.
It enables calibration at the nozzle printing temperature, reduces consumable residue, improves calibration and printing accuracy, and avoids thermal compensation errors.
Smart Images
Figure CN224028405U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of 3D printing, and in particular to a calibration device and a 3D printer. BACKGROUND
[0002] In the field of 3D printing, in order to obtain good printing effect, especially when printing the first layer, the relative height between the nozzle and the printing platform during the working of the printer needs to be accurately known. That is, the relative height between the nozzle and the printing platform needs to be calibrated in advance before starting printing, so as to make real-time compensation during printing. A commonly used calibration method is to touch a certain plane with the nozzle to obtain the coordinates of the touch point, and then complete the calibration. However, since the nozzle is prone to hanging materials, the residual consumables between the nozzle and the touch plane when the nozzle contacts the touch plane will affect the calibration accuracy.
[0003] In the prior art, in order to obtain accurate calibration results, a nozzle cleaning module is usually used to clean the waste adhered to the surface of the nozzle, and then the temperature of the nozzle is lowered to ensure that the consumables in the nozzle cannot overflow from the discharge port of the nozzle, and then the calibration is performed. However, there is still a considerable temperature difference between the calibration temperature and the printing temperature, and the thermal deformation of the nozzle cannot be ignored. Therefore, in order to print at a relatively accurate printing height at the printing temperature, an additional thermal deformation compensation is needed. Considering the differences between machines and the nonlinearity of the thermal expansion curve and other factors, there will always be a deviation between this compensation value and the actual compensation value required, which makes the final compensation accuracy poor and is not sufficient to cope with some higher-precision printing scenarios. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL
[0004] To solve the above problems, the present application provides a calibration device, which optimizes the structure of the calibration device by setting a local contact structure on the contact surface, so as to reduce the direct contact area between the nozzle and the contact surface, thereby reducing the residual consumable waste between the nozzle and the contact surface, and further ensuring the calibration accuracy. At the same time, the device can be used when the nozzle is at the printing temperature, which can avoid thermal deformation compensation, thereby improving the compensation accuracy and further improving the printing accuracy. In addition, the present application also provides a 3D printer carrying the calibration device, which specifically includes the following schemes:
[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a calibration device for a 3D printer, the 3D printer comprising a printing platform and a nozzle for extruding consumables. The calibration device is fixedly arranged on the printing platform, or the calibration device is part of a region of the printing platform body;
[0006] The calibration device comprises a contact surface for contacting the nozzle, and the contact surface is provided with a local contact structure;
[0007] In the case of keeping the temperature of the nozzle as the printing temperature, the nozzle abuts against the contact surface through the local contact structure, and the area of the contact surface directly contacted by the nozzle is less than the projection area of the nozzle on the contact surface.
[0008] In the present application, the nozzle extrudes the molten printing material towards the printing platform, and the printing platform is arranged to carry the printing material extruded by the nozzle. The contact surface is provided by the calibration device, and in one possible implementation, the contact surface can be located in the same plane as the surface of the printing platform or in a different plane, so that the nozzle abuts against the contact surface to obtain the coordinates of the touch point and then complete the calibration. Further, the present application also provides the local contact structure on the contact surface, and the local contact structure is used to reduce the area of the contact surface directly contacted by the nozzle when the nozzle abuts against the contact surface. Thus, in the calibration process, the nozzle at the printing temperature moves relative to the printing platform, and the nozzle and the contact surface almost have no residual printing material when the nozzle abuts against the contact surface, so as to ensure the touch precision and the calibration precision. At the same time, since the present application can calibrate at the printing temperature of the nozzle, the state of the nozzle in the calibration process is the same as that in the printing process, and no additional thermal deformation compensation is needed, so as to avoid the error caused by the thermal compensation and improve the printing precision.
[0009] In one embodiment, the nozzle comprises a tube wall and an inner hole formed by the tube wall, and the local contact structure comprises one groove or through hole.
[0010] In the direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the projection of the nozzle on the contact surface contains one groove or through hole, and the projection of the inner hole on the contact surface is contained in one groove or through hole.
[0011] In the present embodiment, the local contact structure comprises one groove or through hole, and the orthographic projection of the nozzle on the contact surface contains one groove or through hole, so as to ensure that the nozzle abuts against the contact surface through the tube wall to realize the touch. The orthographic projection of the inner hole of the nozzle on the contact surface is contained in one groove or through hole, so as to ensure that the printing material flowing out of the inner hole can be accommodated in the groove or through hole, and avoid that the printing material is clamped between the tube wall and the contact surface due to extrusion, thereby affecting the calibration precision.
[0012] In one embodiment, the nozzle comprises a tube wall and an inner hole formed by the tube wall, and the local contact structure comprises a plurality of grooves or through holes, and the plurality of grooves or through holes are arranged at intervals.
[0013] In the direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the projection of the nozzle on the contact surface at least partially overlaps with part of the plurality of grooves or through holes.
[0014] In the embodiment, the local contact structure is provided with a plurality of grooves or through holes, and the normal projection of the nozzle on the contact surface at least partially overlaps with part of the grooves or through holes, so that the nozzle contacts the contact surface through the abutment between the pipe wall and the adjacent grooves or through holes. At the same time, it can also ensure that part of the consumables flowing out of the inner hole can flow into the grooves or through holes naturally when the pipe wall abuts against the contact surface, and the other part of the consumables can flow into the grooves or through holes smoothly under the extrusion of the pipe wall and the contact surface, so as to greatly reduce the residual consumables between the pipe wall and the contact surface, so that the pipe wall and the contact surface are in direct contact, thereby ensuring the contact precision.
[0015] In an embodiment, the groove or through hole comprises a large-diameter section and a small-diameter section, which are arranged in sequence in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface, and the small-diameter section is located on the side of the large-diameter section away from the nozzle. In the direction parallel to the contact surface, the cross-sectional area of the large-diameter section is larger than that of the small-diameter section.
[0016] In the embodiment, the groove or through hole is provided with a large-diameter section and a small-diameter section arranged in sequence in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface, and the large-diameter section is closer to the nozzle than the small-diameter section. Therefore, the large-diameter section can ensure that the groove or through hole has sufficient capacity space for accommodating consumables, and the small-diameter section can ensure that the calibration device has sufficient strength and improve the service life of the calibration device.
[0017] In an embodiment, the local contact structure comprises a through hole, and the calibration device comprises a waste tank. In the direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the waste tank is located on the side of the through hole away from the nozzle, and the waste tank is used to contain the consumables flowing out of the through hole of the nozzle.
[0018] In the embodiment, by providing the waste tank on the side of the through hole away from the nozzle, the waste tank is used to contain the consumables flowing out of the through hole of the nozzle, which can avoid polluting the environment, and is also conducive to the recycling of the consumables.
[0019] In an embodiment, the calibration device comprises a mounting seat, the mounting seat is fixed to the printing platform, the contact surface is located on the surface of the mounting seat facing the printing platform, and the waste tank is arranged on the side of the mounting seat away from the printing platform and below the contact surface.
[0020] In the embodiment, the mounting seat is provided to facilitate the fixation of the calibration device to the printing platform. Compared with directly providing the calibration device on the body of the printing platform, the flexibility of the present solution is higher, the application range of the calibration device of the present solution is wider, and the waste tank is also facilitated to be fixed.
[0021] In an embodiment, the calibration device comprises a displacement sensor for detecting the position between the nozzle and the contact surface.
[0022] In the embodiment, the relative position between the nozzle and the contact surface is detected by the displacement sensor, which is beneficial to ensure the alignment of the nozzle and the contact surface, thereby ensuring the smooth calibration.
[0023] In an embodiment, the local contact structure comprises a through hole, a protrusion, a groove or a honeycomb structure.
[0024] In the embodiment, the local contact structure comprises a through hole, a protrusion, a groove or a honeycomb structure, when the nozzle and the contact surface abut, the through hole, the groove and the honeycomb structure can accommodate the residual consumables on the nozzle, and the protrusion can adhere to part of the residual consumables, thereby facilitating the reduction of the residual consumables between the contact surface and the nozzle, and further providing calibration accuracy.
[0025] In an embodiment, the 3D printer comprises at least two nozzles, and the at least two nozzles extrude the consumables alternately, and each nozzle abuts against the contact surface.
[0026] In an embodiment, the calibration device comprises a metal sheet, the contact surface is an upper surface of the metal sheet, a groove / through hole / protrusion is arranged on the metal sheet, and the local contact structure is the groove / through hole / protrusion.
[0027] In the embodiment, based on the high strength, simple structure and low cost of the metal sheet, the metal sheet is arranged as the carrier of the contact surface and the local contact structure, which is beneficial to reduce the cost while ensuring the collision strength of the nozzle and the contact surface.
[0028] In an embodiment, the local contact structure comprises a plurality of through holes, and two adjacent through holes in the plurality of through holes have a bridge.
[0029] The nozzle abuts against the bridge between the part of the adjacent through holes.
[0030] In the embodiment, the local contact structure comprises a plurality of through holes, and the bridge between the part of the adjacent two through holes abuts against the nozzle, thereby ensuring the strength of the abutment between the nozzle and the bridge, and ensuring the residual consumables on the nozzle to flow into the through holes around the bridge.
[0031] In an embodiment, the bridge width of the bridge is less than 0.2mm.
[0032] In the embodiment, based on the fact that the aperture of the nozzle is usually 0.2mm, 0.4mm or 0.6mm, the bridge width of the bridge is set to be less than 0.2mm, so that the calibration device provided by the application can match nozzles with various apertures. That is, the bridge width less than 0.2mm can ensure that when the nozzle with the above-mentioned aperture abuts against the contact surface, the residual consumables on the nozzle can flow into the through holes around the bridge.
[0033] Secondly, this application provides a 3D printer, which includes a printing platform, a nozzle, and a calibration device as described in any of the above embodiments, wherein the printing platform is used to receive the consumables extruded from the nozzle, and the calibration device is located on the printing platform.
[0034] It is understood that the 3D printer of the second aspect of this application, because it adopts the calibration device provided in the first aspect of this application, also has all the beneficial effects that can be obtained in any embodiment provided in the first aspect of this application. Attached Figure Description
[0035] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0036] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a 3D printer provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0037] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the printing platform provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0038] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the calibration device provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0039] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of one side of the hot end assembly provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0040] Figure 5 This is a structural schematic diagram of the hot-end assembly provided in one embodiment of this application from another side view.
[0041] Figure 6 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the nozzle provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0042] Figure 7 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of one type of local structure at point A in the middle;
[0043] Figure 8 for Figure 3 Another schematic diagram of a local structure at point A;
[0044] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the printing platform and calibration device provided in one embodiment of this application;
[0045] Figure 10Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a calibration device according to an embodiment of the present application;
[0046] Figure 11 Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a calibration device according to another embodiment of the present application.
[0047] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a calibration device according to another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0048] For the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the present application, the present application will be described in more detail below with reference to the relevant drawings.
[0049] The following description of the embodiments is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings. The description is provided for the purpose of illustrating the specific embodiments of the present application that can be implemented. The serial numbers of the components in the text, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the described objects, and do not have any sequential or technical meaning. In the present application, "connected" or "coupled" includes direct and indirect connections (couplings) unless otherwise specified. The directional terms used in the present application, such as "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "side", etc., are only with reference to the direction of the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are for better, clearer illustration and understanding of the present application, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.
[0050] In the description of the present application, it should be explained that, unless otherwise explicitly defined and limited, the terms "mounting", "connecting", "connecting" should be understood broadly, for example, it can be fixedly connected, or it can be detachably connected, or integrally connected; it can be mechanically connected; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium; it can be the communication inside two elements. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. It should be noted that the terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application and the drawings are used to distinguish different objects, and are not used to describe a specific order. In addition, the terms "including", "may include", "containing" or "may contain" used in the present application represent the existence of the corresponding functions, operations, elements, etc. disclosed, and do not limit other one or more functions, operations, elements, etc. In addition, the terms "including" or "containing" represent the existence of the corresponding features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof disclosed in the specification, and do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, elements, components or combinations thereof, and are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.
[0051] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the specification of the present application is only for the purpose of describing the specific embodiments of the present application, and is not intended to limit the present application.
[0052] Please see Figure 1 and Figure 2 , wherein Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a 3D printer 200 provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a printing platform 203 provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0053] In a possible implementation, the printing platform 203 can include a hot bed, and can further include at least one of a printing panel located above the hot bed and a hot bed support for supporting the hot bed, wherein the hot bed support can elastically support the hot bed, or fixedly support the hot bed.
[0054] As Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the 3D printer 200 provided by the present application comprises a guide 201, a nozzle 202 and a printing platform 203. In some embodiments, the 3D printer 200 is a gantry structure, and the guide 201 can be supported by two Z-axis vertical columns and arranged above the printing platform 203. The guide 201 is used to support a tool head 204 of the 3D printer 200, and the tool head 204 is slidingly connected to the guide 201. The tool head 204 can linearly slide along the extension direction Y-axis direction 002 of the guide 201 or slide in the YZ plane through a belt during work. The guide 201 can move relative to the printing platform 203 along the Z-axis direction 003, so that the tool head 204 moves relative to the printing platform 203 along the Z-axis direction 003 with the guide 201. The printing platform 203 can move relative to the tool head 204 along the X-axis direction 001, so that the tool head 204 moves relative to the printing platform 203 in three-dimensional space. The nozzle 202 is arranged on the tool head 204 of the 3D printer 200 and moves relative to the printing platform 203 in three-dimensional space along a preset trajectory with the tool head 204, and extrudes a printing material towards the printing platform 203 to realize three-dimensional printing.
[0055] The 3D printer provided by the present application further comprises a calibration device 100, and the calibration device 100 is fixed to the printing platform 203. Specifically, the calibration device 100 can be fixed to the middle position behind the printing platform 203 or the body of the printing platform 203. The calibration device 100 is used to detect the nozzle 202 located above the printing platform 203.
[0056] Figure 1 The 3D printer 200 shown in the figure should be understood as an example. The 3D printer 200 comprising the calibration device 100 provided by the present application can also have other structures, such as a corexy structure or a cantilever type structure. It can be foreseen that the 3D printer of other structures can also implement the effects in the present application, and details are not described here. That is, the present application does not limit the structure of the 3D printer 200.
[0057] Please see Figure 3 Among them Figure 3 is a structural schematic view of the calibration device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0058] As Figure 3As shown, in an embodiment, the calibration device 100 provided by the present application comprises a contact surface 10 for contacting the nozzle 202, the contact surface 10 being in the same horizontal plane as the upper surface of the printing platform 203 or in a different horizontal plane. In another embodiment, the contact surface 10 is in the same plane as the printing platform 203, i.e. the calibration device 100 is a part of the printing platform 203, and the contact surface 10 is the upper surface of the printing platform 203. The contact surface 10 is provided with a local contact structure 20. In this case, the nozzle 202 is in contact with the contact surface 10 through the local contact structure 20, and the area of the contact surface 10 directly in contact with the nozzle 202 is smaller than the projection of the nozzle 202 on the contact surface 10, while the temperature of the nozzle 202 is kept at the printing temperature.
[0059] In the present application, the temperature of the nozzle 202 can be the temperature of the heating block in the hot end assembly 205, or the temperature of the nozzle 202 in the hot end assembly 205. The structure of the hot end assembly 205 can refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 is a structural schematic diagram of one side view of the hot end assembly 205 provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 5 is a structural schematic diagram of another side view of the hot end assembly 205 provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0060] As shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the hot end assembly 205 comprises a heat dissipation fin 2051, a heating block 2052 and a nozzle 202. The heat dissipation fin 2051 is connected to the heating block 2052 through a throat pipe. The heating block 2052 is used to heat the consumables, and the heated and molten consumables are transported to the nozzle 202.
[0061] In an embodiment, the tool head 204 comprises a hot end assembly 205 and a nozzle 202. The printing consumables are heated to a molten state by the hot end assembly 205 and are transported to the nozzle 202 for extrusion through the nozzle 202. The temperature sensor can be arranged on the heating block 2052 or on the nozzle 202.
[0062] In the embodiment, the contact surface 10 is provided by the calibration device 100, and the contact surface 10 is located in the same plane or different plane with the surface of the printing platform 203, so that the nozzle 202 abuts against the contact surface 10 to obtain the coordinates of the touch point, and then the position calibration of the nozzle 202 and the printing platform 203 is completed. Further, the application also provides the local contact structure 20 on the contact surface 10, and the local contact structure 20 is used to reduce the area of direct contact between the nozzle 202 and the contact surface 10 when the nozzle 202 abuts against the contact surface 10. Thus, in the calibration process, the nozzle 202 at the printing temperature moves relative to the printing platform 203, and in the case that the nozzle 202 keeps the printing temperature, the consumables will overflow from the nozzle 202, but the overflowed consumables can be exuded through the part of the nozzle 202 which is not in contact with the contact surface 10, so that there is almost no residual consumables between the nozzle 202 and the contact surface 10 when the nozzle 202 abuts against the contact surface 10, thereby ensuring the touch precision and ensuring the calibration precision. At the same time, since the application can calibrate at the printing temperature of the nozzle 202, the state of the nozzle 202 in the calibration process is the same as that in the printing process, and no additional thermal deformation compensation is needed, so as to avoid the error caused by the thermal compensation, thereby improving the printing precision.
[0063] In an embodiment, the 3D printer 200 provided by the application further comprises a driving member (not shown in the figure), which is used to drive the tool head 204 to drive the nozzle 202 to move relative to the printing platform 203. After the driving member drives the nozzle 202 to touch the contact surface 10 to complete the calibration, the driving member is further used to drive the tool head 204 to drive the nozzle 202 to move a preset distance to adjust the position between the nozzle 202 and the printing platform 203 to a specified position, thereby realizing the calibration. Alternatively, the offset of the nozzle 202 in the Z-axis direction 003 is compensated by software, and the printing quality is improved.
[0064] In another embodiment, the driving member is used to drive the printing platform 203 to move relative to the nozzle 202, and after the driving member drives the printing platform 203 to make the contact surface 10 touch the nozzle 202 to complete the calibration, the driving member is further used to drive the printing platform 203 to move a preset distance to adjust the position between the nozzle 202 and the printing platform 203 to a specified position, thereby realizing the calibration.
[0065] In one embodiment, the 3D printer 200 provided by the present application further comprises a pressure sensor and a controller (not shown in the figure). The pressure sensor is used to detect the pressure between the nozzle 202 and the contact surface 10, and transmit the detected pressure signal to the controller. The controller receives the detected pressure signal of the pressure sensor, and determines whether the nozzle 202 contacts the contact surface 10. The controller is also used to control the action of the driving member. For example, during calibration, the controller is used to control the driving member to drive the nozzle 202 to move towards the direction close to the printing platform 203; after the calibration ends, the controller is used to control the driving member to drive the nozzle 202 to move towards the direction away from the printing platform 203, so as to calibrate.
[0066] In one embodiment, the controller determines whether the nozzle 202 contacts the contact surface 10 by comparing the detected pressure value with a preset pressure threshold value, and determines that the nozzle 202 contacts the contact surface 10 when the detected pressure value is greater than or equal to the preset pressure threshold value. It can be understood that, by comparing the detected pressure value with the preset pressure threshold value to determine whether the nozzle 202 contacts the contact surface 10, the control logic of the controller can be simplified.
[0067] Please see Figure 6 and Figure 7 , Figure 6 for the cross-sectional structure schematic diagram of the nozzle 202 provided in one embodiment of the present application; Figure 7 for Figure 3 one of the partial structure schematic diagrams at A.
[0068] The nozzle 202 comprises a pipe wall 2021 and an inner hole 2022 formed by the pipe wall 2021. The partial contact structure 20 comprises a plurality of through holes 21, and the plurality of through holes 21 are arranged at intervals. The projection of the nozzle 202 on the contact surface 10 at least partially overlaps part of the plurality of through holes 21 in the direction perpendicular to the contact surface 10, that is, in the direction of the Z axis 003. Or it can be understood that the area of the region of the contact surface 10 provided with the plurality of through holes 21 is greater than the normal projection area of the nozzle 202 on the contact surface 10, so as to ensure that the nozzle 202 overlaps part of the plurality of through holes 21 when the nozzle 202 touches the contact surface 10.
[0069] In the embodiment, the partial contact structure 20 comprises a plurality of through holes 21, and the projection of the nozzle 202 on the contact surface 10 at least partially overlaps with the through holes 21, so that the nozzle 202 can contact the contact surface 10 by abutting the tube wall 2021 with the contact surface 10 between adjacent through holes 21. Meanwhile, it can also ensure that part of the consumables flowing out of the inner hole 2022 can naturally flow into the through holes 21 when the tube wall 2021 abuts the contact surface 10, and the other part of the consumables can smoothly flow into the through holes 21 under the extrusion of the tube wall 2021 and the contact surface 10, so as to greatly reduce the residual consumables between the tube wall 2021 and the contact surface 10, so that the tube wall 2021 directly contacts the contact surface 10, thereby ensuring the contact precision.
[0070] It should be noted that the number of through holes 21 and the form of the partial contact structure 20 in the above embodiment are only exemplary. For example, in another embodiment, the partial contact structure 20 comprises a plurality of grooves, and the grooves are arranged at intervals. When the nozzle 202 contacts the contact surface 10, the molten consumables can flow into the grooves, and the grooves can accommodate the consumables, which can also reduce the residual consumables between the tube wall 2021 of the nozzle 202 and the contact surface 10.
[0071] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 for Figure 3 another partial structure diagram.
[0072] As Figure 8 shown, in another embodiment, the number of through holes 21 is one. In the direction perpendicular to the contact surface 10, the projection of the nozzle 202 on the contact surface 10 accommodates one through hole 21, and the projection of the inner hole 2022 on the contact surface 10 is accommodated in one through hole 21. That is, the sum of the projections of the tube wall 2021 and the inner hole 2022 on the contact surface 10 is greater than the area of the through hole 21, and the projection of the inner hole 2022 on the contact surface 10 is less than the area of the through hole 21.
[0073] In the embodiment, the partial contact structure 20 comprises one through hole 21, and the projection of the nozzle 202 on the contact surface 10 accommodates one through hole 21, so as to ensure that the nozzle 202 can contact the contact surface 10 by abutting the tube wall 2021 with the contact surface 10. By arranging the projection of the inner hole 2022 of the nozzle 202 on the contact surface 10 to accommodate one through hole 21, it can ensure that the consumables flowing out of the inner hole 2022 can be accommodated in the through hole 21, so as to avoid that the consumables are clamped between the tube wall 2021 and the contact surface 10 due to extrusion, thereby affecting the calibration precision.
[0074] In an embodiment, the local contact structure 20 comprises a groove or a through hole 21, the groove or the through hole 21 comprises a large-diameter section and a small-diameter section, the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section are arranged in sequence along a direction perpendicular to the contact surface 10, and the small-diameter section is located on a side of the large-diameter section away from the nozzle 202. Along a direction parallel to the contact surface 10, a cross-sectional area of the large-diameter section is greater than a cross-sectional area of the small-diameter section.
[0075] In the embodiment, the groove or the through hole 21 comprises the large-diameter section and the small-diameter section arranged in sequence along the direction perpendicular to the contact surface 10, that is, a cross section of the groove or the through hole 21 along the Z-axis direction 003 is substantially trapezoidal, and the large-diameter section is closer to the nozzle 202 than the small-diameter section. Thus, the large-diameter section can ensure that the groove or the through hole 21 has sufficient capacity space for accommodating the consumables, and the small-diameter section can ensure that the calibration device 100 has sufficient strength and improve the service life of the calibration device 100.
[0076] Please see Figure 9 and Figure 10 , wherein Figure 9 is a structural schematic diagram of a printing platform 203 and the calibration device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 10 is an exploded structural schematic diagram of the calibration device 100 provided in an embodiment of the present application.
[0077] As Figure 9 and Figure 10 , in an embodiment, the local contact structure 20 comprises a through hole 21, and the calibration device 100 comprises a waste tank 30. Along a direction perpendicular to the contact surface 10, the waste tank 30 is located on a side of the through hole 21 away from the nozzle 202, and the waste tank 30 is used to hold the consumables flowing out of the through hole 21 by the nozzle 202.
[0078] In the embodiment, by arranging the waste tank 30 on the side of the through hole 21 away from the nozzle 202, and using the waste tank 30 to hold the consumables flowing out of the through hole 21 by the nozzle 202, environmental pollution can be avoided, and recycling of the consumables is facilitated.
[0079] In an embodiment, the calibration device 100 comprises a mounting seat 40, the mounting seat 40 is fixed to the printing platform 203, the contact surface 10 is located on a surface of the mounting seat 40 facing the printing platform 203, and the waste tank 30 is arranged on a side of the mounting seat 40 away from the printing platform 203 and below the contact surface 10.
[0080] In the embodiment, the mounting seat 40 is arranged to facilitate fixing the calibration device 100 to the printing platform 203 by the mounting seat 40. Compared with directly arranging the calibration device 100 on the body of the printing platform 203, the present solution has higher flexibility, the calibration device 100 of the present solution has a wider application range, and the waste tank 30 is also facilitated to be fixed.
[0081] In an embodiment, the calibration device 100 comprises a displacement sensor 50 for detecting the position between the nozzle 202 and the contact surface 10. In this embodiment, by arranging the displacement sensor 50 to detect the relative position between the nozzle 202 and the contact surface 10, it is beneficial to ensure that the nozzle 202 is aligned with the contact surface 10, so as to ensure that the calibration is carried out smoothly.
[0082] In an embodiment, the local contact structure 20 comprises a through hole 21, a protrusion, a groove or a honeycomb structure.
[0083] In this embodiment, by arranging the local contact structure 20 to comprise a through hole 21, a protrusion, a groove or a honeycomb structure, the through hole 21, the groove and the honeycomb structure can accommodate the residual consumables on the nozzle 202 when the nozzle 202 abuts against the contact surface 10, and the protrusion can adhere to part of the residual consumables, so as to facilitate reducing the residual consumables between the contact surface 10 and the nozzle 202, thereby being capable of providing calibration accuracy.
[0084] In an embodiment, the 3D printer 200 comprises at least two nozzles 202, and the at least two nozzles 202 are arranged to extrude the consumables in turn, and each nozzle 202 abuts against the contact surface 10. The plurality of nozzles 202 can print on the same printed part in turn. The calibration device 100 is used to calibrate the position of each nozzle 202 and the printing platform 203. That is, when the plurality of nozzles 202 print on the same printed part, the printing height of each nozzle 202 needs to be consistent. However, due to the influence of factors such as machining accuracy error and assembly error, the printing height of each nozzle 202 after switching will have more or less deviation. The present application can calibrate the deviation between the plurality of nozzles 202 by means of the calibration device 100, and compensate in real time during printing, so as to realize calibration.
[0085] In an embodiment, the calibration device 100 comprises a metal sheet, the contact surface 10 is the upper surface of the metal sheet, the recess / groove 21 / protrusion is arranged on the metal sheet, and the local contact structure 20 is the recess / groove 21 / protrusion.
[0086] In this embodiment, based on the fact that the metal sheet has high strength, simple structure and low cost, by arranging the metal sheet as the carrier of the contact surface 10 and the local contact structure 20, it is beneficial to reduce the cost while ensuring the collision strength between the nozzle 202 and the contact surface 10.
[0087] In an embodiment, the metal sheet is a steel sheet.
[0088] In an embodiment, the thickness of the metal sheet is 0.3 mm.
[0089] Please see Figure 11 , Figure 11Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a calibration device 100 according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0090] As shown in Fig. 1, the calibration device 100 comprises a contact surface 10 and a nozzle 202. Figure 11 In an embodiment, the contact surface 10 comprises a plurality of through holes 21, and two adjacent through holes 21 are connected by a bridge 22. The nozzle 202 abuts against the bridge 22 between the two adjacent through holes 21.
[0091] In the embodiment, the contact surface 10 comprises a plurality of through holes 21, and the nozzle 202 abuts against the bridge 22 between the two adjacent through holes 21. In this way, the strength of the abutment between the nozzle 202 and the bridge 22 can be ensured, and the residual consumable on the nozzle 202 can flow into the through holes 21 around the bridge 22.
[0092] In an embodiment, the width W of the bridge 22 is less than 0.2 mm, i.e., W < 0.2.
[0093] In the embodiment, the diameter of the nozzle 202 is usually 0.2 mm, 0.4 mm or 0.6 mm. In the present application, the width of the bridge 22 is less than 0.2 mm, so that the calibration device 100 can match nozzles 202 of various diameters. That is, the width of the bridge 22 being less than 0.2 mm can ensure that, when the nozzle 202 abuts against the contact surface 10, the residual consumable on the nozzle 202 can flow into the through holes 21 around the bridge 22.
[0094] The calibration device 100 provided by the present application comprises a metal sheet to provide the contact surface 10. When the nozzle 202 touches the contact surface 10, a pressure sensor for detecting the collision of the nozzle 202 can detect the occurrence of the touching event. Since the temperature of the nozzle 202 during actual touching is the printing temperature of the consumable, the flowability of the consumable is good at this temperature, which is beneficial to extrusion. The consumable in the melting zone of the nozzle 202 will continue to overflow from the discharge port of the nozzle 202 due to thermal expansion, and adhere to the surface of the nozzle 202. The through holes 21 on the metal sheet serve to: when the nozzle 202 with the molten consumable contacts the metal sheet, the nozzle 202 will exert a pressure on the metal sheet, and the molten consumable between the nozzle 202 and the metal sheet will flow from the direction without obstruction on both sides and finally flow into the through holes 21, because the actual contact surface 10 only has the bridges 22 with very small areas between the through holes 21. The greater the pressure exerted by the nozzle 202 on the metal sheet, the greater the pressure on the molten consumable at the lower end of the nozzle 202, and more molten consumable will flow to the through holes 21 on the side, thereby greatly reducing the foreign matter between the nozzle 202 and the metal sheet, so that the nozzle 202 almost directly contacts the metal sheet, thereby obtaining a more accurate touching result.
[0095] Since the calibration process is carried out at the printing temperature of the nozzle 202, the state of the nozzle 202 during calibration is the same as the state of the nozzle 202 during actual printing, so that additional thermal deformation compensation can be omitted, errors caused by the introduction of thermal compensation can be avoided, and the overall printing accuracy can be improved.
[0096] In an embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole 21 along a plane parallel to the contact surface 10 is square.
[0097] In an embodiment, the diameter of the inscribed circle of the through hole 21 is less than or equal to the outer diameter of the nozzle 202 and greater than or equal to the inner diameter of the nozzle 202.
[0098] In an embodiment, the distance between two adjacent through holes 21 is less than 0.6 times the diameter of the inscribed circle of the through hole 21.
[0099] In an embodiment, the diameter of the inscribed circle of each through hole 21 is 0.5 mm; the distance between two adjacent through holes 21 is 0.15 mm; and the depth of each through hole 21 is 0.3 mm.
[0100] It should be understood that the terms "first", "second", etc. are used only for descriptive purposes and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more features. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more, unless otherwise specifically limited.
[0101] In the description of the present specification, the description of the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiment", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. In the present specification, the exemplary description of the above terms does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.
[0102] It should be understood that the application of the present application is not limited to the above examples, and those skilled in the art can make improvements or changes according to the above description, and all these improvements and changes shall fall within the protection scope of the claims of the present application. Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes of the above embodiments can be implemented, and equivalent changes made in accordance with the claims of the present application, still fall within the scope covered by the present application.
Claims
1. A calibration device for a 3D printer, the 3D printer comprising a printing platform and a nozzle for extruding filament, characterized in that, The calibration device is fixedly installed on the printing platform, or the calibration device is a part of the printing platform body; The calibration device includes a contact surface for contacting the nozzle, and the contact surface is provided with a partial contact structure; Wherein, while maintaining the temperature of the nozzle at the printing temperature, the nozzle abuts against the contact surface through the local contact structure, and the area of the contact surface in direct contact with the nozzle is smaller than the projected area of the nozzle on the contact surface.
2. The calibration device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The nozzle includes a pipe wall and an inner hole formed by the pipe wall, and the partial contact structure includes a groove or a through hole, wherein the number of the groove or through hole is one. Along a direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the projection of the nozzle onto the contact surface receives a groove or through hole, and the projection of the inner hole onto the contact surface receives a groove or through hole.
3. The calibration device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The nozzle includes a pipe wall and an inner hole formed by the pipe wall. The partial contact structure includes a groove or a through hole, and the number of the grooves or through holes is multiple, with the multiple grooves or through holes arranged at intervals. Along a direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the projection of the nozzle onto the contact surface at least partially overlaps with a portion of the plurality of grooves or through holes.
4. The calibration apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The groove or through hole includes a large diameter section and a small diameter section. Along a direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the large diameter section and the small diameter section are arranged sequentially, and the small diameter section is located on the side of the large diameter section away from the nozzle. Along a direction parallel to the contact surface, the cross-sectional area of the large diameter section is larger than the cross-sectional area of the small diameter section.
5. The calibration apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, The partial contact structure includes a through hole, and the calibration device includes a waste trough. Along a direction perpendicular to the contact surface, the waste trough is located on the side of the through hole away from the nozzle, and the waste trough is used to collect consumables flowing out of the nozzle through the through hole.
6. The calibration apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The calibration device includes a mounting base fixed to the printing platform. The contact surface is located on the surface of the mounting base facing the printing platform. The waste trough is located on the side of the mounting base away from the printing platform and below the contact surface.
7. The calibration apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The calibration device includes a displacement sensor for detecting the position between the nozzle and the contact surface.
8. The calibration apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The local contact structure includes through holes, protrusions, grooves, or honeycomb structures.
9. The calibration apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The 3D printer includes at least two nozzles that extrude filament in turn, with each nozzle abutting against the contact surface.
10. The calibration apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The calibration device includes a metal sheet, the contact surface is the upper surface of the metal sheet, and grooves / through holes / protrusions are provided on the metal sheet. The local contact structure is the grooves / through holes / protrusions.
11. The calibration apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The local contact structure includes multiple through holes, and there is a bridge between two adjacent through holes; The nozzle abuts against a bridge between a portion of the adjacent through-hole.
12. The calibration apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that, The width of the connecting bridge is less than 0.2 mm.
13. A 3D printer, characterized in that, It includes a printing platform, a nozzle, and a calibration device as described in any one of claims 1-12, wherein the printing platform is used to receive consumables extruded by the nozzle, and the calibration device is located on the printing platform.