Powder compaction device

Abstract

The utility model belongs to the field of additive manufacturing, and relates to a powder compaction device which comprises a vibration executing mechanism, a driving control system and a monitoring and feedback system. The vibration executing mechanism faces the powder to be compacted; and the monitoring and feedback system is connected with the vibration executing mechanism through the driving control system. According to the powder compaction device, sound wave parameters can be accurately adjusted according to production requirements, and meanwhile the forming efficiency is improved.

Description

Powder compaction device Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of additive manufacturing and relates to a powder compaction device, and more particularly to a powder compaction device used in 3D printing and using sound waves as a medium. Background Technology

[0002] In metal 3D printing, ensuring the uniformity and density of the powder layer is crucial for improving the precision of printed parts. However, non-contact powder spreading or doctor blade powder spreading results in a loose powder layer, negatively impacting the quality of the printed parts. Acoustic compaction addresses this need by using sound waves to drive the powder to settle uniformly, thus improving its density. This method achieves non-contact between the powder and the part, preventing damage to the printed component. However, in existing technologies, the acoustic parameters are fixed, making precise adjustment impossible for powders of different particle sizes, shapes, and materials, thus reducing forming efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems in the background art, the present invention provides a powder compaction device that can improve the compactness of powder spreading and effectively improve the forming efficiency.

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

[0005] A powder compaction device, characterized in that: the powder compaction device includes a vibration actuator, a drive control system, and a monitoring and feedback system; the vibration actuator faces the powder to be compacted and provides vibration processing to the powder; the monitoring and feedback system is used to monitor the compaction test process of the powder to be compacted in real time and generate compaction data, and feed the compaction data back to the drive control system; the drive control system is connected to the vibration actuator and provides compaction parameters to the vibration actuator.

[0006] The aforementioned vibration actuator includes a loudspeaker and a sound waveguide connected to the loudspeaker; preferably, there are one or more loudspeakers, and when there are multiple loudspeakers, the multiple loudspeakers are multiple high-frequency loudspeaker units and / or multiple low-frequency loudspeaker units; preferably, the multiple loudspeakers are arranged coaxially or separately; preferably, the sound waveguide is an acoustic lens, a waveguide, a phase array and / or a sound wave interference array.

[0007] The aforementioned monitoring and feedback system comprises a laser sensor, a volume measuring instrument, a compression strain gauge, an acceleration sensor, a sound pressure sensor, and / or a camera; preferably, the drive control system includes a host computer, a sound wave signal generator, and a sound wave drive unit; the host computer sends the vibration parameters to the sound wave signal generator, and the sound wave signal generator drives the speaker to vibrate through the sound wave drive unit; the monitoring and feedback system feeds back the vibration data to the host computer; preferably, the sound wave signal generator is a programmable audio signal generator; and the sound wave drive unit is a power amplifier.

[0008] The aforementioned powder compaction device further includes a vibration-absorbing substrate; the powder to be compacted is placed between the vibration actuator and the vibration-absorbing substrate; the vibration-absorbing substrate is a mesh porous structure or a composite sound-absorbing structure; preferably, the vibration-absorbing substrate is made by 3D printing.

[0009] The advantages of this utility model are:

[0010] This invention provides a powder compaction device, including a vibration actuator, a drive control system, and a monitoring and feedback system. The vibration actuator faces the powder to be compacted and provides vibration processing to the powder. The monitoring and feedback system monitors the compaction test process of the powder in real time and generates compaction data, feeding the compaction data back to the drive control system. The drive control system is connected to the vibration actuator and provides compaction parameters to the vibration actuator. This invention utilizes a sound wave to compact powder, especially a scheme based on monitoring and feedback of the compaction process to dynamically change the compaction parameters of the emitted sound waves. This effectively solves the problem of loose, uneven, and non-contact powder spreading in traditional doctor blade powder spreading or non-contact powder spreading methods in metal powder 3D printing. It improves printing quality based on compacted powder, and features non-contact, high precision, and high efficiency. It can be widely used in additive manufacturing, powder metallurgy, and related fields. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the powder compaction device used in this utility model;

[0012] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the usage status of the powder compaction device used in this utility model;

[0013] in:

[0014] 1-Speaker; 2-Sound waveguide; 3-Vibration-absorbing substrate; 4-Drive control system; 5-Monitoring and feedback system. Detailed Implementation

[0015] Referring to Figure 1, this utility model also provides a powder compaction device, including a vibration actuator, a drive control system 4, and a monitoring and feedback system 5; the vibration actuator faces the powder to be compacted and provides vibration processing to the powder to be compacted; the monitoring and feedback system 5 is used to monitor the compaction test process of the powder to be compacted in real time and generate compaction data, and feeds the compaction data back to the drive control system 4; the drive control system 4 is connected to the vibration actuator and provides compaction parameters to the vibration actuator.

[0016] For example, sound waves are used as the vibration waves. The powder compaction device provided by this utility model will be described in detail below:

[0017] Referring to Figure 1, the function of the vibration actuator is to generate the required sound wave energy and directionally transmit it to the working area. It includes a loudspeaker 1 and a sound wave guiding device 2 connected to the loudspeaker 1. For example, one or more loudspeakers 1 can be selected depending on the size of the working area. When there are multiple loudspeakers 1, they are multiple high-frequency loudspeaker units and / or multiple low-frequency loudspeaker units. For example, the loudspeakers can be set in a coaxial manner (high-frequency and low-frequency loudspeaker units are mounted on the same axis) or separately (high-frequency and low-frequency loudspeaker units are installed separately) depending on the size of the forming chamber space, outputting wideband sound waves and generating controllable sound wave vibration. Simultaneously, it is equipped with independent low-frequency and high-frequency drive units, maintaining a certain distance between the loudspeaker and the powder to be compacted, achieving non-contact compaction of the powder layer. Depending on the specific working conditions, these loudspeakers are interchangeable, combinable, and can be arranged in a planar array, simultaneously covering both low-frequency and high-frequency ranges to meet the compaction requirements of powders with different particle sizes. The main function of the acoustic wave guiding device 2 is to focus acoustic waves and control the acoustic field. It is used to focus acoustic wave energy, optimize the sound pressure distribution of powder under different working conditions, concentrate acoustic wave energy in the uncompacted area of ​​powder, and ensure that the compaction energy in the powder area is concentrated. Its form can be an acoustic lens, waveguide, phase array and / or acoustic interference array.

[0018] Referring to Figure 2, the arrangement of the acoustic actuator in the forming chamber is shown in two main ways: Method 1, fixed to the four sides of the inner wall of the forming chamber (e.g., arranged on both sides of the top of the forming chamber); Method 2, fixed to one or both sides of the powder spreading frame (scraper frame or non-contact powder spreading frame) (e.g., arranged on one side of a non-contact vibrating powder spreading frame). For example, in Method 1 (as shown in Figure 2), the loudspeaker fixed to the four sides of the inner wall of the forming chamber controls the sound field by adjusting the loudspeaker power and angle; in Method 2 (as shown in Figure 2), the loudspeaker fixed to the powder spreading frame controls the sound field by adjusting the loudspeaker power and the powder spreading frame. A waveguide structure is added to the front of the loudspeaker, such as an acoustic lens for high-frequency loudspeakers and a waveguide for low-frequency loudspeakers; coaxial loudspeakers can use phase arrays, acoustic interference arrays, etc., for waveguided sound.

[0019] The monitoring and feedback system 5 has powder condition monitoring and density detection functions, and is equipped with sensors. Commonly used sensors may include laser sensors, volume measuring instruments, compression strain gauges, accelerometers, sound pressure sensors, and / or cameras. For example, laser sensors, volume measuring instruments, or compression strain gauges are used to monitor the density changes of the powder layer in real time; accelerometers can be used to detect the tapping frequency and amplitude on the powder container surface to avoid sound wave reflection interference or resonance problems; sound pressure sensors can be used to measure the sound pressure distribution on the powder surface area to ensure uniform sound wave energy coverage of the target area; high-speed cameras can be used to monitor the powder tapping process, and image processing algorithms can be used to analyze the particle motion state (such as splashing, settling uniformity, etc.). Based on the real-time monitoring of the tapping effect, operating parameters are optimized to improve the control strategy and enhance the quality of the tapped powder layer.

[0020] The drive control system 4 includes a host computer, a sound wave signal generator, and a sound wave drive unit; the host computer sends the vibration parameters to the sound wave signal generator, and the sound wave signal generator drives the speaker 1 to vibrate through the sound wave drive unit; the monitoring and feedback system 5 feeds back the vibration data to the host computer; the sound wave signal generator is a programmable audio signal generator; the sound wave drive unit is a power amplifier used to provide frequency and amplitude adjustable signal input.

[0021] Referring to Figure 1, the powder compaction device used in this utility model also includes a vibration-absorbing substrate 3; the powder to be compacted is placed between the vibration actuator and the vibration-absorbing substrate 3, which has the function of absorbing sound waves and is mainly used to avoid the interference of sound wave reflection on the compaction effect; the vibration-absorbing substrate 3 is a mesh porous structure or a composite sound-absorbing structure; for example, the vibration-absorbing substrate 3 is completed by 3D printing.

Claims

1. A powder tamping device, characterized by: The powder compaction device includes a vibration actuator, a drive control system (4), and a monitoring and feedback system (5); the vibration actuator faces the powder to be compacted; the monitoring and feedback system (5) is connected to the vibration actuator through the drive control system (4).

2. The powder compaction device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vibration actuator includes a loudspeaker (1) and a sound wave guide device (2) connected to the loudspeaker (1); the drive control system (4) is connected to the loudspeaker (1).

3. The powder compaction device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The loudspeaker (1) is one or more, and when there are multiple loudspeakers (1), the multiple loudspeakers (1) are multiple high-frequency loudspeaker units and / or multiple low-frequency loudspeaker units.

4. The powder compaction device according to claim 3, characterized in that: When there are multiple loudspeakers (1), the multiple loudspeakers (1) are arranged in a coaxial manner or in a separate manner.

5. The powder compaction device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The acoustic waveguide device (2) is an acoustic lens, waveguide, phase array and / or acoustic interference array.

6. The powder compaction device according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that: The monitoring and feedback system (5) is a laser sensor, a volume measuring instrument, a compression strain gauge, an acceleration sensor, a sound pressure sensor and / or a camera.

7. The powder compaction device according to claim 6, characterized in that: The drive control system (4) includes a host computer, a sound wave signal generator, and a sound wave drive unit; the host computer is connected to the sound wave signal generator, and the sound wave signal generator is connected to the vibration actuator through the sound wave drive unit; the monitoring and feedback system (5) is connected to the host computer.

8. The powder compaction device according to claim 7, characterized in that: The acoustic signal generator is a programmable audio signal generator; the acoustic drive unit is a power amplifier.

9. The powder compaction device according to claim 8, characterized in that: The powder compaction device also includes a vibration-absorbing substrate (3); the powder to be compacted is placed between the vibration actuator and the vibration-absorbing substrate (3); the vibration-absorbing substrate (3) is a mesh porous structure or a composite sound-absorbing structure.

10. The powder tamping device of claim 9, wherein: The vibration-absorbing substrate (3) is made by 3D printing.

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