3D printing equipment utilizing line laser or surface laser for scanning

Abstract

The utility model discloses 3D printing equipment utilizing line laser or surface laser for scanning. The 3D printing equipment comprises a sealing cavity, a laser emission head, a light path adjusting box, a forming electric cylinder, a powder supply electric cylinder and a powder laying scraping strip. A powder supply cavity and a forming cavity are formed in the sealing cavity; the laser emission head emits line laser or surface laser; a light inlet of the light path adjusting box is connected with the transmitting end of the laser transmitting head, and a light outlet of the light path adjusting box extends into the sealing cavity and corresponds to the forming cavity. The forming electric cylinder is located below the exterior of the forming cavity, and a forming piston plate is arranged at the moving end of the forming electric cylinder and arranged in the forming cavity. The powder supply electric cylinder is located below the exterior of the powder supply cavity, and a powder supply piston plate is arranged at the movable end of the powder supply electric cylinder and arranged in the powder supply cavity. And the powder spreading scraping strip is arranged at the tops of the powder supply cavity and the forming cavity. According to the 3D printing equipment, the printing time can be shortened, and the printing efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and more specifically to a 3D printing device that utilizes line laser or surface laser scanning. Background Technology

[0002] With technological advancements and supportive national policies, 3D printing technology has been widely applied in fields such as industrial manufacturing, aerospace, and medicine. Existing industrial 3D printing equipment is mainly built based on several process methods, including SLM (Selective Laser Melting), SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), and 3DP (3D Printing Rapid Prototyping).

[0003] Existing SLM and SLS technologies mainly use point laser scanning for printing. However, the laser spot size of point laser scanning is small. When printing large-format paper, it is necessary to scan the entire forming plane point by point. It takes a long time to complete the printing of one layer, resulting in low printing efficiency.

[0004] Therefore, developing a 3D printing device that utilizes line laser or surface laser scanning to shorten printing time and improve printing efficiency is a problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of this, the present invention provides a 3D printing device that utilizes line laser or surface laser scanning, which can shorten printing time and improve printing efficiency.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A 3D printing device utilizing line laser or area laser scanning, comprising:

[0008] A sealed cavity, wherein a powder supply cavity and a forming cavity are provided inside the sealed cavity;

[0009] A laser emitting head is disposed outside the sealed cavity, and the laser emitting head emits line laser or area laser;

[0010] An optical path adjustment box, wherein the light inlet of the optical path adjustment box is connected to the emitting end of the laser emitting head, and the light outlet of the optical path adjustment box extends into the sealed cavity and corresponds to the forming cavity;

[0011] A molding electric cylinder is located below the outside of the molding cavity, and a molding piston plate is provided at the moving end of the molding electric cylinder, which is placed inside the molding cavity.

[0012] A powder supply cylinder is located below the outside of the powder supply chamber. The moving end of the powder supply cylinder is provided with a powder supply piston plate, which is placed inside the powder supply chamber.

[0013] A powder spreading scraper is disposed at the top of the powder supply cavity and the forming cavity, and the powder spreading scraper moves back and forth along the top of the powder supply cavity and the forming cavity within the sealed cavity.

[0014] The beneficial effects of adopting the above technical solution are that the line laser or surface laser scanning method used in this utility model covers an area that is dozens of times larger than that of a dot spot, greatly shortening the printing time, and significantly improving efficiency, especially in large-format printing.

[0015] Preferably, a powder spreading moving component is provided inside the sealed cavity. The powder spreading moving component is connected to the powder spreading scraper and drives the powder spreading scraper to move. The powder spreading moving component can drive the powder spreading scraper to move, realizing an automatic powder spreading process.

[0016] Preferably, the powder spreading moving assembly includes: a support plate, a powder spreading frame, a motor, and a transmission belt; the support plate is disposed inside the sealed cavity, and a slide rail is provided on the surface of the support plate, and the powder spreading frame is slidably connected to the slide rail; the output end of the motor is connected to the transmission belt, and the support plate is connected to the transmission belt and moves with the transmission belt; the powder spreading scraper is disposed at the bottom of the powder spreading frame.

[0017] Preferably, a partition is provided between the powder spreading frame and the support plate. The surface of the partition has a groove, through which the powder spreading frame passes and connects to the drive belt and slide rail. The partition can separate the printing cavity and the transmission cavity, avoiding mutual interference.

[0018] Preferably, a powder collecting hopper is provided inside the sealed cavity. The top of the powder collecting hopper is flush with the top of the powder supply cavity and located at both ends of the powder spreading trajectory. The powder collecting hopper can collect excess powder during the powder spreading process, preventing powder from scattering and reducing waste; at the same time, it can keep the sealed cavity clean and reduce the impact of powder accumulation on equipment operation.

[0019] Preferably, a powder collection bottle is provided at the bottom of the powder collection hopper.

[0020] As can be seen from the above technical solution, compared with the prior art, this utility model discloses a 3D printing device that utilizes line laser or surface laser scanning, the advantages of which are:

[0021] (1) The 3D printing equipment in this utility model uses line laser and surface laser for scanning. The scanning area is significantly larger than that of point laser, which can greatly shorten the printing time.

[0022] (2) In this utility model, the powder in the powder supply chamber can be evenly spread on the forming chamber by moving the powder spreading scraper for printing; and the excess powder is moved into the powder collection hopper for recycling. Attached Figure Description

[0023] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0024] Figure 1 The attached figure is a schematic diagram of the printing device provided by this utility model;

[0025] Figure 2 The attached figure shows the invention provided by this utility model. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure in the right view;

[0026] Figure 3 The attached figure shows the invention provided by this utility model. Figure 2 Sectional view at point AA;

[0027] Figure 4 The attached figure shows the invention provided by this utility model. Figure 2 Sectional view at point BB;

[0028] Figure 5 The attached figure is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the printing device provided by this utility model from one angle;

[0029] Figure 6 The attached figure is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the printing device provided by this utility model from another angle;

[0030] Figure 7 The attached diagram is a comparison of the three types of lasers provided by this utility model: point, line, and surface.

[0031] 1-Sealed cavity;

[0032] 11-Powder supply chamber; 12-Forming chamber; 13-Powder collection hopper;

[0033] 2-Laser emitter; 3-Optical path adjustment box;

[0034] 4-Forming electric cylinder;

[0035] 41- Molded piston plate;

[0036] 5-Powder supply electric cylinder;

[0037] 51-Powder supply piston plate;

[0038] 6- Spread powder and scrape strips;

[0039] 7-Powder spreading moving component;

[0040] 71-Support plate; 72-Powder spreading rack; 73-Motor; 74-Drive belt; 75-Slide rail;

[0041] 8-Partition; 9-Powder collection bottle. Detailed Implementation

[0042] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0043] This utility model discloses a 3D printing device that utilizes line laser or area laser scanning, comprising:

[0044] The sealed cavity 1 has a powder supply cavity 11 and a molding cavity 12 inside it;

[0045] Laser emitter 2 is disposed outside the sealed cavity 1, and laser emitter 2 emits line laser or area laser;

[0046] The light path adjustment box 3 has its light inlet connected to the emitting end of the laser emitting head 2, and its light outlet extends into the sealed cavity 1 and corresponds to the forming cavity 12.

[0047] The molding cylinder 4 is located below the outside of the molding cavity 12. The moving end of the molding cylinder 4 is provided with a molding piston plate 41, which is placed inside the molding cavity 12.

[0048] The powder supply cylinder 5 is located below the outside of the powder supply chamber 11. The moving end of the powder supply cylinder 5 is provided with a powder supply piston plate 51, which is placed inside the powder supply chamber 11.

[0049] A powder-spreading scraper 6 is positioned at the top of the powder supply chamber 11 and the forming chamber 12, and reciprocates along the top of the powder supply chamber 11 and the forming chamber 12 within the sealed cavity 1. The optical path adjustment box 3 can adjust the laser emission angle, allowing the laser to be emitted onto the powder bed at a pre-programmed position.

[0050] To further optimize the above technical solution, for flammable and explosive powders, nitrogen or argon gas needs to be introduced into the sealed cavity 1 to provide inert protection for the sealed cavity 1.

[0051] To further optimize the above technical solution, a powder spreading moving component 7 is provided inside the sealed cavity 1. The powder spreading moving component 7 is connected to the powder spreading scraper 6 and drives the powder spreading scraper 6 to move.

[0052] To further optimize the above technical solution, the powder spreading moving assembly 7 includes: a support plate 71, a powder spreading frame 72, a motor 73, and a transmission belt 74. The support plate 71 is disposed inside the sealed cavity 1, and a slide rail 75 is provided on the surface of the support plate 71. The powder spreading frame 72 is slidably connected to the slide rail 75. The output end of the motor 73 is connected to the transmission belt 74, and the support plate 71 is also connected to the transmission belt 74 and moves with the transmission belt 74. The powder spreading scraper 6 is disposed at the bottom of the powder spreading frame 72. The movement of the transmission belt 74 can drive the powder spreading frame 72 to move, and the powder spreading frame 72 is slidably connected to the support plate 71 through the slide rail 75, which can improve the stability of the movement of the powder spreading frame 72, thereby ensuring that the powder spread by the powder spreading scraper 6 at the forming cavity 12 is more uniform.

[0053] To further optimize the above technical solution, a partition 8 is provided between the powder spreading frame 72 and the support plate 71. A sliding groove is provided on the surface of the partition 8, and the powder spreading frame 72 passes through the sliding groove to connect with the transmission belt 74 and the slide rail 75.

[0054] To further optimize the above technical solution, a powder collecting hopper 13 is provided inside the sealed cavity 1. The top of the powder collecting hopper 13 is flush with the top of the powder supply cavity 11 and is located at both ends of the powder spreading trajectory.

[0055] To further optimize the above technical solution, a powder collection bottle 9 is provided at the bottom of the powder collection hopper 13; two powder collection hoppers 13 and two powder collection bottles 9 are provided respectively.

[0056] Working principle:

[0057] When the equipment is working, the powder supply chamber 11 is filled with the required powder. The powder supply cylinder 5 drives the powder supply piston plate 51 to rise by one powder layer thickness. The powder spreading frame 72 moves from the powder supply chamber 11, and the powder is scraped onto the forming cylinder piston plate 41 by the powder spreading scraper 6 to form a powder bed. The laser emitting head 2 emits a line laser or a surface laser, which is controlled by the optical path adjustment box 3 and emitted from the light outlet. The laser light hits the powder bed, where it undergoes laser melting or laser sintering. After multiple emission scans, the laser prints the layer according to the graphic set in the software. The forming cylinder drives the forming cylinder piston plate 41 to descend by one powder layer thickness, and the powder supply cylinder piston plate 51 rises by one powder layer thickness. The powder spreading frame 72 then moves to begin spreading the next layer of powder for printing until printing is complete. Figure 7As shown, since the emitted light is linear or planar, it is much larger in planar size than point laser. Therefore, printing the same large format is much faster than point laser. Thus, the printing device of this invention greatly improves printing efficiency and reduces printing time in SLS and SLM applications.

[0058] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0059] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A 3D printing device utilizing line laser or area laser scanning, characterized in that, include: A sealed cavity, wherein a powder supply cavity and a forming cavity are provided inside the sealed cavity; A laser emitting head is disposed outside the sealed cavity, and the laser emitting head emits line laser or area laser; An optical path adjustment box, wherein the light inlet of the optical path adjustment box is connected to the emitting end of the laser emitting head, and the light outlet of the optical path adjustment box extends into the sealed cavity and corresponds to the forming cavity; A molding electric cylinder is located below the outside of the molding cavity, and a molding piston plate is provided at the moving end of the molding electric cylinder, which is placed inside the molding cavity. A powder supply cylinder is located below the outside of the powder supply chamber. The moving end of the powder supply cylinder is provided with a powder supply piston plate, which is placed inside the powder supply chamber. A powder spreading scraper is disposed at the top of the powder supply cavity and the forming cavity, and the powder spreading scraper moves back and forth along the top of the powder supply cavity and the forming cavity within the sealed cavity.

2. The 3D printing equipment using line laser or area laser scanning according to claim 1, characterized in that, A powder spreading moving component is provided inside the sealed cavity. The powder spreading moving component is connected to the powder spreading scraper and drives the powder spreading scraper to move.

3. A 3D printing device utilizing line laser or area laser scanning according to claim 2, characterized in that, The powder spreading moving assembly includes: a support plate, a powder spreading frame, a motor, and a transmission belt; the support plate is disposed inside the sealed cavity, and a slide rail is provided on the surface of the support plate, and the powder spreading frame is slidably connected to the slide rail; the output end of the motor is connected to the transmission belt, and the support plate is connected to the transmission belt and moves with the transmission belt; the powder spreading scraper is disposed at the bottom of the powder spreading frame.

4. A 3D printing device utilizing line laser or area laser scanning according to claim 3, characterized in that, A partition is provided between the powder spreading frame and the support plate. A groove is provided on the surface of the partition. The powder spreading frame passes through the groove and is connected to the transmission belt and the slide rail.

5. A 3D printing device utilizing line laser or area laser scanning according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sealed cavity is equipped with a powder collecting hopper, the top of which is flush with the top of the powder supply cavity and located at both ends of the powder spreading trajectory.

6. A 3D printing device utilizing line laser or area laser scanning according to claim 5, characterized in that, A powder collection bottle is provided at the bottom of the powder collection hopper.

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