A granular 3D printer with cavity temperature

Abstract

This utility model discloses a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control, including a printer body. A fan is located on one side of the printer body, and a hot and cold air system is located on the opposite side. A filter outlet is located above the hot and cold air system. A vacuum adsorption platform is located inside the printer body's cavity, and a liftable bracket is located above the vacuum adsorption platform. The bracket has an X-axis and a Y-axis, and a printer head is located on the X-axis. The printer head can reciprocate along the X-axis. When the four lead screws rotate synchronously, they drive the bracket to vertically rise and fall along the optical axis. This granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control can adjust the hot and cold air circulation according to the characteristics of the granular material, which helps cool the model and maintain the cavity temperature. In addition, the stable lifting of the bracket improves printing accuracy, and the accordion cloth further enhances the cavity heating efficiency, making it suitable for widespread use.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of 3D printer technology, and in particular to a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control. Background Technology

[0002] As an important branch of additive manufacturing, pellet 3D printers are gradually emerging in industries such as manufacturing, architecture, and art due to their unique working principle and material adaptability. Pellet raw materials cost only 30% of filament, and in specific fields, production efficiency can be increased by tens or even hundreds of times compared to filament machines. They can process high-hardness and high-brittleness materials that are difficult to handle with traditional filament machines, such as reinforced nylon with added glass fiber, plastic pellets mixed with metals, and ceramic-based materials.

[0003] Existing granular 3D printers on the market use materials with low melting stability, such as PLA, which leads to poor cooling of the printed model and severe screw wear. In addition, they cannot blow hot or cold air into the chamber according to the characteristics of the granular material. Furthermore, the granular consumables are not adequately protected during printing, and they easily absorb water, making the model difficult to remove, resulting in unsatisfactory performance. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to solve the above problems by providing a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control that can adjust the hot and cold air circulation according to the characteristics of the granular material, which helps to cool the model and ensure the cavity temperature. In addition, the stable lifting of the support can improve the printing accuracy, and the accordion cloth setting can also help improve the cavity heating efficiency.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this utility model is as follows: a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control, comprising a printer body, a fan on one side of the printer body, a hot and cold air system on the opposite side, a filter outlet above the hot and cold air system, a vacuum adsorption platform inside the printer body, a liftable bracket above the vacuum adsorption platform, an X-axis and a Y-axis on the bracket, a printer head on the X-axis, the printer head being able to reciprocate along the X-axis, and the X-axis being able to reciprocate along the Y-axis.

[0006] Preferably, the printer body is further provided with two optical shafts and four lead screws. The four lead screws are arranged through the four corners of the bracket, and the two optical shafts are arranged through the diagonal corners of the bracket. When the four lead screws rotate synchronously, they drive the bracket to rise and fall vertically along the optical shafts.

[0007] Preferably, each lead screw is provided with a synchronous pulley at its bottom end. Two adjacent synchronous pulleys on the same side are connected by a synchronous belt drive. The synchronous belt extends towards the vacuum adsorption platform through two steering wheels and is connected to the stepper motor drive. After the stepper motor runs, it drives the bracket to rise and fall through the lead screw.

[0008] Preferably, the printer head is mounted on the X-axis via a sliding base, and a first drag belt is provided on the inner side of the X-axis. The end of the first drag belt is fixedly connected to the sliding base, and the extension of the first drag belt causes the printer head to move along the X-axis.

[0009] Preferably, the two ends of the X-axis are mounted on the Y-axis, and the bracket is provided with a second drag belt. The end of the second drag belt is fixedly connected to the X-axis, and the extension of the second drag belt causes the X-axis to move on the Y-axis.

[0010] Preferably, the fan and the hot / cold air system are both in two sets and arranged opposite to each other.

[0011] Preferably, the hot and cold air system includes a sheet metal part, which is fixed to the side wall of the printer body. A crossflow fan is provided on one side of the sheet metal part, and a PTC air heater is provided on the other side.

[0012] Preferably, the bracket is provided with four sets of accordion cloths at the four corners. Each set of accordion cloths includes two pieces, an upper and a lower one. The top of the upper accordion cloth is connected to the inner top wall of the printer body, and the bottom is connected to the surface of the bracket. The top of the lower accordion cloth is connected to the bottom surface of the bracket, and the bottom is connected to the inner bottom wall of the printer body.

[0013] Preferably, the printer body is further provided with a sealed material hopper on its outer side, and the sealed material hopper is connected to the printer head through a conduit.

[0014] Preferably, the sealed hopper includes a top hopper cover, which is hinged to the sealed hopper via an adjustable damping hinge. The opening of the sealed hopper is provided with a sealing strip, and a handle is provided on the outside.

[0015] This utility model discloses a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control, comprising a printer body, a fan on one side of the printer body, and a hot and cold air system on the opposite side. A filter outlet is located above the hot and cold air system. A vacuum adsorption platform is located inside the printer body, and a liftable bracket is located above the vacuum adsorption platform. The bracket has an X-axis and a Y-axis, and a printer head is located on the X-axis. The printer head can reciprocate along the X-axis. When the four lead screws rotate synchronously, they drive the bracket to vertically rise and fall along the optical axis. Compared with the prior art, this granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control can adjust the hot and cold air circulation according to the characteristics of the granular material, which helps cool the model and maintain the cavity temperature. Furthermore, the stable lifting of the bracket improves printing accuracy, and the accordion cloth also helps improve the cavity heating efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the support structure in a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention. Figure 1 .

[0021] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the support structure in a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention. Figure 2 .

[0022] Figure 7 This utility model Figure 4 A magnified structural diagram of point A in the middle.

[0023] Figure 8 This utility model Figure 5 A magnified structural diagram at point B in the middle.

[0024] Figure 9 This utility model Figure 5 A magnified structural diagram at point C.

[0025] Figure 10 This utility model Figure 6 A magnified structural diagram at point D.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the hot and cold air system in a granular 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention.

[0027] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the sealed material hopper in a granular material 3D printer with cavity temperature according to the present invention.

[0028] In the diagram: 1. Printer body; 11. Fan; 12. Filter outlet; 2. Vacuum adsorption platform; 3. Bracket; 31. X-axis; 32. Y-axis; 33. Printer head; 34. First drag belt; 35. Drag belt groove; 36. Second drag belt; 4. Optical axis; 5. Lead screw; 51. Synchronous pulley; 52. Synchronous belt; 53. Steering wheel; 54. Stepper motor; 6. Accordion cloth; 7. Hot and cold air system; 71. Sheet metal parts; 72. Crossflow fan; 73. PTC air heater; 8. Sealed hopper; 81. Hopper cover; 82. Sealing strip; 83. Adjustable damping hinge; 84. Handle; 85. Tube. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are simplified schematic diagrams, illustrating only the basic structure of the present invention, and therefore only show the components relevant to the present invention.

[0030] Please refer to Figure 1-12 A granular 3D printer with cavity temperature control includes a printer body 1. A fan 11 is located on one side of the printer body 1, and a hot and cold air system 7 is located on the opposite side. A filter outlet 12 is located above the hot and cold air system 7. Four exhaust fans are located inside the filter outlet 12, and filter cotton is installed inside the filter outlet 12. The filter cotton is a large-sized 400*400*20 mm filter cotton composed of HEPA and activated carbon. During printing, the exhaust fans extract gas from the cavity to ensure that toxic gases or dust particles are filtered and discharged outside the cavity. A vacuum adsorption platform 2 is located inside the cavity of the printer body 1. A liftable bracket 3 is located above the vacuum adsorption platform 2. The bracket 3 has an X-axis 31 and a Y-axis 32. A printer head 33 is located on the X-axis 31 and can reciprocate along the X-axis 31. The X-axis 31 can also reciprocate along the Y-axis 32.

[0031] The printer body 1 is equipped with two optical shafts 4 and four lead screws 5. The four lead screws 5 are arranged through the four corners of the bracket 3, and the two optical shafts 4 are arranged through the diagonal corners of the bracket 3. When the four lead screws 5 rotate synchronously, they drive the bracket 3 to rise and fall vertically along the optical shafts 4. At the same time, each lead screw 5 has a synchronous pulley 51 at its bottom end. Two adjacent synchronous pulleys 51 on the same side are connected by a synchronous belt 52. The synchronous belt 52 extends towards the vacuum adsorption platform 2 through two steering wheels 53 and is connected to a stepper motor 54. After the stepper motor 54 runs, it drives the bracket 3 to rise and fall through the lead screws 5.

[0032] In this embodiment, the lead screw 5 is a ball screw, and the bracket is provided with a lead screw nut that mates with the ball screw.

[0033] In other words, the print head 33 can move laterally along the X-axis 31 and longitudinally along the X-axis 31 and Y-axis 32; when the stepper motor 54 is running, it can also raise and lower the bracket 3 vertically through the lead screw 5, so that the print head 33 can move in the X, Y and Z directions to achieve printing at different positions.

[0034] Specifically, the printer head 33 is mounted on the X-axis 31 via a sliding base. A first drag belt 34 is provided on the inner side of the X-axis 31. The end of the first drag belt 34 is fixedly connected to the sliding base. The extension of the first drag belt 34 causes the printer head 33 to move along the X-axis 31. The two ends of the X-axis 31 are mounted on the Y-axis 32. A second drag belt 36 is provided on the bracket 3. The end of the second drag belt 36 is fixedly connected to the X-axis 31. The extension of the second drag belt 36 causes the X-axis 31 to move on the Y-axis 32. Here, the Y-axis 32 can be understood as a guide rail.

[0035] The first tow belt 34 and the second tow belt 36 are both driven by stepper motors and reducers, which will not be elaborated on here.

[0036] In some embodiments, the fan 11 and the hot and cold air system 7 are both in two sets and arranged opposite to each other, wherein each set of fans includes two fans.

[0037] The hot and cold air system 7 includes a sheet metal part 71, which is fixed to the side wall of the printer body 1. A crossflow fan 72 is provided on one side of the sheet metal part 71, and a PTC air heater 73 is provided on the other side.

[0038] The purpose of fan 11 is twofold: firstly, to circulate the air blown out by the cross-flow fan 72 on the opposite side; and secondly, to cool the model.

[0039] The sheet metal part 71 is also equipped with a control circuit, which can independently control the working status (on and speed adjustment) of the crossflow fan 72 and the PTC air heater 73. The crossflow fan 72 is responsible for air supply, and the PTC air heater 73 is responsible for heat generation.

[0040] When printing materials that require cooling, such as PLA granules and carbon fiber granules, the circuit controls the crossflow fan 72 to work, the PTC air heater 73 to not work, and the four fans 11 on the left side of the cavity to work, forming an adjustable airflow of cold air. The fans 11, the crossflow fan 72 and the turbine fan on the print head together form the model cooling system, which greatly enhances the heat dissipation of the model, thereby producing a model with higher quality and better surface.

[0041] When printing consumables that require cavity temperature, such as ABS and nylon, the circuit controls the crossflow fan 72 and the PTC air heater 73 to work simultaneously. The air output by the crossflow fan 72 is heated by the PTC air heater 73 and blown into the cavity. The four fans 11 on the left side of the cavity work to make the hot airflow circulate inside the cavity, thereby achieving the effect of rising cavity temperature and uniform internal temperature distribution.

[0042] Furthermore, four sets of accordion cloths 6 are provided at the four corners of the bracket. Each set of accordion cloths 6 includes two pieces, upper and lower. The top of the upper accordion cloth 6 is connected to the inner top wall of the printer body 1, and the bottom is connected to the surface of the bracket 3. The top of the lower accordion cloth 6 is connected to the bottom surface of the bracket, and the bottom is connected to the inner bottom wall of the printer body 1.

[0043] In other words, eight accordion cloths 6 are fixed on the bracket 3. The accordion cloths not only enclose the transmission components such as the ball screw, screw nut, optical shaft, and linear bearings in the Z-axis direction, preventing dust from entering and affecting performance, but also insulate the internal heat of the cavity after the hot air system is turned on and the cavity temperature rises, preventing heat from entering the Z-axis motion system, reducing lubricant loss and aging of moving parts. Furthermore, it reduces the internal volume of the cavity, allowing the internal temperature to rise more quickly and resulting in greater energy savings.

[0044] As a preferred embodiment, the printer body 1 is also provided with a sealed material bin 8 on its outer side, and the sealed material bin 8 is connected to the printer head 1 through a conduit 85.

[0045] Specifically, the sealed hopper 8 includes a top hopper cover 81, which is hinged to the sealed hopper 8 via an adjustable damping hinge 83. The adjustable damping hinge 83 allows the hopper cover 81 to be suspended at any position. The opening of the sealed hopper 8 is provided with a sealing strip 82, and the entire hopper is sealed by the sealing strip. After sealing, it not only facilitates the blowing of material by the blower, but also prevents too much airflow from flowing into the hopper, so that the airflow is ultimately blown towards the printer head, achieving stable and fast automatic feeding. In addition, the sealed hopper can also prevent moisture in the air from entering the interior during printing, ensuring the dryness of the granules. A handle 83 is provided on the outside.

[0046] When in use, the dried granules are added to the sealed hopper 8. The granules are then sent to the printer head hopper via a pneumatic conveying system. After a period of use, when the granules are low, the detection switch is triggered, the program controls the solenoid valve to open, and then the granules are conveyed from the sealed hopper 8 to the printer head.

[0047] Based on the above embodiments, the vacuum adsorption platform 2 can also use heated vacuum adsorption + PEI film. During 3D printing, the PEI film is adsorbed onto the platform surface by a vacuum pump. After printing is completed, the vacuum pump is turned off, the model and PEI film are taken out together, and then the PEI film is peeled off the model, which is simple and quick.

[0048] Obviously, the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples for clear explanation and are not intended to limit the implementation. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other variations or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is neither necessary nor possible to exhaustively list all possible implementations here. However, obvious variations or modifications derived therefrom are still within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A granular material 3D printer with a chamber temperature, characterized by, The printer includes a printer body, a fan on one side of the printer body, a hot and cold air system on the opposite side, a filter air outlet above the hot and cold air system, a vacuum adsorption platform inside the printer body, a liftable bracket above the vacuum adsorption platform, an X-axis and a Y-axis on the bracket, a printer head on the X-axis that can reciprocate along the X-axis, and the X-axis that can reciprocate along the Y-axis.

2. The chambered granular 3D printer of claim 1, wherein, The printer body is also equipped with two optical shafts and four lead screws. The four lead screws are installed through the four corners of the bracket, and the two optical shafts are installed through the opposite corners of the bracket. When the four lead screws rotate synchronously, they drive the bracket to rise and fall vertically along the optical shafts.

3. The chambered granular 3D printer of claim 2, wherein, The bottom end of each lead screw is equipped with a synchronous pulley. Two adjacent synchronous pulleys on the same side are connected by a synchronous belt drive. The synchronous belt extends towards the vacuum adsorption platform through two steering wheels and is connected to the stepper motor drive. After the stepper motor runs, it drives the bracket to rise and fall through the lead screw.

4. The chambered granular 3D printer of any of claims 1-3, wherein, The printer head is mounted on the X-axis via a sliding base. A first drag belt is provided on the inner side of the X-axis. The end of the first drag belt is fixedly connected to the sliding base. The extension of the first drag belt causes the printer head to move along the X-axis.

5. The chambered granular 3D printer of claim 4, wherein, The two ends of the X-axis are mounted on the Y-axis. The bracket is provided with a second drag belt. The end of the second drag belt is fixedly connected to the X-axis. The extension of the second drag belt causes the X-axis to move on the Y-axis.

6. The chambered granular 3D printer of claim 1, wherein, Both the fan and the hot and cold air system are in pairs and are arranged opposite each other.

7. The chambered granular 3D printer of claim 6, wherein, The hot and cold air system includes sheet metal parts, which are fixed to the side wall of the printer body. A crossflow fan is provided on one side of the sheet metal parts, and a PTC air heater is provided on the other side.

8. The chambered granular 3D printer of claim 1, wherein, The bracket is also equipped with four sets of accordion cloths at its four corners. Each set of accordion cloths includes two pieces, an upper and a lower one. The top of the upper accordion cloth is connected to the inner top wall of the printer body, and the bottom is connected to the surface of the bracket. The top of the lower accordion cloth is connected to the bottom surface of the bracket, and the bottom is connected to the inner bottom wall of the printer body.

9. The chambered granular 3D printer of any of claims 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, wherein, The printer body is also equipped with a sealed material hopper on its outer side, which is connected to the printer head via a conduit.

10. The chambered granular 3D printer of claim 9, wherein, The sealed hopper includes a top hopper cover, which is hinged to the sealed hopper via an adjustable damping hinge. The opening of the sealed hopper is provided with a sealing strip, and a handle is provided on the outside.

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