A nozzle assembly and a 3D printer

Abstract

This utility model discloses a nozzle assembly and a 3D printer, including a nozzle holder and a nozzle. The nozzle holder is disposed in the motion mechanism of the 3D printer. The nozzle has a male end, an extrusion mechanism, and a hot end assembly. The male end is drivenly connected to the extrusion mechanism, which is used to extrude filament to the hot end assembly. The nozzle holder has a drive motor, a reduction mechanism, an elastic mechanism, and a female end. The drive motor is drivenly connected to the reduction mechanism, and the female end is also drivenly connected to the reduction mechanism. The elastic mechanism is disposed between the female end and the reduction mechanism. The female end can be elastically inserted into the male end, enabling a drive connection between the female and male ends, thus achieving the docking of the nozzle holder and the nozzle; or the female end can be separated from the male end, discontinuing the drive connection between the female and male ends, thus achieving the separation of the nozzle holder and the nozzle. The elastic mechanism provides a certain degree of elasticity and buffer space, improving the docking success rate and docking speed, making the docking smoother.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of 3D printing equipment, specifically relating to a nozzle assembly and a 3D printer. Background Technology

[0002] FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) 3D printers use high-temperature heating of the printhead to melt the printing material and deposit it onto the printing platform. When the molten printing material comes into contact with the printing platform, it cools and solidifies rapidly. The printhead then deposits the printing material layer by layer onto the printing platform along a pre-set printing path, thereby constructing a model with a three-dimensional structure.

[0003] To achieve multi-color printing, multiple printheads can be used to correspond to different colors. When a certain color is needed, the corresponding printhead enters the printing area to print, and the printhead is connected to the printhead via a printhead mount. However, how to make the connection between the printhead and the printhead mount smoother is an urgent problem to be solved in the existing technology. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above technical problems, this utility model provides a nozzle assembly and a 3D printer having the nozzle assembly, which enables smoother docking between the nozzle and the nozzle holder.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A nozzle assembly includes a nozzle holder and a nozzle, the nozzle holder being disposed on the motion mechanism of a 3D printer; the nozzle has a male end, an extrusion mechanism, and a hot end assembly, the male end being drively connected to the extrusion mechanism, the extrusion mechanism being used to extrude filament to the hot end assembly.

[0007] The nozzle base has a drive motor, a reduction mechanism, an elastic mechanism, and a female head. The drive motor is driven by the reduction mechanism, and the female head is driven by the reduction mechanism. The elastic mechanism is disposed between the female head and the reduction mechanism.

[0008] The female head can be elastically inserted into the male head, enabling a transmission connection between the female head and the male head, thus achieving the docking of the nozzle holder and the nozzle; or the female head can be separated from the male head, discontinuing the transmission connection between the female head and the male head, thus achieving the separation of the nozzle holder and the nozzle.

[0009] Preferably, the reduction mechanism is a planetary reduction mechanism, including planetary gears, a sun gear, and a planet carrier. The planetary gears are disposed on the planet carrier, the sun gear is disposed on the outer periphery of the planetary gears, the drive motor meshes with the planetary gears, the planetary gears mesh with the internal gear ring of the sun gear, a portion of the female head is located on the planet carrier and can rotate together with the planet carrier, and the remaining portion of the female head is located outside the planet carrier.

[0010] Preferably, the elastic mechanism includes a spring and a spring base. The spring base includes a limiting part, a large-diameter part, and a small-diameter part. The limiting part is connected to the large-diameter part, and the large-diameter part is connected to the small-diameter part. The limiting part is limited by the deceleration mechanism. The spring is sleeved on the outer periphery of the large-diameter part, and the female head is connected to the small-diameter part.

[0011] Preferably, the end of the planetary carrier furthest from the planetary gear is hollow and has a ring of limiting protrusions, which protrude in the direction of the planetary carrier axis; the limiting part is limited by the end of the limiting protrusions that is relatively far from the female head, one end of the spring abuts against the end of the limiting protrusions that is relatively close to the female head, and the other end abuts against the female head.

[0012] Preferably, one of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a positioning pin, and the other of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a corresponding pin hole. A spring pin is also provided in the pin hole, and the pin ball of the spring pin protrudes toward the pin hole to tighten the positioning pin.

[0013] Preferably, one of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a magnet, and the other of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a material that can be attracted by the magnet, so that the nozzle holder and the nozzle can be magnetically attracted when they are docked.

[0014] Preferably, the nozzle holder is provided with an electromagnet, and the nozzle is provided with an adsorption plate. When the nozzle holder and the nozzle are connected, the electromagnet is de-energized and becomes magnetic, and the nozzle holder and the nozzle can be magnetically attracted together. When the nozzle holder and the nozzle are separated, the electromagnet is energized and loses its magnetism, and the nozzle holder and the nozzle are separated.

[0015] Preferably, the nozzle holder is provided with a bearing assembly and a bearing housing. The bearing assembly is sleeved on the outer periphery of the planetary carrier, and the bearing housing fixes the bearing assembly and the planetary carrier. The female head passes through the through hole of the bearing housing.

[0016] Preferably, the nozzle holder is provided with a washer, which is disposed between the drive motor and the planetary gear.

[0017] Preferably, the male head protrudes from the rear cover of the nozzle and is positioned toward the female head of the nozzle holder, and when the male head is inserted into the female head, the male head is at least partially located within the nozzle holder.

[0018] Preferably, a 3D printer includes a motion mechanism and the aforementioned nozzle assembly, wherein the nozzle holder is disposed on the motion mechanism and the nozzle is disposed on the frame of the 3D printer.

[0019] Compared with existing technologies, this invention has the following advantages: When the female and male ends are joined, the elastic component provides a certain degree of elasticity. If the initial joining angle is incorrect when joining with the male end, it can compress and retract to readjust the joining position, providing buffer space, improving the success rate and speed of joining, and making the joining smoother. Furthermore, placing the elastic component at the female end solves the problem of limited expansion space and poor buffering effect of the elastic component when there is filament material in the extrusion mechanism, as is the case when the elastic component is placed at the male end. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the nozzle holder and nozzle in a separated state according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the nozzle holder and nozzle in a docking state according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of a nozzle holder according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a nozzle at one angle according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 5 The nozzle edge of one embodiment of this application Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of section AA shown;

[0025] Figure 6 This is a partial exploded view of the nozzle holder according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 7 for Figure 2 The diagram shows a cross-sectional view of the nozzle holder and nozzle in the docking state.

[0027] In the diagram, 100-nozzle assembly; 1-nozzle holder; 11-drive motor; 111-output gear; 12-reduction mechanism; 121-planetary gear; 22-sun gear; 1221-internal gear ring; 123-planet carrier; 1231-limiting protrusion; 13-elastic mechanism; 131-spring; 132-spring base; 1321-limiting part; 1322-large diameter part; 1323-small diameter part; 14- 15-Shell; 151-Positioning pin; 152-Electromagnet; 16-Base; 17-Bearing assembly; 18-Bearing seat; 19-Washer; 2-Nozzle; 21-Drive shaft; 211-Male head; 22-Extrusion mechanism; 221-Main feed roller; 23-Hot end assembly; 24-Front cover; 25-Rear cover; 251-Pin hole; 252-Mounting groove; 253-Spring pin; 26-Adsorption plate Detailed Implementation

[0028] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, not the entire structure.

[0029] In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "connected," "linked," and "fixed" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0030] In this invention, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, "above" or "below" the second feature can include direct contact between the first and second features, or contact between the first and second features through another feature between them. Furthermore, "above," "over," and "on top" of the second feature includes the first feature directly above or diagonally above the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a higher horizontal level than the second feature. "Below," "below," and "under" the second feature includes the first feature directly below or diagonally below the second feature, or simply indicates that the first feature is at a lower horizontal level than the second feature.

[0031] See Figures 1-7 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the nozzle assembly 100 of this utility model. A nozzle assembly 100 includes a nozzle holder 1 and a nozzle 2. The nozzle holder 1 is disposed on the motion mechanism of the 3D printer, which can be an X-axis, Y-axis, or Z-axis motion mechanism, etc. The nozzle 2 has a male head 211, an extrusion mechanism 22, and a hot end assembly 23. The male head 211 is drively connected to the extrusion mechanism 22, which is used to extrude filament to the hot end assembly 23. The nozzle 2 can be disposed on the 3D printer frame, and multiple nozzles can be configured to accommodate filaments of different colors / materials.

[0032] The nozzle holder 1 has a drive motor 11, a reduction mechanism 12, an elastic mechanism 13 and a female head 14. The drive motor 11 is connected to the reduction mechanism 12, and the female head 14 is connected to the reduction mechanism 12. The elastic mechanism 13 is disposed between the female head 14 and the reduction mechanism 12 to provide a certain elastic force.

[0033] The female head 14 can be elastically inserted into the male head 211 to enable the transmission connection between the female head 14 and the male head 211, thereby realizing the power docking between the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2; or the female head 14 can be separated from the male head 211 to disconnect the transmission connection between the female head 14 and the male head 211, thereby realizing the power separation between the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2.

[0034] The structure of nozzle holder 1 and nozzle 2 will be further explained below.

[0035] The nozzle holder 1 includes a housing 15 and a base 16, which are fastened together to form an accommodating space. A drive motor 11, a reduction mechanism 12, an elastic mechanism 13, and a female head 14 are disposed within this accommodating space. The drive motor 11 has an output gear 111. The reduction mechanism 12 is a planetary reduction mechanism, including planetary gears 121, a sun gear 122, and a planet carrier 123. The number of planetary gears 121 can be multiple; in this embodiment, there are three. The three planetary gears 121 are disposed on the planet carrier 123. The sun gear 122 is disposed on the outer periphery of the planetary gears 121 and has an internal gear ring 1221. The output gear 111 is located in the middle of the planetary gears 121 and meshes with the internal teeth of the planetary gears 121. The external teeth of the planetary gears 121 mesh with the internal gear ring 1221 of the sun gear 122. Since gears rotate in a circumferential direction, the internal teeth and external teeth of planetary gear 121 are opposite each other. When the internal teeth rotate to the outside, they become external teeth, and when the external teeth rotate to the inside, they become internal teeth. The planetary reduction mechanism can reduce the rotational speed and increase the torque.

[0036] The elastic mechanism 13 includes a spring 131 and a spring base 132. The end of the planet carrier 123 furthest from the planet gears is hollow and has a retaining protrusion 1231 protruding in the direction of the axis of the planet carrier 123. The spring base 132 has a retaining portion 1321 and a cylindrical portion. The cylindrical portion includes a large-diameter portion 1322 and a small-diameter portion 1323. The retaining portion 1322 is connected to the large-diameter portion 1322, and the large-diameter portion 1322 is connected to the small-diameter portion 1323. The spring base 132 is installed inside the planet carrier 123. Specifically, the cylindrical portion passes through the retaining protrusion 1231, and the retaining portion 1321 is limited by the retaining protrusion 1231 at the end furthest from the female head 14. One end of the female head 14 is located inside the planet carrier 123 and fits around the outer periphery of the small-diameter portion 1323. The other end of the female head 14 is located outside the planet carrier 123. Spring 131 is fitted around the outer periphery of the large-diameter portion 1322. One end of spring 131 abuts against the end of the limiting protrusion 1231 that is closer to the female head 14, and the other end abuts against the female head 14. A through hole is provided on the side of the housing 15 that is closer to the nozzle 2, and the female head 14 is located in the through hole.

[0037] When the female connector 14 and male connector 211 are joined, the spring 131 provides a certain degree of elasticity. If there is an issue with the initial joining angle when joining with the male connector 211, the spring 131 can compress and retract to readjust the joining position, providing buffer space and improving the success rate and speed of joining. Furthermore, placing the spring 131 at the female connector 14 end instead of at the male connector 211 end with the extrusion mechanism 22 solves the problem of limited extension space and poor buffering effect of the spring 131 when there is filament material inside the extrusion mechanism 22 if the spring 131 is placed at the male connector 211 end.

[0038] Furthermore, to reduce friction, the nozzle holder 1 is provided with a bearing assembly 17 and a bearing housing 18. The bearing assembly 17 is sleeved on the outer periphery of the planetary carrier 123, and the bearing housing 18 fixes the bearing assembly 17 and the planetary carrier 123. The female head 14 passes through the through hole of the bearing housing 18. Further, the nozzle holder 1 is provided with a washer 19, which is positioned between the drive motor 11 and the planetary gear 121.

[0039] When the drive motor 11 is working, the output gear 111 drives the planetary gear 121 to rotate, and the planetary gear 121 drives the planetary carrier 123 to rotate. The female head 14 is partially fitted inside the planetary carrier 123 and can rotate circumferentially with the planetary carrier 123. The female head 14 can also slide a certain distance along the axial direction of the planetary carrier 123 under the action of the spring 131.

[0040] The shape of the female head 14 is not limited, as long as it can complement the male head 211 and achieve mating. In this embodiment, the female head 14 presents a concave plum blossom key, and the male head 211 provided on the nozzle 2 presents a protruding plum blossom structure. The plum blossom key and the plum blossom structure are inserted and mated to transmit the power of the drive motor 11 to the extrusion mechanism 22 through the male head 211.

[0041] The nozzle 2 includes a front cover 24 and a rear cover 25, which are fastened together to form a receiving space. The rear cover 25 is positioned closer to the nozzle holder 1 than the front cover 24. The nozzle 2 includes a drive shaft 21, one end of which has a protruding quincunx structure, i.e., a male head 211. This quincunx structure is located outside the receiving space, protruding from the rear cover 25 and facing the female head 14 of the nozzle holder 1, while the remaining portion of the drive shaft 21 is located within the receiving space. When the male head 211 is inserted into the female head 14, the male head 211 is at least partially located within the nozzle holder 1. It is understood that the female head 14 may also protrude from the housing 15, while the male head 211 is located within the nozzle 2, and when the male head 211 is inserted into the female head 14, the female head 14 is located within the nozzle 2.

[0042] The hot-end assembly 23 and the extrusion mechanism 22 are standard components of fused deposition modeling (FDM) printers, and their functional structures will not be described in detail here. The active filament feed roller 221 of the extrusion mechanism 22 is located on the outer periphery of the shaft body of the drive shaft 21 (without a quincunx structure) and rotates coaxially with the drive shaft 21. The filament is extruded downwards from the gap between the active filament feed roller 221 and the passive filament feed roller (not shown in the figure), enters the hot-end assembly 23, and is extruded onto the printing platform (not shown in the figure) of the 3D printer to build up 3D objects layer by layer.

[0043] Furthermore, to achieve quick insertion and positioning of the male connector 211 and the female connector 14, the nozzle assembly 100 is also provided with a first positioning mechanism. The first positioning mechanism includes a positioning pin 151 and a corresponding pin hole 251. The positioning pin 151 is located on the outside of the housing 15 of the nozzle holder 1 near the nozzle 2 side, and the positioning pin 151 protrudes outward. The number and position of the positioning pin 151 are not limited. In this embodiment, there are two positioning pins 151, located at the upper and lower ends of the nozzle holder 1, respectively. The pin hole 251 is located on the rear cover 25 of the nozzle 2, and the position and number of the pin hole 251 correspond to the positioning pin 151. When the nozzle holder 1 mates with the nozzle 2, the positioning pin 151 of the nozzle holder 1 can be quickly inserted into the pin hole 251 of the nozzle 2, achieving further rapid positioning. The nozzle 2 is also provided with a mounting groove 252, which communicates with the pin hole 251. A spring pin 253 is installed in the mounting groove 252, and the pin ball of the spring pin 253 protrudes towards the pin hole 251 to tighten the positioning pin 151. It is understood that the positions of the positioning pin 151 and the pin hole 251 can be interchanged in this embodiment. For example, a pin hole 251 can be provided in the nozzle holder 1, and a positioning pin 151 can be provided in the nozzle 2, which can also achieve the effect of this application and should be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

[0044] Furthermore, to strengthen the connection between the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2, one of the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2 is equipped with a magnet, or more specifically, an electromagnet 152. The other of the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2 is equipped with a material that can be attracted by the magnet. When the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2 are connected, the electromagnet 152 is de-energized and becomes magnetic, allowing the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2 to be magnetically attracted together. When the nozzle holder 1 and the nozzle 2 are separated, the electromagnet 152 is energized and loses its magnetism, allowing the nozzle holder to separate from the nozzle. In this embodiment, the nozzle holder 1 is equipped with an electromagnet 152, and the nozzle 2 is equipped with an adsorption iron plate 26. As other embodiments, the nozzle holder 1 may be equipped with an adsorption iron plate 26, and the nozzle 2 may be equipped with an electromagnet 152, which can also achieve the effects of this application and should be considered within the scope of protection of this application.

[0045] The aforementioned nozzle assembly, by placing the drive motor 11 on the nozzle holder 1, allows a 3D printer with multiple nozzles to share a single set of electrical components. This eliminates the need to set separate drive mechanisms for the extrusion mechanisms on each nozzle 2, saving costs and reducing the space and weight occupied by each nozzle. When a nozzle of a certain color / material is needed, the nozzle holder 1 can be moved to the front of the corresponding nozzle 2 and docked to pick up the nozzle of that color / material for printing, thus improving printing efficiency.

[0046] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this utility model. The scope of protection of this utility model is defined by the scope of the claims. Any improvements and modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model should also be considered as protection within the scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A nozzle assembly, comprising a nozzle holder and a nozzle, the nozzle holder being disposed on the motion mechanism of a 3D printer; the nozzle having a male end, an extrusion mechanism, and a hot end assembly, the male end being drively connected to the extrusion mechanism, the extrusion mechanism being used to extrude filament to the hot end assembly, characterized in that: The nozzle base has a drive motor, a reduction mechanism, an elastic mechanism, and a female head. The drive motor is driven by the reduction mechanism, and the female head is driven by the reduction mechanism. The elastic mechanism is disposed between the female head and the reduction mechanism. The female head can be elastically inserted into the male head, enabling a transmission connection between the female head and the male head, thus achieving the docking of the nozzle holder and the nozzle; or the female head can be separated from the male head, discontinuing the transmission connection between the female head and the male head, thus achieving the separation of the nozzle holder and the nozzle.

2. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein: The reduction mechanism is a planetary reduction mechanism, including planetary gears, a sun gear, and a planet carrier. The planetary gears are disposed on the planet carrier, and the sun gear is disposed on the outer periphery of the planetary gears. The drive motor meshes with the planetary gears, and the planetary gears mesh with the internal gear ring of the sun gear. A portion of the female head is located on the planet carrier and can rotate together with the planet carrier, while the remaining portion of the female head is located outside the planet carrier.

3. The showerhead assembly of claim 2, wherein: The elastic mechanism includes a spring and a spring base. The spring base includes a limiting part, a large-diameter part, and a small-diameter part. The limiting part is connected to the large-diameter part, and the large-diameter part is connected to the small-diameter part. The limiting part is limited by the deceleration mechanism. The spring is sleeved on the outer periphery of the large-diameter part, and the female head is connected to the small-diameter part.

4. The showerhead assembly of claim 3, wherein: The end of the planetary carrier furthest from the planetary gear is hollow and has a ring of limiting protrusions. The limiting protrusions protrude in the direction of the planetary carrier axis. The limiting part is limited by the end of the limiting protrusion that is relatively far from the female head. One end of the spring abuts against the end of the limiting protrusion that is relatively close to the female head, and the other end abuts against the female head.

5. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein: One of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a positioning pin, and the other of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a corresponding pin hole. A spring pin is also provided in the pin hole, and the pin ball of the spring pin protrudes towards the pin hole to tighten the positioning pin.

6. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein: One of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a magnet, and the other of the nozzle holder and the nozzle is provided with a material that can be attracted by the magnet. When the nozzle holder and the nozzle are docked, they can be magnetically attracted together.

7. The showerhead assembly of claim 6, wherein: The nozzle holder is equipped with an electromagnet, and the nozzle is equipped with an adsorption plate. When the nozzle holder and the nozzle are connected, the electromagnet is de-energized and becomes magnetic, and the nozzle holder and the nozzle can be magnetically attracted together. When the nozzle holder and the nozzle are separated, the electromagnet is energized and loses its magnetism, and the nozzle holder and the nozzle are separated.

8. The showerhead assembly of claim 2, wherein: The nozzle holder is provided with a bearing assembly and a bearing housing. The bearing assembly is sleeved on the outer periphery of the planetary carrier, and the bearing housing fixes the bearing assembly and the planetary carrier. The female head passes through the through hole of the bearing housing.

9. The showerhead assembly of claim 2, wherein: The nozzle holder is provided with a washer, which is disposed between the drive motor and the planetary gear.

10. The showerhead assembly of claim 1, wherein: The male head protrudes from the rear cover of the nozzle and is positioned toward the female head of the nozzle holder. When the male head is inserted into the female head, the male head is at least partially located within the nozzle holder.

11. A 3D printer, characterized in that: It includes a motion mechanism and a nozzle assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the nozzle holder is disposed on the motion mechanism and the nozzle is disposed on the frame of the 3D printer.

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