3D printing head with a shaping function

Abstract

This utility model relates to the field of additive manufacturing technology, specifically providing a 3D printing head with molding function. The printing head includes a body and a molding gate. During the printing process, the body adheres to the printing substrate and passes through the material outlet on the side opposite to the direction of movement. The molding gate is connected to the material outlet side of the body. By rotating, translating, or adjusting the molding gate to different shapes, the shape of the printing material extruded from the material outlet can be controlled to meet the printing needs of products with different external contours. This utility model overcomes the step effect of traditional additive printing by controlling the cross-sectional shape of the extruded printing material. It effectively improves the surface smoothness of the printed product, making it closer to the design contour, and by controlling the shape of the printing material, it can effectively suppress porosity problems and improve the mechanical properties of the printed product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of additive manufacturing technology, and in particular relates to a 3D printing head with molding function. Background Technology

[0002] Existing additive manufacturing methods for printing 3D structures typically divide the structure into multiple thin planar layers. The bottom layer is printed first, and then other layers are stacked on top of each other until the structure is complete. Each planar layer is composed of densely packed material "wires," which are the basic building blocks of the additively manufactured product.

[0003] Depending on the characteristics of the materials being prepared, there are various existing processes for generating fine lines. For example, powder bed melting uses a laser to scan a powder bed, melting the powder along its path to form "fine lines." Another example is extrusion, which typically melts the material into a viscous paste, extruding it directly through a nozzle to create "fine lines." These "fine lines" are then stacked and arranged to achieve additive manufacturing, printing the desired three-dimensional structure. Existing processes have the following limitations: there is a lack of smooth transitions between the "fine lines," resulting in a stepped, uneven surface on the finished product; the shape of the "fine lines" cannot be precisely controlled, and gaps exist between them, easily forming pores; furthermore, the tightness of the connection between the "fine lines" is poor, severely affecting the strength and toughness of the product. Figure 1 As shown, when printing products, the existing layer-by-layer printing process inevitably results in a stepped appearance on the product surface, and the product outline is not ideal.

[0004] To solve the ladder problem, such as Figure 2 As shown, existing methods mainly reduce the height of a single deposition layer to suppress the unevenness of the stepped surface with more layers. Although reducing the height of a single deposition layer can make the product have an approximately curved profile, this will increase manufacturing time and cost, which does not meet the needs of large-scale production.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop a 3D printing device to solve the problem of the stepped effect on the surface of existing products. Utility Model Content

[0006] In view of this, the present invention aims to provide a 3D printing head with a forming function. By integrating a printing head with a forming function, the cross-sectional shape of the "fine line" can be directly controlled during the printing process. The "fine line" is the extruded printing material. This effectively solves the problems of step effect, porosity and insufficient mechanical properties in existing additive manufacturing. It significantly improves the smoothness of the surface of the printed product without increasing the number of printing layers.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution created by this utility model is implemented as follows: This invention provides a 3D printing head with molding function, comprising: The main body and the decorative door; The main body has a discharge channel. One end of the discharge channel is the inlet, and the other end is in contact with the printing substrate during the additive printing process. The discharge port is located on the side opposite to the direction of movement of the main body. The molding gate is connected to the discharge port side of the main body. The molding gate can move relative to the main body to control the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the discharge port.

[0008] Preferably, the decorative door is rotatably connected to the main body via a pivot, and the decorative door is fitted against the discharge port side of the main body.

[0009] Preferably, the main body has a sliding groove on one side of the discharge port, and the rotating shaft can move along the sliding groove.

[0010] Preferably, it also includes a motor, which is coaxially connected to the rotating shaft, and the shaping door is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. The motor is used to drive the shaping door to rotate.

[0011] Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the outlet can be changed by translating and / or rotating the molding gate.

[0012] Preferably, it includes a variety of different shaped molding gates, and changing the shape of the molding gate is used to change the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the outlet.

[0013] Preferably, the shape of the door has at least two sides with different outline shapes.

[0014] Preferably, multiple molding gates are rotatably connected to the main body via the same pivot. The multiple molding gates, through different amounts of translation and / or rotation, combine to constrain the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the outlet. Compared with the prior art, the present invention can achieve the following beneficial effects: This invention adds a molding gate as a printing baffle to the traditional 3D print head. By rotating, translating, or changing the molding gate, the shape of the 3D print head's outlet can be adjusted, allowing the cross-sectional shape of the printed material extruded from the outlet to switch between various geometric shapes such as rectangles, trapezoids, triangles, and curves. This meets the requirements for the "fine line" shape when printing different three-dimensional structures, thus supplementing the surface contour of the product. It effectively alleviates the step effect of traditional printing processes and significantly improves the surface flatness and smoothness of the printed product without increasing the number of printing layers, making it closer to the design contour. Furthermore, by controlling the shape of the "fine line," it can also reduce porosity and improve the mechanical properties of the printed product. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this invention, are used to provide a further understanding of this invention. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of this invention are used to explain this invention and do not constitute an undue limitation of this invention. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the stepped effect of the printed product described in the background art; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the suppression of the step effect by increasing the number of deposition layers as described in the background art; Figure 3 This is a conceptual diagram of suppressing the step effect according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of additive printing using a 3D printing head according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 This is an isometric view of the 3D printing head provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 This is a side view of a 3D printing head provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the tilt angle of the 3D printing head during the printing process according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 8 This is a structural schematic diagram of a specially shaped door provided according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the extruded trapezoidal printing material provided according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the trapezoidal printing material extruded during the printing process according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the extruded rectangular printing material provided according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 12 This is a cross-sectional view of the rectangular printing material being extruded during the printing process according to an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram of a printed curved surface provided according to an embodiment of the present utility model; Figure 14 This is a cross-sectional view of the extruded curved printing material during the printing process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] The reference numerals in the figures include: Body 1, Inlet 11, Outlet 12, Shaping door 2, Rotating shaft 3, Sliding groove 4, Printing line 5. Detailed Implementation

[0017] To make the purpose, technical solution, and advantages of this utility model clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this utility model and do not constitute a limitation thereof. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by associated similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of this utility model. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, some operations related to this utility model are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of this utility model with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0018] It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this utility model can be combined with each other to form various implementation methods. Furthermore, the steps or actions in the method description can be rearranged or adjusted in a manner readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders in the specification and drawings are merely for the clear description of a particular embodiment and do not imply a mandatory order, unless otherwise stated that a particular order must be followed.

[0019] In the description of this utility model, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," and "counterclockwise," etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship, are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing this utility model and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this utility model. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first," "second," etc., may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this utility model, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0020] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; 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; and they can refer to the internal connection of 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.

[0021] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] Please see Figure 1 and 2 As described in the background section, finished products printed using existing additive printing technology exhibit a severe stair-step effect, which cannot be overcome even by reducing the thickness of a single deposited layer and increasing the number of deposited layers. Therefore, this utility model proposes... Figure 3 As shown, printing material is used to fill the gaps between adjacent steps to suppress the step effect, making the outer surface of the printed product as close as possible to the design contour of the product. The gaps between adjacent steps may require printing material of various geometric shapes such as rectangles, trapezoids, triangles, and curves. Therefore, in one embodiment of this utility model, a method is provided as follows: Figure 4 and 5 The 3D printing head shown has a shaping function, which adjusts the shape of the extruded printing material, producing "fine lines" with different cross-sectional shapes during the printing process to improve the problems existing in the current 3D printing process. Specifically, the 3D printing head includes a body 1 and a shaping gate 2. The body 1 is the main structural part of the printing head, which is hollow and has an internal discharge channel. The cross-section of the discharge channel can be rectangular, circular, or other shapes, and different sections of the discharge channel can be designed to be spliced ​​with different cross-sections, or the inner diameter of the discharge channel can be gradually changed.

[0023] The upper opening of the ejection channel of body 1 is the feed port 11. During additive printing, the 3D print head is typically mounted on a printer bed. The printing material is pre-treated inside the printer bed and then injected into the ejection channel of body 1 through feed port 11 to achieve 3D printing. The lower opening of the ejection channel of body 1 needs to be in contact with the printing substrate during the printing process. This printing substrate can be a substrate plane during the printing process or pre-extruded printing material. Because the lower opening of the ejection channel is in contact with the printing substrate, most of the lower opening is closed with the printing substrate, except for the side opposite to the printing direction of body 1. This part is the ejection port 12, and the printing material is extruded from the ejection port 12 during the printing movement of the print head. See details for further information. Figure 6 In the diagram, the front side of the lower opening of the discharge channel of body 1 contacts and closes with the side of the stepped "fine lines" of the printing substrate. The rear and left sides are longer baffles, which also contact and close with the printing substrate. The left side, which moves in the opposite direction to the printing motion, is a shorter baffle. During printing, the printing material is extruded from this part, which is the discharge port 12. It should be noted that the baffle on the left side can be designed with an inclined angle, and the angle can be changed. On the one hand, this can control the flow direction of the printing material according to the physical properties of the printing material, and on the other hand, it can improve the compactness of the outflowing printing material and reduce the bubble rate.

[0024] During the printing process, the shape of the outlet 12 determines the cross-sectional shape of the extruded printing material, i.e., the cross-sectional shape of the printed lines 5. In traditional printing processes, the shape of the outlet 12 remains constant, and printing is achieved by stacking and arranging the extruded lines, resulting in a severe step effect on the outer surface of the printed product. To address this, this embodiment of the invention provides a molding gate 2 on the side of the body 1 near the inlet 11. The molding gate 2 is rotatably connected to the side wall of the body 1 above the outlet 12 via a pivot 3, and the molding gate 2 fits tightly against the body 1 to minimize the leakage of extruded printing material from the gap between the molding gate 2 and the side wall of the body 1. The molding gate 2 partially blocks the outlet 12, adjusting the cross-sectional shape of the extruded printing material to produce printed lines 5 of different shapes.

[0025] Since the molding gate 2 is connected to the main body 1 via the rotating shaft 3, the molding gate 2 can rotate relative to the main body 1, thereby adjusting the shape of the discharge port 12 and realizing the production of fine lines 5 in different shapes. To facilitate the rotation of the molding gate 2, this embodiment of the invention can also be equipped with a rotating drive component such as a motor, and the rotating shaft 3 and the molding gate 2 can be relatively fixed. The motor and the rotating shaft 3 are used to realize motion transmission. Specifically, the connection method can adopt a direct drive design with coaxial connection or a belt drive design, and the rotation and dwell angle of the molding gate 2 can be controlled by the motor.

[0026] To further improve the degree of freedom of adjustment of the shaping gate 2 and control the shape of the printed fine line 5, this embodiment of the invention provides a strip-shaped sliding groove 4 on the main body 1, and a rotating shaft 3 is disposed within the sliding groove 4. The rotating shaft 3 can be translated along the sliding groove 4, thereby driving the shaping gate 2 to translate. According to the printing requirements of the product to be printed, the printing fine line 5 can be further adjusted by translating and / or rotating the shaping gate 2.

[0027] As an optional embodiment, when printing material is injected into the discharge port 12, the printing material inside the 3D print head can be pressurized by an air pump or other methods to compress the printing material and improve the compactness of the printed product. For example... Figure 7 As shown, during the printing process, the 3D printing head adopts an inclined printing method, which keeps the 3D printing head and the printing substrate at a certain angle. The tilt angle can be adjusted according to the physical properties of the printing material. The tilt generates a component force to squeeze the printing material to the lower end of the 3D printing head, so that the printing material and the printing substrate are closely attached, reducing the probability of air bubbles being generated between the printing filaments 5 and improving the mechanical strength of the printed product.

[0028] As an optional embodiment, multiple shaped doors 2 with the same shape can be rotatably connected to the body 1 via the same pivot 3. Different shaped doors 2 can be translated in different amounts and rotated at different angles. By combining multiple shaped doors 2, the shape of the discharge port 12 can be restricted, thereby controlling the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the discharge port 12.

[0029] As an optional embodiment, at least two different shaped gates 2 can be rotatably connected to the body 1 via the same pivot 3. Different shaped gates 2 can be translated in different amounts and rotated at different angles. By combining multiple shaped gates 2, the shape of the discharge port 12 can be restricted, thereby controlling the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the discharge port 12.

[0030] During the printing process, the shape of the discharge port 12 can be changed by translating and / or rotating the molding gate 2, thereby adjusting the cross-sectional shape of the printed filament 5. Different shapes of molding gate 2 can also be designed, and the shape of the discharge port 12 can be changed by changing the molding gate 2, thereby extruding printing materials with different cross-sectional shapes from the discharge port 12.

[0031] The cross-sectional shape of the molding gate 2 relative to the extruded printing material mainly depends on one side of the closed shape formed by the molding gate 2 and the feed inlet 11; that is, one side of the molding gate 2 has a pushing and scraping effect on the printing material. Depending on the product printing requirements, this side can be either straight or curved. For example... Figure 8As shown, the edge of the molding door 2 that has a pushing and scraping effect on the printing material can be designed as a curve. Furthermore, the outlines of different edges of the molding door 2 can be designed as different shapes, and even the two segments of the same edge can be designed as different shapes. For example... Figure 8 The door 2 shown can be used on its left side to produce fine lines 5 with cross-sectional shapes such as triangles and trapezoids, and on its right side to produce fine lines 5 with cross-sectional shapes of fan shapes and outer edge contours of arcs.

[0032] like Figure 9 and Figure 10 As shown, the edge of the printing material being pushed and scraped is straight. By adjusting the rotation angle of the molding gate 2 and its position along the sliding groove 4, fine printing lines 5 with a trapezoidal or triangular cross-sectional shape can be extruded through the discharge port 12.

[0033] During the printing process, the shape of the fine lines 5 only needs to be adjusted when printing the outermost surface layer of the product. For internal printing, the following can be used: Figure 11 and Figure 12 The molding gate 2 is adjusted as shown, and rectangular printing lines 5 are extruded through the discharge port 12. The internal printing of the product is achieved by arranging the rectangular printing lines 5. In addition, if necessary, the molding gate 2 can be pushed along the sliding groove 4 to completely block the discharge port 12 and close it.

[0034] like Figure 13 and Figure 14 As shown, when printing products with curved outer surface contours, a shaping gate 2 with curved edges that has a pushing and scraping effect on the printing material is used. By translating and rotating the shaping gate 2, the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the outlet is made to be arc-shaped, which makes the printed product closer to the contour of the product design.

[0035] The printing process using the aforementioned 3D printing head is as follows: First, based on the outline of the printed product, select a print head equipped with a suitable shaped door 2, assemble and test the print head, and prepare and pre-process the printing material.

[0036] During the printing process, the shape of the discharge port 12 is adjusted according to the preset printing path for each layer of the product, and the molding gate 2, driven by the motor and in cooperation with the sliding groove 4, controls the cross-sectional shape of the extruded printing lines 5. As the print head moves along the preset printing path, the product is printed layer by layer. During the printing process, the movement trajectory of the print head, the material extrusion speed, and the position and angle of the molding gate are precisely controlled to ensure the accuracy of the cross-section of the printed lines 5 and to ensure a tight connection between the printed lines 5.

[0037] Depending on the physical properties of the printing material, additive printing can be performed using either continuous or intermittent printing methods. Specifically, when the printing material is a material without a definite melting point, such as thermoplastic, it can be quickly shaped after being extruded through the outlet 12. The print head can be continuously moved, and the printed lines 5 can be deposited in the correct positions. At the same time, printing material is continuously injected through the feed inlet 11. When the printing material is extruded from the feed inlet 11, the plastic material hardens rapidly.

[0038] When the printing material has a defined melting point, especially if it is highly fluid in its molten state, an intermittent printing method can be used, alternating between printing and pauses. During the printing of such materials, the temperature of the liquid printing material inside the print head should be higher than the material's melting point so that the molten material and the printing substrate can fuse together upon contact. In this process, the print head also acts as a casting mold, bonding the 3D printing head with the substrate. Printing material is quantitatively injected through the feed port 11, and the print head is moved a set distance at a time, injecting material. Once the liquid material gradually solidifies, the print head moves to the next position. This intermittent printing method is typically used for printing protruding support structures and repairing recessed areas.

[0039] In addition, the traditional non-shaped door 2 printhead can be modified according to the above printhead. The printhead is attached to the printing substrate, and a baffle is set at the outlet of the printhead. The baffle is the same as the design of the shaped door 2. The shaped door 2 is designed and adjusted according to the outline of the product to be printed. The shaped door 2 is used to block the outlet and change the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the outlet.

[0040] In summary, the above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this specification and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this specification. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this specification should be included within the scope of protection of this specification.

[0041] The systems, apparatuses, modules, or units described in one or more of the above embodiments may be implemented by a computer chip or entity, or by a product having a certain function. A typical implementation device is a computer. Specifically, a computer may be, for example, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a cellular phone, a camera phone, a smartphone, a personal digital assistant, a media player, a navigation device, an email device, a game console, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or any combination of these devices.

[0042] It should also be noted that the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element.

[0043] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. Each embodiment focuses on describing the differences from other embodiments. In particular, the system embodiments are basically similar to the method embodiments, so the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the descriptions in the method embodiments.

Claims

1. A 3D printing head with molding function, characterized in that, include: The main body and the decorative door; The main body has a discharge channel, one end of which is an inlet, and the other end is in contact with the printing substrate during the additive printing process. The discharge port is located on the side opposite to the direction of movement of the main body. The molding gate is connected to the discharge port side of the main body, and the molding gate can move relative to the main body to control the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the discharge port.

2. The 3D printing head with molding function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The shaped door is rotatably connected to the main body via a pivot, and the shaped door is fitted against the discharge port side of the main body.

3. The 3D printing head with molding function according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main body has a sliding groove on one side of the discharge port, and the rotating shaft can move along the sliding groove.

4. The 3D printing head with molding function according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a motor, which is coaxially connected to the rotating shaft, and the shaping door is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft. The motor is used to drive the shaping door to rotate.

5. The 3D printing head with molding function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the outlet can be changed by translating and / or rotating the molding gate.

6. The 3D printing head with molding function according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that, The device includes various shapes of the molding gate, and changing the shape of the molding gate is used to change the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the outlet.

7. The 3D printing head with molding function according to claim 1, characterized in that, The door design has at least two sides with different outline shapes.

8. The 3D printing head with molding function according to claim 1, characterized in that, Multiple shaping gates are rotatably connected to the main body via the same pivot. The multiple shaping gates, through different amounts of translation and / or rotation, constrain the cross-sectional shape of the printing material extruded from the discharge port.

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