A waste collection device

Abstract

This utility model discloses a waste collection device, relating to the field of 3D printing technology. The device includes a fixed base mounted on the housing of a 3D printer. A rotating shaft and a receiving bin are rotatably mounted on the fixed base. The receiving bin is connected to and rotates with the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to a rotation trigger mechanism, which can drive the rotating shaft to rotate and reset. The receiving bin includes a bin body and a receiving part, which are movably connected by a compression spring. The bin body has a discharge port. The printer housing has a stop block, and the receiving bin has a stop part; the two abut against each other during retraction. This device can automatically collect waste material ejected from the nozzle. After completion, the waste material is discharged from the discharge port through rotation reset and the stop block, eliminating the need for manual cleaning and improving printing efficiency and user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of 3D printing equipment technology, specifically a waste collection device. Background Technology

[0002] In 3D printing, residual filament (i.e., waste material) needs to be ejected through the nozzle during filament replacement or print preparation. Ejecting the previous type of filament during replacement prevents color mixing, and ejecting residual filament during print preparation allows for monitoring the print head's operational status. Currently, nozzles often eject waste material directly onto the printing platform, requiring manual cleaning before printing can continue, severely impacting printing efficiency and reducing user satisfaction. While existing technologies have proposed improvements to address this issue, shortcomings remain. Existing technology 1 (CN221775271U) uses a printhead to push a bump to trigger a waste removal device, but the bump is prone to getting stuck in the hanging arm, preventing the pusher plate from resetting, and the waste collection effect is poor, requiring additional processing. Existing technology 2 (CN217622206U) discharges waste through a hopper and linkage structure, but the device structure occupies a large amount of internal space in the printer, making it unsuitable for small 3D printers. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a solution with a stable structure, small footprint, and efficient automatic waste processing to improve the continuity of 3D printing and user experience. Utility Model Content

[0003] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a waste collection device to solve the defects in the existing technology, replace the traditional method of manually cleaning the waste of the printing platform, realize the automatic reception and discharge of waste ejected from the nozzle, and reduce manual intervention.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a waste collection device, comprising a fixed base mounted on the housing of a 3D printer, a rotating shaft and a receiving bin rotatably mounted on the fixed base, the receiving bin being connected to the rotating shaft and capable of rotating with the rotating shaft, the rotating shaft being connected to a rotation triggering mechanism, the rotation triggering mechanism driving the rotating shaft to rotate and reset, the receiving bin comprising a bin body and a receiving part, the receiving part being movably connected to the bin body via a compression spring, the bin body being provided with a discharge port; a stop block is provided on the housing of the 3D printer, and a stop part is provided on the receiving bin for abutting against the stop block when the receiving bin retracts.

[0005] To further optimize this utility model, the following technical solutions may be preferred: Preferably, the rotation triggering mechanism includes a sliding push rod slidably connected to the base. The sliding push rod is elastically connected to the base through an elastic reset mechanism. The sliding push rod is provided with a working area that contacts the effector of the 3D printer. A drive tooth is provided on one side of the sliding push rod. A driven gear that meshes with the drive tooth is fixedly provided on the rotating shaft. The sliding direction of the sliding push rod is arranged along the tangent of the drive tooth.

[0006] Preferably, the elastic reset mechanism includes, but is not limited to, any one or a combination of tension spring, compression spring, and torsion spring, and the two ends of the elastic reset mechanism are respectively connected to the base and the sliding push rod.

[0007] Preferably, the receiving bin is rotatable 90 degrees around the rotating axis.

[0008] Preferably, the receiving part closes with the chamber body under the action of the compression spring, forming a closed receiving space.

[0009] Preferably, the receiving bin further includes a scraping section, which is disposed on the side of the bin body near the nozzle.

[0010] The beneficial effects of this device are as follows: (1) The transmission structure is more stable and reliable: the preferred rotary triggering mechanism replaces the existing protrusion triggering method by meshing the sliding push rod with the drive gear and the driven gear. The sliding direction arranged along the tangent of the drive gear avoids the risk of jamming. The elastic reset mechanism supports a variety of spring types and can be flexibly adapted according to the printer space. The reset action is smoother and solves the structural jamming problem of the existing technology.

[0011] (2) Higher material receiving and discharging efficiency: The material receiving bin is designed to rotate 90 degrees around the rotating axis, which can accurately connect with the nozzle discharge position and complete the position switching through the minimum rotation angle, reducing the time spent on the action; the material receiving part forms a closed space with the bin body under the action of the compression spring, ensuring that no waste is leaked, and the scraping part removes the nozzle residue, further improving the thoroughness of waste treatment.

[0012] (3) Improved space adaptability and ease of operation: The compact structure of the sliding push rod and gear meshing takes up less space than the linkage design of the existing technology, making it suitable for small printers; the automated action of 90-degree rotation stroke and elastic reset does not require additional drive components, reducing equipment complexity and reducing manual intervention, thus indirectly improving the efficiency of continuous printing operations.

[0013] (4) More complete waste disposal loop: From the sliding push rod triggering the receiving of materials and the closed space receiving, to the scraping part cleaning the residue and the stop separating the material when rotating back, the whole process is automatically completed by the mechanical structure, forming a complete closed loop of "trigger-receiving-cleaning-discharge", avoiding waste pollution inside the printer and significantly improving the user experience. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 It is the overall structure of the waste storage silo; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the moving parts of the waste bin; Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the waste hopper receiving component.

[0015] In the diagram: 1-Fixed base; 2-Rotating shaft; 3-Receiving bin; 4-Rotating trigger mechanism; 5-Stop assembly; 6-Hook fastener; 7-Discharge port; Container body; 302 - receiving part; 303 - compression spring; 304 - stop part; 305 - scraper part; 401-Sliding push rod; 402-Drive gear; 403-Tension spring; 404-Driven gear. Detailed Implementation

[0016] 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. Example

[0017] A waste collection device includes a fixed base 1 mounted on the housing of a 3D printer. A rotating shaft 2 and a receiving bin 3 are rotatably mounted on the fixed base. The receiving bin is connected to the rotating shaft and can rotate with the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is connected to a rotating trigger mechanism, which drives the rotating shaft to rotate and reset. The receiving bin includes a bin body and a receiving part. The receiving part is movably connected to the bin body through a compression spring. The bin body is equipped with a discharge port 7. A stop block is installed on the housing of the 3D printer, and a stop part is installed on the receiving bin for abutting against the stop block when the receiving bin retracts. A hook part 6 is also installed on the fixed base for mounting on the inner wall of the printer.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment, the rotation triggering mechanism includes a sliding push rod that is slidably connected to the base. The sliding push rod is elastically connected to the base through an elastic reset mechanism. A working area that contacts the effector of the 3D printer is installed on the sliding push rod. A drive tooth is installed on one side of the sliding push rod. A driven gear that meshes with the drive tooth is fixedly installed on the rotating shaft. The sliding direction of the sliding push rod is arranged along the tangent of the drive tooth.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment, the elastic reset mechanism includes, but is not limited to, any one or a combination of tension springs, compression springs, and torsion springs, with the two ends of the elastic reset mechanism connected to the base and the sliding push rod, respectively.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment, the receiving bin can rotate 90 degrees around the rotation axis.

[0021] As a preferred embodiment, the receiving part closes with the bin body under the action of the compression spring, forming a closed receiving space.

[0022] As a preferred embodiment, the receiving bin also includes a scraping section, which is installed on the side of the bin body near the nozzle.

[0023] like Figure 1-3 As shown, based on the above technical solution, a waste collection device is described as follows: I. Overall Structural Composition This waste collection device includes core components such as a fixed base, a rotating shaft, a receiving bin, a rotating trigger mechanism, and a stop assembly. The specific configuration of each component is as follows: Mounting base 1: Made of stamped metal sheet, it is fixed to the inner wall of the 3D printer housing with bolts. It has two bearing seats on the top for mounting the rotating shaft.

[0024] Rotating shaft 2: It is a stepped shaft structure, with both ends rotatably connected to the bearing seats of the fixed seat through deep groove ball bearings, and the middle part of the shaft is fixedly connected to the bin body of the receiving bin through a flat key. Material receiving bin 3: It consists of a bin body and a material receiving part. The bin body 301 is a rectangular box-shaped structure with an opening on one side and a long strip-shaped discharge port at the bottom. The material receiving part 302 is a cover plate that matches the opening of the bin body. One side of the cover plate is hinged to the bin body by a hinge, and the other side is connected to the bin body by two compression springs 303 (in the initial state of the compression springs, the material receiving part fits against the opening of the bin body to form a closed space). A scraper part 305 is welded to the edge of the bin body near the nozzle. The scraper part 305 is a strip-shaped protrusion made of rubber, and its height is adapted to the discharge port of the nozzle.

[0025] Rotary triggering mechanism 4 includes a sliding push rod 401, an elastic reset mechanism, and a driven gear. The sliding push rod is a cuboid structure with its bottom slidably connected to the fixed base via a slide rail. The top has an arc-shaped working area that matches the effector (print head), and one side has an integrally formed drive gear 402. The driven gear 404 is fixed to the end of the rotating shaft 2 via a key connection and meshes with the drive gear. The elastic reset mechanism uses a tension spring 403, with one end hooked on the hanging hole of the sliding push rod and the other end hooked on the hanging column of the fixed base. The sliding direction of the sliding push rod is set along the tangential direction of the drive gear.

[0026] Stop assembly 5: The stop block is a protrusion, welded to the printer housing at the position corresponding to the material receiving bin's retraction path; the stop part 304 is an L-shaped metal sheet, fixed to the outside of the material receiving bin, and its position corresponds to the stop block.

[0027] The working process of this device is as follows: When the 3D printer needs to collect waste material, the effector (i.e., the print head) moves to the push rod, which pushes the rod. At this time, the spring is in a stretched state, and the drive gear drives the driven gear to rotate, causing the rotating shaft and the receiving chamber to rotate (the rotation angle can be 90°). At this time, the receiving part inside the receiving chamber is in a closed state with the chamber body, and waste material begins to be discharged. After the nozzle discharges the waste material, it scrapes the remaining material on the scraper. After the waste material discharge is completed, the effector moves away from the push rod, the spring returns to its original state, and the drive gear drives the driven gear to rotate. The receiving chamber moves back to its initial position. After the receiving chamber moves out of the printer, the stop block contacts the stop part, the receiving part moves away from the chamber body, and the waste material falls out of the printer from the discharge port.

[0028] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A waste collection device, characterized in that: The device includes a mounting base installed on the housing of a 3D printer. A rotating shaft and a receiving chamber are rotatably mounted on the mounting base. The receiving chamber is connected to the rotating shaft and can rotate with it. The rotating shaft is connected to a rotation trigger mechanism, which drives the rotating shaft to rotate and reset. The receiving chamber includes a chamber body and a receiving part. The receiving part is movably connected to the chamber body via a compression spring. The chamber body has a discharge port. A stop block is provided on the housing of the 3D printer, and a stop part is provided on the receiving chamber for abutting against the stop block when the receiving chamber retracts.

2. The waste collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rotation triggering mechanism includes a sliding push rod that is slidably connected to the base. The sliding push rod is elastically connected to the base through an elastic reset mechanism. The sliding push rod is provided with a working area that contacts the effector of the 3D printer. A drive tooth is provided on one side of the sliding push rod. A driven gear that meshes with the drive tooth is fixedly provided on the rotating shaft. The sliding direction of the sliding push rod is arranged along the tangent of the drive tooth.

3. The waste collection device according to claim 2, characterized in that: The elastic reset mechanism includes, but is not limited to, any one or a combination of tension springs, compression springs, and torsion springs, and the two ends of the elastic reset mechanism are respectively connected to the base and the sliding push rod.

4. The waste collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving bin can rotate 90 degrees around the rotating axis.

5. A waste collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving part closes with the chamber body under the action of the compression spring, forming a closed receiving space.

6. A waste collection device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The receiving bin also includes a scraping section, which is located on the side of the bin body near the nozzle.

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