Liquid metal additive manufacturing movable mold

Abstract

The utility model provides a kind of movable mould of liquid metal additive manufacturing, mainly relates to additive manufacturing equipment technical field.A kind of movable mould of liquid metal additive manufacturing, including chain plate, chain link, the chain plate includes upper chain plate, lower chain plate, the upper chain plate fixed mounting is in additive manufacturing equipment nozzle one side, the upper chain plate one side rotationally connected with chain link, the chain link lower portion rotationally connected with lower chain plate;The upper chain plate, chain link, lower chain plate are symmetrically provided with two groups in nozzle two sides.The utility model has the beneficial effect that the utility model can be directly formed under the mold auxiliary action according to the preset path when liquid metal additive manufacturing, the surface roughness after forming is bottom, and the defect such as cold separation caused by mold heat dissipation is not needed secondary processing, and material uniformity can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model mainly relates to the field of additive manufacturing equipment technology, specifically a movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing. Background Technology

[0002] Liquid metal additive manufacturing technology (such as melt impact printing) is widely used in parts manufacturing. As a key constraint component in liquid metal forming, the mold directly affects the shape, quality and performance of the parts.

[0003] Currently, this technology commonly uses fixed rigid cooling molds, which constrain the molten metal through a pre-set fixed cavity. However, this type of mold has significant drawbacks: Fixed shape, unable to adapt to complex parts: One set of molds corresponds to only one simple structural part. For complex irregular parts such as internal hollows and variable cross sections, either multiple sets of molds are required for step-by-step processing and assembly, or they cannot be formed at all.

[0004] Cooling imbalance and poor surface quality: When the molten metal comes into contact with the mold sidewall, it cools rapidly, which can easily form a "cold shut" defect and result in high surface roughness, which must be corrected through secondary processing.

[0005] Low material utilization: In order to fill the cavity, excessive metal liquid needs to be injected, and subsequent waste material removal and secondary processing losses result in low material utilization.

[0006] Uneven cooling affects performance: The heat dissipation rate of the mold sidewall and the bottom of the part is different. When the molten metal solidifies, the temperature gradient is large, the material uniformity of the part is poor, and the mechanical properties (such as tensile strength) become anisotropic.

[0007] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a liquid metal additive manufacturing mold that can flexibly adapt to complex paths and take into account both molding quality and material utilization. Utility Model Content

[0008] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing. It can directly form materials according to a preset path during liquid metal additive manufacturing with the assistance of the mold. After forming, the surface roughness is low, there are no defects such as cold shut caused by mold heat dissipation, no secondary processing is required, and the material uniformity can be improved.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model employs the following technical solution: A movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing includes chain plates and chain links. The chain plates include an upper chain plate and a lower chain plate. The upper chain plate is fixedly installed on one side of the nozzle of the additive manufacturing equipment. A chain link is rotatably connected to one side of the upper chain plate, and the lower chain plate is rotatably connected to the lower part of the chain link.

[0010] The upper chain plate, chain link, and lower chain plate are symmetrically arranged in two sets on both sides of the nozzle.

[0011] A rotating seat is provided on one side of the upper chain plate and the lower chain plate, and the rotating seat on one side of the upper chain plate and the lower chain plate is rotatably installed with the chain link respectively.

[0012] The chain plate has arc-shaped end faces at its upper and lower ends.

[0013] Compared with the existing technology, the beneficial effects of this utility model are: By adjusting the nozzle and mold dimensions, liquid metal can be printed along a specific path to directly form various irregularly shaped parts.

[0014] With the help of molds, the product has a smooth surface after molding, requiring no secondary processing. The material utilization rate can reach 80%-90%, and the overall cost is low.

[0015] Because the mold has no lateral cooling effect, the cooling direction is consistent throughout the printing process, resulting in higher uniformity of the metal material after solidification and better product performance.

[0016] Laser heating ensures that the liquid metal jet is injected into the molten metal region, producing an impact effect that guarantees bonding and forming, and also results in finer metal grains and better performance. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the application scenario structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the impact liquid metal region of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0018] The following are the labels in the attached diagram: 1. Laser; 2. Nozzle; 3. Liquid metal jet; 4. Mold; 5. Laser heating zone; 6. Metal ingot; 7. Cooling base plate; 8. Liquid metal area; 9. Upper chain plate; 10. Chain link; 11. Lower chain plate; 91. Rotating seat. Detailed Implementation

[0019] The present invention will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, it should be understood that after reading the teachings of this invention, those skilled in the art can make various alterations or modifications to the present invention, and these equivalent forms also fall within the scope defined in this application.

[0020] Combined with appendix Figures 1-3A movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing includes chain plates and chain links 10. The chain plates include an upper chain plate 9 and a lower chain plate 11. The upper chain plate 9 is fixedly installed on one side of the nozzle 2 of the additive manufacturing equipment. A chain link 10 is rotatably connected to one side of the upper chain plate 9, and the lower chain plate 11 is rotatably connected to the lower part of the chain link 10.

[0021] The upper chain plate 9, chain link 10, and lower chain plate 11 are symmetrically arranged in two sets on both sides of the nozzle 2.

[0022] A rotating seat 91 is provided on one side of the upper chain plate 9 and the lower chain plate 11. The rotating seats 91 on one side of the upper chain plate 9 and the lower chain plate 11 are rotatably installed with the chain links 10 respectively. The rotating seats 91 of the upper chain plate 9 and the lower chain plate 11 are rotatably connected through the chain links 10, thereby realizing the rotatable connection between the upper chain plate 9 and the lower chain plate 11. The rotating seat 91 of the chain plate has a bolt slot in the middle of its position for fixed connection with the nozzle 2. The bolt slot is elongated and can be moved to a certain extent during installation to change the relative position of the nozzle 2.

[0023] The chain plate has arc-shaped end faces at its upper and lower ends.

[0024] The mold 4 is made of a material that does not wet the molten metal; the nozzle 2 and the mold 4 move together along a preset path in one direction, and a heating element is installed nearby to ensure its own temperature.

[0025] The application scenarios for this device are as follows: additive manufacturing equipment operates in a protective gas environment (argon or nitrogen), such as... Figure 1 As shown, the additive manufacturing equipment includes a container filled with molten metal. Below the container is a nozzle 2. During operation, the nozzle 2 moves under the drive of a multi-axis linear drive structure. Molds 4, as described in this design, are mounted on both sides of the nozzle 2. During movement, the nozzle 2 ejects a metered jet of molten metal 3, which is sprayed onto a cooling base plate 7 to cool and form a metal ingot 6. A laser 1 is positioned above the nozzle 2 in its forward direction. After the nozzle 2 ejects a set number of molten metal layers, the laser 1 heats the metal ingot 6 in the laser heating zone 5, the area in front of the nozzle 2 and mold 4, to a certain temperature. The solidified metal ingot is remelted to form an impact liquid metal zone 8. The molten metal jet 3 ejected from the nozzle 2 enters the liquid metal zone 8, producing an impact effect. The molten metal mixed by the impact is formed within the mold 4 due to the constraint of the mold 4. When it leaves the mold 4, the molten metal solidifies and is directly formed into the required shape. Since the temperature of the mold 4 is near the solidification point of the molten metal and the mold material has a low thermal conductivity, there are no defects such as cold shut caused by mold heat dissipation when the molten metal solidifies and is formed. That is, the molten metal is not cooled on the side, but only at the bottom, so the cooling in the horizontal direction is relatively uniform, ensuring the uniformity of the material.

[0026] Mold 4 is installed on both sides of nozzle 2, using a chain plate structure (see attached). Figure 3 The system includes an upper chain plate 9, which is fixed to the side of the nozzle 2 and the distance between the upper chain plate 9 and the nozzle 2 is adjustable. A chain link 10 is used to connect the lower chain plate 11 and the upper chain plate 9. A high-temperature torsion spring is located at the middle pin, which causes the lower chain plate 11 to rotate inward around the pin. This allows a certain amount of extrusion pressure to be applied when the molten metal solidifies, resulting in a smooth surface when it solidifies and does not require secondary processing. When the direction of movement changes, such as when turning, the solidified metal on the inside will exert an outward force on the lower chain plate 11, causing the lower chain plate 11 to deflect outward around the pin, thus not affecting the movement.

[0027] By adjusting parameters such as motion path, motion speed, molten metal flow rate, and printing width, it is possible to print different liquid metals and various irregularly shaped parts.

[0028] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and not to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model.

Claims

1. A movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing, comprising chain plates and chain links (10), characterized in that: The chain plate includes an upper chain plate (9) and a lower chain plate (11). The upper chain plate (9) is fixedly installed on one side of the nozzle (2) of the additive manufacturing equipment. A chain link (10) is rotatably connected to one side of the upper chain plate (9), and the lower chain plate (11) is rotatably connected to the lower part of the chain link (10).

2. The movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper chain plate (9), chain link (10), and lower chain plate (11) are symmetrically arranged in two sets on both sides of the nozzle (2).

3. The movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: A rotating seat (91) is provided on one side of the upper chain plate (9) and the lower chain plate (11), and the rotating seat (91) on one side of the upper chain plate (9) and the lower chain plate (11) is rotatably installed with the chain link (10).

4. The movable mold for liquid metal additive manufacturing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chain plate has arc-shaped end faces at its upper and lower ends.

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