Sliding structure and stereolithography apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a sliding structure and a stereoscopic printing device. The sliding structure comprises a sliding assembly and a guide assembly. The sliding assembly comprises an axial member and a sliding member. The sliding member is configured to connect a printing kit. The sliding member is slidably connected to the axial member in a first direction. The guide assembly comprises a guide member, a first rolling wheel and a second rolling wheel. The first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel are arranged at intervals. The first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel are rotatably connected to the sliding member. The guide member is provided with a guide cavity. The first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel are located in the guide cavity. The opposite sides of the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel are rollingly abutted against the cavity wall of the guide cavity, so as to guide the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel to move in the first direction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and in particular to a sliding structure and 3D printing equipment. Background Technology

[0002] In 3D printing equipment, the printhead and other printing components are generally slidably connected to the axial component via a connecting rod. During the sliding process, the printhead applies a load to the axial component through the connecting rod. Over a long period of time, this may cause local bending or other phenomena in the axial component, affecting the smoothness of the printhead sliding. Utility Model Content

[0003] This application provides a sliding structure and a stereolithography device to solve the problem in the known art where axial components experience local bending due to long-term loads applied by printing components such as the printhead, which affects the smoothness of printhead sliding.

[0004] This application provides a sliding structure, including a sliding component and a guide component; the sliding component includes an axial member and a sliding member, the sliding member being configured to connect a printing kit along a first direction, the sliding member being slidably connected to the axial member; the guide component includes a guide member, a first rolling wheel, and a second rolling wheel, the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel being spaced apart, and both the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel being rotatably connected to the sliding member; wherein, the guide member has a guide cavity, the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel are both located in the guide cavity, and the opposite sides of the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel can roll against the cavity wall of the guide cavity, for guiding the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel to move along the first direction.

[0005] In one possible implementation, the outer periphery of the first rolling wheel is provided with a first guide groove, the outer periphery of the second rolling wheel is provided with a second guide groove, and the cavity walls on opposite sides of the guide cavity are respectively provided with a first guide protrusion and a second guide protrusion. The first guide protrusion is slidably received in the first guide groove, and the second guide protrusion is slidably received in the second guide groove.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the first roller is rotatably abutted against the first guide protrusion, and the second roller is rotatably abutted against the second guide protrusion.

[0007] In one possible implementation, the number of the first guide protrusions is set to multiple, and the multiple first guide protrusions are arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction; and / or The number of the second guide protrusions is set to multiple, and the multiple second guide protrusions are arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction, which intersects with the first direction.

[0008] In one possible implementation, along the first direction, the guide cavity extends through the guide member, and a communication port is provided on one side of the guide member, the communication port communicating with the guide cavity, and the slider can at least partially extend out of the guide cavity from the communication port and be connected to the printing kit.

[0009] In one possible implementation, along the first direction, mounting plates are respectively provided at both ends of the guide member, the mounting plates are connected to the guide member, and the mounting plates are used to close the opening of the guide cavity; The axial member is located within the guide cavity, and both ends of the axial member are respectively connected to the two mounting plates.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the two ends of the axial member are rotatably connected to the two mounting plates, and the axial member is drively connected to the sliding member. Based on the rotation of the axial member, the axial member can drive the sliding member to slide along the first direction.

[0011] In one possible implementation, the number of sliding components is set to two, and the two sliding components are spaced apart along a second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction; The sliding structure further includes a mounting component that is connected to the sliding elements of the two sliding assemblies.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the slider includes a connecting portion and a sliding portion. Along the first direction, the sliding portion is slidably connected to the axial member, the connecting portion is connected to the mounting member, and the first rolling wheel and the second rolling wheel are rotatably connected to the connecting portion.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the sliding structure further includes a drive assembly that drives the axial members of the two sliding assemblies to rotate synchronously.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the drive assembly includes two drive members and a transmission member. The two drive members are respectively driven to the two axial members for driving the two axial members to rotate. The two drive members are located at the same end of the two axial members, and the other ends of the two axial members away from the drive members are driven to the other end through the transmission member.

[0015] This application also provides a stereoscopic printing apparatus, including a printing kit and the aforementioned sliding structure, wherein the printing kit is connected to a slider of the sliding structure.

[0016] The sliding structure of this application improves the smoothness of sliding by providing rotatable first and second rolling wheels on the sliding member and guiding the first and second rolling wheels to move along a first direction via a guide member. Furthermore, the opposite sides of the first and second rolling wheels rollably abut against the opposite sides of the guide cavity walls, providing opposite supporting forces to the first and second rolling wheels through the cavity walls. This provides two opposite supporting forces to the sliding member and the axial member slidably connected thereto, not only preventing bending of the axial member but also further improving the smoothness of sliding. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the sliding structure of this application in one embodiment.

[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the sliding structure of this application in one embodiment.

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 1 A top view of the guide component in one embodiment of the sliding structure.

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 1 A cross-sectional schematic diagram of the sliding component in one embodiment of the sliding structure.

[0021] Figure 5 This is an exploded view of the sliding component and guide component in one embodiment of the sliding structure of this application.

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the stereoscopic printing device of this application in one embodiment.

[0023] Key component symbols: 200, 3D printing equipment; 100, sliding structure; Z, first direction; X, second direction; Y, third direction; 10, sliding assembly; 11, axial component; 12, sliding component; 121, sliding part; 1210, mating hole; 122, connecting part; 1220, through hole; 20, guide assembly; 21, guide component; 210, guide cavity; 211, first section; 2111, first guide protrusion; 211 2. Second threaded hole; 212. Second section; 2121. Second guide protrusion; 213. Third section; 214. Connecting port; 22. First rolling wheel; 220. First guide groove; 23. Second rolling wheel; 230. Second guide groove; 24. Mounting plate; 240. Rotating hole; 241. First threaded hole; 30. Mounting component; 40. Printing kit; 50. Drive assembly; 51. Drive component; 52. Transmission wheel; 53. Transmission component.

[0024] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, will further illustrate this application. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The following description will refer to the accompanying drawings to provide a more complete picture of the present application. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present application. However, the present application may be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. These exemplary embodiments are provided to make the present application thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art. Similar reference numerals denote the same or similar components.

[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular exemplary embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to also include the plural forms. Furthermore, when used herein, “comprising” and / or “including” and / or “having,” integers, steps, operations, components, and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, regions, integers, steps, operations, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. Furthermore, unless expressly defined herein, terms such as those defined in a general dictionary should be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the relevant art and in the content of this application, and will not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning.

[0028] The specific embodiments of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this embodiment provides a sliding structure 100, including a sliding component 10 and a guide component 20.

[0030] For ease of reading, this application introduces the terms first direction Z, second direction X, and third direction Y to describe the embodiments of this application. The first direction Z, second direction X, and third direction Y can be three non-parallel straight lines in space; further, the first direction Z, second direction X, and third direction Y can be three mutually perpendicular directions in a three-dimensional coordinate system (a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system). In subsequent embodiments, the first direction Z is described as the Z-axis direction of the three-dimensional coordinate system, the second direction X as the X-axis direction of the three-dimensional coordinate system, and the third direction Y as the Y-axis direction of the three-dimensional coordinate system.

[0031] The sliding assembly 10 includes an axial member 11 and a sliding member 12. Along the first direction Z, the sliding member 12 is slidably connected to the axial member 11, and the axis of the axial member 11 is parallel to the first direction Z. The sliding member 12 is configured to connect to a printing kit 40, which can be a print head or a print platform plate, or other kits that need to slide in space. That is, the sliding structure 100 of this application can be applied to a print head or a print platform plate in a printing device. The specific application scenario of this application can be selected according to actual needs, and no specific limitation is made in this application.

[0032] The guide assembly 20 includes a guide member 21, a first roller 22, and a second roller 23. Along the third direction Y, the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 are spaced apart, and both the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 are rotatably connected to the slider 12.

[0033] The guide member 21 has a guide cavity 210, and the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23 are both located in the guide cavity 210. The opposite sides of the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23 can roll against the cavity wall of the guide cavity 210 to guide the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23 to move along the first direction Z.

[0034] Thus, the sliding structure 100 of this application improves the smoothness of sliding of the sliding member 12 by providing rotatable first rolling wheel 22 and second rolling wheel 23 on the sliding member 12 and guiding the first rolling wheel 22 and second rolling wheel 23 to move along the first direction Z through the guide member 21. In addition, the opposite sides of the first rolling wheel 22 and second rolling wheel 23 rollably abut against the cavity walls of opposite sides of the guide cavity 210, so that the cavity walls of the guide cavity 210 provide the first rolling wheel 22 and second rolling wheel 23 with opposite supporting forces, thereby providing two supporting forces with opposite supporting directions to the sliding member 12 and the axial member 11 slidably connected thereto, which not only avoids the problem of bending of the axial member 11, but also further improves the smoothness of sliding of the sliding member 12.

[0035] Please combine Figures 2 to 5 In one embodiment, the number of sliding components 10 is set to two, and the two sliding components 10 are spaced apart along the second direction X. The sliding structure 100 also includes a mounting member 30, which is connected to the sliding member 12 of the two sliding components 10.

[0036] Two guide components 20 are also provided, spaced apart along the second direction X. The two guide components 20 are correspondingly provided with the two sliding components 10, so that the sliding members 12 of the two sliding components 10 are guided to slide by the two guide components 20 respectively, thereby improving the stability of the mounting member 30, which is connected to the two sliding members 12 at the same time, sliding along the first direction Z. The load applied by the mounting member 30 and the printing kit 40 provided on it is shared by the two axial members 11 and the two guide components 20, avoiding problems such as bending caused by excessive force on one side of the axial member 11.

[0037] Furthermore, along the first direction Z, the guide cavity 210 passes through the guide member 21, and a connecting port 214 is provided on one side of the guide member 21, which connects to the guide cavity 210. The slider 12 can extend out of the guide cavity 210 from the connecting port 214 and be connected to the printing kit 40.

[0038] In this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the guide member 21 is approximately "C"-shaped, and the guide member 21 includes a first section 211, a second section 212, and a third section 213. The first section 211, the second section 212, and the third section 213 are all flat plate structures. Along the third direction Y, the first section 211 and the second section 212 are spaced apart and arranged parallel to each other. Along the second direction X, the third section 213 is integrally formed at the end of the first section 211 and the second section 212 away from the other guide component 20, so that the first section 211, the second section 212, and the third section 213 together form a guide cavity 210.

[0039] Along the second direction X, the ends of the first section 211 and the second section 212 away from the third section 213 are bent, and the first section 211 and the second section 212 are bent toward each other to form a communication port 214 between the bent sections. Along the third direction Y, the width of the communication port 214 is smaller than the width of the guide cavity 210 to prevent the slider 12 from leaving the guide cavity 210 from the communication port 214.

[0040] Furthermore, the slider 12 includes a connecting portion 122 and a sliding portion 121. Along the first direction Z, the sliding portion 121 is slidably connected to the axial member 11, the connecting portion 122 is connected to the mounting member 30, and the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23 are rotatably connected to the connecting portion 122.

[0041] In this embodiment, the mounting member 30 is arranged along the second direction X and along the third direction Y, the mounting member 30 is spaced apart on the same side of the two guide members 21. The axial member 11 is a lead screw, and the axial member 11 can be a Z-axis lead screw, X-axis lead screw, or Y-axis lead screw, etc. The specific installation direction of the axial member 11 can be selected according to actual needs and is not limited in this application. The sliding part 121 is a lead screw nut, and the sliding part 121 is provided with a mating hole 1210. Along the first direction Z, the mating hole 1210 passes through the sliding part 121, the axial member 11 passes through the mating hole 1210, and the axial member 11 is threadedly engaged with the mating hole 1210, so that the sliding part 121 is driven to slide along the first direction Z by the rotation of the axial member 11.

[0042] The connecting part 122 has an approximately "L" shaped cross-section. One end of the connecting part 122 is connected to the side of the mounting member 30 near the guide member 21, and the other end of the connecting part 122 is connected to the top of the sliding part 121. The connecting part 122 can be detachably connected to the sliding part 121 and the mounting member 30 by fasteners such as bolts, so as to facilitate the assembly and disassembly of the connecting part 122.

[0043] The connecting portion 122 has a through hole 1220, which extends through the connecting portion 122 along the first direction Z. The axial member 11 passes through the through hole 1220 so that the connecting portion 122 can slide relative to the axial member 11.

[0044] It is worth noting that in other embodiments, in addition to being the lead screw mentioned above, the axial member 11 can also be a structure that can slide and cooperate with the sliding member 12, such as an optical shaft or a slide table. Furthermore, the specific shape of the axial member 11 is not limited to a cylindrical shape, but can also be a square shape or other shapes.

[0045] Please combine Figures 2 to 5 In one embodiment, the outer periphery of the first rolling wheel 22 is provided with a first guide groove 220, and the outer periphery of the second rolling wheel 23 is provided with a second guide groove 230. The cavity walls on opposite sides of the guide cavity 210 are respectively provided with a first guide protrusion 2111 and a second guide protrusion 2121. The first guide protrusion 2111 is slidably received in the first guide groove 220, and the second guide protrusion 2121 is slidably received in the second guide groove 230.

[0046] Along the second direction X, the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 are rotatably connected to the end face of the section of the connecting part 122 located in the guide cavity 210 near the third section 213, and the rotation axis of the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 are parallel to the second direction X.

[0047] Along the third direction Y, a first guide protrusion 2111 is located on the side of the first region 211 near the second region 212, and a second guide protrusion 2121 is located on the side of the second region 212 near the first region 211. Both the first guide protrusion 2111 and the second guide protrusion 2121 are arranged along the first direction Z, and their cross-sectional shapes are approximately semi-circular. A first guide groove 220 surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the first rolling wheel 22, and a second guide groove 230 surrounds the outer peripheral surface of the second rolling wheel 23. The shapes of the first guide groove 220 and the second guide groove 230 are respectively adapted to the first guide protrusion 2111 and the second guide protrusion 2121 to improve the guiding effect of the first guide protrusion 2111 and the second guide protrusion 2121 on the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23, and to prevent wobbling or other issues when the slider 12 slides.

[0048] The first rolling wheel 22 rollably abuts against the first guide protrusion 2111, and the second rolling wheel 23 rollably abuts against the second guide protrusion 2121. Through the abutting action of the first guide protrusion 2111 and the second guide protrusion 2121 against the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23, the first guide protrusion 2111 and the second guide protrusion 2121 provide support for both sides of the slider 12 in the third direction Y, thereby allowing the guide member 21 to share the load applied by the slider 12 to the axial member 11. Furthermore, when the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23 slide along the first direction Z with the slider 12, they can roll on the surfaces of the first guide protrusion 2111 and the second guide protrusion 2121, thereby reducing the frictional force of the slider 12 during sliding through rolling friction, thus improving the smoothness of the slider 12's sliding.

[0049] In this embodiment, there are two first rolling wheels 22, which are spaced apart along the first direction Z. There is one second rolling wheel 23, which is located between the two first rolling wheels 22 along the first direction Z.

[0050] Thus, both ends of the mounting component 30 are in direct contact with the guide component 21 through two first rollers 22 and one second roller 23, which ensures that the sliding of the mounting component 30 along the first direction Z is smoother, and improves the pressure state of the two axial components 11, avoiding bending of the axial components 11.

[0051] It is understood that in other embodiments, the number of the first roller 22 and the second roller 23 can be set to other numbers, and the specific number of the two can be selected according to actual needs.

[0052] In this embodiment, multiple first guide protrusions 2111 are arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction X, and any one of the multiple first guide protrusions 2111 slides in engagement with the first rolling wheel 22. Multiple second guide protrusions 2121 are also arranged sequentially at intervals along the second direction X, and any one of the multiple second guide protrusions 2121 slides in engagement with the second rolling wheel 23. Thus, by engaging the first rolling wheel 22 and the second rolling wheel 23 with different first guide protrusions 2111 and second guide protrusions 2121, different lengths of the mounting member 30 can be replaced while keeping the installation positions of the two guide members 21 unchanged.

[0053] Please combine Figures 2 to 5 In one embodiment, along the first direction Z, mounting plates 24 are respectively provided at both ends of the guide member 21. The mounting plates 24 are connected to the guide member 21 and are used to close the opening of the guide cavity 210. The axial member 11 is located inside the guide cavity 210, and both ends of the axial member 11 are respectively connected to the two mounting plates 24.

[0054] Along the first direction Z, two mounting plates 24 are detachably connected to opposite ends of the guide member 21. The two mounting plates 24 can be connected to the guide member 21 by fasteners such as screws. The mounting plates 24 are provided with multiple first threaded holes 241, and some first guide protrusions 2111 and some second guide protrusions 2121 have second threaded holes 2112 on their end faces near one end of the mounting plates 24. The second threaded holes 2112 on the first guide protrusions 2111 and 2121 correspond to the multiple first threaded holes 241, so that the mounting plates 24 and the guide member 21 are fixedly connected by screws threadedly engaging with the first threaded holes 241 and 2112.

[0055] It is understood that in other embodiments, the second threaded hole 2112 may also be directly provided on the end face of the first region 211 and the second region 212.

[0056] It is understood that in other embodiments, when both the first guide protrusion 2111 and the second guide protrusion 2121 are provided, the first region 211 and the second region 212 may also be provided with additional mounting protrusions to open the second threaded hole 2112.

[0057] In this embodiment, the axis of the axial member 11 is parallel to the first direction Z, and both ends of the axial member 11 are rotatably connected to two mounting plates 24. The mounting plate 24 has a rotating hole 240, and both ends of the axial member 11 are rotatably mounted in the rotating hole 240 through a rotating bearing.

[0058] Furthermore, the sliding structure 100 also includes a drive assembly 50, which is a transmission connection between the axial members 11 of the two sliding assemblies 10 and is used to drive the two axial members 11 to rotate synchronously.

[0059] The drive assembly 50 includes two drive members 51 and a transmission member 53. The two drive members 51 are respectively connected to two axial members 11 for driving the two axial members 11 to rotate. The two drive members 51 are located at the same end of the two axial members 11, and the other ends of the two axial members 11 away from the drive members 51 are connected to each other via the transmission member 53.

[0060] The driving component 51 is a motor or rotary motor, and the driving end of the driving component 51 can be partially inserted into the rotating hole 240 and connected to the axial component 11, thereby driving the axial component 11 to rotate.

[0061] Furthermore, the drive assembly 50 also includes two drive wheels 52, which are coaxially connected to the ends of the two axial members 11 away from the drive member 51. The drive member 53 is a drive belt, which is sleeved on the outer circumference of the two drive wheels 52, thereby enabling the two drive wheels 52 to rotate synchronously through the drive belt. This also allows for one-step installation of the axial members 11 from top to bottom, improving the ease of installation.

[0062] Thus, by using a dual-drive component 51 to connect the power of the dual axial component 11 with a lead screw, and the two axial components 11 are connected by a transmission belt and two transmission wheels 52, the entire transmission structure is compact, eliminating the difference in operation between the two drive components 51, thereby ensuring that the two ends of the two axial components 11 operate synchronously and the load is evenly distributed, avoiding problems such as bending of the axial components 11, and improving the smoothness of sliding of the mounting component 30 and the printing kit 40 on it.

[0063] like Figure 6 As shown, and see also Figure 1 and Figure 2 This embodiment also provides a stereoscopic printing device 200, including a printing kit 40 and the aforementioned sliding structure 100, wherein the printing kit 40 is connected to the slider 12 of the sliding structure 100.

[0064] As mentioned above, the printing kit 40 can be a kit that needs to slide in space, such as a print head or a print platform. That is, the sliding structure 100 of this application can be applied to the print head or print platform in the printing device. The specific application scenario of this application can be selected according to actual needs, and no specific limitation is made in this application.

[0065] In this embodiment, the printing kit 40 is a printing nozzle, and the printing kit 40 is slidably connected to the mounting member 30 of the sliding structure 100 along the second direction X.

[0066] It is worth noting that the stereoscopic printing apparatus 200 also includes other necessary structures for realizing stereoscopic printing, which will not be specifically described in this application.

[0067] The specific embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and substitutions can be made to the specific embodiments of this application without departing from the scope of this application. All such changes and substitutions fall within the scope defined by this application.

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