Dual-nozzle device for polyetheretherketone (PEEK) 3D printer

Abstract

This utility model discloses a dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) 3D printer, which has the following advantages: The utility model includes a nozzle housing, a disc converter, a disc end cap, a bearing seat, a connecting shaft, and a motor. The disc converter is inclined, and two nozzles are symmetrically mounted on it. When changing materials and printing, the nozzles can be switched simply by the motor rotating the disc converter via the connecting shaft, making nozzle switching easy. Furthermore, the utility model has a first protrusion and a second protrusion forming a mechanical limiting mechanism. This mechanical limiting mechanism can limit the rotation of the disc converter, thus limiting the position of the nozzles, eliminating the need to recalibrate the nozzle position each time a switch is made. Through these methods, the 3D printer can switch nozzles conveniently, quickly, and accurately without recalibrating the position each time, thereby saving overall printing time. Simultaneously, the structure is relatively simple, and the maintenance cost is relatively low.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of 3D printing technology for polyetheretherketone (PEEK) materials, specifically a dual-nozzle device for a PEEK material 3D printer. Background Technology

[0002] 3D printing is a rapid prototyping technology that directly constructs three-dimensional objects by stacking materials layer by layer. The 3D printer nozzle is the core component of a 3D printer. Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), often called the "king of plastics," is a high-performance thermoplastic engineering plastic with excellent high-temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, mechanical strength, and electrical insulation properties. It is widely used in aerospace, medical devices, and electronic equipment. If 3D printing technology could be applied to PEEK, it would greatly facilitate the production of customized PEEK parts.

[0003] However, due to the high melting point and mechanical strength of polyetheretherketone (PEEK), there are difficulties such as the difficulty in removing the support structure from the printed product. Therefore, the current approach is to use different materials for printing the part body and the support structure. Most traditional 3D printers use a single nozzle design or a multi-nozzle design with parallel installation. The former requires repeated nozzle cleaning when printing multi-material structures, resulting in a significant waste of time and material. While the latter, with its parallel multi-nozzle design, eliminates the need for repeated nozzle cleaning, the nozzle switching operation is cumbersome, and the nozzle position needs to be recalibrated every time the material is changed, which wastes overall printing time. Utility Model Content

[0004] (a) Technical problems to be solved

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) 3D printer, which can solve the aforementioned technical problems.

[0006] (II) Technical Solution

[0007] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this utility model provides the following technical solution: a dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer, comprising two nozzles, a nozzle housing, a disc converter, a disc end cap, a bearing seat, a connecting shaft, and a motor. The upper end of the bearing seat is connected to the nozzle housing, and the bearing seat is equipped with a bearing. The connecting shaft is connected to the bearing. The motor is inclinedly positioned above the nozzle housing and connected to the upper end of the connecting shaft. The disc converter is inclined, and the center of the disc converter is connected to the connecting shaft. The two nozzles are symmetrically mounted on the disc converter. The disc end cap is connected to the top of the disc converter. A first protrusion is provided on the bottom side of the bearing seat, and a second protrusion is provided on the top side of the disc end cap. The first and second protrusions together form a mechanical limiting mechanism.

[0008] Preferably, the top side of the bearing housing is a plane and its bottom side is an inclined plane, the first protrusion is a cylindrical platform; the disk end cover is cylindrical in shape, the second protrusion is an arc-shaped boss, and the arc of the arc-shaped boss coincides with the edge of the disk end cover.

[0009] Preferably, the top center of the disc converter is provided with a first cylindrical boss, and the connecting shaft is connected to the first cylindrical boss; the bottom of the disc converter is a frustum, and two second cylindrical bosses are provided on the frustum, and the two second cylindrical bosses are symmetrically distributed, and the two nozzles are respectively installed on the two second cylindrical bosses.

[0010] Preferably, the side of the connecting shaft has a slot, a key is provided in the slot, and the first cylindrical boss has a receiving groove corresponding to the key.

[0011] Preferably, the nozzle includes a heat sink fixing member, a heat sink, a throat, a heating block, and a nozzle. The top of the heat sink fixing member is mounted on the disc converter. The upper end of the heat sink is connected to the heat sink fixing member. A throat is installed at the bottom opening of the heat sink. The bottom of the throat is connected to the heating block. The nozzle is connected to the heating block and located below the throat.

[0012] Preferably, the motor is connected to the upper end of the connecting shaft via a coupling.

[0013] Preferably, the dual-nozzle device of the polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer also includes a motor mounting component, the bottom of which is connected to the top of the nozzle housing, and the motor is inclinedly positioned on the front of the motor mounting component.

[0014] Preferably, the dual-nozzle device of the polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer further includes a Z-shaped sheet metal part, the lower section of which is connected to the nozzle housing, and the upper end of which is connected to a fixing plate.

[0015] Preferably, the dual-nozzle device of the polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer also includes a fan, which is disposed on the nozzle housing.

[0016] (III) Beneficial Effects

[0017] Compared with existing technologies, this invention provides a dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) 3D printer, offering the following advantages: This invention includes a nozzle housing, a disc converter, a disc end cap, a bearing seat, a connecting shaft, and a motor. The disc converter is tilted, and two nozzles are symmetrically mounted on it. When changing materials and printing, the nozzles can be switched simply by the motor rotating the disc converter via the connecting shaft. Reversing the rotation of the disc converter switches back to the original nozzle, simplifying the nozzle switching operation. Furthermore, this invention features a first and second protrusion forming a mechanical limiting mechanism. This mechanism limits the rotation of the disc converter, thus limiting the nozzle position and eliminating the need for recalibrating the nozzle position during each switch. Through these methods, this invention enables convenient, fast, and precise nozzle switching in 3D printers, eliminating the need for recalibration and saving overall printing time. It also boasts a simpler structure and lower maintenance costs. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of the overall structure of this utility model; Figure 2 This is a side view of the overall structure of this utility model; Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the structure of this utility model; Figure 4 This is a first perspective view of a portion of the structure of this utility model; Figure 5 This is a second perspective view of a portion of the structure of this utility model; Figure 6 This is a side view of the bearing housing of this utility model; Figure 7 This is a perspective view of the disc end cap of this utility model; Figure 8 This is a third perspective view of a portion of the structure of this utility model; Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the disc converter of this utility model; Figure 10 This is a front view of the disc converter of this utility model.

[0019] The components in the diagram are labeled as follows: 1. Nozzle, 2. Nozzle housing, 3. Disc converter, 4. Disc end cap, 5. Bearing seat, 6. Connecting shaft, 7. Motor, 8. Bearing, 9. First protrusion, 10. Second protrusion, 11. First cylindrical boss, 12. Second cylindrical boss, 13. Key, 14. Receiving groove, 15. Heat sink fixing component, 16. Heat sink, 17. Throat, 18. Heating block, 19. Nozzle, 20. Coupling, 21. Motor fixing component, 22. Z-shaped sheet metal part, 23. Fixing plate, 24. Fan. Detailed Implementation

[0020] 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.

[0021] This invention provides a dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) 3D printer, comprising two nozzles 1, a nozzle housing 2, a disc converter 3, a disc end cap 4, a bearing seat 5, a connecting shaft 6, and a motor 7. The upper end of the bearing seat 5 is connected to the nozzle housing 2, and a bearing 8 is located at the center of the bearing seat 5. The connecting shaft 6 is connected to the bearing 8. The motor 7 is inclined and positioned above the nozzle housing 2, and is connected to the upper end of the connecting shaft 6. The disc converter 3 is inclined, specifically, it can be inclined at 15 degrees relative to the horizontal plane. The connecting shaft 6 is connected to the center of the disc converter 3. The two nozzles 1 are symmetrically mounted on the disc converter 3 with respect to its central axis. The disc end cap 4 is connected to the top of the disc converter 3. The bearing housing 5 has a first protrusion 9 on its bottom side and a second protrusion 10 on its top side. The first protrusion 9 and the second protrusion 10 together form a mechanical limiting mechanism. The first protrusion 9 is fixed, while the second protrusion 10 rotates synchronously with the disc converter 3 and the disc end cover 4. When one side of the second protrusion 10 contacts the first protrusion 9, the disc converter 3 cannot continue to rotate in the same direction under the limiting action of the first protrusion 9. At this time, one nozzle 1 is vertically downward, while the other nozzle 1 is tilted. In addition, when the other side of the second protrusion 10 contacts the first protrusion 9, the previously tilted nozzle 1 becomes vertically downward, and the previously vertically downward nozzle 1 becomes tilted. That is, the rotation of the disc end cover 4 and the disc converter 3 can be limited by the above-mentioned mechanical limiting mechanism, thereby achieving precise positioning of the two nozzles 1.

[0022] The working principle of this invention is as follows: During printing, the 3D printer uses the vertically downward nozzle of the two nozzles 1 to print, for example, using this vertically downward nozzle and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material to print the part body; while the other nozzle uses carbon fiber or other materials to print the support structure. The other nozzle is idle at this time, with one side of the second protrusion 10 in contact with the first protrusion 9. When it is necessary to switch nozzles, the motor 7 drives the disc converter 3 and the disc end cover 4 to rotate via the connecting shaft 6 until the other side of the second protrusion 10 contacts the first protrusion 9, thus completing the nozzle switch. This switches the other nozzle to vertically downward, and the corresponding support structure is printed using the other nozzle and other materials such as carbon fiber. Similarly, rotating the disc converter 3 in the opposite direction switches back to the original nozzle.

[0023] In this embodiment, the top side of the bearing seat 5 is flat and its bottom side is inclined. The first protrusion 9 is a cylindrical platform. The disc end cap 4 is cylindrical in shape. The second protrusion 10 is an arc-shaped boss, the arc of which coincides with the edge of the disc end cap 4. By setting the mechanical limiting mechanism composed of the cylindrical platform and the arc-shaped boss, the motor 7 can drive the disc converter 3 to rotate 180° to complete the nozzle switching. In addition, in other embodiments, the first protrusion 9 and the second protrusion 10 can also adopt other forms of structural components, which are not limited here.

[0024] In this embodiment, the top center of the disc converter 3 is provided with a first cylindrical boss 11, and the connecting shaft 6 is connected to the first cylindrical boss 10. The bottom of the disc converter 3 is a frustum, and two second cylindrical bosses 12 are provided on the frustum. The two second cylindrical bosses 12 are symmetrically distributed, and the two nozzles 1 are respectively mounted on the two second cylindrical bosses 12. Preferably, the side of the connecting shaft 6 is provided with a slot, and a key 13 is provided in the slot. The first cylindrical boss 11 is provided with a receiving groove 14 corresponding to the key. By setting the key 13, the synchronous rotation of the connecting shaft 6 and the disc converter 3 can be better guaranteed.

[0025] Specifically, the aforementioned nozzle 1 may include a heat sink fixing member 15, a heat sink 16, a throat 17, a heating block 18, and a nozzle 19. The top of the heat sink fixing member 15 is mounted on the second cylindrical boss 12 of the disc converter 3. The upper end of the heat sink 16 is connected to the heat sink fixing member 15. The throat 17 is installed at the bottom opening of the heat sink 16, and the bottom of the throat 17 is connected to the heating block 18. The nozzle 19 is connected to the heating block 18 and located below the throat 17. It can be understood that the printing filament passes through the area of ​​the heat sink 16 before entering the throat 17 to avoid the upper temperature of the throat 17 being too high and to prevent the filament from melting prematurely and sticking to the tube wall, causing blockage. The aforementioned throat 17 serves as a channel for the filament, guiding it downward into the heating block 18. The heating block 18 melts the filament into a molten state, and further, the molten filament is extruded from the small aperture of the nozzle 19. The nozzle 1 and its working principle of this utility model are existing technologies and will not be described in detail here. Alternatively, other nozzle structures based on existing technologies can be used; no further restrictions are imposed here.

[0026] Specifically, the motor 7 is connected to the upper end of the connecting shaft 6 via a coupling 20. This invention may also include a motor fixing member 21, the bottom of which is connected to the top of the nozzle housing 2, with the motor 7 positioned at an angle on the front of the motor fixing member 21.

[0027] Preferably, the present invention may further include a Z-shaped sheet metal part 22, the lower section of which is connected to the nozzle housing 2, and the upper end of which is connected to a fixing plate 23, through which the present invention can be installed on a 3D printer.

[0028] Preferably, the present invention may further include a fan 24, which is disposed on the nozzle housing 2. Multiple fans 24 are preferably provided to blow material and dissipate heat.

[0029] Compared with existing technologies, this invention provides a dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) 3D printer, offering the following advantages: This invention includes a nozzle housing, a disc converter, a disc end cap, a bearing seat, a connecting shaft, and a motor. The disc converter is tilted, and two nozzles are symmetrically mounted on it. When changing materials and printing, the nozzles can be switched simply by the motor rotating the disc converter via the connecting shaft. Reversing the rotation of the disc converter switches back to the original nozzle, simplifying the nozzle switching operation. Furthermore, the invention incorporates a first and second protrusion forming a mechanical limiting mechanism. This mechanism limits the rotation of the disc converter, thus limiting the nozzle position and eliminating the need for recalibrating the nozzle position during each switch. Through these methods, this invention enables convenient, fast, and precise nozzle switching in 3D printers, eliminating the need for recalibration and saving overall printing time. Additionally, the overall structure of this invention is simple, resulting in relatively low maintenance costs.

[0030] It should 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.

[0031] 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 dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer, comprising two nozzles, characterized in that: It also includes a nozzle housing, a disc converter, a disc end cap, a bearing seat, a connecting shaft, and a motor. The upper end of the bearing seat is connected to the nozzle housing, and the bearing seat is equipped with a bearing. The connecting shaft is connected to the bearing. The motor is inclinedly positioned above the nozzle housing and is connected to the upper end of the connecting shaft. The disc converter is inclinedly positioned, and its center is connected to the connecting shaft. Two nozzles are symmetrically mounted on the disc converter. The disc end cap is connected to the top of the disc converter. The bottom side of the bearing seat is provided with a first protrusion, and the top side of the disc end cap is provided with a second protrusion. The first protrusion and the second protrusion together form a mechanical limiting mechanism.

2. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bearing housing has a flat top side and a sloping bottom side, and the first protrusion is a cylindrical platform; the disc end cap is cylindrical in shape, and the second protrusion is an arc-shaped boss, the arc of which coincides with the edge of the disc end cap.

3. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top center of the disc converter is provided with a first cylindrical boss, and the connecting shaft is connected to the first cylindrical boss; the bottom of the disc converter is a frustum, and the frustum is provided with two second cylindrical bosses, which are symmetrically distributed, and the two nozzles are respectively mounted on the two second cylindrical bosses.

4. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 3, characterized in that: The connecting shaft has a slot on its side, and a key is provided in the slot. The first cylindrical boss has a receiving groove corresponding to the key.

5. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The nozzle includes a heat sink fixing component, a heat sink, a throat, a heating block, and a nozzle. The top of the heat sink fixing component is mounted on the disc converter. The upper end of the heat sink is connected to the heat sink fixing component. The throat is installed at the bottom opening of the heat sink. The bottom of the throat is connected to the heating block. The nozzle is connected to the heating block and located below the throat.

6. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The motor is connected to the upper end of the connecting shaft via a coupling.

7. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a motor mounting bracket, the bottom of which is connected to the top of the nozzle housing, and the motor is inclinedly disposed on the front of the motor mounting bracket.

8. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a Z-shaped sheet metal part, the lower section of which is connected to the nozzle housing, and the upper end of which is connected to a fixing plate.

9. The dual-nozzle device for a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material 3D printer according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a fan, which is disposed on the nozzle housing.

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