A 3D UV printer ink stack structure

Abstract

This application relates to the field of 3D UV printing technology, and in particular to an ink stack structure for a 3D UV printer. The structure includes a drive assembly with a drive motor and a movable base, lifting guide assemblies disposed on both sides of the movable base, an ink pad mechanism located at one end of the drive assembly, a scraper assembly disposed on the ink pad base, and a limiting assembly. The drive motor drives the movable base, and the connecting member pulls the through-feed member to slide in the horizontal and vertical guide grooves of the guide member, thereby realizing the lifting and lowering of the ink pad mechanism. This application can improve the accuracy and stability of ink stack lifting and lowering.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of 3D UV printing technology, and in particular to an ink stack structure for a 3D UV printer. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, 3D printing technology has made significant progress in the manufacturing industry, greatly facilitating rapid prototyping and personalized customization of products. 3D printing technology can directly manufacture three-dimensional entities based on design models, significantly shortening product development cycles and reducing production costs. 3D UV printers, as an important piece of equipment in 3D printing technology, have been widely used in advertising, crafts, architectural models, and many other fields. By curing ink with ultraviolet light, they can achieve high-precision, high-speed printing, meeting the product quality and production efficiency requirements of various industries. With the increasing market demand for 3D printed products, higher requirements are being placed on the performance and stability of 3D UV printers.

[0003] In existing 3D UV printer ink stack structure technologies, various techniques are typically employed to achieve functions such as ink stack lifting and cleaning / protecting the printhead surface. One common approach uses complex mechanical transmission structures, employing gears, chains, or belts to drive the ink stack's movement. This method requires numerous mechanical parts, making installation and debugging cumbersome, and over long-term use, wear and tear on these parts can lead to decreased accuracy. Another approach uses hydraulic or pneumatic systems for ink stack lifting and printhead cleaning. While hydraulic systems provide significant driving force, they carry the risk of oil leaks and have high maintenance costs. Pneumatic systems require specialized air supply equipment, increasing the equipment's footprint and energy consumption. Additionally, some technologies use simple electric actuators for ink stack lifting, but this method offers lower motion precision, making it unsuitable for high-precision printing.

[0004] Therefore, existing conventional ink stack structure technologies have significant drawbacks. Complex mechanical transmission structures, due to their numerous parts, are prone to failure, resulting in poor equipment stability. Hydraulic and pneumatic systems are not only costly to maintain but also pose safety hazards. Simple electric actuators, on the other hand, cannot guarantee the accuracy and stability of ink stack lifting, thus affecting printhead cleaning and print quality. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this application is to overcome the above-mentioned technical problems and provide an ink stack structure for a 3D UV printer, which can reduce the vulnerable parts in complex mechanical transmission, use a drive motor to drive the moving base, and realize the lifting and lowering of the ink pad mechanism by sliding the through-piece in the guide groove of the guide piece, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of the ink stack lifting and lowering.

[0006] This application discloses an ink stack structure for a 3D UV printer, specifically adopting the following solution: A 3D UV printer ink stack structure includes: a mounting base; a drive assembly including a drive motor and a movable base, one end of the drive motor being fixed to the mounting base and the other end being fitted onto the movable base; a lifting guide assembly disposed on both sides of the movable base, including guide members, connectors, and multiple through-feed members, the guide members having horizontal guide grooves and vertical guide grooves, the movable base being fixed after passing through a portion of the through-feed members sequentially through the horizontal guide grooves and one end of the connectors; and an ink pad mechanism located on the drive assembly. The component, located away from the mounting base, includes: an ink pad base and an ink pad assembly. The ink pad base is fixed by passing through the vertical guide groove and the other end of the connector via another portion of the through-feeding member. A scraper assembly is disposed on the ink pad base and is used to scrape the surface of the printhead. The drive motor is used to sequentially drive the movable base and the connector to pull multiple through-feeding members to slide in the horizontal guide groove and the vertical guide groove respectively, so as to drive the ink pad mechanism to rise and fall relative to the mounting base.

[0007] By adopting the above technical solution, the mounting base provides a stable installation foundation for the entire ink stack structure; the cooperation between the drive motor and the moving base in the drive assembly enables effective power transmission, providing a power source for the lifting and lowering of the ink pad mechanism; the guide component of the lifting guide assembly is equipped with horizontal and vertical guide grooves, which, together with the connecting component and the through component, make the connection between the moving base and the ink pad base more stable, and can accurately guide the through component to slide in the guide groove, ensuring stable lifting and lowering movement of the ink pad mechanism relative to the mounting base; the ink pad mechanism is located at the end of the drive assembly away from the mounting base, which can better cooperate with the printhead during the lifting and lowering process; the scraper assembly is set on the ink pad base, which can scrape the surface of the printhead, effectively removing residual ink from the surface of the printhead and ensuring the normal operation of the printhead. Therefore, in this application, the ink pad mechanism is lifted and lowered by driving the moving base with the drive motor and pulling the through component to slide in the guide groove with the connecting component, realizing flexible adjustment of the height of the ink pad mechanism to adapt to different working needs.

[0008] Optionally, it may also include: a limiting component, including a limit switch and a limit plate, disposed opposite to each other on the ink pad base and the mounting base.

[0009] By adopting the above technical solution, the limit switch and limit plate in the limit component are set opposite to each other on the ink pad base and the mounting base, which can accurately limit the lifting position of the ink pad mechanism, prevent the ink pad mechanism from being damaged due to excessive lifting, and improve the operating stability and safety of the printer.

[0010] Optionally, the ink pad assembly is provided with a pipe connection port for connecting an external air pump to extract waste ink under negative pressure.

[0011] By adopting the above technical solution, a pipe connection port is set on the ink pad assembly, which can be connected to an external air pump. The waste ink can be extracted by using negative pressure, which can effectively clean the waste ink in the ink stack, avoid the accumulation of waste ink affecting the normal operation of the printer, and ensure the inkjet effect and printing quality of the printhead.

[0012] Optionally, the drive assembly further includes: a baffle fixed on the mounting base for fixing one end of the drive motor; and a fastener passing through the baffle for passing through the other end of the drive motor.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, the baffle is fixed on the mounting base, providing fixed support for one end of the drive motor and ensuring the stability of the drive motor installation; the fixing component is inserted through the baffle for the other end of the drive motor to pass through, further stabilizing the installation of the drive motor, making the drive motor more stable during operation, reducing shaking and displacement, thereby ensuring that the drive motor can accurately drive the moving base and the connecting component to pull multiple through-pieces to slide in the horizontal guide groove and the vertical guide groove respectively, so as to drive the ink pad mechanism to move up and down stably relative to the mounting base.

[0014] Optionally, the scraper assembly includes a receiving groove and a scraper, the receiving groove being fixed to one side of the ink pad base, and one end of the scraper being fixed inside the receiving groove.

[0015] By adopting the above technical solution, the receiving groove is fixed on one side of the ink pad base, which can provide a stable installation position for the scraper and receive the impurities and excess ink that fall off the printhead surface after being scraped by the scraper; one end of the scraper is fixed in the receiving groove, which can make the scraper installed firmly and can better scrape the printhead surface.

[0016] Optionally, two guide members are provided, symmetrically located on both sides of the movable base. Each guide member is provided with two parallel horizontal guide grooves and two vertical guide grooves spaced apart. The corresponding connecting members are four and the through-feeding members are eight.

[0017] By adopting the above technical solution, two guide members are symmetrically located on both sides of the moving base, which makes the force on the moving base more uniform during movement and ensures its stability. Each guide member is provided with two parallel horizontal guide grooves and two vertical guide grooves at intervals, which provides a more reasonable sliding path for the through-piece, making it smoother when the drive motor drives the moving base and the connector pulls the through-piece in the groove, thus making the lifting and lowering movement of the ink pad mechanism relative to the mounting base more stable. The setting of four connectors and eight through-pieces enhances the connection strength and stability between the components, ensuring the reliability of the coordinated operation of the components of the entire ink stack structure during operation.

[0018] Optionally, the ink pad assembly is provided with a sealing ring, which is fitted onto the side of the ink pad assembly away from the ink pad base.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, the sealing ring set on the ink pad assembly can prevent ink leakage. The ring is fitted on the side of the ink pad assembly away from the ink pad base, which can enhance the sealing performance when the side contacts the print head and other components, reduce the possibility of ink overflow, and improve the stability and reliability of ink use during equipment use.

[0020] Optionally, the ink pad base is provided with two ink pad assemblies and two scraper assemblies that correspond one-to-one.

[0021] By adopting the above technical solution, two ink pad assemblies and two scraper assemblies corresponding to each other are set on the ink pad base, which can meet the cleaning and maintenance needs of dual printheads and enhance the overall working performance and applicability of the ink stack structure of the 3D UV printer.

[0022] In summary, this application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. The drive motor sequentially drives the moving base and the connecting parts to slide in the horizontal guide groove and the vertical guide groove respectively, thereby driving the ink pad mechanism to rise and fall. Compared with the complex mechanical transmission structure, there are fewer parts, the installation and debugging are simple, and the problem of decreased accuracy caused by wear of mechanical parts is avoided. 2. The limit switches and limit plates in the limit assembly are set opposite to each other on the ink pad base and the mounting base, which can accurately limit the lifting position of the ink pad mechanism, prevent the ink pad mechanism from lifting too much and damaging other parts of the printer, and improve the stability and safety of the printer's operation. 3. A pipe connection port is set on the ink pad assembly, which can be connected to an external air pump to extract waste ink using negative pressure. This can effectively clean the waste ink in the ink stack, prevent waste ink accumulation from affecting the normal operation of the printer, and ensure the inkjet effect and print quality of the printhead. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of a 3D UV printer ink stack structure that clamps a cylindrical object, as disclosed in an embodiment of this application. Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of another angle of the ink stack structure of a 3D UV printer; Figure 3 for Figure 1 A partially exploded structural diagram of an ink stack structure for a 3D UV printer; Figure 4 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of another angle of the ink stack structure of a 3D UV printer; Figure 5 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of another angle of the ink stack structure of a 3D UV printer.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 10. Mounting base; 20. Drive assembly; 21. Drive motor; 22. Movable base; 23. Baffle; 24. Fixing component; 30. Lifting guide assembly; 31. Guide component; 311. Horizontal guide groove; 312. Vertical guide groove; 32. Connector; 33. Through component; 40. Ink pad mechanism; 41. Ink pad base; 42. Ink pad assembly; 421. Port; 422. Sealing ring; 50. Scraper assembly; 51. Receiving groove; 52. Scraper; 60. Limiting assembly; 61. Limit switch; 62. Limiting piece. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The terminology used in the following embodiments of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions “a,” “an,” “the,” “the,” and “this” are intended to include the plural expressions as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this application refers to and includes any or all possible combinations of one or more of the listed items.

[0026] Hereinafter, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as implying or suggesting relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature, and in the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0027] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] See Figure 1The present application discloses a 3D UV printer ink stack structure, including a mounting base 10, a drive assembly 20, a lifting guide assembly 30, an ink pad mechanism 40, and a scraper assembly 50.

[0029] The drive assembly 20 is mounted on the mounting base 10, the lifting guide assembly 30 is located on both sides of the drive assembly 20, the ink pad mechanism 40 is located at the end of the drive assembly 20 away from the mounting base 10, and the scraper assembly 50 is located on the ink pad mechanism 40. The drive assembly 20 is used to drive the lifting guide assembly 30 to move the ink pad mechanism 40 up and down relative to the mounting base 10, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of the ink stack lifting, while simplifying the traditional complex mechanical transmission, reducing vulnerable parts, and reducing the risk of accuracy degradation due to mechanical wear.

[0030] For details, see Figure 2 and Figure 3 The drive assembly 20 includes a drive motor 21, a movable base 22, a baffle 23, and a fixing member 24. One end of the drive motor 21 is fixed to the mounting base 10 via the baffle 23, and the other end is fitted onto the movable base 22. The drive motor 21 is a stepper motor used to precisely control the movement of the movable base 22. The movable base 22 is fitted onto the output shaft (such as a lead screw) of the drive motor 21. The rotation of the lead screw drives the movable base 22 to move, thereby ensuring that the movable base 22 can move horizontally as the output shaft of the drive motor 21 rotates.

[0031] A baffle 23 is fixed to the mounting base 10 and is used to fix one end of the drive motor 21. The baffle 23 can be made of steel plate, and its function is to provide a stable mounting base for the drive motor 21 and prevent the drive motor 21 from shaking during operation. A fixing member 24 is inserted through the baffle 23 and is used for the other end of the drive motor 21, such as a lead screw, to pass through. The fixing member 24 has a perforated structure for the drive end of the drive motor 21 to pass through, so as to secure the installation of the drive motor 21, making the drive motor 21 more stable during operation and reducing shaking and displacement.

[0032] See Figure 1 and Figure 3 The lifting guide assembly 30 is disposed on both sides of the movable base 22 and includes a guide member 31, a connector 32, and multiple through-pieces 33. The guide member 31 is provided with a horizontal guide groove 311 horizontally arranged relative to the mounting base 10 and a vertical guide groove 312 vertically arranged. The movable base 22 is fixed after passing through, for example, four through-pieces 33, sequentially through one end of the horizontal guide groove 311 and the connector 32. The shapes of the horizontal guide groove 311 and the vertical guide groove 312 are as follows: Figure 3 As shown, this ensures that the insert 33 can slide smoothly within the groove.

[0033] The connecting member 32 is a metal plate or connecting rod, and its function is to connect the movable base 22 and the ink pad base 41 of the ink pad mechanism 40 via the through member 33, thereby transmitting force. The through member 33 can be a pin or bolt, and the three are connected together by sequentially passing through the guide groove, the connecting member 32, and the movable base 22. In this way, the drive motor 21 drives the movable base 22 and the connecting member 32 to pull the through member 33 to slide in the horizontal guide groove 311 and the vertical guide groove 312 of the guide member 31, so that the ink pad mechanism 40 moves up and down relative to the mounting base 10, achieving a lifting effect, and the direction of movement can be as follows. Figure 4 As shown.

[0034] See Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, two guide members 31 are symmetrically located on both sides of the movable base 22. Each guide member 31 has two parallel horizontal guide grooves 311 and vertical guide grooves 312 spaced apart. The corresponding connecting members 32 are a total of four, two on each side; the through members 33 are a total of eight, four on each side. Thus, this symmetrical structure makes the ink pad mechanism 40 more stable during lifting and lowering, improving the stability of the movement.

[0035] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The ink pad mechanism 40 is located at the end of the drive assembly 20 away from the mounting base 10, and includes an ink pad base 41 and an ink pad assembly 42. The ink pad base 41 is fixed by passing through a vertical guide groove 312 and the other end of a connector 32 sequentially via four through-pieces 33. The ink pad assembly 42 is made of sponge or rubber material for absorbing ink. The ink pad assembly 42 can be fixed to the ink pad base 41 by means of glue or slots, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0036] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The scraper assembly 50 is mounted on the ink pad base 41 and is used to scrape the printhead surface. The scraper assembly 50 includes a receiving groove 51 and a scraper 52. The receiving groove 51 is fixed to one side of the ink pad base 41, and one end of the scraper 52 is fixed inside the receiving groove 51. The receiving groove 51 can be a groove made of plastic or metal, used to accommodate the scraper 52 and to scrape away impurities and excess ink that fall onto the printhead surface. The scraper 52 is made of rubber or silicone, possessing a certain degree of flexibility and wear resistance, and can effectively scrape away ink and impurities from the printhead surface.

[0037] See Figure 1 and Figure 3The limiting component 60 includes a limit switch 61 and a limit plate 62, which are disposed opposite to each other on the ink pad base 41 and the mounting base 10. The limit switch 61 is a photoelectric switch or a mechanical switch. When the ink pad mechanism 40 rises or falls to a certain position, the limit plate 62 triggers the limit switch 61, causing the drive motor 21 to stop running, thus playing a limiting protection role and preventing the ink pad mechanism 40 from being damaged due to excessive movement.

[0038] See Figure 5 The ink pad assembly 42 is provided with pipe connection ports 421, for example, two ports, for connecting an external air pump to extract waste ink under negative pressure. The pipe connection ports 421 can be threaded interfaces or quick connectors, facilitating pipe connection with the external air pump. The negative pressure generated by the external air pump extracts the waste ink adsorbed on the ink pad assembly 42, keeping the ink pad assembly 42 clean.

[0039] See Figure 2 A sealing ring 422 is provided on the ink pad assembly 42, and is fitted on the side of the ink pad assembly 42 away from the ink pad base 41. The sealing ring 422 is made of rubber, and its function is to prevent ink leakage and ensure the sealing performance of the ink pad assembly 42.

[0040] Additionally, it's worth mentioning that the ink pad base 41 is equipped with two corresponding ink pad assemblies 42 and two scraper assemblies 50. This allows for simultaneous cleaning of both printheads, meeting the cleaning and maintenance needs of dual printheads, and thus adapting to printing equipment with dual printheads, enhancing the overall performance and applicability of the 3D UV printer's ink stack structure.

[0041] In summary, the ink stack structure for a 3D UV printer disclosed in this application, through a simplified structural design, reduces the number of vulnerable parts in traditional complex mechanical transmissions. It uses a drive motor 21 to move the base 22, and the ink pad mechanism 40 is raised and lowered via a sliding member 33 within the guide groove of the guide member 31, improving the accuracy and stability of the ink stack lifting. The limiting component 60 further ensures the safety of the device, and the waste ink extraction and sealing design of the ink pad assembly 42 improves the cleaning effect of the printhead and the reliability of the device. Compared with existing technologies, this significantly enhances the performance and application range of the 3D UV printer.

[0042] The above are all preferred embodiments of this application, and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, all equivalent changes made in accordance with the structure, shape and principle of this application should be covered within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. An ink stack structure for a 3D UV printer, characterized in that, include: Mounting base (10); The drive assembly (20) includes a drive motor (21) and a movable base (22). One end of the drive motor (21) is fixed on the mounting base (10), and the other end is fitted onto the movable base (22). The lifting guide assembly (30) is disposed on both sides of the movable base (22) and includes a guide (31), a connector (32) and a plurality of through-pieces (33). The guide (31) is provided with a horizontal guide groove (311) and a vertical guide groove (312). The movable base (22) is fixed after passing through a portion of the through-pieces (33) sequentially through the horizontal guide groove (311) and one end of the connector (32). The ink pad mechanism (40) is located at one end of the drive assembly (20) away from the mounting base (10), and includes: an ink pad base (41) and an ink pad assembly (42). The ink pad base (41) is fixed by passing through the vertical guide groove (312) and the other end of the connector (32) in sequence via another part of the through member (33). A scraper assembly (50) is disposed on the ink pad base (41) and is used to scrape the surface of the printhead; The drive motor (21) is used to sequentially drive the movable base (22) and the connector (32) to pull multiple through parts (33) to slide in the horizontal guide groove (311) and the vertical guide groove (312) respectively, so as to drive the ink pad mechanism (40) to rise and fall relative to the mounting base (10).

2. The ink stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: The limiting assembly (60) includes a limit switch (61) and a limit piece (62), which are disposed opposite to each other on the ink pad base (41) and the mounting base (10).

3. The ink stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ink pad assembly (42) is provided with a pipe connection port (421) for connecting an external air pump to extract waste ink under negative pressure.

4. The ink stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive component (20) also includes: A baffle (23) is fixed on the mounting base (10) for fixing one end of the drive motor (21); A fastener (24) is inserted through the baffle (23) for the other end of the drive motor (21) to pass through.

5. The ink stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The scraper assembly (50) includes a receiving groove (51) and a scraper (52). The receiving groove (51) is fixed to one side of the ink pad base (41), and one end of the scraper (52) is fixed in the receiving groove (51).

6. The ink stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, Two guide members (31) are provided, symmetrically located on both sides of the movable base (22). Each guide member (31) is provided with two parallel horizontal guide grooves (311) and vertical guide grooves (312) spaced apart. Four corresponding connectors (32) are provided, and eight through-features (33) are provided.

7. The ink stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, A sealing ring (422) is provided on the ink pad assembly (42), which is sleeved on the side of the ink pad assembly (42) away from the ink pad base (41).

8. The ink stack structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ink pad base (41) is provided with two ink pad assemblies (42) and two scraper assemblies (50) that correspond to each other.

Images