Ventilation method for 3D printing device

Abstract

A ventilation method for a 3D printing device, comprising: upon receiving a circulating direct-exhaust instruction, a ventilation module controls an air return mechanism to drive airflow within a working chamber to flow along a circulating direct-exhaust airflow path; and upon receiving a circulating filtration instruction, the ventilation module controls the air return mechanism to drive the airflow within the working chamber to flow along a circulating filtration airflow path. In the present application, by providing two air return paths, i.e., the circulating direct-exhaust airflow path and the circulating filtration airflow path, when a large amount of exhaust gas generated during printing is present in the 3D printing device, the 3D printing device may control the air return mechanism to drive the airflow to flow along the circulating filtration airflow path, thereby filtering the exhaust gas within the working chamber. When a small amount of exhaust gas generated during printing is present in the 3D printing device, the 3D printing device may control the air return mechanism to drive the airflow to flow along a circulating filtration airflow path, thereby bypassing a filter element that obstructs the airflow, and improving the efficiency of the air return mechanism in balancing the temperature within the working chamber.

Description

Ventilation methods for 3D printing equipment

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 2025100650686, filed on January 15, 2025, entitled "Exhaust Method for 3D Printing Equipment", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of 3D printing technology, and specifically to a ventilation method for 3D printing equipment. Background Technology

[0003] 3D printing technology, as a rapid prototyping technology, has shown great application potential in many fields in recent years. 3D printing equipment is usually equipped with a return air mechanism, which drives airflow to circulate within the 3D printing equipment to equalize the temperature within the working chamber and improve print quality.

[0004] The return air mechanism is also equipped with a filter element, which is used to filter the printing exhaust gas generated in the working chamber, thereby preventing the exhaust gas generated by 3D printing from affecting the 3D printing process. However, although the filter element can filter the printing exhaust gas in the working chamber, its presence will also increase the return air resistance of the return air mechanism, affecting the temperature uniformity of the 3D printing equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide an exhaust method for 3D printing equipment, which aims to solve the problem in related technologies where return air mechanisms cannot simultaneously achieve both heat dissipation and filtration.

[0006] To achieve the purpose of this application, in a first aspect, this application provides a ventilation method for a 3D printing device. The ventilation method is applied to the 3D printing device, which includes a housing, a ventilation module, and a return air mechanism. The printer has a working cavity, and the return air mechanism and the ventilation module are disposed within the working cavity.

[0007] The ventilation method of the 3D printing equipment includes:

[0008] When the exhaust module receives the circulating direct exhaust command, it controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the circulating direct exhaust path, and balances the temperature of the working chamber through the circulating direct exhaust path.

[0009] When the exhaust module receives a circulating filtration command, it controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the circulating filtration airflow path, and performs temperature equalization and filtration on the working chamber through the circulating airflow path.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the 3D printing device further includes an instruction sending module, which sends the cyclic direct exhaust instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met:

[0011] The instruction sending module receives a cyclic straight-line signal; and / or,

[0012] When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the temperature inside the working chamber is lower than the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or,

[0013] The dust concentration in the working chamber is less than the preset concentration range.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the 3D printing device further includes an instruction sending module, which sends the circulating filtration instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met:

[0015] The instruction sending module receives a cyclic filtering signal; and / or,

[0016] When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the temperature inside the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or,

[0017] The dust concentration in the working chamber is greater than the preset concentration range.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the return air mechanism includes a support frame, a filter element, a circulating fan, and a heating element; the support frame includes a filter inlet, a filter inlet chamber, a filter outlet, a direct exhaust inlet, a direct exhaust inlet chamber, a direct exhaust outlet, an exhaust chamber, and a return air outlet; the filter element is disposed in the filter inlet chamber and is used to filter the gas flowing through the filter inlet chamber;

[0019] In the circulating direct exhaust flow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the direct exhaust inlet, the direct exhaust inlet cavity, and the direct exhaust outlet, and then flows back to the working chamber through the return air outlet;

[0020] In the circulating filtered airflow path, the airflow passes through the working chamber, the filter inlet, the filter inlet cavity, and the filter outlet to enter the exhaust cavity, and then flows back to the working chamber through the return air inlet.

[0021] The circulating fan is used to drive the airflow along the circulating direct exhaust airflow path and the circulating filtered airflow path.

[0022] In one possible implementation, controlling the return air mechanism to drive the airflow within the working chamber to flow along a circulating direct exhaust path includes:

[0023] Block the path of the circulating filtered airflow and control the circulating fan to drive the airflow;

[0024] Controlling the return air mechanism to drive the airflow within the working chamber to flow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path includes:

[0025] The circulating direct exhaust flow path is blocked, and the circulating fan is controlled to drive the airflow.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the return air mechanism further includes a filter-to-direct air switching damper assembly. The filter-to-direct air switching damper assembly includes a filter-to-direct air switching damper and a filter-to-direct air driving component. The filter-to-direct air switching damper is movably disposed within the exhaust chamber. The filter-to-direct air switching damper has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the filter-to-direct air switching damper blocks the direct air outlet; in the second position, the filter-to-direct air switching damper blocks the filtered air outlet. The filter-to-direct air driving component is used to drive the filter-to-direct air switching damper to move.

[0027] The blocking of the circulating filtered airflow path includes:

[0028] The filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switch damper to the second position;

[0029] The blocking of the circulating direct exhaust flow path includes:

[0030] The filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switching damper to the first position.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the filter-to-direction switching damper is slidably disposed within the exhaust chamber along the perpendicular direction of the circulating fan axis; the filter-to-direction switching damper also has a third position, which is located between the first position and the second position;

[0032] When the filter-to-direct switching damper is in the third position, the filter-to-direct switching damper partially blocks the direct exhaust outlet and the filter outlet;

[0033] The ventilation method of the 3D printing equipment includes:

[0034] When a semi-filter cycle command is received from the printer, the filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switching damper to the third position.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the 3D printing device further includes an instruction sending module, which sends the semi-filtration cycle instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met:

[0036] The instruction sending module receives the semi-filter cycle signal; and / or,

[0037] The temperature of the working chamber satisfies the following relationship: T = k1TR, where T is the current temperature of the working chamber, k1 is a temperature coefficient, k = 0.8, and TR is the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or,

[0038] The dust concentration in the working chamber is within a preset concentration range.

[0039] In one possible implementation, controlling the circulating fan to drive airflow includes:

[0040] When the temperature of the working chamber is lower than the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the circulating fan is controlled to rotate at full power.

[0041] When the temperature of the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the circulating fan is controlled to rotate at a preset power, which is less than the full power of the circulating fan.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the exhaust cavity has a first cavity section and a second cavity section, and the return air vent is connected to the second cavity section; the support frame further includes an exhaust vent, which is connected to the first cavity section;

[0043] The return air mechanism also includes a direct exhaust airflow path and a direct filter airflow path. In the direct exhaust airflow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the direct exhaust inlet, the direct exhaust inlet chamber, and the direct exhaust outlet, and then exits the working chamber through the exhaust outlet.

[0044] In the direct-flow filtration airflow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the filter inlet, the filter inlet cavity, and the filter outlet, and then exits the working chamber through the exhaust outlet.

[0045] The return air mechanism further includes an outer air damper and an inner air damper. The outer air damper is located at the exhaust port and is used to open or close the exhaust port. The inner air damper is located between the first cavity section and the second cavity section. When the inner air damper is open, the first cavity section and the second cavity section are connected. When the inner air damper is closed, the first cavity section and the second cavity section are isolated from each other.

[0046] The ventilation method for the 3D printing equipment also includes:

[0047] When the exhaust module receives the circulating direct exhaust command and the circulating filtration command, it controls the external air damper to close and the internal air damper to open; and / or,

[0048] When the exhaust module receives a cooling exhaust command, it controls the outer air damper to open, controls the inner air damper to close, and controls the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the direct exhaust airflow path; and / or,

[0049] When the exhaust module receives a cooling and filtration command, it controls the outer air damper to open, controls the inner air damper to close, and controls the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the direct exhaust filtration airflow path.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the 3D printing device further includes an instruction sending module, which sends the cooling exhaust instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met:

[0051] The instruction sending module receives a cooling exhaust signal; and / or

[0052] The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the temperature of the working chamber is within the direct-exhaust cooling temperature range of the current printing material; and / or

[0053] The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the dust concentration in the working chamber is less than a preset concentration range; and / or

[0054] The 3D printing equipment enters laser cutting or engraving mode.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the 3D printing device further includes an instruction sending module, which sends the cooling filtration instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met:

[0056] The instruction sending module receives a cooling filter signal; and / or

[0057] The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the temperature of the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or

[0058] The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the dust concentration in the working chamber is within a preset concentration range.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the circulating direct exhaust flow path and the filter circulating airflow path are used to maintain the temperature of the working chamber within a preset temperature range, wherein the preset temperature range is K, 50℃≤K≤70℃.

[0060] This application establishes two return air paths: a circulating direct exhaust airflow path and a circulating filtered airflow path. When there is a large amount of printing exhaust gas in the 3D printing equipment, the 3D printing equipment can control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path. This filters the exhaust gas in the working chamber, reducing its impact on the printing effect. When there is less printing exhaust gas in the 3D printing equipment, or when the 3D printing equipment needs to quickly equalize the chamber temperature, the 3D printing equipment can control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path. This avoids the filter element obstructing the airflow, increases the airflow circulation speed within the 3D printing equipment, and improves the efficiency of the return air mechanism in equalizing the working chamber temperature. Attached Figure Description

[0061] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0062] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the 3D printing equipment provided in this application;

[0063] Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view of the return air mechanism in Figure 1;

[0064] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the airflow along the path of the circulating direct exhaust flow;

[0065] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the airflow along the circulating filter airflow path;

[0066] Figure 5 is an exploded view of the support frame in Figure 2;

[0067] Figure 6 is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of the air intake baffle in Figure 5;

[0068] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the filter-to-direct switching damper assembly in Figure 2;

[0069] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the filter-to-direct current switching damper and the partition plate in Figure 2;

[0070] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the partition plate in Figure 8;

[0071] Figure 10 is an enlarged view of point c in Figure 9;

[0072] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of airflow along the exhaust airflow path;

[0073] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of the assembly of the intake damper mechanism and the housing in Figure 1;

[0074] Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of the intake damper mechanism in Figure 1;

[0075] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of airflow along the path of the straight exhaust airflow;

[0076] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the airflow along the straight-through filter airflow path;

[0077] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of the internal and external damper drive assembly in Figure 2;

[0078] Figure 17 is a structural schematic diagram of Figure 16 from another perspective;

[0079] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram of the hardware operating environment involved in this application.

[0080] Figure 19 is a flowchart illustrating the first embodiment of the exhaust method provided in this application;

[0081] Figure 20 is a flowchart illustrating a second embodiment of the ventilation method provided in this application.

[0082] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: 1000-3D printing equipment; 100-Return air mechanism; 1-Support frame; 11-Support plate; 111-Divider plate; 1112-Direct exhaust vent; 1113-Filtered exhaust vent; 1114-Return air vent; 1115-Main body surface; 1116-Connecting surface; 1117-Baffle surface; 1118-Slide groove; 112-Fixing plate; 1121-Exhaust vent; 12-Inlet baffle; 121-Inlet plate; 1211-Inlet; 12111-Direct exhaust inlet; 12112-Filtered air inlet; 122-Divider plate; 13-Inlet cavity; 131-Direct exhaust inlet cavity; 132-Filtered air inlet cavity; 14-Exhaust cavity; 2-Direct exhaust fan; 3-Circulating fan; 4-Filter element, 41-First filter surface, 42-Second filter surface, 43-Side surface, 44-Sealing element; 5-Filter-to-direction switching damper assembly, 51-Filter-to-direction switching damper, 52-Filter-to-direction drive component, 521-Filter-to-direction rack, 522-Filter-to-direction drive component, 523-Filter-to-direction damper drive gear; 6-Inner damper; 7-Outer damper; 8-Inner and outer damper drive assembly, 81-Linkage component, 82-Outer damper connecting rod, 83-Inner damper connecting rod, 84-Damper drive component, 841-Linkage rack, 842-Damper drive component, 843-Inner and outer damper drive gear; 9-Heating element; 200-Housing, 210-Working chamber; 300-Heated bed; 400-Tool head; 500-Intake damper mechanism, 510-Damper frame, 520-Intake damper, 530-Intake drive assembly; 600-Air duct, 610-Air intake channel, 611-Air inlet, 612-Air outlet, 620-Exhaust channel, 621-First chamber section, 622-Second chamber section, 600a-Direct exhaust airflow path, 600b-Direct exhaust filtered airflow path, 600c-Circulating direct exhaust airflow path, 600d-Circulating filtered airflow path; 1001-Controller, 1002-Communication bus, 1003-User interface, 1004-Network interface, 1005-Memory. Detailed Implementation

[0083] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0084] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed" to another component, it can be directly on the other component or it can be in a middle component. When a component is said to be "connected" to another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or it may be in a middle component.

[0085] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terminology used in the specification of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and / or" as used in this application includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0086] The following detailed description of some embodiments of this application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the following embodiments and features can be combined with each other.

[0087] Referring to Figure 1, this application proposes a 3D printing device 1000, which includes a housing 200, a tool head 400, and a heated bed 300. The housing 200 serves as the main structural component of the 3D printing device 1000, supporting and connecting the various component assemblies. The housing 200 has a working cavity 210 for 3D printing, within which the heated bed 300 and the tool head 400 are movably disposed.

[0088] The tool head 400 is used to heat, extrude, and accurately deposit printing material onto the heated bed 300 to build a three-dimensional model. In one embodiment of this application, the tool head 400 may include a nozzle and a heating element, the heating element being used to heat the printing material to a molten state, thereby ensuring that the printing material can be smoothly extruded and uniformly deposited onto the heated bed 300. The extruder is used to precisely extrude the molten printing material through the nozzle and deposit it layer by layer onto the heated bed 300 along a predetermined path to form a three-dimensional model.

[0089] The heated bed 300 has a bearing surface facing the tool head 400. The bearing surface is used to support and heat the material model extruded by the tool head 400, thereby enhancing the adhesion of the first layer of material and providing a stable foundation for subsequent printing. At the same time, the heated bed can also slow down the cooling rate of the printed model, reduce the stress caused by the temperature gradient within the printed model, and reduce the risk of deformation of the printed model.

[0090] Please refer to Figures 2 to 4. When printing high-temperature materials such as acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (ABS) or polycarbonate (PC), the 3D printing equipment 1000 also includes a return air mechanism 100 to keep the cavity temperature of the working chamber 210 constant. The return air mechanism 100 is used to drive the airflow to circulate in the working chamber 210, thereby keeping the cavity temperature of the working chamber 210 stable.

[0091] The return air mechanism 100 includes a support frame 1 and a circulating fan 3. The support frame 1 includes an air inlet 1211, an air inlet chamber 13, an air outlet chamber 14, and a return air outlet 1114. The airflow in the working chamber 210 can reach the return air outlet 1114 through the working chamber 210, the air inlet 1211, the air inlet chamber 13, and the air outlet chamber 14, and then flow back into the working chamber 210 through the return air outlet 1114, thereby realizing the circulation of airflow in the working chamber 210 and maintaining a constant temperature in the working chamber 210.

[0092] In one embodiment of this application, the return air mechanism 100 further includes a heating element 9, which is used to heat the airflow in the working chamber 210 when the temperature of the working chamber 210 does not reach the printing temperature range of the high-temperature material, thereby improving the printing effect of the 3D printing equipment 1000 on high-temperature materials.

[0093] In one embodiment of this application, the return air mechanism 100 further includes a filter element 4, which is disposed in the air inlet chamber 13. The filter element 4 is used to filter the airflow passing through the air inlet chamber 13, thereby reducing the dust concentration of the exhaust gas in the working chamber 210 and reducing the impact of the exhaust gas on the 3D printing effect.

[0094] However, while the filter element 4 can filter the printing exhaust gas in the working chamber 210, its presence also increases the return air resistance of the return air mechanism 100, affecting the temperature uniformity of the return air mechanism 100 for the 3D printing equipment 1000.

[0095] To address the aforementioned issues, in this application, the air inlet 1211 includes a direct exhaust air inlet 12111 and a filter air inlet 12112, and the air inlet cavity 13 includes a direct exhaust air inlet cavity 131 and a filter air inlet cavity 132, with the filter element 4 disposed within the filter air inlet cavity 132. The 3D printing equipment 1000 includes a circulating direct exhaust airflow path 600c and a circulating filtered airflow path 600d. In the circulating direct exhaust airflow path 600c, the airflow passes through the working cavity 210, the direct exhaust air inlet 12111, and the direct exhaust air inlet cavity 131, enters the exhaust cavity 14, and then returns to the working cavity 210 via the return air inlet 1114. In the circulating filtered airflow path 600d, the airflow passes through the working cavity 210, the filter air inlet 12112, and the filter air inlet cavity 132, enters the exhaust cavity 14, and then returns to the working cavity 210 via the return air inlet 1114.

[0096] When there is a large amount of printing exhaust gas in the 3D printing equipment 1000, the 3D printing equipment 1000 can control the return air mechanism 100 to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path 600d, thereby filtering the exhaust gas in the working chamber 210 and reducing the impact of the exhaust gas in the working chamber 210 on the printing effect of the 3D printing equipment 1000. When there is a small amount of printing exhaust gas in the 3D printing equipment 1000, or when the 3D printing equipment 1000 needs to quickly equalize the chamber temperature, the 3D printing equipment 1000 can control the return air mechanism 100 to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path 600d, thereby avoiding the obstruction of the airflow by the filter element 4, improving the airflow circulation speed in the 3D printing equipment 1000, and improving the efficiency of the return air mechanism 100 in equalizing the chamber temperature of the working chamber 210.

[0097] In one embodiment of this application, when the temperature of the working chamber does not reach the printing temperature range of high-temperature materials, the return air mechanism can also activate the heating element 9. The heating element 9 is used to heat the circulating direct exhaust airflow path 600c and the circulating filtered airflow path 600d, thereby providing conditions for printing high-temperature materials.

[0098] In one possible embodiment of this application, the circulating direct exhaust airflow path 600c and the circulating filtered airflow path 600d are used to maintain the temperature of the working chamber within a preset temperature range. It is understood that for high-temperature materials, if the temperature is too high, it will affect the curing of the printing material and the strength of the printed model; if the temperature is too low, it will lead to insufficient interlayer strength between different printing material layers, affecting the printing quality of the 3D printing equipment 1000. Therefore, in one possible embodiment of this application, the preset temperature range is K, 50℃≤K≤70℃. Under this temperature limit, it is possible to ensure that the 3D printing equipment 1000 fully melts the material while also ensuring the printing strength of the printing material.

[0099] The circulating fan 3 is used to drive the airflow between the circulating direct exhaust airflow path 600c and the circulating filtered airflow path 600d.

[0100] Please refer to Figures 5 to 8. In order to achieve the switching of airflow between the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c and the circulating filtered airflow path 600d, the return air mechanism 100 also includes a filter-direct switching damper assembly 5. The filter-direct switching damper assembly 5 is used to block the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c to control the airflow to flow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c, or to block the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c to control the airflow to flow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c.

[0101] Specifically, in one embodiment of this application, the support frame 1 includes a support plate 11 and an air inlet baffle 12, the support plate 11 and the air inlet baffle 12 forming an air inlet cavity 13, and an air exhaust cavity 14 forming inside the support plate 11. An air inlet 1211 is provided on the air inlet baffle 12, and an air exhaust port 1121 and a return air port 1114 are provided on the support frame 1.

[0102] The air inlet 1211 includes a direct exhaust air inlet 12111 and a filter air inlet 12112. The air inlet cavity 13 includes a direct exhaust air inlet cavity 131 and a filter air inlet cavity 132. The direct exhaust air inlet 12111 is connected to the direct exhaust air inlet cavity 131; the filter air inlet 12112 is connected to the filter air inlet cavity 132. The support plate 11 is also provided with a direct exhaust air outlet 1112 and a filter air outlet 1113. Airflow can reach the exhaust cavity 14 through the direct exhaust air inlet 12111, the direct exhaust air inlet cavity 131, and the direct exhaust air outlet 1112. Airflow can also reach the exhaust cavity 14 through the filter air inlet 12112, the filter air inlet cavity 132, and the filter air outlet 1113. The return air mechanism 100 also includes a filter element 4, which is disposed in the filter air inlet cavity 132.

[0103] There are various ways in which the air inlet cavity 13 forms the direct exhaust air inlet cavity 131 and the filter air inlet cavity 132. In one embodiment of this application, the filter element 4 has a first filter surface 41 disposed relative to the filter air inlet 12112, a second filter surface 42 disposed relative to the exhaust cavity 14, and a plurality of side surfaces 43 connecting the first filter surface 41 and the second filter surface 42; airflow enters the filter element 4 from the first filter surface and exits the filter element 4 from the second filter surface. A sealing element 44 is disposed on at least one connecting surface of the filter element 4. The material of the sealing element 44 can be rubber, foam, or other materials, and this application does not limit this. When the filter element 4 is placed in the air inlet cavity 13, the sealing element 44 on the filter element 4 makes sealing contact with the cavity wall of the exhaust cavity 14, thereby separating the air inlet cavity 13 to form the direct exhaust air inlet cavity 131 and the filter air inlet cavity 132.

[0104] Referring to Figure 6, in addition to the use of sealing element 44, in other possible embodiments of this application, the air intake baffle 12 includes an air intake plate 121 and a baffle 122 connected together; the air intake plate 121 and the support plate 11 surround to form an air intake cavity 13; a direct exhaust air inlet 12111 and a filter air inlet 12112 are disposed on the air intake plate 121. The baffle 122 is disposed in the air intake cavity 13. The baffle 122 can be integrally formed with the air intake plate 121, or it can be separately formed with the air intake plate 121 and then interconnected. The baffle 122 can also be integrally formed with the support plate 11, or it can be separately formed with the support plate 11 and then interconnected; this application does not limit this. The baffle 122 separates the air intake cavity 13 to form a direct exhaust air intake cavity 131 and a filter air intake cavity 132.

[0105] Understandably, in other possible embodiments of this application, the air inlet chamber 13 may not be divided into a direct exhaust air inlet chamber 131 and a filter air inlet chamber 132. Instead, the filter element 4 may be directly placed within a single exhaust chamber 14, with the filter element 4 positioned corresponding to the filter air inlet 12112. In this way, when gas enters the exhaust chamber 14 from the filter air inlet 12112, the gas can also flow through the filter element 4 and be filtered by it. Compared to this embodiment, dividing the air inlet chamber 13 into independent direct exhaust air inlet chamber 131 and filter air inlet chamber 132 ensures that the gas entering from the filter air inlet 12112 can be fully filtered by the filter element 4, improving the filtration effect of the filter element 4 on the airflow.

[0106] Please refer to Figures 7 to 10. The support plate 11 includes a partition plate 111 and a fixed plate 112. The partition plate 111 is connected to the air intake partition plate 12 and together with the air intake partition plate 12, forms an air intake cavity 13. The partition plate 111 and the fixed plate 112 together form an exhaust cavity 14, and the exhaust port 1121 is located on the fixed plate 112. The partition plate 111 includes a main surface 1115, a connecting surface 1116, and a baffle surface 1117. The main surface 1115 and the baffle surface 1117 are arranged opposite to each other, and the connecting surface 1116 connects the main surface 1115 and the baffle surface 1117. The filtered air outlet 1113 and the direct exhaust air outlet 1112 are located on the main surface 1115. The main surface 1115, the connecting surface 1116, and the baffle surface 1117 together form a groove 1118.

[0107] The filter-to-direct switching damper assembly 5 includes a filter-to-direct switching damper 51 and a filter-to-direct driving component 522. The filter-to-direct switching damper 51 is slidably disposed in the groove 1118 of the partition plate 111 and has a straight-through position and a filtering position. When the filter-to-direct switching damper 51 slides to the straight-through position, the filter-to-direct switching damper 51 blocks the filter outlet 1113 and thereby blocks the circulating straight exhaust flow path 600c, so that the airflow can only enter the exhaust chamber 14 through the straight exhaust inlet 12111, the straight exhaust inlet chamber 131, and the straight exhaust outlet 1112, thereby opening the circulating straight exhaust flow path 600c.

[0108] When the filter-direct switching damper 51 slides to the filtering position, the filter-direct switching damper 51 blocks the direct exhaust outlet 1112, thereby blocking the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c. This allows the airflow to enter the exhaust chamber 14 only through the filter inlet 12112, the filter inlet cavity 132, and the filter outlet 1113, thus opening the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c.

[0109] The filter-direction drive component 522 is used to drive the filter-direction switching damper 51 to move between the direct-flow position and the filtration position. The filter-direction drive component 522 can be a cylinder, a motor, or other transmission structures, and this application does not limit this. In one embodiment of this application, the filter-direction switching damper 51 is provided with a filter-direction rack 521, and the filter-direction drive component 52 includes the filter-direction drive component 522 and a filter-direction damper drive gear 523; the filter-direction damper drive gear 523 meshes with the filter-direction rack 521. The filter-direction drive component 522 can drive the filter-direction damper drive gear 523 to rotate, thereby driving the filter-direction rack 521 to slide, and finally driving the filter-direction switching damper 51 to slide within the working chamber 210. The filter-direction drive component 522 can be a motor, a rotary cylinder, or other rotary drive components, and this application does not limit this.

[0110] Understandably, in order to achieve the blocking of the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c or the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c, in other possible embodiments of this application, the filter-direct switching damper 51 can also be rotatably disposed in the working chamber 210, and has a straight-through position and a filtering position in the working chamber 210. When the filter-direct switching damper 51 is rotated to the straight-through position, the filter-direct switching damper 51 blocks the filter inlet 12112, and thereby blocks the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c, so that the airflow can only enter the exhaust chamber 14 through the direct exhaust inlet 12111, the direct exhaust inlet chamber 131, and the direct exhaust outlet 1112, thereby opening the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c.

[0111] When the filter-direct switching damper 51 is rotated to the filtering position, the filter-direct switching damper 51 blocks the direct exhaust inlet 12111 and thus blocks the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c, so that the airflow can only enter the exhaust chamber 14 through the filter inlet 12112, the filter inlet chamber 132, and the filter outlet 1113, thereby opening the circulating direct exhaust flow path 600c.

[0112] In contrast to printing with high-temperature materials, when the printing material of the 3D printing equipment 1000 is a low-temperature material such as polylactic acid (PLA) or polyethylene terephthalate (PETG), the 3D printing equipment 1000 needs to dissipate heat from the working chamber 210.

[0113] Please refer to Figure 11. To achieve the above objectives, in one embodiment of this application, the 3D printing equipment 1000 is further provided with an air duct 600. The air duct 600 includes an air inlet channel 610 provided in the housing 200 and an exhaust channel 620 provided in the return air mechanism 100. The air inlet channel 610 includes an air inlet 611 and an air outlet 612. Airflow outside the 3D printing equipment 1000 can reach the working chamber 210 through the air inlet channel 610 and exhaust the high-temperature gas in the working chamber 210 outside the 3D printing equipment 1000 through the exhaust channel 620 provided in the return air mechanism 100, thereby reducing the temperature of the working chamber 210 and maintaining normal printing.

[0114] An intake damper mechanism 500 is provided on the intake passage 610. The intake damper mechanism 500 is used to open or close the intake passage 610 to control the inflow or outflow of gas in the intake passage 610.

[0115] Referring to Figures 12 and 13, in one embodiment of this application, the intake damper mechanism 500 may include a damper frame 510, an intake damper 520, and an intake drive assembly 530. The damper frame 510 serves as the main structure of the intake damper mechanism 500, supporting and connecting the various component assemblies of the intake damper mechanism 500. The damper frame 510 is connected to the housing 200, and the damper frame 510 and the housing 200 may be connected by threads, welding, or integral molding; this application does not impose any limitations on this. The intake passage 610 may be entirely formed on the damper frame 510, partially formed on the damper frame 510, partially extending to the housing 200 connected to the damper frame 510, or entirely disposed on the housing 200; this application does not impose any limitations on this either. The intake damper 520 is movably mounted on the damper frame 510 or the housing 200. Under the drive of the intake drive assembly 530, the intake damper 520 can open or close the intake port or the outlet to open or close the intake passage 610. The intake drive assembly 530 can be a motor, a cylinder, or other transmission structures, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0116] Please refer to Figures 14 and 15. The support frame 1 also includes an exhaust port 1121, and the return air mechanism 100 also includes a direct exhaust fan 2. The direct exhaust fan 2 is used to drive the airflow to flow in the direct exhaust airflow path 600a and the direct filter airflow path 600b. In the direct exhaust airflow path 600a, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber 14 through the working chamber 210, the direct exhaust air inlet 12111, the direct exhaust air inlet chamber 131, and the direct exhaust air outlet 1112, and then exits the working chamber 210 through the exhaust port 1121. In the direct filter airflow path 600b, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber 14 through the working chamber 210, the filter air inlet 12112, the filter air inlet chamber 132, and the filter air outlet 1113, and then exits the working chamber 210 through the exhaust port 1121. The direct exhaust airflow path 600a and the direct filter airflow path 600b allow the high-temperature gas generated during printing in the working chamber 210 of the 3D printing equipment 1000 to be discharged outside the 3D printing equipment 1000, thereby reducing the temperature of the working chamber 210 and providing conditions for printing low-temperature materials.

[0117] Meanwhile, due to the presence of a direct exhaust airflow path 600a and a direct filter airflow path 600b, when there is a large amount of printing exhaust gas inside the 3D printing equipment 1000, the 3D printing equipment 1000 controls the airflow in the working chamber 210 to flow along the direct filter airflow path 600b to filter the exhaust gas, thereby reducing the exhaust gas content and minimizing environmental pollution from the exhaust gases emitted by the 3D printing equipment 1000. When there is a small amount of printing exhaust gas inside the 3D printing equipment 1000, or when the 3D printing equipment 1000 needs rapid cooling, the 3D printing equipment 1000 controls the airflow in the working chamber 210 to flow along the direct exhaust airflow path 600a, thereby avoiding the obstruction of the airflow by the filter element 4, increasing the exhaust speed of the 3D printing equipment 1000, and improving exhaust and cooling efficiency.

[0118] Referring to Figure 2, to achieve airflow switching between a circulating airflow path or an exhaust airflow path, i.e., between a circulating direct exhaust airflow path 600c and a direct exhaust airflow path 600a, or between a circulating filtered airflow path 600d and a direct filtered airflow path 600b, in one embodiment of this application, the direct exhaust fan 2 and the exhaust port 1121 are located in the first cavity section 621, and the circulating fan 3 and the return air port 1114 are located in the second cavity section 622; the return air mechanism 100 includes an outer damper 7, an inner damper 6, and an inner and outer damper drive assembly 8. The outer damper 7 is located at the exhaust port 1121 and is used to control the opening and closing of the exhaust port 1121. The inner damper 6 is located between the first cavity section 621 and the second cavity section 622 and is used to control the connection and blockage between the first cavity section 621 and the second cavity section. When the outer damper 7 is open and the inner damper 6 is closed, the exhaust port 1121 is open, and the first cavity section 621 and the second cavity section are blocked. The airflow can be discharged outside the 3D printing equipment 1000 along the exhaust airflow path, through the first cavity section 621 and the exhaust port 1121. When the outer damper 7 is closed and the inner damper 6 is open, the exhaust port 1121 is closed, and the first cavity section 621 and the second cavity section are connected. The airflow can circulate between the return air mechanism 100 and the working chamber 210 along the circulating airflow path, through the first cavity section 621, the second cavity section and the return air port 1114.

[0119] Please refer to Figures 16 and 17. The inner and outer damper drive assembly 8 is used to drive the opening and closing of the outer damper 7 and the inner damper 6. The inner and outer damper drive assembly 8 can be a motor or a cylinder. In one embodiment of this application, the inner and outer damper drive assembly 8 includes a linkage 81, an outer damper connecting rod 82, an inner damper connecting rod 83, and a damper drive component 84. The linkage 81 is a plate-shaped structure with a length of J in the X direction and a length of K in the Z direction. The linkage 81 is located between the inner damper 6 and the outer damper 7. One end of the outer damper connecting rod 82 is rotatably connected to the linkage 81, and the other end is connected to a first rotating end. One end of the inner damper connecting rod 83 is rotatably connected to the linkage 81, and the other end is connected to a second rotating end. The damper drive component 84 is used to drive the linkage 81 to move, so as to drive the inner damper 6 and the outer damper 7 to rotate along a first rotating direction or a second rotating direction, where the first rotating direction and the second rotating direction are opposite directions.

[0120] In practical applications, the damper drive component 84 can drive the linkage 81 to move, thereby driving the outer damper linkage 82 and the inner damper linkage 83 to move. This, in turn, causes the outer damper 7 to rotate via the outer damper linkage 82 and the inner damper 6 to rotate via the inner damper linkage 83. Since the outer damper linkage 82 and the inner damper linkage 83 are located on opposite sides of the linkage 81 and are respectively connected to the rotating ends of the inner damper 6 and the outer damper 7 near the linkage 81, when the direction of movement of the linkage 81 remains unchanged, when the inner damper 6 rotates... When the damper linkage 83 drives the inner damper 6 to rotate in the first rotation direction under the action of the linkage 81, the outer damper linkage 82 will inevitably drive the outer damper 7 to rotate in the second rotation direction under the action of the linkage 81. Alternatively, when the inner damper linkage 83 drives the inner damper 6 to rotate in the second rotation direction under the action of the linkage 81, the outer damper linkage 82 will inevitably drive the outer damper 7 to rotate in the first rotation direction under the action of the linkage 81. The first and second rotation directions are opposite directions. Therefore, when the inner damper 6 opens under the action of the inner damper linkage 83, the outer damper 7 will inevitably close under the action of the outer damper linkage 82. When the inner damper 6 closes under the action of the inner damper linkage 83, the outer damper 7 will inevitably open under the action of the outer damper linkage 82. This achieves the switching between the circulating airflow path and the direct exhaust airflow path.

[0121] In one possible embodiment of this application, the damper drive component 84 includes a linkage rack 841, a damper drive element 842, and inner and outer damper drive gears 843. The linkage rack 841 is connected to the linkage element 81. The linkage rack 841 and the linkage element 81 can be integrally formed or separately formed and then connected to each other; this application does not impose any restrictions on this. In one possible embodiment of this application, the linkage rack 841 and the linkage element 81 are integrally formed, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the damper drive component 84 and improving the assembly efficiency of the damper drive component 84 and the linkage element 81.

[0122] The inner and outer damper drive gears 843 and the linkage rack 841 mesh with each other, and the damper drive component 842 is drivenly connected to the inner and outer damper drive gears 843. The damper drive component 842 can drive the inner and outer damper drive gears 843 to rotate, drive the linkage rack 841 to move, and thus drive the linkage component 81 to move. The damper drive component 842 can be a motor, a cylinder, or other rotary drive component, and this application does not limit it in this regard.

[0123] Referring to Figure 18, based on the above structure, this application also proposes a ventilation method for a 3D printing device. Simultaneously, the 3D printing device also includes a controller 1001, a communication bus 1002, a user interface 1003, a network interface 1004, and a memory 1005. The communication bus 1002 is used to realize communication between these components. The user interface 1003 is mainly used for user data interaction and may include a display screen and an input unit such as a keyboard. Optionally, the user interface 1003 may also include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface. The network interface 1004 is mainly used for data communication with a network server and may optionally include a standard wired interface or a wireless interface (such as a Wireless-Fidelity (Wi-Fi) interface).

[0124] The controller 1001 is used to call computer instructions to execute the ventilation control method. The controller 1001 can be a central processing unit (CPU), or it can be other general-purpose controllers, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc.

[0125] The memory 1005 is used to store computer instructions, and may also be used to store the operating system, network communication module, user interface module, and ventilation control program, etc. The memory 1005 can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as Static RAM (SRAM), Dynamic RAM (DRAM), Synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), Double Data Rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), Enhanced Synchronous DRAM (ESDRAM), Synchlink DRAM (SLDRAM), and Direct Rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0126] It should be noted that when the controller 1001 is a general-purpose controller, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) is integrated in the controller.

[0127] The controller includes an instruction sending module and an exhaust module. The instruction sending module sends exhaust instructions to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module receives the exhaust instructions and executes the corresponding exhaust method.

[0128] Please refer to Figure 19. When a 3D printing device prints high-temperature materials such as acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer (ABS) or polycarbonate (PC), the 3D printing device implements a cooling and ventilation method. The ventilation method of the 3D printing device includes:

[0129] S10. When the exhaust module receives the circulating direct exhaust command, it controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the circulating direct exhaust path, and balances the temperature of the working chamber through the circulating direct exhaust path.

[0130] S20. When the exhaust module receives the circulating filtration command, it controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the circulating filtration airflow path, and performs temperature equalization and filtration of the working chamber through the circulating airflow path.

[0131] This application establishes two return air paths: a circulating direct exhaust airflow path and a circulating filtered airflow path. When there is a large amount of printing exhaust gas in the 3D printing equipment, the 3D printing equipment can control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path. This filters the exhaust gas in the working chamber, reducing its impact on the printing effect. When there is less printing exhaust gas in the 3D printing equipment, or when the 3D printing equipment needs to quickly equalize the chamber temperature, the 3D printing equipment can control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path. This avoids the filter element obstructing the airflow, increases the airflow circulation speed within the 3D printing equipment, and improves the efficiency of the return air mechanism in equalizing the working chamber temperature.

[0132] There are multiple conditions under which the controller can switch between the recirculating direct exhaust flow path and the recirculating filtered airflow path. These paths can be switched via user commands. When a user sends a recirculating direct exhaust signal to the command sending module via a control panel, voice prompts, or other connected devices, the receiving command sending module will send a recirculating direct exhaust command to the exhaust module, which in turn controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the recirculating direct exhaust flow path. Similarly, when a user sends a recirculating filter signal to the command sending module via a control panel, voice prompts, or other connected devices, the receiving command sending module will send a recirculating filter command to the exhaust module, which in turn controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the recirculating filtered airflow path.

[0133] The circulating direct exhaust flow path and the circulating filtered airflow path can also be switched via machine commands. When the controller detects that the 3D printing equipment meets the preset direct exhaust cooling printing conditions, other modules of the controller will send a circulating direct exhaust signal to the command sending module. Upon receiving the circulating direct exhaust signal, the command sending module will send a circulating direct exhaust command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module will control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path. When the controller detects that the 3D printing equipment meets the preset filtered cooling printing conditions, other modules of the controller will send a circulating filter signal to the command sending module. Upon receiving the circulating filter signal, the command sending module will send a circulating filter command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module will control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path.

[0134] The circulating direct exhaust airflow path and the circulating filtered airflow path can also be controlled by the temperature of the working chamber. When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the temperature inside the working chamber is lower than the current printing temperature range of the printing material, the controller control command sending module sends a circulating direct exhaust command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating direct exhaust airflow path. When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the temperature inside the working chamber is within the current printing temperature range of the printing material, the controller control command sending module sends a circulating filtration command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path.

[0135] Specifically, before a 3D printing device leaves the factory, technicians will conduct experiments or other methods to obtain the printing temperature range for various printing materials. This printing temperature range refers to the temperature range within the working chamber where the best printing effect is achieved for the current material. After obtaining the printing temperature range for each material, technicians will generate a table showing the relationship between the printing materials and their corresponding optimal printing temperatures, and store this table in memory.

[0136] For example, for large-sized, high-fill-rate ASA and ABS materials, the optimal printing temperature is set to 60℃ to prevent warping during printing, while for small-sized, low-fill-rate ABS materials, the optimal printing temperature is room temperature.

[0137] When the printing material is a high-temperature material such as PC, PA, PA-CF, PAHT-CF, PA6-CF, PETCF, PPA-CF, PPA-GF, PPS, or PPS-CF, the optimal printing temperature is 60°C.

[0138] Once the printing material is placed into the feed hopper of the 3D printing equipment, the controller will identify the type of printing material. When the printing material is in the high-temperature material category stored in the memory, the controller will further query the relationship table pre-stored in the memory according to the type of printing material to obtain the printing temperature range of the printing material.

[0139] When the temperature of the working chamber is lower than the required printing temperature range for the current printing material, the controller activates the heating element and controls the airflow to flow along the circulating direct exhaust path, thereby avoiding the filter's obstruction of the airflow and increasing the airflow circulation speed within the working chamber, thus allowing the temperature of the working chamber to rise rapidly. When the temperature of the working chamber is within the required printing temperature range for the current printing material, the controller activates the heating element and controls the airflow to flow along the circulating filtered airflow path, thereby filtering the gas within the working chamber and reducing the impact of exhaust gas within the working chamber on the printing effect.

[0140] In addition, the switching between the circulating direct exhaust airflow path and the circulating filtered airflow path can also be controlled by the dust concentration. Specifically, in the early stages of 3D printing, or when the printing material itself produces less dust, the dust concentration in the airflow is low, and the filter element's filtration efficiency for the airflow is low. If the circulating filtered airflow path is activated at this time, it will not only fail to effectively filter the dust in the airflow, but will also affect the return air efficiency of the return air mechanism.

[0141] Therefore, in one embodiment of this application, when the printing material is placed into the feeding chamber of the 3D printing equipment, the controller will identify the type of the printing material. When the controller obtains that the type of printing material belongs to the high-temperature material category stored in the memory, the controller will detect the dust concentration in the working chamber.

[0142] When the dust concentration in the working chamber is less than the preset range, the controller activates the heating element and controls the airflow to flow along the circulating direct exhaust path, thereby avoiding the filter element's obstruction of the airflow and increasing the airflow circulation speed in the working chamber, thus allowing the temperature of the working chamber to rise rapidly. When the dust concentration in the working chamber is greater than the preset range, the controller activates the heating element and controls the airflow to flow along the circulating filter airflow path, thereby filtering the gas in the working chamber and reducing the impact of exhaust gas in the working chamber on the printing effect.

[0143] There are various ways to control the airflow within the working chamber of the return air mechanism to flow along the circulating direct exhaust airflow path and the circulating filtered airflow path. In one embodiment of this application, the circulating direct exhaust airflow path and the circulating filtered airflow path are located in two independent air ducts. The controller can control the opening and closing of the circulating direct exhaust airflow path by driving the rotation of the circulating fans in different air ducts. Specifically, the support frame of the return air mechanism forms two independent ventilation paths: a direct exhaust return air duct and a filtered return air duct. The circulating direct exhaust airflow path is located in the direct exhaust return air duct, and the circulating filtered airflow path is located in the filtered return air duct. The circulating fans include a first circulating fan located in the direct exhaust return air duct and a second circulating fan located in the filtered return air duct. The controller can drive the airflow along the circulating direct exhaust airflow path by turning on the first circulating fan and drive the airflow along the circulating filtered airflow path by turning on the second circulating fan.

[0144] The circulating direct exhaust flow path and the circulating filtered airflow path can also share part of the air duct. The 3D printing equipment can switch between the circulating direct exhaust flow path and the circulating filtered airflow path by blocking the flow direction of one of the airflow paths. Specifically, in other possible embodiments of this application, the return air mechanism includes a support frame, a filter element, and a circulating fan; the support frame includes a filter inlet, a filter inlet chamber, a filter outlet, a direct exhaust inlet, a direct exhaust inlet chamber, a direct exhaust outlet, an exhaust chamber, and an exhaust outlet; the filter element is disposed in the filter inlet chamber and is used to filter the gas flowing through the filter inlet chamber; in the circulating direct exhaust flow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the direct exhaust inlet, the direct exhaust inlet chamber, and the direct exhaust outlet, and then exits the working chamber through the exhaust outlet; in the circulating filtered airflow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the filter inlet, the filter inlet chamber, and the filter outlet, and then exits the working chamber through the exhaust outlet; the circulating fan is disposed in the exhaust chamber and is used to drive the airflow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path and the circulating filtered airflow path;

[0145] The control mechanism for the return air mechanism drives the airflow within the working chamber to flow along the circulating direct exhaust airflow path, including:

[0146] Block the airflow path of the circulating filter and control the airflow driven by the circulating fan.

[0147] The control mechanism for the return air mechanism drives the airflow within the working chamber to flow along the circulating filtered airflow path, including:

[0148] Block the direct exhaust flow path of the circulating system and control the airflow driven by the circulating fan.

[0149] In this embodiment, the circulating direct exhaust flow path has a shared air duct located within the exhaust chamber, and also has an independent air duct located within the direct exhaust inlet chamber. Similarly, the circulating filtered airflow path has a shared air duct located within the exhaust chamber, and also has an independent air duct located within the filtered inlet chamber. When the circulating fan is turned on, the airflow can flow to the exhaust port through the circulating direct exhaust flow path, or it can flow through the blocked circulating filtered airflow path. The controller can only block the filtered inlet chamber, thus ensuring that the airflow can only reach the exhaust chamber through the direct exhaust inlet chamber, thereby controlling the airflow to flow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path. The controller can also block the circulating direct exhaust flow path, thus ensuring that the airflow can only reach the exhaust chamber through the filtered inlet chamber, thereby controlling the airflow to flow along the circulating filtered airflow path.

[0150] Compared to separating the circulating direct exhaust flow path and the circulating filtered airflow path into different independent air ducts, the circulating direct exhaust flow path and the circulating filtered airflow path share an air duct. By blocking the circulating filtered airflow path to achieve airflow in the direction of the circulating direct exhaust flow path, the space occupied by the independent air duct for the return air mechanism can be effectively reduced, the volume of the return air mechanism can be reduced, the space occupied by the return air mechanism for the working chamber can be reduced, the movable space of the heated bed and tool head can be increased, and the printable model size of the 3D printing equipment can be increased.

[0151] There are several ways for the controller to block the circulating filtered airflow path or the cooling direct exhaust airflow path. The controller can block the circulating filtered airflow path by blocking the filter inlet, or by controlling the filter outlet. In one embodiment of this application, the return air mechanism further includes a filter-direct switching damper assembly. The filter-direct switching damper assembly includes a filter-direct switching damper and a filter-direct driving component. The filter-direct switching damper is movably disposed in the exhaust chamber and has a straight-through position and a filtering position. In the straight-through position, the filter-direct switching damper blocks the direct exhaust outlet; in the filtering position, the filter-direct switching damper blocks the filter outlet. The filter-direct driving component is used to drive the filter-direct switching damper to move.

[0152] Blocking the recirculating filtered airflow path includes:

[0153] The filter direct drive component drives the filter direct switching damper to the filtration position.

[0154] Blocking the direct exhaust flow path of the recirculating system includes:

[0155] The filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switching damper to the direct flow position.

[0156] Compared to placing the filter-to-direction switching damper assembly outside the support frame and blocking the filter inlet with the filter-to-direction switching damper, this embodiment places the filter-to-direction switching damper assembly inside the support frame and blocks the filter outlet with the filter-to-direction switching damper of the assembly. This effectively reduces the impact of the filter-to-direction switching damper's movement on model printing. At the same time, the support frame can also protect the filter-to-direction switching damper assembly, reducing the impact of the printed model entering and exiting on the filter-to-direction switching damper assembly and extending its service life.

[0157] In one embodiment of this application, the filter-direct switching damper is slidably disposed in the exhaust chamber along a vertical direction (i.e., the Z direction shown in Figure 2) of the circulating fan axis; the filter-direct switching damper also has a half-filtration position, which is located between the straight-through position and the filtration position; when the filter-direct switching damper is in the half-filtration position, the filter-direct switching damper partially blocks the straight exhaust outlet and the filtration outlet.

[0158] The ventilation methods for 3D printing equipment include:

[0159] When a semi-filtration cycle command is received, the filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switching damper to the semi-filtration position.

[0160] In this embodiment, the return air mechanism also has a semi-filtering intermediate state. When the temperature of the working chamber satisfies the relationship: T = k1TR, where k1 is a temperature coefficient, k1 = 0.8, and TR is the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the return air mechanism enters the semi-filtering cooling mode. For example, when the printing temperature range of the current printing material is 20° ≤ TR ≤ 30°, then when the temperature T of the working chamber reaches 16° ≤ T ≤ 24°, the return air mechanism enters the semi-filtering heating mode.

[0161] In semi-filtration mode, the filter-to-direct-flow switching damper is driven between the filtration and direct-flow positions. When the temperature of the working chamber is less than T, the damper can move from the semi-filtration position to the direct-flow position, thus directly exhausting the working chamber back to the airflow. When the temperature of the working chamber is greater than T, the damper can move from the semi-filtration position to the filtration position, thereby filtering the exhaust gas in the working chamber and reducing the impact of exhaust gas on the printing effect.

[0162] In addition, the switching of the filter-to-direct flow damper can also be determined by the dust concentration in the working chamber. When the dust concentration in the working chamber is within a preset range, the filter-to-direct flow damper is driven between the filtration position and the direct flow position. When the dust concentration in the working chamber is less than the preset concentration, the filter-to-direct flow damper moves from the semi-filtration position to the direct flow position, thereby directly exhausting the working chamber back to the airflow. When the dust concentration in the working chamber is greater than the preset range, the filter-to-direct flow damper can move from the semi-filtration position to the filtration position, thereby filtering and returning the working chamber back to the airflow.

[0163] Compared to directly driving the filter-to-direct-flow switching damper to move between the filtration and direct-flow positions, the semi-filtration mode of the exhaust mechanism reduces the frequent movement of the filter-to-direct-flow switching damper, improves its response speed, and extends its service life. Simultaneously, the semi-filtration mode allows for a smooth transition between filtration cooling and direct-flow cooling in the return air mechanism, reducing turbulence formation within the return air mechanism, decreasing its energy consumption, and improving its exhaust efficiency.

[0164] In addition to temperature and dust concentration, the semi-filter exhaust path of the return air mechanism can also be switched via user commands. When the user sends a semi-filter cooling signal to the command sending module via control panel, voice, or other connected devices, the command sending module that receives the semi-filter cooling signal will send a semi-filter cooling command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module will control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the semi-filter circulating airflow path.

[0165] During the 3D printing process, the exhaust fan can rotate at full power or automatically adjust its rotation power according to the printing progress. To optimize the rotational energy consumption of the exhaust fan, in one embodiment of this application, controlling the airflow driven by the circulating fan includes:

[0166] When the temperature of the working chamber is lower than the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the circulating fan is controlled to run at full power.

[0167] When the temperature of the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the circulating fan is controlled to rotate at a preset power, which is less than the full power of the circulating fan.

[0168] In this embodiment, the rotational power of the circulating fan is related to the temperature of the working chamber. When the temperature of the working chamber is lower than the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the controller controls the circulating fan to rotate at full power, thereby accelerating the airflow velocity in the working chamber and reducing the time it takes for the working chamber to reach the printing temperature range of the current printing material. When the temperature of the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the controller controls the circulating fan to rotate at a preset power less than full power, thereby reducing the energy consumption and noise of the circulating fan and improving the user experience.

[0169] Please refer to Figure 20. When the 3D printing equipment is printing low-temperature materials such as polylactic acid (PLA) or polyethylene terephthalate (PETG), the 3D printing equipment needs to cool the working chamber. In this case, the ventilation methods include:

[0170] S30. When the exhaust module receives the direct exhaust command and the filtration command, it controls the external damper to close and the internal damper to open.

[0171] S40. When the exhaust module receives the cooling exhaust command, it controls the external air damper to open, controls the internal air damper to close, and controls the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the straight exhaust airflow path.

[0172] S50. When the exhaust module receives the cooling and filtration command, it controls the external air damper to open, controls the internal air damper to close, and controls the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the direct exhaust filtration airflow path.

[0173] The design of both direct exhaust and direct filtration airflow paths allows the high-temperature gases generated during printing to be expelled from the working chamber of the 3D printer, thus lowering the working chamber temperature and providing conditions for printing low-temperature materials. Simultaneously, due to the presence of these paths, when there is a large amount of printing exhaust gas, the 3D printer controls the airflow within the working chamber to flow along the direct filtration path, filtering the exhaust gas and reducing its concentration, thereby minimizing environmental pollution. Conversely, when there is less printing exhaust gas or when rapid cooling is required, the 3D printer controls the airflow within the working chamber to flow along the direct exhaust path, avoiding filter obstruction and increasing the exhaust speed, thus improving both ventilation and cooling efficiency.

[0174] There are multiple conditions under which the controller can switch between the direct exhaust airflow path and the direct filter airflow path. These paths can be switched via user commands. When a user sends a cooling exhaust signal to the command sending module via the control panel, voice, or other connected devices, the module receives the signal and sends a cooling exhaust command to the exhaust module. The exhaust module then controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the direct exhaust airflow path. Similarly, when a user sends a cooling filter signal to the command sending module via the control panel, voice, or other connected devices, the module receives the signal and sends a cooling filter command to the exhaust module. The exhaust module then controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the direct filter airflow path.

[0175] The direct exhaust airflow path and the direct filter airflow path can also be switched via machine commands. When the controller detects that the 3D printing equipment meets the preset direct cooling printing conditions, other modules of the controller will send a cooling exhaust signal to the command sending module. Upon receiving the cooling exhaust signal, the command sending module will send a cooling exhaust command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module will control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the direct exhaust airflow path. When the controller detects that the 3D printing equipment meets the preset filter cooling printing conditions, other modules of the controller will send a cooling filter signal to the command sending module. Upon receiving the cooling filter signal, the command sending module will send a cooling filter command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module will control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the direct filter airflow path.

[0176] The direct exhaust airflow path and the direct filter airflow path can also be controlled by the temperature of the working chamber. When the temperature of the working chamber is within the direct cooling temperature range of the current printing material, the controller will control the command sending module to send a cooling exhaust command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module will control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the direct exhaust airflow path. When the temperature of the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the controller will control the command sending module to send a filter command to the exhaust module, and the exhaust module will control the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along the direct filter airflow path.

[0177] Specifically, before a 3D printing machine leaves the factory, technicians will conduct experiments or other methods to obtain the direct-flow cooling temperature range and printing temperature range for various printing materials. The printing temperature range refers to the temperature range of the working chamber where the current printing material produces the best printing results, while the direct-flow cooling temperature range is the maximum temperature range of the working chamber that the current printing material can withstand. The direct-flow cooling temperature range is greater than the printing temperature range.

[0178] In one embodiment of this application, the direct cooling temperature range is A, where A ≤ 45°C. Under this temperature limit, the working chamber can be cooled in time to avoid the material melting due to excessively high working chamber temperature, which would affect the printing effect of the 3D printing equipment.

[0179] For example, the applicable printing environment temperature range for low-temperature materials such as PLA, PETG, TPU, and PVA is the ambient temperature outside the 3D printer. Since the softening temperature of PLA is 45°C and that of PETG is 70°C, the direct cooling temperature range of PETG is usually set between 50°C and 70°C, while that of PLA is set between 25°C and 45°C.

[0180] After obtaining the printing temperature range for each material, the technicians will generate a table showing the relationship between the printing material and its optimal printing temperature, based on the material type and its corresponding printing temperature range. This table, along with the obtained direct-flow cooling temperature range, will then be stored in memory.

[0181] Once the printing material is placed into the feed hopper of the 3D printing equipment, the controller will identify the type of printing material. When the printing material is in the low-temperature material category stored in the memory, the controller will further query the relationship table pre-stored in the memory according to the type of printing material to obtain the direct cooling temperature range and printing temperature range of the printing material.

[0182] When the material is a low-temperature material and the working chamber temperature is within the current printing temperature range of the material, the controller directs the airflow along the direct exhaust filter path. This filters the exhaust gas from the 3D printer, preventing pollution of the surrounding environment. When the material is also low-temperature and the working chamber temperature is within the direct exhaust cooling temperature range of the material, the controller directs the airflow along the direct exhaust path. This rapidly cools the working chamber, preventing excessively high temperatures from affecting the printing process. By using the working chamber temperature as the reference for switching between the direct exhaust and direct filter paths, the return air mechanism can dynamically adjust the cooling and filtration effects on the working chamber. This prevents filtration from affecting the cooling effect of the return air mechanism, improving the printing quality.

[0183] The direct exhaust airflow path and the direct filter airflow path can also be controlled by the dust concentration in the working chamber. Specifically, in the early stage of 3D printing or when the printing material itself has little dust, the dust concentration in the airflow is low, and the filter element has low filtration efficiency for the airflow. If the direct filter airflow path is turned on at this time, it will not only fail to effectively filter the dust in the airflow, but will also affect the exhaust efficiency of the return air mechanism.

[0184] Therefore, in one embodiment of this application, when the printing material is placed into the feeding chamber of the 3D printing equipment, the controller will identify the type of the printing material. When the controller obtains that the type of the printing material belongs to the low-temperature material category stored in the memory, the controller will detect the dust concentration in the working chamber.

[0185] When the dust concentration in the working chamber exceeds the preset range, the controller will send a filtration command to the exhaust module via the command sending module. The exhaust module then controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along a straight-through filtration path, thereby filtering the exhaust gas from the 3D printing equipment and reducing pollution to the surrounding environment. When the dust concentration in the working chamber is below the preset range, the controller will send a cooling exhaust command to the exhaust module via the command sending module. The exhaust module then controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along a straight-through exhaust path. This reduces unnecessary filtration and its impact on exhaust efficiency, improving the exhaust efficiency of the return air mechanism.

[0186] In addition, when the 3D printing equipment enters modes that generate a large amount of dust, such as laser cutting or engraving modes, the controller will directly control the command sending module to send a cooling exhaust command to the exhaust module. The exhaust module then controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow along a straight exhaust path. This ensures that the dust generated during laser cutting or engraving is promptly discharged, improving the quality of laser cutting and engraving.

[0187] To control the opening and closing of the inner and outer dampers, in one embodiment of this application, the inner and outer damper drive assembly includes a linkage, an outer damper connecting rod, an inner damper connecting rod, and a damper drive component. The linkage is located between the inner and outer dampers. One end of the outer damper connecting rod is rotatably connected to the linkage, and the other end is connected to a first rotating end. One end of the inner damper connecting rod is rotatably connected to the linkage, and the other end is connected to a second rotating end. The damper drive component drives the linkage to rotate, thereby causing the inner and outer dampers to rotate in a first rotation direction or a second rotation direction, where the first and second rotation directions are opposite. The damper drive component can be a motor, a cylinder, or other structures; this application does not limit its application to these.

[0188] The controller can move the damper drive components, which in turn drive the linkage components. The movement of the linkage components drives the outer damper linkage and the inner damper linkage, which in turn drives the outer damper to rotate via the outer damper linkage and the inner damper to rotate via the inner damper linkage, ultimately opening and closing the inner and outer dampers.

[0189] In the description of the embodiments of this application, it should be noted that the orientation or positional relationship of the terms "center", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inner", "outer" and other indicators are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0190] The above-disclosed embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the processes for implementing the above embodiments and equivalent variations made in accordance with the claims of this application are still within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A ventilation method for a 3D printing device, characterized in that, The ventilation method is applied to a 3D printing equipment, which includes a housing, a ventilation module, and a return air mechanism. The printer has a working chamber, and the return air mechanism and the ventilation module are located inside the working chamber. The ventilation method of the 3D printing equipment includes: When the exhaust module receives the circulating direct exhaust command, it controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the circulating direct exhaust path, and to equalize or heat the temperature of the working chamber through the circulating direct exhaust path. When the exhaust module receives a circulating filtration command, it controls the return air mechanism to drive the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the circulating filtration airflow path, and filters and heats the working chamber through the circulating airflow path.

2. The ventilation method for the 3D printing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment also includes an instruction sending module, which sends the circulating direct exhaust instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met: The instruction sending module receives a cyclic straight-line signal; and / or, When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the temperature inside the working chamber is lower than the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or, When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the dust concentration in the working chamber is less than the preset concentration range.

3. The ventilation method for the 3D printing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment also includes an instruction sending module, which sends the circulating filtration instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met: The instruction sending module receives a cyclic filtering signal; and / or, When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the temperature inside the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or, When the printing material is a high-temperature material, and the dust concentration in the working chamber is greater than the preset concentration range.

4. The ventilation method for the 3D printing equipment as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The return air mechanism includes a support frame, a filter element, a circulating fan, and a heating element; the support frame includes a filter inlet, a filter inlet chamber, a filter outlet, a direct exhaust inlet, a direct exhaust inlet chamber, a direct exhaust outlet, an exhaust chamber, and a return air outlet; the filter element is disposed in the filter inlet chamber and is used to filter the gas flowing through the filter inlet chamber; In the circulating direct exhaust flow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the direct exhaust inlet, the direct exhaust inlet cavity, and the direct exhaust outlet, and then flows back to the working chamber through the return air outlet; In the circulating filtered airflow path, the airflow passes through the working chamber, the filter inlet, the filter inlet cavity, and the filter outlet to enter the exhaust cavity, and then flows back to the working chamber through the return air inlet. The circulating fan is used to drive the airflow along the circulating direct exhaust airflow path and the circulating filtered airflow path.

5. The ventilation method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The control of the return air mechanism to drive the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path includes: Block the path of the circulating filtered airflow and control the circulating fan to drive the airflow; Controlling the return air mechanism to drive the airflow within the working chamber to flow along the circulating direct exhaust flow path includes: The circulating direct exhaust flow path is blocked, and the circulating fan is controlled to drive the airflow.

6. The ventilation method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The return air mechanism further includes a filter-to-direct air switching damper assembly, which includes a filter-to-direct air switching damper and a filter-to-direct air driving component. The filter-to-direct air switching damper is movably disposed within the exhaust chamber. The filter-to-direct air switching damper has a first position and a second position. In the first position, the filter-to-direct air switching damper blocks the direct exhaust outlet; in the second position, the filter-to-direct air switching damper blocks the filtered exhaust outlet. The filter-to-direct air driving component is used to drive the filter-to-direct air switching damper to move. The blocking of the circulating filtered airflow path includes: The filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switch damper to the second position; The blocking of the circulating direct exhaust flow path includes: The filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switching damper to the first position.

7. The ventilation method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The filter-to-direction switching damper is slidably disposed in the exhaust chamber along the perpendicular direction of the axis of the circulating fan; the filter-to-direction switching damper also has a third position, which is located between the first position and the second position; When the filter-to-direct switching damper is in the third position, the filter-to-direct switching damper partially blocks the direct exhaust outlet and the filter outlet; The ventilation method of the 3D printing equipment includes: When a semi-filter cycle command is received from the printer, the filter direct drive component is controlled to drive the filter direct switching damper to the third position.

8. The exhaust method for the 3D printing equipment as described in claim 7, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment also includes an instruction sending module, which sends the semi-filtration cycle instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met: The instruction sending module receives the semi-filter cycle signal; and / or, The temperature of the working chamber satisfies the following relationship: T = k1TR, where T is the current temperature of the working chamber, k1 is a temperature coefficient, k = 0.8, and TR is the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or, The dust concentration in the working chamber is within a preset concentration range.

9. The ventilation method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The control of the circulating fan to drive airflow includes: When the temperature of the working chamber is lower than the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the circulating fan is controlled to rotate at full power. When the temperature of the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material, the circulating fan is controlled to rotate at a preset power, which is less than the full power of the circulating fan.

10. The exhaust method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 5, characterized in that, The exhaust chamber has a first section and a second section, and the return air vent is connected to the second section; the support frame also includes an exhaust vent, which is connected to the first section; The return air mechanism also includes a direct exhaust airflow path and a direct filter airflow path. In the direct exhaust airflow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the direct exhaust inlet, the direct exhaust inlet chamber, and the direct exhaust outlet, and then exits the working chamber through the exhaust outlet. In the direct-flow filtration airflow path, the airflow enters the exhaust chamber through the working chamber, the filter inlet, the filter inlet cavity, and the filter outlet, and then exits the working chamber through the exhaust outlet. The return air mechanism further includes an outer air damper and an inner air damper. The outer air damper is located at the exhaust port and is used to open or close the exhaust port. The inner air damper is located between the first cavity section and the second cavity section. When the inner air damper is open, the first cavity section and the second cavity section are connected. When the inner air damper is closed, the first cavity section and the second cavity section are isolated from each other. The ventilation method for the 3D printing equipment also includes: When the exhaust module receives the circulating direct exhaust command and the circulating filtration command, it controls the external air damper to close and controls the internal air damper to open. And / or, When the exhaust module receives a cooling exhaust command, it controls the outer air damper to open, controls the inner air damper to close, and controls the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the direct exhaust airflow path; and / or, When the exhaust module receives a cooling and filtration command, it controls the outer air damper to open, controls the inner air damper to close, and controls the airflow in the working chamber to flow along the direct exhaust filtration airflow path.

11. The ventilation method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment also includes an instruction sending module, which sends the cooling exhaust instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met: The instruction sending module receives a cooling exhaust signal; and / or The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the temperature of the working chamber is within the direct-exhaust cooling temperature range of the current printing material; and / or The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the dust concentration in the working chamber is less than a preset concentration range; and / or The 3D printing equipment enters laser cutting or engraving mode.

12. The ventilation method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The 3D printing equipment also includes an instruction sending module, which sends the cooling and filtering instruction to the exhaust module when any of the following conditions are met: The instruction sending module receives a cooling filter signal; and / or The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the temperature of the working chamber is within the printing temperature range of the current printing material; and / or The printing material is a low-temperature material, and the dust concentration in the working chamber is within a preset concentration range.

13. The ventilation method for a 3D printing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The circulating direct exhaust flow path and the filter circulating airflow path are used to maintain the temperature of the working chamber within a preset temperature range, where the preset temperature range is K, 50℃≤K≤70℃.

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