1. The 3D printing equipment is characterized by comprising a material storage device, a conveying device and an extrusion device which are connected in sequence;

the storage device comprises:

the top of the storage barrel is provided with an inlet, the bottom of the storage barrel is provided with an outlet, and the outlet is butted with the conveying device;

the lifting mechanism is provided with a lifting end which can enter and exit the storage barrel from the inlet;

the extrusion structure is arranged at the lifting end, the edge of the extrusion structure is in sliding fit with the inner wall of the storage barrel so as to form an extrusion space between the extrusion structure and the storage barrel, and a first air hole communicated with the extrusion space is formed in the extrusion structure; and

the adjusting mechanism is arranged on the extrusion structure and has a first state that the first air hole is closed and a second state that the first air hole is opened.

2. The 3D printing device according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the compression structure has a planar area, the first air vent opening in the planar area;

the adjustment mechanism includes:

the adjusting plate is attached to the plane area, is rotatably connected with the extrusion structure, is vertical to the surface of the adjusting plate through a rotating shaft, and is provided with a second air hole; and

the adjusting driving unit is connected with the adjusting plate and used for driving the adjusting plate to rotate;

in the first state, the second air holes and the first air holes are distributed in a staggered mode;

in the second state, the second air holes and the first air holes are distributed in an overlapping mode.

3. The 3D printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment driving unit includes:

the adjusting driving motor is connected to the lifting end;

the adjusting driving gear is fixedly arranged on an output shaft of the adjusting driving motor; and

adjust driven gear, the rigid coupling in the regulating plate, and with the coaxial setting of pivot of regulating plate, adjust driven gear with adjust the driving gear meshing.

4. The 3D printing device of claim 2, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises:

the main body of the lifting telescopic piece is connected with the storage barrel; and

the upper end of the lifting connecting rod is connected to the telescopic end of the lifting telescopic piece, and the lower end of the lifting connecting rod forms the lifting end;

the extrusion structure is an extrusion plate, and the extrusion plate is connected to the lower end of the lifting connecting rod;

the adjusting plate is sleeved on the lifting connecting rod and is in running fit with the lifting connecting rod.

5. The 3D printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the conveying device comprises:

the inner diameter of the discharge end of the screw conveying mechanism is gradually reduced along the material flowing direction; and

the feeding end of the first conveying pipe is connected to the discharging end of the screw conveying mechanism, and the discharging end of the first conveying pipe is connected to the extruding device.

6. The 3D printing device of claim 5, wherein an inner diameter of the first delivery tube is tapered in a material flow direction.

7. The 3D printing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extrusion device comprises:

the extrusion mechanism is connected with the conveying device and is used for compacting materials; and

and the extruding mechanism is connected to the extruding mechanism.

8. The 3D printing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the extrusion mechanism is a screw-type extrusion conveying mechanism, and an inner diameter of a discharge end of the extrusion mechanism gradually decreases in a material flow direction.

9. The 3D printing device of claim 7, wherein the extrusion mechanism comprises:

the extrusion cylinder is internally provided with a second conveying pipe butted with the extrusion mechanism;

the adjusting disc is rotatably connected to the extruding cylinder, an extrusion stopping head used for blocking the lower discharging end of the second conveying pipe and a plurality of extruding heads in butt joint with the lower discharging end of the second conveying pipe are arranged on the adjusting disc, and the cross section shapes of extruding channels in the plurality of extruding heads are different; and

and the extrusion adjusting structure is arranged on the extrusion cylinder and can drive the adjusting disc to rotate.

10. The 3D printing device of claim 9, wherein a cross-sectional shape of an extrusion channel within the extrusion head is one of circular, square, and triangular.

Background

With the development of 3D printing technology, the range of materials that can be used for 3D printing is increasing, and china clay materials are one of them. The existing 3D printing device for argil is complex in feeding process, long in time-consuming in the feeding process, and incapable of rapidly supplying argil raw materials, and finally causing short supply of raw materials and continuous printing; meanwhile, in the feeding process, the action of the piston in the charging barrel can also easily cause the backflow of the argil raw materials in subsequent equipment, and further negative influence is caused on the continuity and reliability of printing.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the invention provides 3D printing equipment, aiming at simplifying the feeding process and avoiding raw material backflow.

In order to achieve the purpose, the invention adopts the technical scheme that: provided is a 3D printing apparatus including: the material storage device, the conveying device and the extruding device are connected in sequence;

the storage device comprises:

the top of the storage barrel is provided with an inlet, the bottom of the storage barrel is provided with an outlet, and the outlet is butted with the conveying device;

the lifting mechanism is provided with a lifting end which can enter and exit the storage barrel from the inlet;

the extrusion structure is arranged at the lifting end, the edge of the extrusion structure is in sliding fit with the inner wall of the storage barrel so as to form an extrusion space between the extrusion structure and the storage barrel, and a first air hole communicated with the extrusion space is formed in the extrusion structure; and

the adjusting mechanism is arranged on the extrusion structure and has a first state that the first air hole is closed and a second state that the first air hole is opened.

In a possible implementation manner, the upper surface of the extrusion structure has a plane area, and the first air hole is opened in the plane area;

the adjustment mechanism includes:

the adjusting plate is attached to the plane area, is rotatably connected with the extrusion structure, is vertical to the surface of the adjusting plate through a rotating shaft, and is provided with a second air hole; and

the adjusting driving unit is connected with the adjusting plate and used for driving the adjusting plate to rotate;

in the first state, the second air holes and the first air holes are distributed in a staggered mode;

in the second state, the second air holes and the first air holes are distributed in an overlapping mode.

In one possible implementation, the adjustment drive unit includes:

the adjusting driving motor is connected to the lifting end;

the adjusting driving gear is fixedly arranged on an output shaft of the adjusting driving motor; and

adjust driven gear, the rigid coupling in the regulating plate, and with the coaxial setting of pivot of regulating plate, adjust driven gear with adjust the driving gear meshing.

In one possible implementation, the lifting mechanism includes:

the main body of the lifting telescopic piece is connected with the storage barrel; and

the upper end of the lifting connecting rod is connected to the telescopic end of the lifting telescopic piece, and the lower end of the lifting connecting rod forms the lifting end;

the extrusion structure is an extrusion plate, and the extrusion plate is connected to the lower end of the lifting connecting rod;

the adjusting plate is sleeved on the lifting connecting rod and is in running fit with the lifting connecting rod.

In one possible implementation, the conveying device includes:

the inner diameter of the discharge end of the screw conveying mechanism is gradually reduced along the material flowing direction; and

the feeding end of the first conveying pipe is connected to the discharging end of the screw conveying mechanism, and the discharging end of the first conveying pipe is connected to the extruding device.

In a possible realization, the inner diameter of the first conveying pipe is gradually reduced along the material flow direction.

In one possible implementation, the extrusion apparatus includes:

the extrusion mechanism is connected with the conveying device and is used for compacting materials; and

and the extruding mechanism is connected to the extruding mechanism.

In a possible implementation manner, the extrusion mechanism is a screw type extrusion conveying mechanism, and the inner diameter of the discharge end of the extrusion mechanism is gradually reduced along the material circulation direction.

In one possible implementation, the extrusion mechanism includes:

the extrusion cylinder is internally provided with a second conveying pipe butted with the extrusion mechanism;

the adjusting disc is rotatably connected to the extruding cylinder, an extrusion stopping head used for blocking the lower discharging end of the second conveying pipe and a plurality of extruding heads in butt joint with the lower discharging end of the second conveying pipe are arranged on the adjusting disc, and the cross section shapes of extruding channels in the plurality of extruding heads are different; and

and the extrusion adjusting structure is arranged on the extrusion cylinder and can drive the adjusting disc to rotate.

In one possible implementation, the cross-sectional shape of the extrusion channel in the extrusion head is one of circular, square, and triangular.

In the 3D printing equipment, the lifting mechanism can drive the extrusion structure to enter and exit the storage barrel from the inlet of the storage barrel, and under the condition that raw materials are still in the storage barrel, the lifting mechanism drives the extrusion structure to continuously extrude the raw materials so as to realize continuous feeding into the conveying device; when the raw materials are used up in the storage vat, the first air hole on the adjusting mechanism is opened, so that the air pressure in the space below the extrusion structure is balanced with the external air pressure, then the lifting mechanism drives the extrusion structure to move upwards until the storage vat is moved out, an operator can feed materials from the inlet of the storage vat at the moment, the lifting mechanism drives the extrusion structure to move downwards after the feeding is finished, and meanwhile, the first air hole is closed, and the materials are extruded and fed again. According to the 3D printing equipment, feeding or extrusion can be conveniently carried out by moving the extrusion structure up and down, disassembly of parts is not needed, the feeding speed is high, continuous feeding in the printing process can be guaranteed, and printing interruption is avoided; simultaneously, through the switching of control first gas pocket, at the in-process that the extrusion structure moved up, can not lead to the raw materials palirrhea because of the atmospheric pressure problem, also can keep the seal in extrusion structure lower part space at the in-process that pushes down, increase the degree of compaction of raw materials, reduce the air in the raw materials, promote the quality of the model of printing out.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic front view of a 3D printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic view of the internal structure of a storing device adopted in the embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view of an adjustment mechanism and extrusion configuration employed in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of an extrusion mechanism employed in an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the conditioning disk, the stop head, and the extrusion head of FIG. 4.

Description of reference numerals:

100. a material storage device;

110. a storage barrel; 111. an inlet; 112. an outlet;

120. a lifting mechanism; 121. a lifting telescopic member; 122. a lifting connecting rod;

130. extruding the structure;

140. an adjustment mechanism; 141. an adjusting plate; 142. a second air hole; 143. adjusting the drive motor; 144. adjusting the driving gear; 145. adjusting the driven gear;

150. a first air hole;

200. a conveying device; 210. a screw conveying mechanism; 220. a first delivery pipe;

300. an extrusion device;

310. an extrusion mechanism;

320. an extrusion mechanism; 321. an extrusion cylinder; 322. an adjusting disk; 323. a second delivery pipe; 324. stopping the head; 325. an extrusion head; 326. an extrusion regulating motor.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous effects to be solved by the present invention more clearly apparent, the present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the invention.

The 3D printing apparatus according to the present invention is applicable to printing of clay materials, and is also applicable to printing of other materials having properties similar to those of clay materials, and is not described here.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3 together, a 3D printing apparatus according to the present invention will now be described. The 3D printing equipment comprises a storage device 100, a conveying device 200 and an extruding device 300 which are connected in sequence.

The storage device 100 comprises a storage barrel 110, a lifting mechanism 120, an extrusion structure 130 and an adjusting mechanism 140; the storage bucket 110 is provided with an inlet 111 at the top and an outlet 112 at the bottom, and the outlet 112 is butted with the conveying device 200; the lifting mechanism 120 has a lifting end capable of entering and exiting the storage vat 110 from the inlet 111; the extrusion structure 130 is arranged at the lifting end, the edge of the extrusion structure 130 is in sliding fit with the inner wall of the storage vat 110, so as to form an extrusion space between the extrusion structure 130 and the storage vat 110, the extrusion space is positioned below the extrusion structure 130, and the extrusion structure 130 is provided with a first air hole 150 communicated with the extrusion space; the adjustment mechanism 140 is provided to the pressing structure 130, and the adjustment mechanism 140 has a first state in which the first air vent 150 is closed and a second state in which the first air vent 150 is opened.

Compared with the prior art, in the 3D printing apparatus provided in this embodiment, the lifting mechanism 120 can drive the extrusion structure 130 to enter and exit the storage bin 110 from the inlet 111 of the storage bin 110, and under the condition that raw materials are still present in the storage bin 110, the lifting mechanism 120 drives the extrusion structure 130 to continuously extrude the raw materials, so as to continuously supply the raw materials to the conveying device 200; when the raw material in the storage vat 110 is used up, the first air hole 150 on the adjusting mechanism 140 is opened, so that the air pressure in the lower space of the extruding structure 130 is balanced with the external air pressure, then the lifting mechanism 120 drives the extruding structure 130 to move upwards until the extruding structure is moved out of the storage vat 110, an operator can feed the raw material from the inlet 111 of the storage vat 110, the lifting mechanism 120 drives the extruding structure 130 to move downwards after the feeding is finished, and meanwhile, the first air hole 150 is closed, and the raw material is extruded and fed again.

According to the 3D printing equipment, feeding or extrusion can be conveniently carried out by moving the extrusion structure 130 up and down, disassembly of parts is not needed, the feeding speed is high, continuous feeding in the printing process can be ensured, and printing interruption is avoided; meanwhile, by controlling the opening and closing of the first air hole 150, in the process of moving the extrusion structure 130 upwards, the raw materials cannot flow backwards due to the air pressure problem, the airtightness of the lower space of the extrusion structure 130 can be maintained in the process of pressing downwards, the compaction degree of the raw materials is increased, the air in the raw materials is reduced, and the quality of the printed model is improved.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the upper surface of the extrusion structure 130 has a planar area, and the first air hole 150 is opened in the planar area. The adjustment mechanism 140 includes an adjustment plate 141 and an adjustment drive unit; the adjusting plate 141 is attached to the planar area, the adjusting plate 141 is rotatably connected with the extrusion structure 130, the rotating shaft is perpendicular to the plate surface of the adjusting plate 141, and the adjusting plate 141 is provided with a second air hole 142; the adjusting driving unit is connected to the adjusting plate 141 and is used for driving the adjusting plate 141 to rotate; in the first state, the second air holes 142 are distributed with the first air holes 150 in a staggered manner; in the second state, the second air holes 142 are distributed to overlap with the first air holes 150. It should be understood that the overlap between the second air hole 142 and the first air hole 150 may be a partial overlap or a complete overlap, and it is sufficient for the air pressure balance between the extrusion space and the outside.

In this embodiment, the adjusting plate 141 is driven by the adjusting driving unit to rotate on the extruding structure 130 in a posture of being attached to the planar area, during the rotation, the second air hole 142 can move along an arc path, during the movement, there is a state (i.e. a second state) where the second air hole 142 overlaps the first air hole 150, and there is a state (i.e. a first state) where the second air hole 142 is staggered with the first air hole 150, and this moving manner makes the motion control of the adjusting plate 141 simpler.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the adjustment driving unit includes an adjustment driving motor 143, an adjustment driving gear 144, and an adjustment driven gear 145; the adjusting driving motor 143 is connected to the lifting end; the adjusting driving gear 144 is fixedly arranged on the output shaft of the adjusting driving motor 143; the adjusting driven gear 145 is fixedly connected to the adjusting plate 141 and coaxially disposed with a rotation shaft of the adjusting plate 141, and the adjusting driven gear 145 is engaged with the adjusting driving gear 144.

The embodiment adopts a gear transmission mode to realize the action control of the adjusting plate 141, and has the advantages of simple structure, high response speed, low failure rate and convenience in maintenance.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1 and 2, the lifting mechanism 120 includes a lifting telescopic member 121 and a lifting link 122; the main body of the lifting telescopic piece 121 is connected to the storage bucket 110; the upper end of the lifting connecting rod 122 is connected to the telescopic end of the lifting telescopic member 121, and the lower end forms a lifting end; the pressing structure 130 is a pressing plate connected to the lower end of the lifting link 122; the adjusting plate 141 is sleeved on the lifting link 122 and is rotatably engaged with the lifting link 122.

The extrusion structure 130 of this embodiment is platelike structure, can realize the extruded while, and occupation space is little, and the face is from becoming the plane region, need not to set up the plane region alone again, and adjusting plate 141 sets up the position more nimble, and in this embodiment, adjusting plate 141 adopts the mode of suit to realize with the cooperation of lifting connecting rod 122, utilizes lifting connecting rod 122 as adjusting plate 141's pivot, reduces the part use quantity, and the structure is simple compact more. Meanwhile, the lifting mechanism 120 adopted in the embodiment has a simple structure, strong controllability and a long lifting stroke, and is convenient for the extrusion structure 130 to move out of the storage barrel 110.

The optional lifting telescopic part 121 may be a lifting hydraulic cylinder, a lifting air cylinder, an electric push rod, etc., and it is sufficient if it can meet the requirement of linear telescopic movement, which is not listed here.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 3, the lifting link 122 is located at the center of the adjusting plate 141, the pressing plate is opened with a plurality of first air holes 150 around the lifting link 122, and the adjusting plate 141 is opened with a plurality of second air holes 142 around the lifting link 122. In the first state, the plurality of second air holes 142 and the plurality of first air holes 150 are distributed in a staggered manner; in the second state, the plurality of second air holes 142 and the plurality of first air holes 150 are distributed in an overlapping manner.

This embodiment is through setting up a plurality of second gas pockets 142 and a plurality of first gas pocket 150, when adjusting, is favorable to shortening the rotation formation of regulating plate 141, can accomplish the switching between first state and second state through rotating less angle, and response speed is faster.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1, the conveying device 200 includes a screw conveying mechanism 210 and a first conveying pipe 220; the inner diameter of the discharge end of the screw conveying mechanism 210 gradually decreases along the material flow direction; the feed end of the first duct 220 is connected to the discharge end of the screw conveying mechanism 210, and the discharge end of the first duct 220 is connected to the extrusion device 300.

This embodiment adopts screw rod conveying mechanism 210 to realize the transport of material, and in transportation process, inside screw rod has the squeezing action to the material, and the cooperation discharge end internal diameter that reduces gradually for the material obtains effectual extrusion, is favorable to the air in the discharge material, improves the closely knit degree of material. In addition, by providing the first conveying pipe 220, the relative position of the screw conveying mechanism 210 and the front of the extrusion device 300 can be more flexible.

Wherein, first conveyer pipe 220 is the hose, even first conveyer pipe 220 takes place to bend and can not influence the transport of material yet for the 3D equipment of this application is suitable for and installs on the arm.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1, the inner diameter of the first conveying pipe 220 is gradually reduced along the material flowing direction, and the first conveying pipe 220 can realize further compaction of the material during the material conveying process, so that the compaction degree of the material is improved.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1, extrusion apparatus 300 includes an extrusion mechanism 310 and an extrusion mechanism 320; the extrusion mechanism 310 is connected to the conveying device 200, and the extrusion mechanism 310 is used for compacting materials; the extrusion mechanism 320 is connected to the extrusion mechanism 310. The extruding mechanism 310 can further compact the material output from the first conveying pipe 220, so that the material can obtain better compactness, air bubbles and air in the material can be reduced to the maximum extent, and the material can be extruded from the extruding mechanism 320 more uniformly.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 1, to achieve further compaction of the material, the extrusion mechanism 310 is a screw-type extrusion conveyor mechanism, and the inner diameter of the discharge end of the extrusion mechanism gradually decreases in the material flow direction. The principle of the extruding mechanism 310 is similar to that of the screw conveying mechanism 210, and is not described in detail herein.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4 and 5, the extrusion mechanism 320 includes an extrusion barrel 321, a conditioning disk 322, and an extrusion conditioning structure; the extrusion cylinder 321 is internally provided with a second conveying pipe 323 which is butted with the extrusion mechanism 310; the adjusting disc 322 is rotatably connected to the extruding cylinder 321, the adjusting disc 322 is provided with a stop head 324 for blocking the lower discharging end of the second conveying pipe 323, and a plurality of extruding heads 325 butted with the lower discharging end of the second conveying pipe 323, and the cross-sectional shapes of extruding channels in the plurality of extruding heads 323 are different; the extrusion adjusting structure is disposed on the extrusion cylinder 321 and can drive the adjusting disk 322 to rotate.

In the embodiment, the adjusting disc 322 is driven to rotate by the extrusion adjusting structure, so that the second conveying pipe 323 is butted with the stop head 324 or different extrusion heads 325, and the extrusion heads 325 with different extrusion channels in different shapes are selected and switched according to different model requirements in the printing process, so that the use flexibility is stronger; after printing is finished, the stop head 324 corresponds to the second conveying pipe 323, and materials are prevented from being extruded continuously.

It should be noted that the stop head 324 may be a protruding structure on the adjusting plate 322, and may be capable of correspondingly blocking the second conveying pipe 323, or may be only a plane, and the structure of the stop head 324 may satisfy the blocking of the material on the whole, and the structure thereof is not limited uniquely. The area of the stop head 324 may be referred to as the dotted circle area in fig. 5, and may be staggered from the area of the extrusion head 325.

In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 5, the cross-sectional shape of the extrusion channel in the extrusion head 325 is one of circular, square, and triangular. The extrusion channel with the shape of the section of the cylinder is adopted, and extrusion strips with different shapes of the section can be extruded, wherein the contact area of the square and triangular sections is sufficient, and the shapes are respectively suitable for printing of different model structures.

In some embodiments, referring to fig. 4, the extrusion adjustment structure includes an extrusion adjustment motor 326, an extrusion adjustment driving gear and an extrusion adjustment driven gear, the extrusion adjustment driving gear is fixedly disposed on an output shaft of the extrusion adjustment motor 326, the extrusion adjustment driven gear is coaxially disposed on the adjustment plate 322, and the extrusion adjustment driving gear is engaged with the extrusion adjustment driven gear. This embodiment adopts gear drive to realize adjustment disc 322's rotation control, and simple structure is compact, and response speed is fast, is applicable to the switching demand of printing the in-process, realizes fast switch over, avoids influencing printing production cycle.

If the printing raw material is clay, the 3D printing device of the present invention is used in a process of:

1) pouring the clay to be uniformly stirred into the storage vat 110, controlling the lifting connecting rod 122 to move downwards through the lifting telescopic piece 121, driving the extrusion structure 130 and the adjusting mechanism 140 to move downwards integrally, and simultaneously keeping the first air hole 150 in a closed state;

2) the pottery clay is extruded by the extrusion structure 130, and then enters the screw conveying mechanism 210, and a motor in the screw conveying mechanism 210 drives an internal screw rod to rotate so as to push the pottery clay to be conveyed forwards continuously until the pottery clay is conveyed to the extrusion device through the first conveying pipe 220;

3) the pottery clay output by the first delivery pipe 220 enters the extrusion mechanism 310, and a motor in the extrusion mechanism 310 drives an internal screw rod to rotate so as to deliver the pottery clay to the extrusion mechanism 320 until the pottery clay is extruded from the extrusion head 325;

4) if different shapes of extrusion strips are needed in the printing process, the extrusion adjusting motor 326 drives the adjusting disc 322 to rotate so as to realize switching;

5) if the extrusion structure 130 touches the bottom of the storage vat 110, indicating that the pot clay is used up, the adjusting plate 141 is driven to rotate by adjusting the driving motor 143, so that the second air hole 142 overlaps the first air hole 150, the lifting link 122 is controlled to move upwards by the lifting telescopic member 121, the extrusion structure 130 and the adjusting mechanism 140 are driven to move upwards integrally until the storage vat 110 is moved out, and then the steps 1) -4) are repeated until the printing is completely finished.

The 3D printing device thoroughly relieves the weight requirement of the mechanical arm, can realize continuous printing, can effectively solve the problem that more bubbles and air exist in the argil printing process, can realize printing of different types of models by switching different extrusion heads, and is high in use flexibility.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.