TWI665079B - 3d continuous color printer, method to print continuous color 3d object, and 3d printer - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a 3D continuous color printer including at least one magazine, a mixer, and a single nozzle. The magazine contains a building material, the mixer is connected to the magazine, and the single nozzle is connected to the mixer. An outlet of the device, in which the building materials contained in the magazine are sent to the mixer and the single spray head to form a continuous colored object.

Description

3D continuous color printer, method for printing continuous color 3D objects, and 3D printer

The invention relates to a 3D continuous color printer, a method for printing continuous color 3D objects, and a 3D printer.

Rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing processes convert the 3D computer aided design (CAD) data into workpieces directly and quickly without human intervention and the use of molds. Most printers are monochrome printers. However, with the trend of printing, consumers will demand more high-quality and affordable color printing.

One of the current challenges in 3D color printing is the building materials used. Common low-cost thermoplastic 3D printers use only a single heat extruder to provide the energy of the hot melt. There are also multiple 3D printers for hot extrusion machines, but this is not practical because the molten plastic will immediately solidify and cool when it comes into contact with the support bed. This type of 3D printer with multiple hot extruders is unable to mix solidified droplets to obtain continuous full color because the droplets are too large (much larger than the ink droplets of a desktop inkjet printer). object. Some color 3D printers try to mix materials of different colors before extrusion, but different colors of thermoplastics (common building materials) have melting points of more than 200 ° C and are easy to cool quickly without heat insulation, so they are mixed It is difficult.

Conventional rapid prototyping processes can be divided into two categories: processes using lasers and processes not using lasers. One of them is stereolithography (SLA, Stereolithography), which uses laser to harden the liquid mixture of radiation-cured polymer layer by layer. If you want the workpiece made of stereolithography to have color, then dye the surface of the workpiece Quite complicated and time consuming. Another method is selective laser sintering (SLS). Similar to stereolithography, powdery raw materials (such as thermoplastics or sinterable metals) are selectively sintered layer by layer by laser. This method can also only produce single-color or unspecific 3D objects. The third type of process using laser is Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM). Multilayer paper webs or plastic foils with adhesive are adhered together and cut with laser. Subsequent dyeing examples are disclosed in patent US 6,713,125.

The UV inkjet process is a 3D printing process that is conventionally known to be used to make colored objects. In this three-stage process, powdery materials are applied to the film, a UV curing liquid is printed on the film, the film is used to superimpose the three-dimensional product, and finally, the printed film is cured with a UV light source. These steps are in Each film is repeated continuously.

In WO 2008/077850, upstream of the process, the multi-colored liquid and curing agent are directly mixed in a chamber, so selective coloring is possible. However, due to the chamber, sharp color conversion is impossible. This process lacks sharpness due to the limitation of the curing process, reduces the surface smoothness, and often causes uneven coloring. In WO 2001/26023, the two spray heads have a mixture of curing agents of different colors, providing different elasticity of the product, however, no more than two colors.

The process of WO 2009/139395 is similar to 3D inkjet printing, a color liquid is applied layer by layer, and a second liquid that can have a curing reaction with the first liquid is printed on In the above, unless there is a mixing situation between the uncured liquid layers, the structure produced can only have different colors for each layer.

In US 2004/0251574, printing of thermoplastics is followed by selective printing with pigments. The advantage of this process is higher selectivity. However, the disadvantage of this process is that because the pigment cannot penetrate the mixture of ceramic powder and binder evenly, it cannot achieve uniform color resolution or bright colors.

Among many three-dimensional object printing processes, the most economical material and the better mechanical design is Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). It involves an extruded digital manufacturing system. In addition, there are other known processes that are similar and only slightly different, such as fuse manufacturing (FFF, Fused filament fabrication), melt extrusion manufacturing (MEM), selective deposition modeling (SDM, Selective deposition modeling) ). In fused deposition molding, two different polymer filaments are melted in a nozzle and selectively printed. It also involves a supporting material, which is only needed at the position of the suspended part of the 3D object. The supporting material can be removed later, for example, dissolved with acid, alkali or water. The other materials (building materials) form the exact 3D object. Printing is done layer by layer. The FDM process was first disclosed in patent US 5,121,329. US 2002/0111707 mentions general cooling but does not mention details. In the 3D color printing method of US 6,165,406, each dye system uses a separate nozzle, so it is almost impossible to mix the dyes, and the color effect that can be achieved is extremely simple. In the FDM variant of US 7,648,664, different granular building materials are used in the form of granules, which are melted and mixed by an extruder to meet the color requirements, and then printed. This method requires very complicated equipment and loses a lot The advantages of FDM. US 6,129,872 discloses a process in which a raw material is melted in a nozzle, a plurality of dye mixtures are selectively added to the melt at the end of the nozzle, However, this causes inadequate mixing and fails to provide a clean tint.

US 2010/0327479 discloses a process in which a plurality of color yarns are combined and continuously extruded in a micro-extrusion machine to provide new color yarns. The new color yarns enter the nozzle for printing. This method requires extremely delicate and complicated equipment. . In another embodiment, the colored yarns of multiple colors can also be directly introduced into the nozzle and mixed in the nozzle.

A 3D continuous color printer includes at least one magazine containing a building material; a mixer connected to the magazine; and a single nozzle connected to an outlet of the mixer; The building materials in the magazine are sent to the mixer and the single spray head to form a continuous colored object.

Practical embodiments may include the following. Preferably, the four magazines are connected to the pipe body and then to the mixer, so that the building materials of different colors can be better mixed on the path to the spray head. The mixer may be a five-way pipe joint (or a joint with a different number of open ends). Alternatively, a static mixing tube (such as a liquid continuous mixer) or an active mixer can be selected as the core part of the mixer. The joint can be made of plastic, metal or other materials, depending on the type of liquid to be sealed. The color of the liquid flowing out from one end of the joint depends on the relative flow rate of the different color liquids flowing in, regardless of the color of the mixed liquid, the flow rate of the liquid flowing out is a certain value defined by the user. That is, the sum of the flow rates of the different color raw materials flowing in is a certain value defined by the user, and the ratio of the flow rates of the different color raw materials flowing in determines the color of the raw materials flowing out. The distance between the mixer and the head module is a variable factor. When the distance is short, the interval of color transition is short, but the raw materials do not have much time to mix. Conversely, when the distance is long, the interval of color transition is longer, and the mixing quality is better. The inner diameter of the tube used to connect the modules is small enough to minimize The hysteresis between color transitions must be long enough to avoid limiting the movement of the nozzle. The mixer can be disposable to maintain print quality.

The nozzle module is used for inflow of construction materials and extruding it to print 3D objects. The size of the nozzle tip determines the resolution of the printed object. The spray head may be selected from, but not limited to, a needle body, a nozzle, or a ballpoint pen head. The nozzle can be replaced according to the choice of raw materials, resolution requirements or prevention of blockage. In some embodiments, the spray head can mix the building materials. For example, a static mixing tube nozzle can be used as a print head, and the building materials can be mixed and extruded. The static mixing tube can mix the solution at an affordable cost, and the inner diameter of the nozzle tip must be optimized between a larger (to reduce the possibility of clogging) and a smaller (to increase the accuracy of printing).

The building materials used in the present invention can be silicone, silicone rubber, silicified acrylic caulking latex, polyurethane, photosensitive resin, curable liquid, and curable paste. The curing step may optionally use radiation, cooling or drying. Naturally dry ingredients are also acceptable. Two or more colors of raw materials are used to mix them to form a liquid of a desired color, and the building materials are dyed with soluble pigments. In addition, adding particles, oil, water, or other substances of different properties (referred to herein as auxiliary substances) can change the hardness, strength, or other physical and chemical properties of the printed 3D object.

In addition, in addition to providing heat by an electric heater, the building material may include additives, adhesion promoters, or adhesives that can be heated or activated by microwaves, electric fields, or magnetic fields. These additives can be added in a single mixture or all mixtures, or can be added from a separate feed container. In recent cases, these mixtures are colorless. For example, at least one syringe is in contact with the building material to add a bridging agent, initiator, or accelerator, which causes a chemical reaction (such as an addition reaction or bridging) by a chemical reaction with other substances in the mixture or thermal activation in the downstream section of the extrusion , So that the finished 3D object has all or part of the properties of elastomers or thermosets.

The advantages of this system include the following. This system can produce three-dimensional objects with continuous colors; use a single nozzle to reduce costs and increase reliability, and provide high-quality color performance; this system can produce mechanically stable multi-color three-dimensional objects; raw materials can contain any colorants and functions Sexual additives.

11‧‧‧ magazine

12‧‧‧ mixer

13‧‧‧Nozzle

21‧‧‧syringe

22‧‧‧ rod

23‧‧‧Screw

24‧‧‧Guide

25‧‧‧Stepping motor

31‧‧‧Stepping motor

32‧‧‧Screw

42‧‧‧support bed

44‧‧‧ droplet

51‧‧‧ magazine module and mixer

52‧‧‧ Nozzle Module

53‧‧‧support bed

101‧‧‧X-axis motor

102‧‧‧Y-axis motor

103‧‧‧Z axis motor

104‧‧‧Support bed

105‧‧‧Nozzle

33‧‧‧Push

41‧‧‧Nozzle

106‧‧‧ magazine

107‧‧‧light source system

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a 3D color printer according to the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of a magazine of the present invention.

FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of a part of FIG. 2.

Figure 3 is a top view of a rod body supporting a syringe piston of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a printing process using the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a 3D moving process for forming a 3D object according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is another embodiment of the 3D color printer of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a 3D color printing process diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of manufacturing a colored object according to the present invention.

The following only illustrates the possible implementation aspects of the present invention by way of examples, but is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to be protected, which will be described first.

The invention provides a color 3D printing device using a curable substance as a building material. As shown in FIG. 1, the color 3D printing system includes a plurality of magazines 11 for constructing raw materials, a mixer 12, and a single nozzle 13 having a single thermal extruder. The curable building materials contained in the magazine 11 are sent to the nozzle 13 and are fully mixed in the process. The tip of the spray head is extruded, and the extruded material droplets are then solidified.

Each of the magazines 11 contains construction materials, and a plurality of magazines are used to accommodate construction material liquids ( liquid at normal temperature ) having different properties (such as color, hardness, or specific gravity ) . In one embodiment, the construction material is contained in a syringe to facilitate transportation. The container can also be a thin tube, bottle, or any other liquid container that can facilitate the transport of liquid outward. Preferably, it is a four-box system: each box contains red (or magenta), yellow, blue (or cyan), and white (or transparent) building materials. White materials can be replaced by black materials. Similar to the CMYK color system. However, three-cassette systems or other systems with different numbers of cassettes are also acceptable.

The system uses only a single extruder to provide the heat required for melting, which extrudes the mixed droplets to form a continuous full-color object. Conversely, the droplets used in systems with multiple extruders are too large (much larger than the ink droplets of desktop inkjet printers) and the molten plastic cools and solidifies as soon as it comes into contact with the support bed, so Continuous full color cannot be provided. The single extruder of the invention can control the molten thermoplastic (because the melting point is higher than 200 ° C, it is a common building material of different colors).

Please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 2A and FIG. 3. During the extrusion process, the construction material in a syringe 21 is pushed out by a pusher plug. The bottom of the syringe contacts a rod 22 which is connected to a screw 23. FIG. 3 further discloses details. A pusher 33 is fixed on a screw 32 and the screw is driven by a stepper motor 31. In FIGS. 2 and 2A, when the screw is rotated by the stepping motor 25, the rod body 22 and the pusher plug move along a guide 24, wherein the screw can rotate at a small angle, so the pusher plug can move gradually , So that the building materials can be transported out in a very small amount.

The four magazines are connected to the tube body and further connected to the mixer so that the building materials of different colors can be fully mixed on the path to the nozzle module. The mixer can be a five-way pipe (or a tube with a different number of openings). End connector). Alternatively, a static mixer, such as a liquid in-line mixer, or an active mixer can be used as the core part of the mixer. The material of the joint can be selected from plastic, metal or other materials according to the type of liquid contained. The color of the liquid flowing out from one end of the joint depends on the relative flow rate of the different color liquids flowing in, regardless of the color of the mixed liquid, the flow rate of the liquid flowing out is a certain value defined by the user. That is, the sum of the flow rates of the different color raw materials flowing in is a certain value defined by the user, and the ratio of the flow rates of the different color raw materials flowing in determines the color of the raw materials flowing out. The distance between the mixer and the nozzle module is a controllable factor. When the distance is short, the interval of color transitions is short, but the raw materials do not have much time to mix. Conversely, when the distance is long, the interval of color transitions is longer and the quality of mixing is better. The inner diameter of the tube used to connect the modules is small enough to minimize the hysteresis between color transitions, and long enough to avoid restricting the movement of the nozzle. The mixer can be disposable to maintain print quality.

The print head module accommodates the construction materials and pushes them out to print three-dimensional objects. The size of the print head tip determines the resolution of the printed objects. The spray head may be, but is not limited to, a needle body, a nozzle, or a ballpoint pen head. The spray head may be replaceable according to the selection of raw materials, the resolution requirement, or the prevention of blockage. In some embodiments, the nozzle module has the ability to mix building materials. For example, a static mixing nozzle can be selected, which can mix the incoming building materials and squeeze them out. The cost is more affordable. In addition, the nozzle tip The diameter should be optimized between a larger one (to reduce the possibility of jamming) and a smaller one (to improve the printing accuracy).

The building materials used can be silicone, silicone rubber, siliconized acrylic caulk Glue, polyurethane, photosensitive resin, curable liquid, curable paste, and the curing step can be selectively irradiated, cooled or dried. Substances that naturally dry are also acceptable. Two or more colors of raw materials are used to mix to form a liquid of a desired color. The construction material is dyed with soluble pigments. Even particles, oil, water, or other substances (referred to as auxiliary substances) of different properties can be added to change the hardness, strength, or other of 3D printed objects. Physical and chemical properties.

In addition to curing due to temperature changes, the building materials may include additives, adhesion promoters, or adhesives that can be heated or activated by microwave, electric or magnetic fields. These additives can be added in a single mixture or all mixtures, or can be added from a separate feed container. In recent cases, these mixtures are colorless. For example, at least one syringe is in contact with the building material to add a bridging agent, initiator, or accelerator, which causes a chemical reaction (such as an addition reaction or bridging) by a chemical reaction with other substances in the mixture or thermal activation in the downstream section of the extrusion , So that the finished 3D object has all or part of the properties of elastomers or thermosets. Those skilled in the art can understand the composition and construction materials used, and then select suitable additives.

As shown in FIG. 4, the printing process is related to the nozzles of the head 41, a support bed 42, and the building materials output from the nozzles. The building material (paste-like in this embodiment) is discharged drop by drop from the nozzle in the form of droplets 44 and then curing is started. The curing rate is controlled so that the droplets solidify almost as soon as they come into contact with the support bed or object, but can still maintain the droplets liquid when they are output from the nozzle, so that the nozzle will not be blocked by the building materials.

After that, a surface coating or chemical reaction can be performed, and more specifically, additives that can be activated by microwave, heat, plasma, UV light, or magnetic field are applied to the surface in a coating manner and activated in the correct manner. Specific and beneficial chemical reactions occur on the surface of the extruded raw materials, especially for crosslinking. However, the bridging reaction can also be melted in the early stage. External power or the aforementioned static mixing and stirring tube occurs, that is, when the molten building material is in the nozzle.

In another embodiment, the additives in the syringes can chemically react with each other after the mixing step to achieve a chemical bridge to catalyze curing and / or improve the bonding effect of the building materials.

In yet another embodiment, one or more coating components may be applied to the surface of the product object at the end of the printing process.

This system can be used alone or combined with other systems. For example, in an embodiment of a handheld color 3D printer, a user can print a three-dimensional object on a surface, in the air, or in a solution. In addition, the system can be installed in a known 3D printer to convert it into a multi-color 3D printer.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the magazine module and the mixer 51 are fixed to the frame of a 3D printer, the nozzle module 52 is movable, and a support bed 53 is used to support the 3D printer. Printer.

FIG. 6 provides yet another embodiment of a 3D color printer. The color 3D printer includes a mechanical system, a light source system, and an extrusion system. The mechanical system can precisely define the extrusion nozzle 105 and the support bed 104. In a relative position, the light source system 107 is used to harden the polymer, and the extrusion system prints objects. The hardenable building materials contained in the magazine 106 are sent to the nozzle, mixed well on the way, and extruded from the nozzle tip. The extruded raw material droplets are solidified on a support bed after being irradiated with radiation. As the nozzle moves, the droplets can be printed anywhere on the support bed, so the structure of the printed material can be determined. The mechanical system uses three motors to control the position of the nozzle and the support bed. The support bed is only for supporting solidified objects. The support bed can be made of metal or plastic. It is made of glue and its surface may have some coating to create a better connection with the printed object. The nozzle is fixed to a Y-axis belt. The Y-axis belt is controlled by a Y-axis motor 102. When the Y-axis motor rotates, the nozzle moves along the Y-axis. The Y-axis belt can be supported by the rod body along the Y-axis to increase it. Stability, the Y-axis belt is fixed to a wheel, and the wheel is located on an X-axis belt. In this way, with an X-axis motor 101, the Y-axis belt can move along the X-axis. The height of the controlled belt system remains fixed, which determines the X and Y axis positions of the nozzle. The Z-axis position of the support bed is adjusted by a Z-axis motor 103, which is coaxially connected to a screw, which is connected to the support bed, whereby the support bed can move along the screw (Z axis) when the motor rotates mobile. The motor used in the mechanical system is preferably a stepped motor, which has a smaller increase when rotating, so the position of the nozzle can be accurately defined.

In the above example, the power train is generated and transmitted by a motor and a belt. However, it can also be replaced by a gear system or a robot arm. There may also be a calibration device for accurately determining the position of the component. The calibration device may include, but is not limited to, a collision sensor, an IR sensor, labeled tratcks, and the like. Taking the collision sensor as an example, the nozzle moves along the boundary of the X axis and the Y axis until it hits the sensor. This position is defined as the starting point, and the coordinates of the nozzle can be tracked by recording the rotation angle of the stepping motor.

The building material used in the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 may be a photo-curable resin or other radiation-curable, coolable, and dryable liquid. Three or more colored raw materials are used to mix them to form a homogeneous liquid with the required color. The raw materials are dyed by adding pigments that are soluble in the raw materials before they are filled into the magazine. For common photo-curable materials such as polymers, the pigments are preferably oil-soluble. The light source system includes a radiation source to solidify the building materials extruded from the nozzle, and the solidified liquid droplets contact the support bed or the object below. The radiation source is used to cure the photosensitive resin, Possible options include, but are not limited to, UV light, visible light, and laser. The geometric relationship between the light source and the printed object is variable. For example, the light source can be focused on the droplets, the entire support bed from top to bottom, or the support bed from bottom to top, so that the liquid is on the support bed. Curing. The radiation source can be controlled to open or close or can be moved during printing.

The extrusion system of FIG. 6 includes a mixing nozzle and a magazine system. The nozzle is fixed on the Y-axis belt and can be moved on the X-Y plane. A thin tube is connected to the nozzle so that the building materials can flow into the nozzle and be mixed and extruded. Preferably, the cost of mixing the solution with a static mixing and stirring nozzle is more affordable, and the inner diameter of the nozzle must be better controlled at a larger (to reduce the possibility of clogging) and a smaller (to increase the column Printing accuracy), the thin tube used must be thin enough to reduce the lag between color transitions, and it must be long enough to prevent the nozzle from moving.

The details of the magazine system include a plurality of magazines containing different colored liquids. These magazines can be syringes, bottles or other liquid containers that can output liquids. Preferably, a four-box system is used: each box has red, yellow, blue, and white (transparent) building materials. In this example, a syringe is used to facilitate the output of the building materials. The syringe should be shielded from light. Objects, such as black paper or shading boxes, to avoid exposure of building materials to radiation that can cause hardening. The three magazines are connected to a multi-to-one joint (such as a three-to-one joint) by a hose, so that the construction materials of different colors can be fully mixed on the way to the nozzle. The material of the connector can be plastic or metal, depending on the liquid it contains. The color of the liquid flowing out of the single open end of the joint depends on the relative flow rates of the three colors into the raw material. Regardless of the color of the outgoing liquid, the flow rate of the single open end is a certain value determined by the user. The sum of the flow rate is a user-defined setting, and the color of the raw material depends on the flow rate ratio of the three color materials. The distance between the joint and the extruded nozzle is a controllable factor. The shorter the distance, the shorter the interval between color transitions but the shorter the mixing time of the raw materials; conversely, when the distance is longer, the interval between color transitions is larger and the mixing quality is better. When being extruded, the building material is pushed by the pusher plug of the syringe, wherein the bottom of the pusher plug is fixed to a rod, which is coupled to a screw and a thin rod. In one embodiment, the rod body has a perforation for a thin rod to pass through, and a hexagonal nut for combining the screw. The material of the rod must be strong enough to avoid bending when moving along the thin rod. A bushing can be fixedly set in the perforation to make the rod move more smoothly. When the screw is rotated by the stepper motor, the rod and the liquid are pushed. The plug moves in the vertical direction. Since the stepping motor can rotate at a small angle, the liquid pusher can move gradually, and the building material can be conveyed in a small amount.

The printing process uses nozzles, support beds, and radiation sources. The building materials (preferably photosensitive resin, light-curing resin) are output drop by drop by the nozzle, and begin to cure after being exposed to radiation. The curing rate is controlled so that the droplets almost touch the support bed or the object below It is solidified, but can maintain the raw material to be liquid when it is output from the nozzle to avoid being blocked by the raw material. Objects are printed layer by layer: the nozzle will move horizontally on the XY plane to print the object, and then the support bed will move down the layer along the Z axis by a thickness (user-defined factor), and then in the new The same printing steps are performed on the XY plane.

Figure 7 shows an example of a 3D color printing process. FIG. 7 is a flowchart of manufacturing a color object according to the embodiment. The user first inputs. The input user interface can be a software interface on a computer or a smart phone and connected to the present invention. It can also be read by a portable storage device (SD card or flash memory). Data access interface. After receiving data from the user end, the electronic system controls the magazine and the mechanical system to convey the building materials from the magazine to the nozzle, and the nozzle moves across the support bed and prints the object. The light source system includes a radiation source that hardens the building material on a support bed.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a process for manufacturing a colored object by using the system. The user first inputs, and the messenger interface for the input may be a software interface on a computer, a smart phone, a tablet or any device that can be connected to the present invention, or a self-portable storage device (SD card or flash drive). Flash memory) interface for reading data. After receiving data from the user end, the electronic system controls the magazine module to transfer the construction materials from the magazine module to the nozzle module, and the construction materials are fully mixed on the way.

One application of the present invention is printing anatomical models. Digital files (* .STL, CT images or other) can be loaded into a 3D printer to build an anatomical model. Because the raw materials used in this system are soft and flexible, printed models are more similar to real organs in touch, structure, or images (such as ultrasound images). The printed model can be used as a teaching tool, surgical simulation, or other medical applications.

Another application of this system is a multi-material 3D printer. Each magazine has different construction materials, so the printer can print objects of a single material or mixed materials. For printing organ models, raw materials with different properties (such as density, color, or hardness) can be used to approximate organs with multiple parts.

The building materials used in the preferred embodiment may be silicone, silicone rubber, silicified acrylic caulking latex, polyurethane, photosensitive resin, curable liquid, curable paste, etc. The mixer 12 is heated to a suitable temperature, The building material is melted to have thermoplasticity and then sent to a shower head. In other embodiments, the building materials may also include ABS resin (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene), polycarbonate (PC, polycarbonate), poly (meth) acrylate, PPSU (polyphenylene sulfone), and high-density polyethylene. (HDPE), polyetherimide (PEI, polyetherimide), polyether ether ketone (PEEK, polyether ether ketone), polylactic acid (PLA, polylactic acid), or a mixture of any two or more of the above, or a mixture of any one of the above with a weight percentage of 50% or more. Methyl acrylate refers to methyl acrylates, acrylics, or a mixture of the two, methyl acrylates such as methyl methacrylate, ethyl methacrylate, and the like, and acrylics such as ethyl acrylate Ethylhexyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, etc. With regard to the secondary, selective building material output from the third nozzle, polymethyl acrylate or polycarbonate is preferred. As for the supporting raw material output from the first shower head, it may be a polymer dissolved in acid, alkali or water.

In another embodiment, a 3D extrusion printer may have a nozzle, a filament stream, a coating unit, a fixed area, and a plurality of supply containers. The spray head has a nozzle to provide building materials, a filament flow is provided to the nozzle to melt to provide the building materials, the coating unit is located upstream of the nozzle, the fixed area is located between the coating unit and the nozzle, and the supply container is equipped with a measurement A device to provide a coating mixture with one or more additives and a pigment pre-melt filament, a mixing unit may be located between the mixer (melter) 12 and the spray head 13, the molten mixture is mixed before being fed into the spray head The spray head may be a static mixer and located at a lower position of the nozzle, and the building materials are not dyed and are not transparent.

The pigments in the supply container include black, pigments other than black, and main color dyes or additives. The pigment may be a metal pigment or a fluorescent pigment. Sensors can be used to measure the flow rate of raw materials to the mixer and can be optimized for color monitoring information and print control.

An extruded 3D printing using this system can be designed as follows: various colors are input into a computer-aided design (CAD) program and a file is provided, which includes coordinates, color information of the manufacturing process, raw material and color material recipe control Color information. Examples of suitable file formats can be found in Additive Manufacturing File Format (ASTM F2915-12). To create various Ze can adjust the measuring device and measure the main colors and blacks from the supply container to the system.

Another embodiment works together with Autodesk's Spark platform. The Spark platform streamlines digital information to a 3D printer, which is conducive to imagining and optimizing printed objects without trial and error, and expands the use of printing. Material range. The system of the Spark software platform makes the software, hardware, and feeders interoperable. The Spark platform is open, so hardware manufacturers, application developers, and product designers can use it to make objects and challenge 3D columns. Printed limit.

The above embodiments provide better restrictions. However, those skilled in the art can obtain further restrictions according to the teachings of the present invention.

Claims (19)

A 3D continuous color printer includes: at least one magazine containing a construction material, the construction material is liquid at normal temperature, the magazine includes a syringe, and a mixer connected to the magazine; And a single spray head connected to an outlet of the mixer; wherein the bottom of the syringe contacts a rod body, the rod body is connected to a screw rod, the screw rod is driven by a stepping motor to rotate, and the rod body is guided along a guide The lead moves, and the building materials contained in the magazine are sent to the mixer and the single spray head to form a continuous colored object. The 3D continuous color printer as described in claim 1, which includes four magazines, which are respectively connected to the pipe body and then connected to the mixer, so as to mix the building materials of different colors on the path to the nozzle. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, comprising a multi-pass pipe connected to the mixer or a connector having a different number of open ends. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 3, wherein the sum of the inflow rates of the raw materials of different colors is a preset fixed value, and the color of the outflow raw materials depends on the ratio of the inflow rates of the raw materials of different colors. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, wherein the mixer comprises a group selected from the group consisting of a static mixing tube, a liquid continuous mixer, and an active mixer. The 3D continuous color printer as described in claim 1, including a short channel between the mixer and the print head to ensure that the interval between color transitions is short and the mixing time of the raw materials on the short channel Shorter. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, wherein when the channel between the mixer and the print head is large, the color transition interval is large and the quality is better. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, wherein the mixer is detachable. The 3D continuous color printer as described in claim 1, wherein the print head can be replaced according to the selection of raw materials, resolution requirements or blocking factors. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, wherein the nozzle includes a needle body, a nozzle, or a ballpoint pen head. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, wherein the building material has a liquid state for color mixing and is selected from the group consisting of silicone, silicone rubber, silicified acrylic caulking latex, polyurethane, photosensitive resin, curable liquid, and A group of cured pastes. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, comprising a tube body connected to each module, each tube body has a preset inner diameter to reduce the hysteresis between color transitions. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, wherein the building material is solidified by irradiation, cooling, or drying. The 3D continuous color printer according to claim 1, wherein the building materials having two or more colors are mixed into a liquid having a desired color, the building materials are colored with a soluble pigment, and Added particles, oil, water, or substances with different properties to change the hardness, strength, or other physical and chemical properties of the 3D printed product. A method for printing continuous color 3D objects, comprising: extruding a plurality of building materials contained in a plurality of magazines into a mixer through a plurality of syringes, wherein each of the building materials is liquid at normal temperature, and the bottom of the syringe contacts a A rod body, which is connected to a screw rod, which is driven by a stepping motor to rotate, the rod body moves along a guide to extrude the building materials in the magazine; mix the extruded materials; use a A single spray head distributes and releases the mixed raw materials. The method for printing a continuous color 3D object according to claim 15, wherein the building materials having two or more colors are mixed into a liquid having a desired color, and the building materials are colored with soluble pigments, And adding particles, oil, water or substances with different properties to change the hardness, strength or other physical and chemical properties of the 3D printed product. The method for printing continuous color 3D objects as described in claim 15, comprising mixing building materials of different colors contained in four magazines, wherein the four magazines are connected to the pipe body in the direction toward the nozzle and then connected To the mixer. The method for printing continuous color 3D objects as described in claim 15, wherein the sum of the inflow rates of the raw materials of different colors is a predetermined value, and the color of the outflow raw materials depends on the ratio of the inflow rates of the raw materials of different colors. A 3D printer includes: at least one magazine containing a building material, the building material being liquid at normal temperature, the magazine including a syringe; a mixer connected to the magazine; and a A single spray head is connected to an outlet of the mixer; wherein the bottom of the syringe contacts a rod body, the rod body is connected to a screw rod, the screw rod is driven by a stepping motor to rotate, and the rod body is along a guide Moving, the building materials contained in the magazine are sent to the mixer and the single spray head to form a continuous multi-material object.