CN111113894A

CN111113894A - On-orbit 3D printer

Info

Publication number: CN111113894A
Application number: CN202010026804.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 丁继锋; 韩增尧; 王罡; 高鸿; 吴盖特; 冯科瀚; 王毅
Original assignee: Innovation Center Of China Academy Of Space Technology Foshan
Current assignee: Innovation Center Of China Academy Of Space Technology Foshan
Priority date: 2020-01-10
Filing date: 2020-01-10
Publication date: 2020-05-08

Abstract

The invention discloses an on-orbit 3D printer, which comprises: a frame having first and second brackets opposed in a lateral direction; a spray device including a print head disposed on the first support, the print head being movable in a vertical direction and a longitudinal direction; the two clamping devices are transversely movably arranged on the frame and positioned between the first support and the second support, and after a printing piece with a preset length is printed, the two clamping devices are alternately reset. According to the invention, the two clamping devices are mutually matched and combined with the protection of the frame, so that the clamping stability of the printing head in the spraying device during printing can be kept, the service life of the on-orbit 3D printer in space is effectively ensured, and the printing work of the ultra-long rod piece can be easily realized. The invention can be widely applied to the field of printers.

Description

On-orbit 3D printer

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of printers, in particular to an on-orbit 3D printer.

Background

The truss structure is a basic structure of large-scale space equipment, such as an international space station main structure, a double-star interference SAR connecting structure, a large-caliber satellite antenna and the like, and is more likely to be a basic structure of future on-orbit large-scale facilities, and the design and manufacture of the truss structure are one of the key contents of pre-research.

At present, the manufacturing scheme adopted by the international large-diameter truss structure is generally 'ground manufacturing, furling launching and on-orbit unfolding and assembling', but the manufacturing scheme is limited by the size of a carrier rocket, and the launching of an ultra-large truss is difficult to realize. In space, the truss is stressed a little and the structural strength can be weaker, but in order to bear the large overload condition in the rocket launching process, the folded truss must have great strength, so that the structural weight is increased, and the launching cost is greatly increased. The truss is very complex due to the requirement of large expansion ratio, and the truss often fails during expansion, which brings great loss.

In addition, the additive manufacturing equipment in the market at present limits the three-dimensional size of the manufactured workpiece, and is not suitable for manufacturing the ultra-long rod piece in the truss.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve one of the technical problems, the invention aims to provide an on-orbit 3D printer capable of realizing an on-orbit printing truss structure.

The embodiment of the invention provides an on-orbit 3D printer, which comprises:

a frame having first and second brackets opposed in a lateral direction;

a spray device including a print head disposed on the first support, the print head being movable in a vertical direction and a longitudinal direction;

the two clamping devices are transversely movably arranged on the frame and positioned between the first support and the second support, and after a printing piece with a preset length is printed, the two clamping devices are alternately reset.

Therefore, according to the on-orbit 3D printer provided by the embodiment of the invention, the on-orbit printing can be realized by reasonably arranging the printing head and the two clamping devices, and the infinite printing can be realized, so that the printing work of the ultra-long rod piece can be more easily realized. In addition, the on-orbit 3D printer is simple in structure, easy to manufacture and capable of reducing transportation cost.

Further, the spray coating device further comprises:

the vertical guide assembly is arranged on the first bracket;

a longitudinal guide assembly on which the longitudinal guide assembly is vertically movably disposed, the printhead being longitudinally movably disposed on the longitudinal guide assembly.

Further, the vertical guide assembly includes:

the first vertical motor is arranged on the first bracket;

the first vertical screw rod is connected with the first vertical motor and is rotatably arranged on the first bracket;

the first vertical guide block is in threaded fit with the first vertical lead screw, and the longitudinal guide assembly is arranged on the first vertical guide block.

Further, the vertical guide assembly further comprises: the vertical guide block is arranged on the vertical slide rail in a sliding mode, the first installation pieces are installed at two ends of the vertical slide rail, and the first vertical lead screw is installed on the first installation piece.

Further, the longitudinal guide assembly comprises:

a longitudinal bar disposed on the first vertical guide block;

a longitudinal motor disposed on the longitudinal rod;

the longitudinal screw rod is connected with the longitudinal motor and can be rotatably arranged on the longitudinal rod, and the printing head is in threaded fit with the longitudinal screw rod.

Further, the longitudinal guide assembly further comprises: the printing head comprises a longitudinal slide rail and second mounting pieces, the longitudinal slide rail is arranged on the longitudinal rod, the printing head is slidably arranged on the longitudinal slide rail, the second mounting pieces are mounted at two ends of the longitudinal rod, and the longitudinal screw rod is mounted on the second mounting pieces.

Further, the clamping device includes:

the bottom plate is vertically arranged and movably arranged between the first support and the second support;

the fixed baffle is fixed on the bottom plate;

the movable baffle and the fixed baffle are vertically arranged oppositely, and the movable baffle can vertically move relative to the fixed baffle.

Further, the clamping device further comprises:

a lateral guide assembly disposed on the frame between the first bracket and the second bracket, the base plate being laterally movably disposed on the lateral guide assembly.

Further, a transverse rod is connected between the end part of the first bracket and the end part of the second bracket;

the lateral guide assembly comprises:

a transverse motor mounted on the transverse bar;

the transverse screw rod is connected with the transverse motor and is rotatably arranged on the transverse rod;

the transverse guide block is in threaded fit with the lead screw, and the bottom plate is arranged on the transverse guide block.

Further, the lateral guidance assembly further comprises: the transverse guide block is arranged on the transverse slide rail in a sliding mode, the third installation pieces are installed at two ends of the transverse slide rail, and the transverse lead screw is installed on the third installation pieces.

The invention has the beneficial effects that:

according to the on-orbit 3D printer, the two clamping devices are mutually matched, and the protection of the frame is combined, so that the clamping stability of the printing head in the spraying device during printing can be kept, the service life of the on-orbit 3D printer in space is effectively ensured, and the printing work of the ultra-long rod piece can be easily realized. In addition, the on-orbit 3D printer is simple in structure and easy to manufacture, and can effectively reduce the transportation cost.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a first angled perspective view of an in-orbit 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a second angular perspective view of an in-orbit 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an in-orbit 3D printer according to an embodiment of the invention.

Reference numerals:

a printer 100;

a frame 10; a first bracket 11; a second bracket 12; a transverse bar 13;

a spraying device 20; a print head 21; a vertical guide assembly 22; a first vertical motor 221; a first vertical lead screw 222; a first vertical guide block 223; a vertical slide rail 224; a first mounting piece 225;

a longitudinal guide assembly 23; a longitudinal rod 231; a longitudinal motor 232; a longitudinal lead screw 233; a longitudinal slide 234; a second mounting tab 235;

a holding device 30; a bottom plate 31; through the holes 311;

a fixed baffle 32; a flapper 33; a clip button 331; a second vertical motor 34; a second vertical lead screw 35;

a lateral guide assembly 36; a traverse motor 361; a transverse lead screw 362; a lateral guide block 363; transverse slide rails 364; third mounting tabs 365;

the print 200.

Detailed Description

An on-orbit 3D printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to fig. 1 to 3, and the on-orbit 3D printer 100 may be implemented in an on-orbit printing truss structure, wherein the on-orbit refers to a space environment, which is different from the ground.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, an on-track 3D printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: the frame 10, the spraying device 20 and the two clamping devices 30, wherein the spraying device 20 and the two clamping devices 30 are arranged on the frame 10, and the frame 10 can play a role in installation and protection. The two holding devices 30 can be fitted to each other, so that the holding stability of the print member 200 can be ensured.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the frame 10 is formed by connecting a plurality of bars, wherein the frame 10 has a first bracket 11 and a second bracket 12 opposite to each other in a transverse direction, a transverse bar 13 is connected between the first bracket 11 and the second bracket 12, the first bracket 11 and the second bracket 12 are also formed by connecting bars, for example, a longitudinally extending bar and a vertically extending bar in sequence to form a rectangular frame, and the plurality of transverse bars 13 connect two rectangular frames to form the frame 10. Frame 10 can be for aluminium alloy spare, and the aluminium alloy model is european standard 2020, and the aluminium alloy quality is light, and structural strength is high, and convenient the manufacturing can effectively reduce the weight of on-orbit 3D printer 100 like this to and can reduce the manufacturing degree of difficulty of on-orbit 3D printer 100. In addition, the frame 10 can effectively ensure the structural strength of the on-orbit 3D printer 100 and can effectively adapt to the space environment.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the spray coating device 20 includes a print head 21, the print head 21 is disposed on the first support 11, and the print head 21 is movable in a vertical direction and a longitudinal direction, that is, the first support 11 is disposed at one end of the frame 10 in a transverse direction, and the print head 21 is movable in a vertical plane of the first support 11, so that the print head 21 can perform printing in a one-layer plane. Wherein the vertical direction and the longitudinal direction may be driven by different driving members, which may be motors.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned "transverse direction", "longitudinal direction" and "vertical direction" are three mutually perpendicular spatial directions, are merely for convenience of describing the positional relationship among the components, and cannot play a decisive limiting role, and in a space environment, a user may change the use direction of the on-rail 3D printer 100 according to the known technology, and the "transverse direction", "longitudinal direction" and "vertical direction" are changed accordingly.

As shown in fig. 3, two clamping devices 30 are transversely movably disposed on the frame 10, specifically, two clamping devices 30 are transversely spaced apart, and two clamping devices 30 are located between the first bracket 11 and the second bracket 12, two clamping devices 30 are transversely movably disposed on the transverse bar 13 of the frame 10, and the transverse bar 13 extends in the transverse direction, which can ensure that the clamping devices 30 are effectively transversely moved.

After the 3D printer 100 prints the print 200 of the predetermined length, the two gripping devices 30 are alternately reset. It can be understood that after the 3D printer 100 prints the print 200 with a predetermined length, the two clamping devices 30 have moved a predetermined length away from the print head 21, and then the two clamping devices 30 are sequentially and alternately reset, and the alternate resetting can ensure that one of the clamping devices 30 is in a state of clamping the print 200, so as to ensure the stability of the printing process, and after both of the two clamping devices 30 are reset, the print 200 with a predetermined length can be printed again, so as to achieve infinite printing until the print 200 is printed.

Therefore, according to the on-orbit 3D printer 100 provided by the embodiment of the invention, by reasonably arranging the printing head 21 and the two clamping devices 30, on-orbit printing can be realized, and infinite printing can be realized, so that the printing work of an ultra-long rod piece can be more easily realized. In addition, the on-orbit 3D printer 100 is simple in structure, easy to manufacture and capable of reducing transportation cost.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the spray coating device 20 further comprises: a vertical guide assembly 22 and a longitudinal guide assembly 23, wherein the vertical guide assembly 22 is arranged on the first bracket 11, the longitudinal guide assembly 23 is vertically movably arranged on the vertical guide assembly 22, and the printing head 21 is longitudinally movably arranged on the longitudinal guide assembly 23.

Thus, the vertical guide assembly 22 can enable the longitudinal guide assembly 23 to move vertically together with the printing head 21, and the printing head 21 can move longitudinally on the longitudinal guide assembly 23, so that the printing head 21 can move at any position on a vertical plane, and the printing work of the printing head 21 can be facilitated. In addition, the vertical guide assembly 22 and the longitudinal guide assembly 23 can both perform driving and guiding functions, so that the printing stability of the printing head 21 can be ensured.

Among them, by printing the printed matter 200 in the lateral direction, the printed matter 200 can be made larger in cross section and stronger in applicability.

Specifically, as shown in connection with fig. 2 and 3, the vertical guide assembly 22 includes: first vertical motor 221, first vertical lead screw 222, first vertical guide block 223, vertical slide rail 224 and first installation piece 225, first vertical motor 221 is installed on first support 11, first vertical lead screw 222 links to each other with first vertical motor 221, and first vertical lead screw 222 can be installed on first support 11 with rotating, first vertical guide block 223 screw-thread fit is on first vertical lead screw 222, vertical slide rail 224 sets up on first support 11, first vertical guide block 223 slidable sets up on vertical slide rail 224, first installation piece 225 is installed at the both ends of vertical slide rail 224, first vertical lead screw 222 is installed on first installation piece 225. The first vertical lead screw 222 and the vertical slide rail 224 are arranged at intervals in the longitudinal direction, and the first mounting piece 225 can play a mounting role. The first vertical motor 221 can drive the first vertical lead screw 222 to rotate, the first vertical guide block 223 can move vertically under the influence of the first vertical lead screw 222, and the first vertical guide block 223 can drive the longitudinal guide assembly 23 to move together. Specifically, the first vertical guide block 223 may be provided with a nut.

Thus, the vertical guide assembly 22 can perform a function of driving the vertical movement of the print head 21, and can effectively guide the vertical movement of the print head 21. A coupling is connected between the first vertical motor 221 and the first vertical lead screw 222.

It should be noted that the driving direction of the first vertical motor 221 is a vertical direction, and the extending direction of the first vertical lead screw 222 and the vertical slide rail 224 is a vertical direction.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the longitudinal guide assembly 23 includes: the printing head 21 is in threaded fit with the longitudinal screw rod 233, the longitudinal slide rail 234 is arranged on the longitudinal rod 231, the printing head 21 is slidably arranged on the longitudinal slide rail 234, the second mounting pieces 235 are mounted at two ends of the longitudinal rod 231, and the longitudinal screw rod 233 is mounted on the second mounting pieces 235. Thereby, the longitudinal motor 232 may drive the longitudinal lead screw 233 to rotate, and the print head 21 may be moved longitudinally under the influence of the longitudinal lead screw 233. In particular, the print head 21 may be provided with a nut.

Thus, the longitudinal guide assembly 23 can perform a function of driving the longitudinal movement of the print head 21, and can effectively guide the longitudinal movement of the print head 21. Wherein, a coupling is connected between the longitudinal motor 232 and the longitudinal screw 233.

It should be noted that the driving direction of the longitudinal motor 232 is the longitudinal direction, and the extending directions of the longitudinal rod 231, the longitudinal lead screw 233, and the longitudinal slide rail 234 are the longitudinal directions.

As shown in fig. 1, the vertical guide assemblies 22 are two groups, and the two groups of vertical guide assemblies 22 are respectively located at two ends of the longitudinal guide assembly 23. Through setting up two sets of vertical direction subassembly 22, can guarantee longitudinal direction subassembly 23 and the stability of movement who beats printer head 21, can prevent effectively that the printing position that beats printer head 21 from appearing the deviation. Wherein, the combination of the first bracket 11, the two vertical guide assemblies 22 and the one longitudinal guide assembly 23 may be a gantry structure.

Thus, through the combination of the vertical guide assembly 22 and the longitudinal guide assembly 23, the print head 21 can be moved to any position of the vertical plane, that is, the print head 21 can be made to print to any point of the plane, so that the printing effectiveness of the spraying device 20 can be ensured.

According to a particular embodiment of the invention, each gripping device 30 comprises: the printing device comprises a bottom plate 31, a fixed baffle 32, a movable baffle 33, a second vertical motor 34 and a second vertical lead screw 35, wherein the bottom plate 31 is vertically arranged, the center of the bottom plate 31 is provided with a through hole 311, the printing piece 200 transversely passes through the through hole 311, the bottom plate 31 is movably arranged between a first support 11 and a second support 12, and particularly, the bottom plate 31 is transversely movably arranged on a transverse rod 13. In addition, the length and the width of the passing hole 311 are less than or equal to 200mm, so that the passing hole 311, the fixed baffle 32 and the movable baffle 33 can share the cross-sectional area for limiting the printing piece 200, and the printing stability of the on-orbit 3D printer can be ensured.

The bottom plate 31 is formed by butting at least two plate-like structures. The bottom plate 31 can be made of metal plate in a simple and stable structure by adopting a butt joint mode, and the metal plate has high structural strength, so that the fixed baffle 32 and the movable baffle 33 can be better installed.

The through hole 311 is rectangular, the through hole 311 has two vertical side walls, a longitudinal top wall and a longitudinal bottom wall in total, the two vertical side walls correspond to the two second vertical lead screws 35 respectively, and the two second vertical motors 34 are fixed on the longitudinal bottom wall of the through hole 311.

As shown in fig. 3, the fixed baffle 32 is fixed on the bottom plate 31, the movable baffle 33 is vertically disposed opposite to the fixed baffle 32, and the movable baffle 33 is vertically movable relative to the fixed baffle 32. The movable baffle 33 changes its vertical position relative to the fixed baffle 32 by moving vertically, so as to switch the clamping and releasing states, which can also facilitate the two clamping devices 30 to realize alternate resetting, thereby being beneficial to realizing infinite printing in the rail 3D printer 100.

As shown in fig. 2, the second vertical motor 34 is installed on the bottom plate 31, for example, a motor bracket is fixed on the bottom plate 31, and the second vertical motor 34 is installed on the motor bracket, so that the installation stability of the second vertical motor 34 can be improved by adopting the installation manner of the motor bracket. The second vertical lead screw 35 is connected with the second vertical motor 34, and the movable baffle plate 33 is in threaded fit with the second vertical lead screw 35. Wherein the flapper 33 may be provided with a nut cooperating with the second vertical screw 35. The second vertical motor 34 can drive the second vertical lead screw 35 to rotate, and the movable baffle plate 33 vertically moves under the influence of the second vertical lead screw 35, so that the clamping and loosening states are switched.

Wherein, the two ends of the movable baffle 33 are both provided with a second vertical motor 34 and a second vertical screw 35. Through the cooperation of the two sets of second vertical motors 34 and the second vertical lead screws 35, the movable baffle 33 can be translated more stably in the vertical direction, and the stability of clamping the printing piece 200 can also be ensured.

The end surface of the movable baffle 33 facing the fixed baffle 32 is provided with a clamping buckle 331. The retaining clip 331 may grip the outer pole portion of the truss structure, which may facilitate improved retention of the flapper 33.

The free end of the second vertical lead screw 35, which is far away from the vertical motor, is provided with a bearing seat, and the bearing seat plays a role in supporting, so that the normal rotation of the second vertical lead screw 35 can be ensured.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 1 to 3, the clamping device 30 further includes: and a transverse guide assembly 36, wherein the transverse guide assembly 36 is arranged on the transverse rod 13 of the frame 10, the transverse guide assembly 36 is positioned between the first bracket 11 and the second bracket 12, and the bottom plate 31 is transversely movably arranged on the transverse guide assembly 36. The lateral guide assembly 36 may function to drive the base plate 31 and may guide the base plate 31 to move laterally.

As shown in fig. 2, the lateral guide assembly 36 includes: the transverse guide plate comprises a transverse motor 361, a transverse lead screw 362, a transverse guide block 363, a transverse slide rail 364 and a third mounting piece 365, wherein the transverse motor 361 is mounted on the transverse rod 13, the transverse lead screw 362 is connected with the transverse motor 361, the transverse lead screw 362 is rotatably mounted on the transverse rod 13, the transverse guide block 363 is in threaded fit with the transverse lead screw 362, the bottom plate 31 is arranged on the transverse guide block 363, the transverse slide rail 364 is arranged on the transverse rod 13, the transverse guide block 363 is slidably arranged on the transverse slide rail 364, the third mounting piece 365 is mounted at two ends of the transverse slide rail 364, and the transverse lead screw 362 is mounted on the third mounting piece 365. The transverse motor 361 drives the transverse lead screw 362 to rotate, the transverse guide block 363 transversely moves under the influence of the transverse lead screw 362, and the transverse guide block 363 drives the bottom plate 31 to transversely move together. The lateral guide block 363 may be provided with a nut.

A mounting piece to which the lateral guide block 363 is mounted is provided at an end of the base plate 31. The mounting pieces serve to mount and fix, so that the overall reliability of the clamping device 30 can be ensured.

The driving direction of the traverse motor 361 is the traverse direction, and the extending directions of the traverse screw 362 and the traverse slide 364 are the traverse directions.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an illustrative embodiment," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples" or the like mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An on-orbit 3D printer, comprising:

a frame having first and second brackets opposed in a lateral direction;

2. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the spray coating device further comprises:

the vertical guide assembly is arranged on the first bracket;

3. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 2, wherein: the vertical guide assembly includes:

the first vertical motor is arranged on the first bracket;

4. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 3, wherein: the vertical guide assembly further comprises: the vertical guide block is arranged on the vertical slide rail in a sliding mode, the first installation pieces are installed at two ends of the vertical slide rail, and the first vertical lead screw is installed on the first installation piece.

5. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 3, wherein: the longitudinal guide assembly comprises:

a longitudinal bar disposed on the first vertical guide block;

a longitudinal motor disposed on the longitudinal rod;

6. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 5, wherein: the longitudinal guide assembly further comprises: the printing head comprises a longitudinal slide rail and second mounting pieces, the longitudinal slide rail is arranged on the longitudinal rod, the printing head is slidably arranged on the longitudinal slide rail, the second mounting pieces are mounted at two ends of the longitudinal rod, and the longitudinal screw rod is mounted on the second mounting pieces.

7. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein: the clamping device includes:

the fixed baffle is fixed on the bottom plate;

8. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 7, wherein: the clamping device further comprises:

9. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 8, wherein: a transverse rod is connected between the end part of the first bracket and the end part of the second bracket;

the lateral guide assembly comprises:

a transverse motor mounted on the transverse bar;

10. An on-track 3D printer as claimed in claim 9, wherein: the lateral guidance assembly further comprises: the transverse guide block is arranged on the transverse slide rail in a sliding mode, the third installation pieces are installed at two ends of the transverse slide rail, and the transverse lead screw is installed on the third installation pieces.