CN114308763A

CN114308763A - Spin-drying device and spin-drying method for three-dimensional printing model

Info

Publication number: CN114308763A
Application number: CN202111655315.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 侯锋; 陈亚; 戴湘岳; 陈潭
Original assignee: Prismlab Information Technology Ltd; PRISMLAB CHINA Ltd
Current assignee: Prismlab Information Technology Ltd; Shanghai Pulisheng 3d Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-12-30
Filing date: 2021-12-30
Publication date: 2022-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2041-12-30
Also published as: CN114308763B

Abstract

The invention provides a spin-drying device and a spin-drying method for a three-dimensional printing model. The device that spin-dries includes: at least one tray adapted to carry a model to be spun; a liquid removal member adapted to contact the mold to be spun during spinning to break surface tension of residual liquid on the mold to be spun; and a pressing mechanism adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction closer to the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold when the mold is spun dry. When the model is dried, the liquid removing component is contacted with the model to be dried placed on the tray through the pressing mechanism, the surface tension of the residual liquid at the tip end and the bulge of the model is destroyed, and the residual liquid is removed. And the residual liquid is more easily separated from the mold to be dried due to the capillary phenomenon.

Description

Spin-drying device and spin-drying method for three-dimensional printing model

Technical Field

The invention mainly relates to the field of three-dimensional printing, in particular to a spin-drying device and a spin-drying method for a three-dimensional printing model.

Background

When a model printed in a photocuring mode, particularly a model with a bulge or a tip structure on the surface, is placed into a centrifugal drying machine for drying, residual liquid is easy to exist on the tip or the bulge on the surface of the model, so that the problems of drying and poor cleaning effect of the printed model are caused. This is particularly serious when the viscosity of the resin used for three-dimensional printing is high, and the liquid remains.

In order to solve such a problem, it is common to remove the residual liquid on the tip surface by means of manual wiping or the like. Although the conception of the mode is simple, the mode for removing the residual liquid at the tip is uncontrollable, and adverse effects such as model deformation and secondary pollution to the model are easily caused. In addition, the model attached with residual liquid can be directly put into alcohol or acetone for cleaning, and the defects of the cleaning method are that the consumption of alcohol and acetone is high and the pollution problem is caused; meanwhile, the residual resin is large, and the resin can not be recovered and dissolved in the cleaning solution, so that the resin waste is caused, and the cost for cleaning the model is increased.

Therefore, how to remove the residual liquid on the model without pollution is an urgent problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a spin-drying device and a spin-drying method for a three-dimensional printing model, which can conveniently and effectively remove residual liquid at the tip or the convex part of the outer surface of the model.

In order to solve the technical problem, the invention provides a spin-drying device for a three-dimensional printing model, which comprises: at least one tray adapted to carry a model to be spun; a liquid removal member adapted to contact the mold to be spun during spinning to break surface tension of residual liquid on the mold to be spun; and a pressing mechanism adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction closer to the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold when the mold is spun dry.

Optionally, the liquid removal member comprises a porous material comprising a sponge, a flexible brush and/or a flexible mesh.

Optionally, the porous material is elastic.

Optionally, the liquid removal member is further configured to absorb the liquid upon contact with the mold to be spun.

Optionally, the mould to be spun has tips and/or projections on its outer surface, and the pressing mechanism is adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction towards the mould to bring the liquid removal member into contact with the tips and/or projections in the outer surface of the mould.

Optionally, the spin drying apparatus further comprises a frame carrying the at least one tray, the liquid removal member and the hold-down mechanism, the frame and the liquid removal member having a space therebetween to accommodate liquid separated from the mold during spin drying.

Optionally, the tray has a mesh structure.

Optionally, the spin-drying device further comprises a motor and a rotating shaft, the rotating shaft is connected with the motor and the at least one tray, and the motor is suitable for driving the rotating shaft to rotate, so that the at least one tray is driven to move around the rotating shaft to perform spin-drying.

Optionally, the rotating shaft is vertically arranged, the at least one tray is vertically arranged around the rotating shaft, the model to be dried is positioned on one side of the tray in an adhering mode, and the liquid removing part is vertically arranged opposite to the side, on which the model is adhered, of the tray when the model is not dried.

Optionally, the pressing mechanism has a thin plate, the liquid removing member is attached to the thin plate, and when the mold is dried, the pressing mechanism drives the liquid removing member to move integrally in a direction close to the mold through the thin plate.

Optionally, the pressing mechanism comprises at least one group of brackets, an elastic component and a pressing balancing weight connected with the brackets and the elastic component, wherein the pressing balancing weight is located at a first position; the pressing balancing weight moves around the rotating shaft in a centrifugal mode from the first position to a second position far away from the thin plate, the elastic component changes from the releasing state to a tightening state, and the support pushes the thin plate to enable the thin plate to drive the whole liquid removing component to move towards a direction close to the model; and when the model is dried, the elastic component is changed from the tightening state to the releasing state, so that the pressing balancing weight is driven to be reduced from the second position to the first position, and the support drives the thin plate to enable the whole liquid removing component to move towards the direction far away from the model.

Optionally, the rotating shaft is horizontally arranged, one of the at least one tray is horizontally arranged below the rotating shaft, when the model is not dried, the model is positioned on the horizontally arranged tray, and the liquid removing part is horizontally arranged opposite to the side of the tray where the model is arranged when the model is not dried.

Optionally, the pressing mechanism includes a pressing plate and a pressing mechanism, wherein the liquid removing part is located on the pressing plate, and is horizontally placed relatively to one side of the model placed on the tray together with the pressing plate, the pressing mechanism is pressed against one side of the tray back to the pressing plate and is suitable for driving the pressing plate to be close to and away from the tray, and when the pressing plate is close to the tray, the pressing plate drives the liquid removing part to move towards the direction close to the model, and when the pressing plate is far away from the tray, the tray drives the liquid removing part to move towards the direction away from the model.

Optionally, the number of the trays is one, the pressing mechanism further comprises a balancing weight block, and the balancing weight block is located above the rotating shaft and at a position opposite to the trays.

Optionally, the number of the trays is two, and the two trays are respectively located above and below the rotating shaft and are relatively horizontally placed.

The invention also provides a spin-drying method of the three-dimensional printing model, which comprises the following steps: obtaining a tray for bearing a model to be dried, wherein the model to be dried is placed on the tray in a filling or adhering mode; arranging a liquid removing part which is suitable for contacting with the model to be dried in a drying process so as to break the surface tension of the residual liquid on the model to be dried; and configuring a hold-down mechanism adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction closer to the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold.

Optionally, the mould to be spun has tips and/or projections on its outer surface, and the hold-down mechanism is configured to move the liquid removal member in a direction towards the mould to bring the liquid removal member into contact with the tips and/or projections in the outer surface of the mould.

The invention uses a liquid removing member with porous material such as sponge, flexible brush, flexible net, etc. when the model is dried, the liquid removing member is contacted with the model to be dried placed on a tray by a pressing mechanism, and the surface tension of the residual liquid at the tip end and the bulge of the model is destroyed, thereby removing the residual liquid. And the residual liquid is easier to separate from the model to be dried due to the capillary phenomenon.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the application and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the three-dimensional printing model taken along line A-A of FIG. 2 according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a front view of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a front view of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to another embodiment of the present invention in an operating state;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of a spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing of a model according to another embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flow chart of a spin-drying method for a three-dimensional printing model according to an embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only examples or embodiments of the application, from which the application can also be applied to other similar scenarios without inventive effort for a person skilled in the art. Unless otherwise apparent from the context, or otherwise indicated, like reference numbers in the figures refer to the same structure or operation.

As used in this application and the appended claims, the terms "a," "an," "the," and/or "the" are not intended to be inclusive in the singular, but rather are intended to be inclusive in the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In general, the terms "comprises" and "comprising" merely indicate that steps and elements are included which are explicitly identified, that the steps and elements do not form an exclusive list, and that a method or apparatus may include other steps or elements.

The relative arrangement of the components and steps, the numerical expressions, and numerical values set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application unless specifically stated otherwise. Meanwhile, it should be understood that the sizes of the respective portions shown in the drawings are not drawn in an actual proportional relationship for the convenience of description. Techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail but are intended to be part of the specification where appropriate. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any particular value should be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting. Thus, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that: like reference numbers and letters refer to like items in the following figures, and thus, once an item is defined in one figure, further discussion thereof is not required in subsequent figures.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by the directional terms such as "front, rear, upper, lower, left, right", "lateral, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom", etc., are generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and are used for convenience of description and simplicity of description only, and in the case of not making a reverse description, these directional terms do not indicate and imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation or be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and therefore, should not be considered as limiting the scope of the present application; the terms "inner and outer" refer to the inner and outer relative to the profile of the respective component itself.

Spatially relative terms, such as "above … …," "above … …," "above … …," "above," and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one device or feature's spatial relationship to another device or feature as illustrated in the figures. It will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if a device in the figures is turned over, devices described as "above" or "on" other devices or configurations would then be oriented "below" or "under" the other devices or configurations. Thus, the exemplary term "above … …" can include both an orientation of "above … …" and "below … …". The device may be otherwise variously oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", and the like are used to define the components, and are only used for convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components, and the terms have no special meanings unless otherwise stated, and therefore, the scope of protection of the present application is not to be construed as being limited. Further, although the terms used in the present application are selected from publicly known and used terms, some of the terms mentioned in the specification of the present application may be selected by the applicant at his or her discretion, the detailed meanings of which are described in relevant parts of the description herein. Further, it is required that the present application is understood not only by the actual terms used but also by the meaning of each term lying within.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "on," "connected to," "coupled to" or "contacting" another element, it can be directly on, connected or coupled to, or contacting the other element or intervening elements may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," "directly coupled to" or "directly contacting" another element, there are no intervening elements present. Similarly, when a first component is said to be "in electrical contact with" or "electrically coupled to" a second component, there is an electrical path between the first component and the second component that allows current to flow. The electrical path may include capacitors, coupled inductors, and/or other components that allow current to flow even without direct contact between the conductive components.

The spin drying apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail by way of specific examples.

Fig. 1 to 4 are schematic diagrams illustrating different angles of a spin-drying apparatus 100 (hereinafter, referred to as "spin-drying apparatus 100") for three-dimensional printing a model according to an embodiment of the present invention. In which fig. 1 is a schematic view of a three-dimensional structure of a spin drying apparatus 100, fig. 2 is a plan view of the spin drying apparatus 100, fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along line a-a of fig. 2, and fig. 4 is a front view of the spin drying apparatus 100. The spin-drying device 100 can conveniently and effectively remove residual liquid from the tips or projections of the outer surface of the mold, and the structure of the spin-drying device 100 will be described in detail below.

Referring to fig. 1 to 4, in this embodiment, the spin drying apparatus 100 includes a tray (not shown) for carrying the model 140 to be spin-dried, but the tray may be placed on the tray support 110, and the spin drying apparatus 100 further includes a liquid removing member 120 (see fig. 3 in particular) and a pressing mechanism 130. It is to be understood that although only one tray support 110 is shown in fig. 1, the present invention is not limited thereto, and in other embodiments of the present invention, further modifications in the structure of the spin drying apparatus 100 shown in fig. 1, may include more tray supports to carry more trays.

In some embodiments of the present invention that include a spin-drying apparatus 100, the liquid removal member 120 may include a porous material such as a sponge, a flexible brush, or a flexible mesh. Preferably, the porous materials are elastic so that they can deform after being pressed so as not to damage the printing mould to be dried released from the porous materials

Further preferably, in the pressing mechanism 130 of fig. 3, a thin plate 131 closely attached to the liquid removing member 120 is provided to move the liquid removing member 120 integrally toward the mold 140. In addition, in fig. 3, the pressing mechanism 130 further has a bracket 132, an elastic member 133, and a pressing weight 134 connected to the bracket 132. It will be appreciated that the number of the brackets 132, the elastic members 133 and the pressing weights 134 can be adjusted according to actual requirements, for example, the pressing speed and force of the pressing mechanism can be changed by increasing the number of the brackets 132 and the pressing weights 134. In the present embodiment, a spring is used as the elastic member 133, and it is understood that the elastic member 133 is not limited thereto, and may further include a rubber band, for example. In addition, the liquid removing member 120 can be freely removed from the sheet 131 for easy replacement.

As shown in fig. 3, the spin-drying apparatus 100 further includes a frame 160 for carrying the tray support 110, the liquid removing member 120 and the pressing mechanism 130. Wherein a space for accommodating the mold 140 exists between the frame 160 and the liquid removing member 120. It will be appreciated that the size of this space is adjustable so as to accommodate models of different sizes. In other embodiments, the tray support 110 and the trays carried thereon have a mesh structure, and the outer frame 160 may have a mesh structure that facilitates the passage of resin and air to accelerate the removal of residual liquid, and through which liquid that is spun off the mold 140 may also be spun off the mold 140.

The detailed process of the liquid removing member 120 contacting and separating with and from the mold 140 during the spin-drying process is as follows.

The spin drying device 100' shown in fig. 5 is a modification of the spin drying device 100 shown in fig. 1 to 4. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the spin drying apparatus 100', and fig. 6 is a front view thereof. Referring to fig. 5 and 6, the spin-drying device 100' further includes a motor (not shown) and a rotating shaft 170, wherein the rotating shaft 170 is vertically disposed. As can be seen from fig. 5, four spin-drying devices 100 are provided in the spin-drying device 100', and the four spin-drying devices 100 are uniformly distributed along the rotating shaft 170. Four tray supports 110 connected to the rotating shaft 170 are also vertically disposed, a mold (not shown) to be spin-dried is positioned on the tray by adhesion, and the liquid removing member 120 is vertically disposed opposite to a side of the tray support 110 on which the mold (not shown) is adhered when spin-drying is not performed. In the spin-drying operation, the motor connected to the rotating shaft 170 rotates the rotating shaft 170, thereby driving the pressing mechanism 130 connected to the rotating shaft 170 to rotate.

Further, referring to fig. 1 and 3, when the pressing mechanism 130 is at rest, since the elastic member 133 is in the releasing state, the pressing weight 134 is in the first position a. At this time, the liquid removing member 120 is away from the mold 140. When the spinning is performed, the pressing weight 134 performs a centrifugal motion around the rotating shaft 170 and moves from the first position to the second position B farther from the thin plate 131, the elastic member 133 changes from the releasing state to the tightening state, and the bracket 132 pushes the thin plate 131 to drive the whole body of the liquid removing member 120 to move toward the mold 140. The liquid removing member 120 is brought into contact with the mold 140 to break the surface tension of the liquid remaining on the mold 140, and the printed mold surface, particularly the liquid at the projections and the tips 141, is separated from the mold 140.

When the spin-drying is completed, the elastic component 133 is restored and changes from the tightening state to the releasing state, so as to drive the pressing counterweight 134 to return from the second position B to the first position a, and the bracket 132 drives the thin plate 131 to move the liquid removing component 120 away from the mold 140.

In some embodiments of the invention, the form 140 has tips and/or protrusions 141 on its outer surface, and the pressing mechanism 130 is adapted to move the liquid removal member 120 in a direction closer to the form 140 to bring the liquid removal member 120 into contact with the tips and/or protrusions on the outer surface of the form 140. Since the surface tension of the liquid at the tip and the projection of the mold is large, the liquid is liable to remain at the tip and the projection of the mold, and the surface tension of the liquid is destroyed by bringing the tip and the projection of the mold into contact with the liquid removing member, so that the liquid remaining at the tip and the projection is liable to be separated from the mold.

In this embodiment, the liquid removal member 120 is preferably a sponge. Thus, when the liquid removing member 120 comes into contact with the mold 140, not only the surface tension of the residual liquid is broken, but also the residual liquid is further absorbed.

The solution described in the above embodiment can destroy the surface tension of the residual liquid at the tip and the projection of the mold, and thus can remove the residual liquid without contamination.

Next, another structural modification of the spin-drying apparatus for three-dimensional printing a model according to the present invention will be explained by another embodiment.

Fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a spin-drying apparatus 200 for three-dimensional printing of a model according to an embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a spin-drying apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention in an operating state.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 7 and 8, the rotation shaft 210 is horizontally disposed, and one of at least one tray 220 (in the embodiment shown in fig. 7, two trays 220 are disposed symmetrically up and down) is horizontally disposed below the rotation shaft 210.

Specifically, referring to fig. 7, fig. 7 illustrates a state where the tray 220 is drawn out of the spin-drying device 200. The pressing mechanism 230 includes a pressing plate 231 and a pressing mechanism 232. Wherein the liquid removing member in this embodiment is located on the pressing plate 231 and is placed horizontally opposite to the side of the tray 220 where the model (not shown) is placed, together with the pressing plate 231, it is understood that the liquid removing member is not explicitly shown in order to better show other structures in this embodiment. Further, the pressing mechanism 232 is supported against a side of the pressing plate 231 opposite to the tray 220 and adapted to drive the pressing plate 231 to approach and move away from the tray 220. When the pressing plate 231 is close to the tray 220, the pressing plate 231 drives the liquid removing part to move towards the direction close to the model, and when the pressing plate 231 is far away from the tray 220, the tray 220 drives the liquid removing part to move towards the direction far away from the model.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the spin-drying apparatus 200 operates as follows: firstly, the tray 220 is drawn out of the spin-drying device, the model to be spin-dried is put into the tray 220, the tray 220 can carry one or more models to be spin-dried, and the tray 220 is pushed into the spin-drying device 200, as shown in fig. 8; the liquid removal member is then adhered to the side of the platen 231 opposite the side of the tray 220 on which the model is placed, as will be appreciated, this step may be interchanged with the previous step; then, the pressing mechanism 232 is pressed down, so that the pressing plate 231 is driven to drive the liquid removing part mounted thereon to move towards the direction close to the model to be dried, and thus, the liquid removing part is contacted with the tips and/or the protrusions of the model to be dried, so that the surface tension of the liquid remained at the tips and/or the protrusions is destroyed; finally, the spin-drying device is rotated by the driving of the motor 240, thereby separating the residual liquid on the mold by centrifugal force.

In some other embodiments of the present invention, the method may further comprise the step of removing the mold from the spin-drying apparatus, specifically as follows: first, the pressing mechanism 232 is lifted up, thereby driving the platen 231 to move the liquid removing member mounted thereon in a direction away from the mold; then, the spun-dried mold is taken out.

Further, the liquid removing member may comprise a porous material such as a sponge, a flexible brush, or a flexible net. It will be appreciated that when the liquid removal member is a sponge, it may not only break the surface tension of the residual liquid at the tip and projection, but may also absorb the residual liquid, thereby assisting in the removal of the residual liquid.

Unlike the previous embodiments in which centrifugal force is used to control the contact/separation of the liquid removing member with the model, the present embodiment uses manual intervention to contact/separate the liquid removing member with/from the model to be spin-dried, so that the contact area and/or force between the liquid removing member and the model to be spin-dried can be manually adjusted.

For example, in other embodiments of the present invention, the spin-drying device for three-dimensional printing model may also have the structure shown in fig. 9. In the spin drying device 300 shown in fig. 9, the tray 330 is one, and the spin drying device 300 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in fig. 9 is schematically configured. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 310 is also horizontally disposed, and unlike the embodiment shown in fig. 7 in which two trays are symmetrically disposed up and down, the spin-drying device 300 has only one tray 330 in this embodiment. Meanwhile, a balancing weight 320 is provided above the rotation shaft 310 at a position opposite to the tray 330. Thus, when the tray 330 rotates, the vibration of the spin-drying device 300 is reduced due to the balance action of the balancing weight 320, which is beneficial to prolonging the service life of the spin-drying device and avoiding the damage of the model.

In addition, the invention also provides a spin-drying method of the three-dimensional printing model. Based on the spin-drying apparatus in the above-described embodiments, the spin-drying method will be explained next by some embodiments.

Fig. 10 shows a flow chart of a spin-drying method in an embodiment, which includes the following steps:

step S1: obtaining a tray for bearing a model to be dried, wherein the model to be dried is placed on the tray in a filling or adhering mode;

step S1: providing a pressing mechanism adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction closer to the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold;

step S1: a hold-down mechanism is provided and is adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction adjacent the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold.

The specific process is as follows.

First, step S1 in fig. 10 and fig. 3 are combined. The spin-dried pattern 140 is placed in a packed or adhered manner on a tray positioned on the tray support 110.

Then, as shown in fig. 3, the liquid removing member 120 is configured, and the material of the liquid removing member 120 is the same as that in the previous embodiment, which is not described herein again. During the subsequent spin-drying process, the liquid removing member 120 will come into contact with the mold 140 to be spin-dried to break the surface tension of the liquid remaining on the mold 140 to be spin-dried, particularly the surface tension of the liquid remaining at the tips or projections 141 of the mold 140.

Finally, the pressing mechanism 130 is configured, wherein the pressing mechanism 130 is composed of a thin plate 131, a bracket 132, an elastic member 133 and a pressing weight 134. During the spin-drying process, as shown in fig. 5, the rotating shaft 170 in the spin-drying device 20 rotates the pressing mechanism therein. The weight 134 will move from the first position a to the second position B under centrifugal force, causing the bracket 132 to drive the liquid removal elements on the sheet 131 closer to the belt dry mold 140 and into contact with the mold 140. It will be appreciated that after the spin process has ended, the spindle will stop rotating and the compacting weight 134 will move from the second position B to the first position a, after which the mould can be removed.

With the spin dryer apparatus 200 shown in fig. 7, the hold down mechanism 230 needs to be depressed before the motor 240 is activated so that the liquid removal module on the platen 231 comes into contact with the mold with the spin dryer. Subsequently, the rotating shaft 210 of the spin drying device 200 rotates the pressing mechanism therein. The residual liquid is separated from the mold by the centrifugal force in combination with the liquid removal member disrupting the surface tension of the residual liquid at the tip and projection of the mold. It will be appreciated that at the end of the spin process, the spindle stops rotating, the hold down mechanism 230 is lifted and the mold can then be removed.

Having thus described the basic concept, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing disclosure is by way of example only, and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications, improvements and adaptations to the present application may occur to those skilled in the art, although not explicitly described herein. Such modifications, improvements and adaptations are proposed in the present application and thus fall within the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present application.

Also, this application uses specific language to describe embodiments of the application. Reference throughout this specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," and/or "some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with at least one embodiment of the present application is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, it is emphasized and should be appreciated that two or more references to "an embodiment" or "one embodiment" or "an alternative embodiment" in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, some features, structures, or characteristics of one or more embodiments of the present application may be combined as appropriate.

Similarly, it should be noted that in the preceding description of embodiments of the application, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure aiding in the understanding of one or more of the embodiments. This method of disclosure, however, is not intended to require more features than are expressly recited in the claims. Indeed, the embodiments may be characterized as having less than all of the features of a single embodiment disclosed above.

Numerals describing the number of components, attributes, etc. are used in some embodiments, it being understood that such numerals used in the description of the embodiments are modified in some instances by the use of the modifier "about", "approximately" or "substantially". Unless otherwise indicated, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" indicates that the number allows a variation of ± 20%. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the numerical parameters used in the specification and claims are approximations that may vary depending upon the desired properties of the individual embodiments. In some embodiments, the numerical parameter should take into account the specified significant digits and employ a general digit preserving approach. Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the range are approximations, in the specific examples, such numerical values are set forth as precisely as possible within the scope of the application.

Although the present application has been described with reference to the present specific embodiments, it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of the present application and that various changes and substitutions of equivalents may be made without departing from the spirit of the application, and therefore, it is intended that all changes and modifications to the above-described embodiments that come within the spirit of the application fall within the scope of the claims of the application.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional printing model's device that spin-dries which characterized in that includes:

at least one tray adapted to carry a model to be spun;

a liquid removal member adapted to contact the mold to be spun during spinning to break surface tension of residual liquid on the mold to be spun; and

a hold-down mechanism adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction closer to the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold when the mold is spun dry.

2. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid removal member comprises a porous material comprising a sponge, a flexible brush, and/or a flexible mesh.

3. A spin-drying apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the porous material is resilient.

4. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the liquid removal member is further configured to absorb the liquid upon contact with the mold to be spun.

5. A spinning apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein the mould to be spun has tips and/or projections on its outer surface, said pressing mechanism being adapted to move said liquid removal member in a direction towards said mould to bring said liquid removal member into contact with said tips and/or projections in the outer surface of said mould.

6. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a frame carrying the at least one tray, the liquid removal member and the hold-down mechanism, the frame and the liquid removal member having a space therebetween to accommodate liquid separated from the mold during spin-drying.

7. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 6, wherein the tray has a net-like structure.

8. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a motor and a shaft connecting the motor and the at least one tray, the motor adapted to rotate the shaft to move the at least one tray about the shaft for spin-drying.

9. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 8 wherein the shaft is vertically oriented and the at least one tray is vertically oriented about the shaft, the pattern to be spun is adhesively positioned on one side of the tray, and the liquid removal member is vertically oriented when not being spun opposite the side of the tray to which the pattern is adhered.

10. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 9 wherein the hold-down mechanism has a thin plate to which the liquid removal member is attached, the hold-down mechanism moving the liquid removal member through the thin plate in a direction generally adjacent the mold as the mold spins.

11. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 10 wherein the hold-down mechanism includes at least one set of a bracket, a resilient member, and a hold-down weight coupled to the bracket and the resilient member, wherein,

when the model is not dried, the elastic part is in a release state, and the pressing balancing weight is located at a first position;

when the model is dried, the pressing balancing weight performs centrifugal motion around the rotating shaft and moves from the first position to the second position far away from the thin plate, the elastic part is changed from the releasing state to the tightening state, and the support pushes the thin plate so that the thin plate drives the whole liquid removing part to move towards the direction close to the model; and

when the model is dried, the elastic component is changed from the tightening state to the releasing state, so that the pressing balancing weight is driven to be reduced from the second position to the first position, and the support drives the thin plate to enable the whole liquid removing component to move towards the direction far away from the model.

12. The spin apparatus of claim 8 wherein the shaft is horizontally disposed and one of the at least one tray is horizontally disposed below the shaft, the mold being positioned on the horizontally disposed tray when the mold is not spin dried, the liquid removal member being horizontally disposed opposite the side of the tray on which the mold is disposed when the mold is not spin dried.

13. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 12 wherein the hold-down mechanism includes a hold-down plate and a hold-down mechanism, wherein the liquid removal member is positioned on the hold-down plate and is positioned horizontally with the hold-down plate, in cooperation with the hold-down plate, opposite the side of the tray on which the mold is positioned, the hold-down mechanism being positioned against a side of the hold-down plate opposite the tray and adapted to move the hold-down plate toward and away from the tray, and wherein when the hold-down plate is positioned adjacent the tray, the hold-down plate moves the liquid removal member in a direction toward the mold, and when the hold-down plate is positioned away from the tray, the tray moves the liquid removal member in a direction away from the mold.

14. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the number of the trays is one and the pressing mechanism further comprises a balancing weight located above the rotating shaft and opposite to the trays.

15. The spin-drying apparatus of claim 12 or 13, wherein the number of the trays is two, and the two trays are respectively located above and below the rotating shaft and are horizontally placed in opposition.

16. A spin-drying method for a three-dimensional printing model is characterized by comprising the following steps:

obtaining a tray for bearing a model to be dried, wherein the model to be dried is placed on the tray in a filling or adhering mode;

arranging a liquid removing part which is suitable for contacting with the model to be dried in a drying process so as to break the surface tension of the residual liquid on the model to be dried; and

a hold-down mechanism is configured and adapted to move the liquid removal member in a direction closer to the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with at least a portion of the outer surface of the mold.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the mold to be spin dried has tips and/or projections on an outer surface thereof, and the hold-down mechanism is configured to move the liquid removal member in a direction toward the mold to bring the liquid removal member into contact with the tips and/or projections in the outer surface of the mold.