CN216860619U - Printhead assembly and printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model provides a print head assembly and a printing apparatus. Wherein the printhead assembly comprises: the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are arranged at intervals in a laminated mode; the printing head is connected with the first fixing plate; the elastic piece is respectively connected with the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate; the sensing assembly is arranged on the first fixing plate and/or the second fixing plate and used for sensing the distance between the second fixing plate and the first fixing plate. Therefore, the automatic leveling operation of the Z axis can be realized, the automatic leveling time is short, the precision is high, and the printing efficiency and the printing precision are improved.

Description

Printhead assembly and printing apparatus

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of printing equipment, and in particular, to a printhead assembly and a printing apparatus.

Background

A 3D printing apparatus, also called a three-dimensional printing apparatus (3D), is a machine of an accumulative manufacturing technique, i.e., a rapid prototyping technique, which is based on a digital model file, and manufactures a three-dimensional object by sequentially printing a plurality of layers of adhesive materials using a special wax material, a powdered metal, or plastic, etc., which are adhesive materials.

The existing 3D printing equipment generally needs manual leveling, and has the problems that the leveling is time-consuming, and the printing precision is low due to inaccurate leveling.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of this, the utility model provides a printhead assembly and a printing apparatus, which can realize automatic leveling operation of a Z axis, and the automatic leveling operation has a short time and high precision, and is beneficial to improving printing efficiency and printing precision.

According to an embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printhead assembly comprising: the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are arranged at intervals in a laminated mode; the printing head is connected with the first fixing plate; the elastic piece is respectively connected with the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate; the sensing assembly is arranged on the first fixing plate and/or the second fixing plate and used for sensing the distance between the second fixing plate and the first fixing plate.

Further, the elastic member includes a gas spring including a rod portion connected to the first fixing plate and a tube portion connected to the second fixing plate, the rod portion being retractable with respect to the tube portion to make the first fixing plate approach or separate from the second fixing plate.

Further, response subassembly includes elastic support and foil gage, and elastic support sets up on the second fixed plate to including the butt portion with first fixed plate contact, the foil gage sets up on butt portion.

Furthermore, a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole are formed in the first fixing plate, the rod part is detachably connected with the first fixing plate through the first connecting hole, and the printing head is detachably connected with the first fixing plate through the second connecting hole; the first fixing plate is provided with a first mounting hole for accommodating part of the rod part, the first mounting hole is a counter bore, and the first connecting hole penetrates through the bottom of the first mounting hole; the first fixing plate is further provided with a second mounting hole, the printing head penetrates through the second mounting hole, and the second connecting hole is distributed on the periphery of the second mounting hole.

Further, first fixed plate includes first ladder portion and second ladder portion, and first ladder portion is higher than second ladder portion, and first connecting hole sets up on first ladder portion, and second ladder portion is worn to locate by the second connecting hole.

Furthermore, the second fixed plate is provided with a third connecting hole and a fourth connecting hole, the pipe part is detachably connected with the second fixed plate through the third connecting hole, and the induction assembly is detachably connected with the second fixed plate through the fourth connecting hole.

Furthermore, the printing head comprises a nozzle, the second fixing plate is positioned on one side of the first fixing plate, which is far away from the nozzle, and the second fixing plate is also provided with a first avoidance hole for avoiding the printing head; the second fixed plate is provided with a third mounting hole communicated with the third connecting hole, the axis of the third mounting hole is perpendicular to the axis of the third connecting hole, and the third mounting hole is used for accommodating part of the pipe portion.

Furthermore, the printing head further comprises a connecting throat pipe, a heating part and a radiating part, the lower end of the connecting throat pipe is connected with the nozzle, the heating part, the radiating part and the first fixing plate are sequentially arranged in a penetrating mode from bottom to top, and the connecting throat pipe is connected with the first fixing plate.

Further, the printhead assembly further includes: the moving device comprises a back plate and rollers arranged on the back plate, the second fixing plate is connected with the back plate, and the second fixing plate and the rollers are located on two sides of the back plate.

An embodiment of a second aspect of the present invention provides a printing apparatus comprising: a control device; and a printhead assembly according to any one of the first to third aspects, the control means being electrically connected to the sensing member.

According to the printing head assembly and the printing device provided by the embodiment of the utility model, the printing head assembly comprises a first fixing plate, a second fixing plate, a printing head, an elastic piece and a sensing assembly. The first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are arranged at intervals in a stacking mode, and the printing head is connected with the first fixing plate. The elastic component is connected with first fixed plate and second fixed plate respectively, utilizes the elastic deformation of elastic component, can drive first fixed plate and be close to or keep away from the second fixed plate, and the distance between first fixed plate and the second fixed plate is adjustable promptly. The sensing assembly is arranged on at least one of the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate, and can sense the change information of the distance between the second fixing plate and the first fixing plate through the sensing assembly. The sensing information of the sensing assembly can represent the change information of the printing head along the vertical direction, so that the height coordinates of different positions of the printing platform can be determined according to the sensing information acquired by the sensing assembly when the printing heads are in contact with the printing platform, the printing platform is leveled in the Z-axis direction, and subsequently, the sensing information acquired by the sensing assembly at a certain position when the printing heads are in contact with the printing platform can be automatically compensated according to the sensing information acquired by the sensing assembly at the certain position, and the coordinate of the printing heads at the certain position in the Z-axis direction in contact with the model can be automatically compensated. And the automatic leveling of the printing platform is realized through the induction information of the induction component, compared with the manual leveling operation, the automatic leveling operation is short in time, the printing efficiency is improved, the automatic leveling is favorable for ensuring the timeliness and the accuracy of the leveling, and further, the good leveling precision can be ensured, so that the printing precision of the model is improved.

Further, the elastic component can include the air spring, and the air spring includes pole portion and pipe portion, and pole portion is connected with first fixed plate, and the pipe portion is connected with the second fixed plate, because pole portion is scalable for pipe portion, and then can adjust the distance between first fixed plate and the second fixed plate according to the demand, and the adaptability of air spring is stronger, can adapt to the printhead assembly of different grade type. Simultaneously, because the air spring itself has filled compressed gas, compressed gas can promote the pole portion of air spring promptly and stretch out for the pipe portion, compressed gas can promote the pole portion promptly and remove to the maximum length, like this, when the effort that beats printer head and receive is too big, elastic deformation can take place for the elastic component, and then can prevent to beat printer head and hit badly, also can prevent that print platform from scraping bad, has reduced the fault rate of product, has improved the reliability of product.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the technical solutions of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention are described below in order to make the technical means of the present invention more clearly understood and to make the above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more clearly understandable.

Drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating the preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the utility model. Also, like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts throughout the drawings. Wherein:

fig. 1 shows a schematic configuration diagram of a printing apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a portion of the structure of the embodiment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic structural view of a printhead assembly provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a portion of the structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 shows an exploded view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a printhead provided by one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a first fixing plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a gas spring provided in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural view illustrating a second fixing plate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a sensing assembly provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a schematic structural diagram of a sports apparatus provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

Wherein, the correspondence between the reference numbers and the part names in fig. 1 to 11 is:

100, a print head assembly, 110, 111, a connecting throat, 112 nozzles, 113 heating parts, 114, heat dissipating parts, 115 second screw holes, 120 first fixing plates, 121 first connecting holes, 122 second connecting holes, 123 first mounting holes, 124 second mounting holes, 125 first step parts, 126 second step parts, 130 second fixing plates, 131 third connecting holes, 132 fourth connecting holes, 133 third mounting holes, 134 first avoiding holes, 135 fifth connecting holes, 140 gas springs, 141 rod parts, 142 tube parts, 143 first screw holes, 150 sensing assemblies, 151 elastic supports, 152 abutting parts, 153 strain gauges, 154 connecting parts, 155 first through holes, 161 first connecting parts, 162 second connecting parts, 163 third connecting parts, 164 fourth connecting parts, 165 fifth connecting parts, 170 moving devices, 171, 172 backing plates, 173 second through holes, 200 printing devices, 210 bases, 220 printing platforms, 230Z-axis modules, 240X axis module.

Detailed Description

In order that the above objects, features and advantages of the present invention can be more clearly understood, a more particular description of the utility model will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present invention and features of the embodiments may be combined with each other without conflict.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention, however, the present invention may be practiced in other ways than those specifically described herein, and therefore the scope of the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

Printhead assemblies 100 and printing devices 200 provided according to some embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to fig. 1-11. The printhead assembly 100 is applied to the printing apparatus 200, and the printing apparatus 200 may be a 3D printing apparatus, or may be other types of printing apparatuses meeting requirements, specifically, the printing apparatus 200 may be an FDM 3D printing apparatus.

As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, the printing apparatus 200 includes a printhead assembly 100, a driving assembly, a printing platform 220, and a base 210, wherein the printing platform 220 is mounted on the base 210, the driving assembly drives the printhead assembly 100 to move relative to the printing platform 220, and a consumable wire is ejected from a nozzle 112 of the printhead assembly 100 and falls on the printing platform 220, so as to implement printing on a model. Specifically, a gantry is disposed on the base 210, the gantry includes an X-axis module 240 and a Z-axis module 230, the print head 110 is connected to the X-axis module 240 and can move along the X-axis module 240 on the X-axis module 240, such as in the left-right direction in fig. 1, while the X-axis module 240 moves along the Z-axis module 230 on the Z-axis module 230, such as in the up-down direction in fig. 1, and it can be understood that the printing platform 220 moves in the front-back direction relative to the base 210. In the initial operation of the printing apparatus 200, the nozzles 112 of the printhead 110 are in contact with the printing platform 220 or spaced apart from the printing platform 220 by a small distance, so that the consumables ejected from the nozzles 112 form a printing model on the printing platform 220, and in the subsequent printing process, the nozzles 112 are in contact with the completed part of the model.

The current 3D printing apparatus 200 generally requires manual leveling, and has the problems that the leveling is time-consuming, and the leveling is not accurate, which results in low printing precision, and the printing head 110 may crash the printing platform 220 or scratch the printing platform 220.

In view of this, as shown in fig. 3, 4 and 5, an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention provides a printhead assembly 100, including: the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 are arranged at intervals in a stacked manner; a print head 110 connected to the first fixing plate 120; elastic members connected to the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, respectively; the sensing assembly 150 is disposed on the first fixing plate 120 and/or the second fixing plate 130, and is used for sensing a distance between the second fixing plate 130 and the first fixing plate 120.

The embodiment of the utility model provides a printhead assembly 100, which includes a first fixing plate 120, a second fixing plate 130, a printhead 110, an elastic member, and a sensing assembly 150. The first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 are stacked and spaced apart, and specifically, the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 are spaced apart in a vertical direction, and the print head 110 is connected to the first fixing plate 120. The elastic member is connected to the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, and the elastic member is elastically deformed to drive the first fixing plate 120 to approach or be away from the second fixing plate 130, i.e., the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 is adjustable. The sensing assembly 150 is disposed on at least one of the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, and information on a change in a distance between the second fixing plate 130 and the first fixing plate 120 can be sensed by the sensing assembly 150.

When the print head 110 of the printing apparatus 200 contacts the print platform 220 or the mold, an acting force is generated between the print platform 220 and the print head 110 or between the mold and the print head 110, so that the print head 110 has a tendency of moving in a direction vertical to the upward direction away from the print platform 220, and thus, when the print head 110 slightly moves in the direction vertical to the upward direction, the elastic deformation of the elastic member is overcome to drive the first fixing plate 120 to move in the direction vertical to the upward direction, and further, the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 is changed, and therefore, the sensing information of the sensing assembly 150 is changed, that is, the sensing assembly 150 senses the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 to be changed, and the change represents the change of the print head 110 in the vertical direction. It can be understood that when the print head 110 touches the print platform 220, the elastic deformation is slight, the moving distance of the first fixing plate 120 is slight, and the sensing assembly 150 can sense the corresponding information.

That is to say, the sensing information of the sensing component 150 can represent the change information of the print head 110 along the vertical direction, and then the height coordinates of different positions of the printing platform 220 can be determined according to the sensing information acquired by the sensing component 150 when the plurality of print heads 110 contact the printing platform 220, the printing platform 220 is leveled in the Z-axis direction, and subsequently, the coordinate of the Z-axis direction where the print heads 110 contact the model at the certain position can be automatically compensated according to the sensing information acquired by the sensing component 150 when the print heads 110 contact the printing platform 220. And the automatic leveling of the printing platform 220 is realized through the induction information of the induction component, compared with the manual leveling operation, the time for automatic leveling is shorter, the printing efficiency is favorably improved, the automatic leveling is favorable for ensuring the timeliness and the accuracy of leveling, and further, the good leveling precision can be ensured, so that the printing precision of the model is improved.

Further, the elastic member may include a gas spring 140, the gas spring 140 includes a rod portion 141 and a tube portion 142, the rod portion 141 is connected to the first fixing plate 120, the tube portion 142 is connected to the second fixing plate 130, since the rod portion 141 is telescopic relative to the tube portion 142, the first fixing plate 120 can be driven to be close to or far away from the second fixing plate 130, that is, the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 can be adjusted as required, and the gas spring 140 has strong adaptability and can adapt to different types of print head assemblies 100. Meanwhile, the gas spring 140 is filled with compressed gas, that is, the compressed gas pushes the rod 141 of the gas spring 140 to extend relative to the tube 142, that is, the compressed gas pushes the rod 141 to move to the maximum length, so that when the acting force applied to the print head 110 is too large, the rod 141 of the gas spring 140 retracts relative to the tube 142, thereby preventing the print head 110 from being damaged by collision, preventing the printing platform 220 from being scraped, reducing the failure rate of products and improving the reliability of products.

Further, the printing apparatus 200 includes a control device, and the sensing component 150 is connected to the control device, and can perform position leveling in the Z-axis direction on the printing platform 220 according to the sensing information of the sensing component 150, and can perform Z-axis compensation when the print head 110 contacts the model during the printing process.

Specifically, when the nozzle 112 of the print head 110 contacts the print platform 220, an upward acting force is generated, the acting force causes a slight movement of the print head 110 in a vertical upward direction, at this time, the gas spring 140 is pushed to move upward (a slight movement), and the slight movement causes a change in a distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, so that sensing information of the sensing assembly 150 is changed, the information about the slight movement is fed back to the control device through the sensing assembly 150, and the control device can obtain a position coordinate of the nozzle 112 and the print platform 220 in the Z-axis direction through analysis. By acquiring the Z-axis coordinates of the plurality of position points when the nozzle 112 contacts the printing platform 220, for example, the plurality of position points may be uniformly distributed on the printing platform 220 to determine the height coordinates of different positions of the printing platform 220, and perform Z-axis leveling on the printing platform. Thus, during the model printing, the Z-axis compensation is automatically given according to the distance between the Z-axis coordinate at each position point on the printing platform 220 and the nozzle 112. And the automatic leveling operation and the Z-axis compensation of the Z-axis realized by the sensing information of the sensing assembly 150 save manual operation compared with manual leveling, and the automatic leveling operation takes a shorter time, which is beneficial to improving printing efficiency, improving the intellectualization of the printing apparatus 200, and improving the timeliness and accuracy of leveling. Meanwhile, since the gas spring 140 itself is filled with compressed gas, that is, the compressed gas pushes the rod 141 of the gas spring 140 to extend relative to the tube 142, that is, the compressed gas pushes the rod 141 to move to the maximum length, and the rod 141 needs to slightly contract relative to the tube 142, that is, the rod 141 is slightly moved, a certain force is required to act on the platform from the nozzle 112, and the force does not need to be large, and only the print head 110 needs to be slightly moved. In addition, the gas spring 140 can prevent the printing head 110 from being damaged due to the contracting function of the gas spring 140 when the acting force between the printing head 110 and the printing platform 220 is too large, i.e. the pressure between the nozzle 112 and the platform is too large, and can also prevent the nozzle 112 from being scraped to the printing platform 220, thereby improving the reliability of the printing device 200.

That is, the printhead assembly 100 of the present invention can achieve the Z-axis auto-leveling operation by the cooperation of the gas spring 140 and the sensing assembly 150, and has a good protection effect on the printhead 110 and the printing platform 220.

Further, the sensing assembly 150 is disposed on the first fixing plate 120 and/or the second fixing plate 130, that is, the sensing assembly 150 may be disposed on the first fixing plate 120 or the second fixing plate 130, or the sensing assembly 150 may be disposed on the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 at the same time, and different positions of the sensing assembly 150 may satisfy different structural requirements of the sensing assembly 150, thereby expanding the application range of the product.

Specifically, the sensing assembly 150 may include one of a strain gauge 153, a touch sensor, a position sensor, and the like, and the sensing assembly 150 has different structures, so that the sensing assembly 150 is easy to detect the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, and the application range of the product is expanded.

In some possible embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 5, 9 and 10, the sensing assembly 150 includes an elastic bracket 151 and a strain gauge 153, the elastic bracket 151 is disposed on the second fixing plate 130 and includes an abutting portion 152 contacting the first fixing plate 120, and the strain gauge 153 is disposed on the abutting portion 152.

In this embodiment, the sensing assembly 150 is disposed on the second fixing plate 130 through the elastic bracket 151, that is, the elastic bracket 151 includes a connecting portion 154, the connecting portion 154 is connected to the second fixing plate 130, the elastic bracket 151 further includes an abutting portion 152 connected to the connecting portion 154, the abutting portion 152 contacts the first fixing plate 120, and the strain gauge 153 is disposed on the abutting portion 152. Thus, when the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 is changed, the resistance of the strain gauge 153 disposed on the abutting portion 152 of the elastic bracket 151 is changed, and thus, when the control device receives the variation information of the resistance of the strain gauge 153, the control device can know the change information of the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, and determine that the print head 110 touches the print platform 220, and then can know the Z-axis position information when the nozzle 112 touches the print platform 220 according to the current Z-axis position information, thereby achieving the automatic leveling.

Further, the elastic support 151 is arranged, so that the printing head 110 is in contact with the printing platform 220, when the first fixing plate 120 is driven to slightly move due to stress, the abutting portion 152 of the elastic support 151 can be reliably and stably abutted against the first fixing plate 120, and then the strain gauge 153 arranged on the abutting portion 152 can be ensured to reliably and accurately sense the change information of the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, and the accuracy of automatic leveling of the printing device 200 is improved. Specifically, the elastic support 151 may be an elastic aluminum sheet, a spring steel sheet, or another structure meeting the requirement, and the strain gauge 153 may be adhered to the abutting portion 152 by an adhesive, or may be disposed on the abutting portion 152 by another manner meeting the requirement.

In some possible embodiments provided by the present invention, as shown in fig. 5, 7, and 8, the first fixing plate 120 is provided with a first connecting hole 121, and the rod portion 141 is detachably connected to the first fixing plate 120 through the first connecting hole 121, so that the rod portion 141 can be conveniently repaired and replaced after the first fixing plate 120 and the rod portion 141 are separated, which is beneficial to improving the maintenance experience and reducing the replacement cost.

Further, the print head assembly 100 further includes a first connecting member 161, if the first connecting member 161 can be a bolt, the rod portion 141 is provided with a first threaded hole 143 matching with the first connecting hole 121, the first connecting member 161 sequentially passes through the first connecting hole 121 and the first threaded hole 143, so that the connection between the rod portion 141 and the first fixing plate 120 can be realized, conversely, the disassembly between the rod portion 141 and the first fixing plate 120 can be realized through reversely rotating the bolt, the structure is simple, the operation is convenient, the implementation is easy, and the cost is low. Wherein, the first connection hole 121 may be a through hole.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, 6 and 7, the first fixing plate 120 is provided with the second connecting hole 122, and the print head 110 is detachably connected to the first fixing plate 120 through the second connecting hole 122. Due to the arrangement, the printing head 110 can be conveniently detached from the first fixing plate 120 for maintenance and replacement, the maintenance experience can be improved, and the replacement cost can be reduced.

Further, the print head assembly 100 further includes a second connecting member 162, for example, the second connecting member 162 may be a bolt, the print head 110 is provided with a second threaded hole 115 matched with the second connecting hole 122, the second connecting member 162 sequentially passes through the second connecting hole 122 and the second threaded hole 115, so that the print head 110 can be connected to the first fixing plate 120, and conversely, the print head 110 can be detached from the first fixing plate 120 by reversely rotating the bolt, which is simple in structure, convenient to operate, easy to implement, and low in cost. The second connection hole 122 may be a through hole.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the first fixing plate 120 is provided with a first mounting hole 123, the first mounting hole 123 is a counter bore, the first connecting hole 121 is formed through the bottom of the first mounting hole 123, and the first mounting hole 123 is used for accommodating a part of the rod portion 141. That is to say, first mounting hole 123 and first connecting hole 121 communicate, part pole portion 141 holds behind first mounting hole 123 and is connected with first fixed plate 120 through first connecting hole 121, the setting of first mounting hole 123, the effect of prepositioning has been played in the installation on first fixed plate 120 to pole portion 141, be favorable to improving the assembly efficiency and the accuracy of assembly of pole portion 141 and first fixed plate 120, and simultaneously, the setting of first mounting hole 123, spacing has been carried out to the direction of motion of pole portion 141, the possibility that pole portion 141 rocks to the left and right directions has been reduced, and then be favorable to improving the accuracy that response subassembly 150 responded to, be favorable to improving leveling precision.

Since the first mounting hole 123 is a counter bore, the first connection hole 121 is disposed through the bottom of the first mounting hole 123, so that the axis of the first mounting hole 123 is parallel to the axis of the first connection hole 121 and parallel to the moving direction of the rod portion 141, and thus, the first threaded hole 143 can be disposed at the end of the rod portion 141, that is, the end of the rod portion 141 is connected to the first fixing plate 120.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the first fixing plate 120 is further provided with a second mounting hole 124, the print head 110 is disposed through the second mounting hole 124, the second connecting holes 122 are distributed on the periphery of the second mounting hole 124, the second mounting hole 124 is disposed, the requirement of the structure of the print head 110 can be met, meanwhile, the print head 110 is mounted on the first fixing plate 120 in a pre-positioning manner, and the assembly efficiency and the assembly accuracy of the print head 110 and the first fixing plate 120 are improved.

The second connection holes 122 are distributed around the second mounting holes 124, which is beneficial to improving the reliability of the connection between the print head 110 and the first fixing plate 120. It is understood that the second coupling hole 122 is parallel to the axis of the second mounting hole 124.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, the first fixing plate 120 includes the first step portion 125 and the second step portion 126, and the first step portion 125 is higher than the second step portion 126, that is, the first fixing plate 120 includes a step structure, the thickness of the first step portion 125 is greater than that of the second step portion 126, the first connection hole 121 is disposed on the first step portion 125, and the second connection hole 122 is disposed through the second step portion 126. Because the first connecting hole 121 wears to locate the hole bottom of first mounting hole 123, that is to say, first mounting hole 123 and first connecting hole 121 all set up on the great first ladder portion 125 of thickness, thus, can rationally set up the degree of depth of first mounting hole 123 and the degree of depth of first connecting hole 121, make pole portion 141 reliably be connected with first fixed plate 120 through first connecting hole 121, pole portion 141 can reliably be injectd the direction of movement through first mounting hole 123, and then improve the reliability that pole portion 141 and first fixed plate 120 of air spring 140 are connected, and be favorable to improving the accuracy that response subassembly 150 responded.

Meanwhile, the second connecting hole 122 is formed in the second ladder portion 126 with a smaller thickness, so that the depth of the second connecting hole 122 can meet the requirement that the printing head 110 is reliably connected with the first fixing plate 120, the size and the weight of the first fixing plate 120 are reduced, the printing head 110 is driven by acting force to slightly move to drive the first fixing plate 120 to synchronously slightly move, the flexibility and the accuracy of the movement of the first fixing plate 120 relative to the second fixing plate 130 are improved, the sensing accuracy of the sensing assembly 150 is improved, and the leveling accuracy is improved.

Further, the first step portion 125 and the second step portion 126 are integrally formed, so that the processing is convenient, the mass production is facilitated, the manufacturing cost is reduced, and the method is suitable for popularization and application.

In some possible embodiments provided by the present invention, as shown in fig. 5, 8, and 9, the second fixing plate 130 is provided with a third connecting hole 131, and the tube portion 142 is detachably connected to the second fixing plate 130 through the third connecting hole 131, such arrangement facilitates maintenance and replacement of the tube portion 142 after the second fixing plate 130 and the tube portion 142 are separated, which is beneficial to improving maintenance experience and reducing replacement cost.

Further, the print head assembly 100 further includes a third connecting member 163, for example, the third connecting member 163 may be a bolt, a third threaded hole matched with the third connecting hole 131 is formed in the tube portion 142, and the third connecting member 163 sequentially passes through the third connecting hole 131 and the third threaded hole, so that the connection between the tube portion 142 and the second fixing plate 130 can be realized, and conversely, the tube portion 142 and the second fixing plate 130 can be detached by reversely rotating the bolt. Wherein the third connection hole 131 may be a through hole.

Further, as shown in fig. 5, 9, and 10, the second fixing plate 130 is provided with a fourth connecting hole 132, and the sensing assembly 150 is detachably connected with the second fixing plate 130 through the fourth connecting hole 132, so that the sensing assembly 150 can be conveniently detached from the second fixing plate 130 for maintenance and replacement, which is beneficial to improving maintenance experience and reducing replacement cost.

Further, the printhead assembly 100 further includes a fourth connecting member 164, for example, the fourth connecting member 164 may be a bolt, the sensing assembly 150 is provided with a first through hole 155 matched with the fourth connecting hole 132, the fourth connecting member 164 sequentially passes through the first through hole 155 and the fourth connecting hole 132, so as to achieve connection between the sensing assembly 150 and the second fixing plate 130, and conversely, the sensing assembly 150 and the second fixing plate 130 can be detached by reversely rotating the bolt, which is simple in structure, convenient to operate, easy to implement, and low in cost. Wherein, the fourth connection hole 132 may be a threaded hole.

Specifically, in the case that the sensing assembly 150 includes the elastic holder 151 and the strain gauge 153, the first through hole 155 is provided on the connection portion 154 of the elastic holder 151, the connection portion 154 is provided perpendicular to the abutment portion 152, the abutment portion 152 may contact the first fixing plate 120, and the strain gauge 153 may be provided on the abutment portion 152.

In the above embodiment, as shown in fig. 5 and 9, the print head 110 includes the nozzles 112, the second fixing plate 130 is located on a side of the first fixing plate 120 away from the nozzles 112, that is, the nozzles 112 are located below the first fixing plate 120, and the second fixing plate 130 is located above the first fixing plate 120, so that when the nozzles 112 contact the printing platform 220 or the model, the first fixing plate 120 is driven to move toward the second fixing plate 130, that is, the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 becomes smaller, and then the sensing component 150 can sense the change information of the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, which indicates that the print head 110 contacts the printing platform 220, and through the change information of the distance, the position coordinate of the nozzles 112 in the Z-axis direction at the position can be known, and further, according to the sensing information acquired by the sensing component 150 when the plurality of print heads 110 contact the printing platform 220, to determine the height coordinates of different positions of the printing platform 220, so as to facilitate the leveling operation in the Z-axis direction.

Wherein, the second fixing plate 130 is further provided with a first avoiding hole 134 for avoiding the printing head 110, such an arrangement can reduce the problem that when the printing head 110 retracts due to the gas spring 140 caused by a large external force, the printing head 110 is driven to move in the vertical upward direction, so that the reliability of the printing head 110 is affected by the butting of the printing head 110 and the second fixing plate 130, and the stability of the second fixing plate 130 is affected, through the arrangement of the first avoiding hole 134, the possibility of butting and collision between the printing head 110 and the second fixing plate 130 is reduced, thereby being beneficial to improving the reliability of the printing head 110 and the reliability of the connection between the second fixing plate 130 and other structures, being beneficial to ensuring the accuracy of the induction assembly 150, and being beneficial to ensuring good leveling precision.

Further, as shown in fig. 9, the second fixing plate 130 is provided with a third mounting hole 133 communicating with the third coupling hole 131, an axis of the third mounting hole 133 is disposed perpendicular to an axis of the third coupling hole 131, and the third mounting hole 133 is used to receive a part of the tube part 142. That is, part of the pipe portion 142 is accommodated in the third mounting hole 133 and then connected to the second fixing plate 130 through the third connecting hole 131, and the third mounting hole 133 serves to pre-position the pipe portion 142 on the second fixing plate 130, which is beneficial to improving the assembling efficiency and the assembling accuracy of the pipe portion 142 and the second fixing plate 130. Because the pipe portion 142 is sleeved with the movable rod portion 141, the axis of the third mounting hole 133 is perpendicular to the axis of the third connecting hole 131, so that the axis of the third connecting hole 131 is perpendicular to the axis of the rod portion 141, and thus, the third threaded hole corresponding to the third connecting hole 131 is favorably formed in the side wall of the pipe portion 142, namely, the third connecting piece 163 passes through the third connecting hole 131 and then is connected with the side wall of the pipe portion 142, so that the connection between the pipe portion 142 and the second fixing plate 130 is realized, and the connection reliability between the second fixing plate 130 and the pipe portion 142 is favorably improved.

In some possible embodiments provided by the present invention, as shown in fig. 5 and 6, the print head 110 further includes a connecting throat 111, a heating portion 113, and a heat dissipation portion 114, a lower end of the connecting throat 111 is connected to the nozzle 112, and sequentially penetrates through the heating portion 113, the heat dissipation portion 114, and the first fixing plate 120 from bottom to top, and the connecting throat 111 is connected to the first fixing plate 120.

Wherein consumables are supplied to the nozzle 112 through the connection throat 111 to eject the consumables on the printing platform 220 or the completed model. The heating part 113 is arranged on the outer side of the connecting throat pipe 111 and used for heating consumables in the connecting throat pipe 111 so that the consumables are in a molten state and are convenient to print, the heat radiating part 114 is arranged on the outer side of the connecting throat pipe 111, the heat radiating part 114 is located above the heating part 113, heat generated by the heating part 113 can be prevented from being conducted to the upper part of the connecting throat pipe 111, and the printing consumables are melted in advance to block the connecting throat pipe 111. The connecting throat 111 penetrates through the first fixing plate 120 and is connected with the first fixing plate 120, and thus when the leveling program is started by the printing device, the nozzle 112 is acted by force when contacting the printing platform 220 and can drive the first fixing plate 120 to move towards the direction close to the second fixing plate 130, that is, the distance between the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 along the Z-axis direction changes, at this time, the sensing information of the sensing assembly 150 can represent the change information of the printing head 110 along the vertical direction, and then the height coordinates of different positions of the printing platform 220 can be determined according to the sensing information acquired by the sensing assembly 150 when the printing heads 110 contact the printing platform 220, so that the control device can perform leveling operation according to the change information sensed by the sensing assembly 150.

In some possible embodiments of the present invention, as shown in fig. 2, 3 and 11, the printhead assembly 100 further includes a moving device 170, the moving device 170 includes a back plate 172 and a roller 171 disposed on the back plate 172, the second fixing plate 130 is connected to the back plate 172, and the second fixing plate 130 and the roller 171 are disposed on two sides of the back plate 172.

In this embodiment, the second fixing plate 130 is connected to the back plate 172 of the moving device 170, and the rollers 171 are located on both sides of the back plate 172, so that the print head 110 and the moving device 170 are reasonably arranged, interference does not occur, and flexibility and reliability of operation of the print head 110 can be ensured.

Specifically, the second fixing plate 130 is provided with a fifth connecting hole 135, the back plate 172 is provided with a second through hole 173, and the printhead assembly 100 further includes a fifth connecting member 165, for example, the fifth connecting member 165 is a bolt, and the fifth connecting member 165 passes through the second through hole 173 and is connected to the fifth connecting hole 135, so that the second fixing plate 130 and the back plate 172 can be reliably connected, and further the printhead assembly 100 and the moving device 170 are reliably connected, so that the moving device 170 moves to drive the printhead assembly 100 to move.

An embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, provides a printing apparatus 200 including: a control device; and a printhead assembly 100 according to any of the first to fourth aspects, the control means being electrically connected to the sensing assembly 150. Since the printing apparatus 200 includes the printhead assembly 100 according to any of the embodiments of the first aspect, all the advantageous effects of the printhead assembly 100 will not be described in detail herein.

Further, the printing apparatus 200 is a 3D printing apparatus, and includes a gantry mechanism, the gantry can reciprocate back and forth along a Y-axis direction of the printing platform 220, an X-axis module 240 and a Z-axis module 230 are disposed on the gantry, the print head assembly 100 can reciprocate left and right along the X-axis direction on the X-axis module 240 of the gantry through a roller 171 of the moving device 170, wherein the X-axis module 240 can reciprocate up and down along the Z-axis direction on the Z-axis module 230 of the gantry, the X-axis and the Y-axis are horizontal directions, the Z-axis is vertical direction, and the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis are perpendicular to each other, wherein directions of the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis are respectively shown by arrows X, Y, Z in fig. 1.

In the specific embodiment provided by the present invention, as shown in fig. 1 to 11, the printing apparatus 200 includes a control device, a printhead assembly 100, a driving assembly, a printing platform 220, and a gantry. The printhead assembly 100 includes a moving device 170, and the printhead assembly 100 is integrally disposed on the gantry by the moving device, and can reciprocate along X, Y, and Z axes with respect to the printing platform 220 by the driving of the driving assembly.

Printhead assembly 100 further includes: the printing head comprises a first fixing plate 120, a second fixing plate 130, a printing head 110, an elastic part and a sensing assembly 150, wherein the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130 are distributed at intervals in a stacking manner, the second fixing plate 130 is arranged above the first fixing plate 120, the printing head 110 is arranged on the first fixing plate 120, the elastic part is respectively connected with the first fixing plate 120 and the second fixing plate 130, and the sensing assembly is arranged on the first fixing plate 120 and/or the second fixing plate 130 and is used for detecting the distance between the second fixing plate and the first fixing plate.

Wherein the elastic member includes a gas spring 140, the gas spring 140 includes a rod portion 141 connected to the first fixing plate 120 and a tube portion 142 connected to the second fixing plate 130, and the rod portion 141 is retractable with respect to the tube portion 142 to make the first fixing plate 120 approach or separate from the second fixing plate 130.

The sensing assembly 150 includes an elastic bracket 151 and a strain gauge 153, the elastic bracket 151 is disposed on the second fixing plate 130 and includes an abutting portion 152 adapted to contact the first fixing plate 120, and the strain gauge 153 is disposed on the abutting portion 152 for sensing a distance between the second fixing plate 130 and the first fixing plate 120. In particular, the strain gauge 153 may be electrically connected with the control device.

The moving device 170 includes a back plate 172 and a roller 171, the back plate 172 is provided with a second through hole 173, the second fixing plate 130 of the printhead assembly 100 is provided with a fifth connecting hole 135, and the second fixing plate 130 and the back plate 172 can be reliably connected by connecting the second through hole 173 and the fifth connecting hole 135 through a fifth connecting member 165, so that the second fixing plate 130 and the moving device 170 are reliably connected, wherein the second fixing plate 130 and the roller 171 are located on two sides of the back plate 172.

Further, the first fixing plate 120 is provided with a first connecting hole 121 and a first mounting hole 123, the first mounting hole 123 is a counterbore, and the first connecting hole 121 is inserted into the bottom of the first mounting hole 123. The end of the rod part 141 of the gas spring 140 is provided with a first screw hole 143, the end of the rod part 141 is received in the first mounting hole 123, and the rod part 141 is detachably connected to the first fixing plate 120 by passing the first connecting member 161 through the first connecting hole 121 and the first screw hole 143 in sequence.

The print head 110 includes a connection throat 111, a nozzle 112, a heating unit 113, and a heat radiating unit 114, the connection throat 111 is inserted into the heat radiating unit 114 and the heating unit 113, the heat radiating unit 114 is located above the heating unit 113, and a lower end of the connection throat 111 is connected to the nozzle 112. The connecting throat 111 further penetrates through the first fixing plate 120, a second connecting hole 122 and a second mounting hole 124 are formed in the first fixing plate 120, the connecting throat 111 penetrates through the second mounting hole 124, a second threaded hole 115 is formed in the connecting throat 111, the second connecting piece 162 sequentially penetrates through the second connecting hole 122 and the second threaded hole 115, and the printing head 110 can be mounted on the first fixing plate 120.

Further, the first fixing plate 120 includes a first step 125 and a second step 126, the first step 125 is higher than the second step 126, the first connecting hole 121 and the first mounting hole 123 are disposed on the first step 125, and the second connecting hole 122 and the second mounting hole 124 are disposed through the second step 126.

The second fixing plate 130 is provided with a third connecting hole 131 and a third mounting hole 133, an axis of the third mounting hole 133 is perpendicular to an axis of the third connecting hole 131, the third mounting hole 133 is used for accommodating a part of the tube portion 142, and a third threaded hole is formed in a side wall of the tube portion 142, so that after the part of the tube portion 142 is accommodated in the third mounting hole 133, the third connecting member 163 sequentially penetrates through the third connecting hole 131 and the third threaded hole to detachably connect the tube portion 142 and the second fixing plate 130.

Further, a fourth connecting hole 132 is further formed in the second fixing plate 130, the sensing assembly 150 comprises an elastic support 151 and a strain gauge 153, the elastic support 151 comprises a connecting portion 154 and an abutting portion 152 which are vertically arranged, the strain gauge 153 is arranged on the abutting portion 152, a first through hole 155 is formed in the connecting portion 154, and a fourth connecting member 164 sequentially penetrates through the first through hole 155 and the fourth connecting hole 132, so that the sensing assembly 150 can be detachably connected with the second fixing plate 130.

In the description of the present invention, the terms "plurality" or "a plurality" refer to two or more, and unless otherwise specifically defined, the terms "upper", "lower", and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships illustrated in the drawings, and are only for convenience in describing the present invention and simplifying the description, but do not indicate or imply that the referred device or element must have a specific orientation, be constructed in a specific orientation, and be operated, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention; the terms "connected," "mounted," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and include, for example, fixed connections, removable connections, or integral connections; may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the description of the present invention, the description of the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "specific embodiments," etc., means 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 present invention. In the present invention, the schematic representations of the terms used above do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims (10)

1. A printhead assembly, comprising:

the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate are arranged at intervals in a laminated mode;

the printing head is connected with the first fixing plate;

the elastic piece is connected with the first fixing plate and the second fixing plate respectively;

and the sensing assembly is arranged on the first fixing plate and/or the second fixing plate and is used for detecting the distance between the second fixing plate and the first fixing plate.

2. The printhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the resilient member comprises a gas spring including a rod portion connected to the first retaining plate and a tube portion connected to the second retaining plate, the rod portion being retractable relative to the tube portion to move the first retaining plate toward or away from the second retaining plate.

3. The printhead assembly of claim 1, wherein the sensing assembly includes an elastic bracket disposed on the second fixed plate and including an abutment portion in contact with the first fixed plate, and a strain gauge disposed on the abutment portion.

4. The printhead assembly of claim 2,

the first fixing plate is provided with a first connecting hole and a second connecting hole, the rod part is detachably connected with the first fixing plate through the first connecting hole, and the printing head is detachably connected with the first fixing plate through the second connecting hole;

the first fixing plate is provided with a first mounting hole for accommodating part of the rod part, the first mounting hole is a counter bore, and the first connecting hole penetrates through the bottom of the first mounting hole;

the first fixing plate is further provided with a second mounting hole, the printing head penetrates through the second mounting hole, and the second connecting holes are distributed on the periphery of the second mounting hole.

5. A printhead assembly according to claim 4,

the first fixing plate comprises a first ladder portion and a second ladder portion, the first ladder portion is higher than the second ladder portion, the first connecting hole is formed in the first ladder portion, and the second connecting hole penetrates through the second ladder portion.

6. The printhead assembly of claim 2,

the second fixed plate is provided with a third connecting hole and a fourth connecting hole, the pipe portion passes through the third connecting hole with the second fixed plate can be dismantled and be connected, the response subassembly passes through the fourth connecting hole with the second fixed plate can be dismantled and be connected.

7. The printhead assembly of claim 6,

the printing head comprises a nozzle, the second fixing plate is positioned on one side, far away from the nozzle, of the first fixing plate, and the second fixing plate is further provided with a first avoidance hole for avoiding the printing head;

the second fixing plate is provided with a third mounting hole communicated with the third connecting hole, the axis of the third mounting hole is perpendicular to the axis of the third connecting hole, and the third mounting hole is used for accommodating part of the pipe part.

8. A printhead assembly according to claim 7,

the printing head further comprises a connecting throat pipe, a heating part and a radiating part, the lower end of the connecting throat pipe is connected with the nozzle and sequentially penetrates through the heating part, the radiating part and the first fixing plate from bottom to top, and the connecting throat pipe is connected with the first fixing plate.

9. The printhead assembly of any of claims 1 to 8, further comprising:

the moving device comprises a back plate and rollers arranged on the back plate, the second fixing plate is connected with the back plate, and the second fixing plate and the rollers are located on two sides of the back plate.

10. A printing apparatus, comprising:

a control device; and

a printhead assembly according to any of claims 1 to 9, the control means being electrically connected to the sensing assembly.

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