KR20160016985A

KR20160016985A - multi color 3D printer

Info

Publication number: KR20160016985A
Application number: KR1020160007698A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김현철
Original assignee: 김현철
Priority date: 2016-01-21
Filing date: 2016-01-21
Publication date: 2016-02-15
Also published as: KR101641709B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer apparatus capable of molding a multicolored article using a single nozzle and a single nozzle heater, and to an operating method thereof. The apparatus and the method offers effects of implementing various colors on a molded article. The three-dimensional printer comprise: a head (6) in which a position is controlled in an X-Y axial direction; a bed (2) contained in a Z axis linear moving device (16); and a plurality of filament extruders (8) transporting a plurality of thermoplastic filaments (7) to a head block (10). The head block (10) installed on the head (6) has a plurality of introduction holes (10-a), and a single filament (7) passes through the single nozzle heater (11) and the single nozzle (17) through a single discharging hole (10-b). In addition, the three-dimensional printer further comprises a controller (3) and a nozzle cleaner (12).

Description

A three-dimensional printer device capable of forming a multicolor product using a single nozzle and a single nozzle heater, and a driving method thereof [

The present invention relates to a 3D printer device capable of forming a multicolor product by using a single nozzle and a single nozzle heater, and more particularly, to a 3D printer device and a method of driving the same by a plurality of extruders in a FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer apparatus capable of using various materials and various colors by using a single nozzle heater, a single nozzle and a single head block, and a driving method thereof.

Recently, 3D printers have been used to make prototypes before producing mass products. In order to find out what kind of problems with real products, 3D printers are used to make prototypes exactly like real products, And can identify the problem of the actual product.

In such a three-dimensional printer, a three-dimensional shape modeled through software such as a CAD system is converted into slice data divided into a plurality of thin cross-sectional layers, and then a plate-shaped sheet is formed using the same and then laminated to complete a molding. The rapid prototyping method has been developed as a method of molding a sheet in the form of a plate.

Such rapid prototyping methods include a rapid prototyping method using powders using gypsum or nylon powder, a rapid prototyping method using a plastic liquid using a liquid (resin) obtained by dissolving photo-curable plastics, It can be divided into formative method.

Among them, FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) system is a typical molding method using a filament which is a solid state in which a thermoplastic material (plastic) is woven like a thread. This is a method of extruding and laminating a thermoplastic resin, When the filament is fed, the supplied filament is extruded into a liquid state through a nozzle heated to a temperature at which the filament can be melted and laminated one by one to complete the molding.

However, the extruder of the conventional FDM type three-dimensional printer is constituted of one nozzle in one feeder, and there is a limitation in using various materials and changing various colors.

In order to solve the above problems, research has been actively carried out to realize multi-nozzles. However, if the multi-nozzles are co-operating and coplanar, nozzles not operating during printing may come in contact with the molding objects, There is a problem. Further, there is a problem that when the nozzle is stopped at a point where the movement path changes, and then moved to the next extrusion section, excessive extrusion or under-extrusion occurs, resulting in a higher section than on the same plane.

As the nozzle is heated to melt the filament during the operation of the three-dimensional printer, the nozzle is maintained in a heated state for a long time, so that residues may flow from the unused nozzles of the multi-nozzle to cause contamination of the molding. There is a problem that a step is generated by extrusion and the residue is hardened at the nozzle inlet, so that contact between the nozzle and the molding is generated and a defective molding is generated.

In order to solve the above problems, negative pressure is applied to the nozzle to control the flow of residues. However, when the nozzle is exposed to high temperature for a long time, the melted filament flows down due to gravity, There is a problem that the quality of the surface is deteriorated because the amount of time can not be controlled accurately.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of a conventional 3D printer in which a thermoplastic filament material is melted and laminated. The present invention is a 3D printer having a simple structure and capable of molding a molded article in a plurality of colors . It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel 3D printer device and a method of driving the same that do not cause color blending or discontinuous seam formation even if a plurality of colors are implemented so that the appearance, .

According to one aspect of the present invention, there are provided an X-axis linear movement mechanism 4 disposed on the upper portion of the frame 1, a head 6 mounted on the Y-axis linear movement mechanism 5 and adjusted in position in the XY axis direction, A bed (2) mounted on a Z-axis linear movement mechanism (16) whose position is adjusted relative to the head (6) in the Z-axis direction; a plurality of thermoplastic And a plurality of filament extruders (8) for feeding the filaments (7) to the head block (10), wherein the head block (10) installed in the head (6) A plurality of introduction holes 10-a are formed and a single discharge hole 10-b is formed in which the plurality of introduction holes 10-a are merged and discharged into a single passage, A single filament 7 is passed through the single nozzle heater 11 and the single nozzle 17 through the hole 10-b A controller 3 for individually controlling the position of the nozzle 17 on the XYZ axis and the feeding operation of the plurality of filament extruders 8 and a nozzle cleaner 12 arranged on the inner side of the frame 1 ).

Axis linear moving mechanism 4 and the Y-axis linear moving mechanism 5 of the frame 1 and is regulated in the XY-axis direction and the filaments are fed and fed from the filament extruder 8 to be discharged in a molten state. The head block 10 of the head 6 is provided with a plurality of introduction holes 10-a through which the plurality of filaments 7 are individually introduced, A single discharge hole 10-b is formed through which the introduction hole 10-a is merged and discharged as a single passage. Through this single discharge hole 10-b, a single filament 7 is injected into the single nozzle 10- Dimensional printer head characterized by a structure that passes through the heater (11) and the single nozzle (17).

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a method for modeling a three-dimensional shape using a modeling program, the method comprising: a first step of converting a three-dimensional shape into a slice information divided into a plurality of thin cross- A second step of passing through the inside of the guide tube through the extruder of the extruder and mounting the extruder on an upper end of the head block, a third step of heating a single nozzle using a single nozzle heater, A fourth step in which the first filament is extruded and printed on the upper portion of the bed by a line of a predetermined region according to the slice information, a fifth step in which the head moves to the nozzle cleaner position to replace with the second filament, In order for the second filament to be injected into the nozzle through the discharge hole in the head block, A sixth step in which the front end of the first filament is retracted to the upper end of the head block through the discharge hole and the introduction hole to be switched to a standby state because the filament must be removed from the discharge hole; A second step of removing the first filament residue from the nozzle by forcefully discharging the second filament through the nozzle to completely fill the nozzle filament with the second filament; A second step of removing the second filament residue from the outside of the nozzle using the discharging port since no foreign matter is formed on the outer surface of the outputting object during printing, At the top of the bed, A step 10 in which one layer print is completed on the upper part of the bed by performing the ninth step of laminating the first layer stacked on the bed, A step 11 in which the bed is moved downward; a step 12 in which after the eleventh step is performed in the fourth step, a next laminated sheet is printed on the first laminated sheet; In order to inject the first filament into the nozzle through the discharge hole in the head block, the second filament should be removed from the discharge hole The first end of the second filament is retracted to the upper end of the head block through the discharge hole and the introduction hole to switch to the standby state, A step 15 for forcibly discharging the first filament through the nozzle to completely remove the second filament residue remaining in the nozzle and filling the inside of the nozzle with only the first filament; Removing the first filament residue from the outside of the nozzle by using the discharge port since no foreign matter is formed on the outer surface of the outputting object when the first filament residue is removed; A seventh step of printing on the upper part of the bed by a line of a predetermined area according to the slice information, and a step of repeating the fifth step and the seventeenth step until the molding to be manufactured is completed, And multi-color products using a single nozzle heater Which is a driving method of a 3D printer apparatus.

A plurality of filament extruders 8 are provided in a 3D printer which is melted and laminated using a thermoplastic filament material, and a head block 10 installed in the head 6 has a plurality of filaments 7, A plurality of introduction holes 10-a into which the plurality of introduction holes 10-a are individually introduced are formed and a single discharge hole 10-b is formed in which the plurality of introduction holes 10- A single filament 7 is passed through a single nozzle heater 11 and a single nozzle 17 through a single discharge hole 10-b so that the plurality of filaments 7 can be arranged in different colors New 3D printers are available that can implement multicolor when used as filament materials.

In addition, by using a single nozzle, it is possible to solve problems such as adhesion deterioration due to difference in curing degree of the joint part due to the change of the filament material, separation of materials, weakness of structural integrity or strength, do.

Further, according to the present invention, it is also possible to produce a molded composite article using different filament materials having different physical properties and functions within a range that does not affect melting of the material and lamination molding as well as other filaments having different colors.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is an external view of a three-dimensional printer apparatus comprising a plurality of extruders, a single head block, a single nozzle heater, a single nozzle and a nozzle cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view showing an internal structure of a three-dimensional printer including a plurality of extruders, a single head block, a single nozzle heater, a single nozzle, and a nozzle cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a schematic view showing the construction principle of a three-dimensional printer comprising a plurality of extruders, a single head block, a single nozzle heater, a single nozzle and a nozzle cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the head block 10, the nozzle heater 11, and the nozzle 17 installed in the head 6; Fig.
5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1, showing the internal structure of the head block 10 installed in the head 6. FIG.
6 is a principle view showing a principle in which the filament 7 alternately operates in the assembled cross-section of the head block 10, the nozzle heater 11 and the nozzle 17 installed in the head 6. Fig.
7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving a three-dimensional printer capable of forming a multicolor product using a single nozzle and a single nozzle heater according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail. These examples are for further illustrating the present invention, and the scope of rights of the present invention is not limited to these examples.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external view of a three-dimensional printer apparatus including a plurality of extruders, a single head block, a single nozzle heater, a single nozzle, and a nozzle cleaner according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a three-dimensional printer including a plurality of extruders, a single head block, a single nozzle heater, a single nozzle, and a nozzle cleaner. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of the head block 10, the nozzle heater 11, and the nozzle 17 provided in the head 6. FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the construction principle of the three- 5 is a sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6 showing the internal structure of the head block 10 installed in the head 6, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the head block 10 and the nozzle heater 11 And the nozzle 17, Fig. 5 is a principle view showing a principle in which the filament 7 alternately operates on an assembled cross section of the filament.

As shown in the drawing, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the linear block 4-b is reciprocally slid along the linear guide 4-a along the X-axis direction on the upper part of the substantially rectangular parallelepiped frame 1 And a linear block 5-b reciprocally slid in the Y-axis direction along a linear guide 5-a formed on one side of the linear movement mechanism 4, And an axial linear movement mechanism (5). These X and Y axis linear movement mechanisms are illustrative, and their shapes and methods can be variously changed. The head 10 according to the present invention is mounted on the linear block 4-b.

A lift block 14 including a guide shaft 15 vertically installed at a lower portion of the head 10 and a linear bearing 15 raised and lowered along the guide shaft 15; A Z-axis feed mechanism 16 is provided. And the bed 2 on which the molded product is molded is mounted on the elevating block 14 and elevated. In the illustrated embodiment, the head 6 is horizontally moved in the XY-axis direction in the plane and the bed 2 is vertically moved in the Z-axis direction along the lifting block 14, It is needless to say that another method in which the position of the bed 2 can be three-dimensionally adjusted can be adopted. For example, not the bed 2 but the head 6 may be raised or lowered, and the bed 2 may be moved horizontally.

A plurality of filament extruders 8 are provided on one side of the frame 1 for feeding the thermoplastic filament 7 in the form of a wire forward. Examples of the thermoplastic filament include PLA, PVC, ABS and PPS resins, but other resins or new materials having suitable physical properties besides these resins can be used. The filament extruder 8 is provided with a motor 8-a to feed forward each filament 7 fed from a plurality of filament feed reels 13 disposed in parallel on one side of the frame 1. At the rear end of the filament extruder 8, a guide tube 9 for guiding the feeding of the filaments 7 is disposed. The installation positions of the filament extruder 8 and the filament supply reel 13 can be appropriately changed. The XYZ axis linear movement mechanism and the filament extruder 8 are individually operated under the control of the controller 3 in accordance with the 3D data of the object to be molded.

On the other hand, the guide tube 9 of the filament extruder 8 is connected to the head block 10 mounted on the X-axis linear movement mechanism 4 on the upper part of the frame 1. [ 5, the head block 10 includes a plurality of introduction holes 10-a through which a plurality of filaments 7 are individually fed, and a plurality of injection holes 10- A single discharge hole 10-b is formed to be merged and discharged. Each of the filaments 7 fed through each of the introduction holes 10-a is selectively supplied by controlling the filament extruder 8 under the control of the controller 3, b).

One filament 7 charged into the discharge hole 10-b is sufficiently heated by the nozzle heater 11 positioned below the head block 10 and heated to a proper degree and discharged through the nozzle 17, The three-dimensional molding is sequentially laminated and formed.

According to this structure, if the filaments 7 of different colors are supplied through different filament extruders 8, products of different colors can be continuously formed according to the control of the controller 3, It is possible to achieve a smooth multicolor molded article without joints of molding materials of different colors. Therefore, it is possible to prevent deterioration of the adhesive force that may occur at the joint portion, detachment of the material, deterioration of the structural integrity, and deterioration of the appearance quality. If different filament extruders (8) transport and supply different filament (7) materials having different properties or functions within a range that does not affect the melting of the material and the lamination molding, It will be possible.

In the illustrated embodiment, two filaments 7 are fed and fed through two filament feed reels 13 and two filament extruders 8, but this is illustrative only and two or more filaments 7 The filament extruder 8 and the filament feeder reel 13 may be fed and transported through the two or more filament extruders 8 and two or more filament feed reels 13. [

Referring to FIG. 7, a method of driving a three-dimensional printer capable of forming a multicolor product using a single nozzle and a single nozzle heater according to the present invention includes modeling a three-dimensional shape through a modeling program, Into slice information divided into thin slice layers; (S1)

At this time, the modeling program can be a three-dimensional modeling program including AutoCAD, 3D Max, SolidWorks, Catia, SketchUp, Maya, Invento, Pro Engineer, and the like. The three-dimensional modeling program is used to model the three-dimensional shape of the object, convert it into an STL file, and then perform a slicing operation and convert it into a G-code that can be recognized by a three-dimensional printer.

,

A second step of passing a plurality of the filaments 7 through a plurality of the extruders 8 and passing through the inside of the guide tube 9 and mounting the filaments 7 on the upper end of the head block 10;

A third step (S3) of heating a single nozzle (17) using a single nozzle heater (11)

A fourth step in which the first filament 7-a is extruded through the nozzle 17 heated in the third step and is printed on the bed 2 by a line of a predetermined region according to the slice information, ),

A fifth step (S5) of moving the head (6) to the position of the nozzle cleaner (12) to replace with the second filament (7-b)

In order for the second filament 7-b to pass through the discharge hole 10-b in the head block 10 and into the nozzle 17 after the fifth step is completed, A of the first filament 7-a must be removed in the discharge hole 10-b so that the front end of the first filament 7-a is separated from the discharge hole 10-b and the introduction hole 10- (S6) of moving backward to the upper end of the head block (10)

When the sixth step is completed, the second filament 7-b is forcibly discharged through the nozzle to completely remove the first filament 7-a remaining in the nozzle 17, (7), (7) and (7), filling only the second filament (7-b)

If the seventh step is completed, the second filament 7-b attached to the outside of the nozzle 17 must be removed to prevent foreign matter from being formed on the outer surface of the output during printing. Therefore, 17), removing the second filament (7-b)

B) the ninth step in which the second filament 7-b is extruded through the nozzle 17 heated in the third step and is printed on the upper part of the bed 2 by a line of a predetermined region according to the slice information, ),

In the fourth step, the ninth step is performed to complete one layer print on the bed 2,

An eleventh step (S11) in which the bed (2) moves down by a first stack height produced through the step (10)

A twelfth step (S12) of printing the next laminated sheet on the first laminated sheet after the eleventh step in the fourth step,

A step (13) of moving the head (6) to a position of the nozzle cleaner (12) to replace with the first filament (7-a)

In order for the first filament 7-a to pass into the nozzle 17 through the discharge hole 10-b in the head block 10 after the step 13 is completed, the second filament 7- The first end of the second filament 7-b must be removed from the discharge hole 10-b and the introduction hole 10-b since the first filament 7-b must be removed in the discharge hole 10- (S14) of moving backward to the upper end of the head block (10)

When the step 14 is completed, the first filament 7-a is forcibly discharged through the nozzle to completely remove the second filament 7-b residues remaining in the nozzle 17, (15) and (15) for filling only the first filament (7-a)

When the step 15 is completed, the first filament 7-a attached to the outside of the nozzle 17 must be removed to prevent foreign matter from being formed on the outer surface of the output during printing. Therefore, (S16), removing the first filament (7-a)

A step 17 in which the first filament 7-a is extruded through the nozzle 17 heated in the third step and is printed on the upper part of the bed 2 by a line of a predetermined region according to the slice information, ),

Step S18 of repeating the fifth and seventeenth steps is completed until the sculpture to be manufactured is completed, and the sculpture is completed.

1. Frame
2. Bed
3. Controller
4. X axis feed mechanism
4-a: Linear guide
4-b: Linear block
5. Y-axis feed mechanism
5-a: Linear guide
5-b: Linear block
6. Head
7. Filament
7-a: first filament
7-b: second filament
8. Extruder
8-a: Motor
9. Filament guide tube
10. Head block
10-a: introduction ball
10-b: Exhaust hole
11. Nozzle heater
12. Nozzle Cleaner
13. Filament supply reel
14. Lift block
15. Shaft
16. Z-axis feed mechanism
17. Nozzles
18. Heater guide tube

Claims

Axis linear movement mechanism 4 disposed on the upper side of the frame 1 and a head 6 mounted on the Y-axis linear movement mechanism 5 and adjusted in position in the XY axis direction, And a plurality of thermoplastic filaments (7) disposed on one side of the frame (1) and in the form of a wire are mounted on the Z axis linear moving mechanism (16) And a plurality of filament extruders (8) for feeding the plurality of filaments (7) to the head (10), wherein the head block (10) a single discharge hole 10-b is formed in which the plurality of introduction holes 10-a are merged and discharged as a single passage, and the single discharge hole 10-b is formed The single filament 7 has a single nozzle heater 11, a single nozzle 17 having one inlet hole and one outlet hole structure (3) for controlling the position of the nozzle (17) on the XYZ axis and the feeding operation of the plurality of filament extruders (8), and a controller (3) arranged on the inner side of the frame The nozzle cleaner (12).

The method according to claim 1,
Axis linear moving mechanism 4 and the Y-axis linear moving mechanism 5 of the frame 1 and is regulated in the XY-axis direction and the filaments are fed and fed from the filament extruder 8 to be discharged in a molten state. The head block 10 of the head 6 is provided with a plurality of introduction holes 10-a through which the plurality of filaments 7 are individually introduced, A single discharge hole 10-b is formed through which the introduction hole 10-a is merged and discharged as a single passage. Through this single discharge hole 10-b, a single filament 7 is injected into the single nozzle 10- And a nozzle (17) having a structure of a heater (11), one inlet hole and one outlet hole,

The method according to claim 1,
The plurality of extruders (8) are constituted by at least two or more and supply at least two or more materials and at least two or more colors, respectively, and a single nozzle heater (11) and a single nozzle (17) (10), and a nozzle cleaner (12).

A first step of modeling a three-dimensional shape through a modeling program and then converting the three-dimensional shape into slice information divided into a plurality of thin slice layers;
A second step of passing a plurality of the filaments 7 through a plurality of the extruders 8 and passing through the inside of the guide tube 9 and mounting the filaments 7 on the upper end of the head block 10;
A third step (S3) of heating a single nozzle (17) using a single nozzle heater (11)
A fourth step in which the first filament 7-a is extruded through the nozzle 17 heated in the third step and is printed on the bed 2 by a line of a predetermined region according to the slice information, ),
A fifth step (S5) of moving the head (6) to the position of the nozzle cleaner (12) to replace with the second filament (7-b)
In order for the second filament 7-b to pass through the discharge hole 10-b in the head block 10 and into the nozzle 17 after the fifth step is completed, A of the first filament 7-a must be removed in the discharge hole 10-b so that the front end of the first filament 7-a is separated from the discharge hole 10-b and the introduction hole 10- (S6) of moving backward to the upper end of the head block (10)
When the sixth step is completed, the second filament 7-b is forcibly discharged through the nozzle to completely remove the first filament 7-a remaining in the nozzle 17, (7), (7) and (7), filling only the second filament (7-b)
If the seventh step is completed, the second filament 7-b attached to the outside of the nozzle 17 must be removed to prevent foreign matter from being formed on the outer surface of the output during printing. Therefore, 17), removing the second filament (7-b)
B) the ninth step in which the second filament 7-b is extruded through the nozzle 17 heated in the third step and is printed on the upper part of the bed 2 by a line of a predetermined region according to the slice information, ),
In the fourth step, the ninth step is performed to complete one layer print on the bed 2,
An eleventh step (S11) in which the bed (2) moves down by a first stack height produced through the step (10)
A twelfth step (S12) of printing the next laminated sheet on the first laminated sheet after the eleventh step in the fourth step,
A step (S13) of moving the head (6) to a position of the nozzle cleaner (12) to replace with the first filament (7-a)
In order for the first filament 7-a to pass into the nozzle 17 through the discharge hole 10-b in the head block 10 after the step 13 is completed, the second filament 7- The first end of the second filament 7-b must be removed from the discharge hole 10-b and the introduction hole 10-b since the first filament 7-b must be removed in the discharge hole 10- (S14) of moving backward to the upper end of the head block (10)
When the step 14 is completed, the first filament 7-a is forcibly discharged through the nozzle to completely remove the second filament 7-b residues remaining in the nozzle 17, (15) and (15) for filling only the first filament (7-a)
When the step 15 is completed, the first filament 7-a attached to the outside of the nozzle 17 must be removed to prevent foreign matter from being formed on the outer surface of the output during printing. Therefore, (S16), removing the first filament (7-a)
A step 17 in which the first filament 7-a is extruded through the nozzle 17 heated in the third step and is printed on the upper part of the bed 2 by a line of a predetermined region according to the slice information, ),
A single nozzle (17) including a nozzle (17) including a step (18) of repeating the fifth and seventeenth steps until the object to be manufactured is completed and a single nozzle heater (11) Method of driving a 3D printer apparatus capable of forming a product

5. The method of claim 4,
The plurality of extruders (8) are constituted by at least two or more and supply at least two or more materials and at least two or more colors, respectively, and a single nozzle heater (11) and a single nozzle (17) (10), and a nozzle cleaner (12).