KR20170015442A - Multi-axis three dimensional printer having exchangeable extruder-integrated printer head - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a multiaxial 3D printer having an extruder-integrated printer head, which comprises: a work table which supports a structure; a print head on which a 3D printing material is laminated; and a multi-axis driving means which drives the print head along 5 or more axes. The print head comprises: a motor which generates rotational power; a hopper which supplies a solid material for 3D printing; an extrusion-transport unit which includes an extrusion screw embedded in an extrusion cylinder installed on one side of the hopper, and by driving the motor, extrudes and transports the 3D printing material supplied through the hopper to a nozzle unit; a heating unit which melts the 3D printing material; and a nozzle unit which includes an exchangeable discharge nozzle and extrudes the 3D printing material melted at the heating unit into a filament to print a 3D structure. According to the multiaxial 3D printer of the present invention, 3D printing can be performed using materials in powder, bead and pellet forms directly, without using a separate filament-forming device, and further, by controlling the print head and the work table to move relatively along multiple axes of 5 or more axes, not only flat surfaces, but also curved or angled surfaces can be printed smoothly with high precision.

Description

[0001] MULTI-AXIS THREE DIMENSIONAL PRINTER HAVING EXCHANGEABLE EXTRUDER-INTEGRATED PRINTER HEAD [0002]

The present invention relates to a multi-axis 3D printer having an extruder-integrated printhead, and more particularly, to a multi-axis 3D printer having an integrated type printhead that can be used in a 3D printer of FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) , And a multiaxial 3D printer capable of freely rotating the print head in multiple axes of five or more axes.

A 3D printer is a device for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by stacking successive layers of materials based on a three-dimensional design created by a specific software. In the initial stage of development, it was mainly used for the production of prototypes. Recently, Medical, and food industries. In addition, the products are being used for customized production of products by their own style and design.

The product molding methods of such 3D printers are divided into FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), DLP (Digital Light Processing), SLA (Stereo Lithography Apparatus) and SLS (Selective Laser Sintering). Among these methods, the FDM type 3D printer for melting and laminating filaments of the thermoplastic material has a lower production cost than other types of 3D printers, and has been popularized for experimental use and industrial use.

In the conventional FDM type 3D printer, filaments are extruded in a semi-liquid phase through a nozzle heated to a fusible temperature by using a filament made of a thermoplastic material and laminated one by one to complete a molding. An example of such a conventional FDM type 3D printer is shown in Fig. 1, in the 3D printer, the holder 110 is moved in the Y-axis direction and the filament 130 is discharged while the print head 120 moves in the X-axis and Z-axis directions, And the like. At this time, the filament 130 is released from the reel 140 and is supplied through the induction pipe 150. The melted filaments injected from the nozzles are extruded to form a print layer on the bottom plate 110 and the print layers are continuously laminated to form a 3D model 160.

In order to make the polymer material used in the conventional 3D printer into a filament form, the polymer in the form of pellets must be melt extruded through a large extruder into a wire form. Since a conventional extruder needs to use a large-sized extruder as described above, there are limitations in producing a small quantity of various products, and there are disadvantages in terms of economics when a product of various demands is implemented due to high consumption of raw materials and electric power.

In the case of the conventional 3D printer, the print head or the work table can be moved only in the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis directions, and arbitrary It is difficult to rotate in the axial direction, and it is difficult to precisely print an oblique or curved surface.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a 3D printer capable of instantly extruding a variety of materials by blending and extruding them into filaments, It is an object of the present invention to provide a multi-axial 3D printer having an extruder-integrated type print head capable of precisely printing not only a plane but also a curved surface and an oblique surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing a filament, which can omit a filament manufacturing process using a large-size extruder and can produce a necessary multi-component polymer filament with a minimum energy without any restriction of time and place, Provided is a multi-axis 3D printer provided with an extruder integrated type print head capable of using various materials, reducing waste of materials, and easily changing the diameter of a nozzle to improve stability and quality in manufacturing a molding will be.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a multi-axis 3D printer having an extruder integrated type print head capable of 3D printing with minimal energy by instantly blending multi-component polymer materials by introducing two or more hoppers using a solid material .

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a work table comprising: A printhead for stacking 3D printing material; And a multi-axis driving means for driving the print head in an axial direction of 5 or more axes, wherein the print head includes: a driving motor for generating rotational power; A hopper supplying a solid material for 3D printing; An extrusion blowing unit for extruding a 3D printing material supplied through the hopper by driving the driving motor and transferring the 3D printing material to a nozzle unit, the extrusion screw being installed in an extrusion cylinder provided at one side of the hopper; A heating unit for melting the 3D printing material; And a nozzle unit having a replaceable discharge nozzle for printing the 3D molding while extruding the 3D printing material melted in the heating unit into the filament, and a multi-axis 3D printer including the extruder integrated type print head .

Wherein the multi-axis driving means comprises: a print head triaxial driving unit for moving the print head in three axial directions; And a rotation driving unit for rotating the print head about any two or more axes among the three axes.

The multi-axis 3D printer of the present invention further includes a work table rotation driving unit for rotating the work table in two or more axial directions, and the work table rotation drive unit rotates the work table in the rotation direction about the axis in the first axis direction A third rotation driving unit for driving the third rotation driving unit; And a fourth rotation driving unit for rotating the work table in the rotation direction about the axis in the third axis direction.

The 3D printer according to another embodiment of the present invention includes two or more hoppers for extruding 3D printing materials of various colors or various materials, extruder-integrated printhead modules composed of the extrusion conveyor and the nozzle part, You can include additional work tables to mount modules or use them without work tables.

The heating unit may include an induction heating tube installed in at least one heating zone outside the extrusion cylinder, or may be integrally formed in the extrusion cylinder. Alternatively, the heating unit may include a first electrode connected to a top surface of the carbon heating element; A temperature sensor embedded in the carbon heating element; A carbon heating element for heating the 3D printing material; An insulating member formed on the outer surface of the carbon heating element, and a second electrode electrically connected to the lower surface of the carbon heating element.

Wherein each of the hoppers connected to the extruding cylinder is formed of a plurality of hoppers each composed of a motor and a feeding screw, and the rotation of the screw melts each of the 3D printing materials supplied from the respective hoppers to supply them to the extrusion cylinder And a preliminary extruding unit for performing a preliminary extrusion.

In the 3D printer of the embodiment of the present invention, the driving motor and the heating unit are fixed to a support plate of a soccer hoop for adjusting the position of the extruder integrated type print head, and the hopper, the extrusion blowing unit and the nozzle unit are constituted by one module, And may be configured to be connected to the driving motor and the heating unit when fixed to a support plate of a soccer hoop for adjusting the position of the integral type print head.

According to various embodiments of the present invention, a desired 3D printing material can be instantly extruded into a filament form without using an apparatus for manufacturing a separate 3D filament for FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) The advantage of being able to smoothly print not only the plane but also the curved surface and the oblique surface with high accuracy can be obtained by controlling the print head and the work table to be relatively moved in the direction of the multi-axes of five or more axes.

In addition, according to various embodiments of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the time required to process a complex shape with a single setting, enable more precise machining, and allow easy access to the machining axis so that a relatively deep shape can be precisely and smoothly printed can do.

Further, in the multi-axis 3D printer of the present invention, the print head can be replaced by a cutting machine, so that 3D printing and cutting can be performed together, and a more precise and delicately processed high quality 3D sculpture can be obtained.

In addition, the multi-axis 3D printer having the extruder-integrated type printhead of the present invention can easily adjust the thickness of the stacked layers during 3D printing because the ejection nozzles are configured to be removable so as to change the diameter of the nozzles .

In addition, since the multi-axis 3D printer having the extruder integrated type print head of the present invention can produce various materials and filaments of various colors on the fly, a creative and independent color and material can be realized.

Further, according to the multiaxial 3D printer having the extruder integrated type printhead of the present invention, it is possible to use powders, beads, granules and fillet materials beyond what was previously limited to filamentary materials, saving electricity and materials The application range of the material can be expanded.

In addition, although the conventional 3D printer consumes a relatively long time to melt the material, it takes a long time. However, when the 3D printer of the present invention is used, the heating unit capable of changing the diameter of the nozzle and rapidly melting the material is introduced As a result, high-speed 3D printing is possible.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a general 3D printer.
FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of a 3D printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view of an extruder-integrated rotary printer head equipped with an induction heating unit.
3 is a schematic perspective view of a 3D printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram for explaining the multi-axis driving of a 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a schematic perspective view of a multi-axis 3D printer having an extruder integrated type printhead using a robot arm according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a schematic perspective view of a 3D printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a schematic perspective view and a partially cutaway perspective view of an extruder integrated type printhead of a multi-axis 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a cross-sectional view and a front view of an integrated-type extruder printhead of a multi-axis 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view for explaining a manner in which an extruder integrated type printhead of a multi-axis 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a first axis driving part of a 3D printer.
10 is a cross-sectional view and a front view of an extruder integrated type printhead according to another embodiment of the multiaxial 3D printer of the present invention.
11 is a partially cutaway schematic perspective view of an extruder integrated type print head according to another embodiment of the multi-axis 3D printer of the present invention.
12A is a schematic exploded perspective view of an extruder-integrated printhead according to another embodiment of the multi-axis 3D printer of the present invention, FIG. 12B is a partially cutaway perspective view of an assembled state of the printhead of FIG. 12A, Fig.
13 is a schematic perspective view of a 3D printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a schematic perspective view for explaining a configuration of a work table for concurrently performing FDM 3D printing and cutting in a 3D printer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the following, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements, and the size or thickness of each element can be exaggerated for clarity of explanation.

FIG. 2A is a schematic perspective view of a 3D printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view and a partially cutaway perspective view of an extruder integrated printhead of a multi-axis 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2A and FIG. 7, a multi-axis 3D printer having an extruder-integrated print head according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a work table 240 on which filaments are stacked to form a molding; A printhead (100) stacking a 3D printing material; And a multi-axis driving means (200) for driving the print head in an axial direction of 5 or more axes, wherein the extruder integrated type print head (100) comprises: a drive motor (10) generating a rotational power; A hopper 20 for supplying a solid material for 3D printing; The 3D printing material supplied through the hopper 20 is extruded by driving the driving motor to be delivered to the nozzle unit 60, (30); A heating unit 50 for melting the 3D printing material; And a nozzle unit 60 for printing the 3D sculpture while extruding the 3D printing material melted in the heating unit 50 into filaments.

The 3D printer of the present invention can directly print 3D materials of various materials, properties and colors without restriction of time and place by using the integrated extruder integrated type print head, and it is possible to reduce power and raw material cost, The present invention can contribute to the commercialization of a high-speed 3D printer, and the process which has been divided into various processes by the multi-axis printing can be reduced to one process, thereby remarkably shortening the process time and significantly improving the processing accuracy.

The multi-axis driving means 200 includes a print head triaxial driving unit for moving the print head 100 in three axial directions; And a printhead rotation driver for rotating the printhead 100 about any two or more axes among the three axes.

The three-axis driving unit includes a first shaft supporting part 210 to which the print head 100 is fixedly supported; A first axis driving part (211) for relatively moving the print head on a first axis supporting part in a first axis direction; A pair of second shaft supporting portions (220, 220 ') supporting the first shaft supporting portion at both ends thereof; A second shaft driving part (221) for relatively moving the second shaft supporting part on a second shaft supporting part in a second shaft direction perpendicular to the first shaft direction; And a third axis driving unit 231 for relatively moving the work table on the third axis supporting unit 230 in a first axis direction and a third axis direction perpendicular to the second axis direction. The pair of second shaft supports 220 and 220 'may be connected to a pair of support frames 250 and 250', respectively.

The print head rotation driving unit includes a first rotation driving unit 101 for rotating the print head 100 in a fourth axis direction, which is a rotation direction about an axis in a first axis direction; And a second rotation driving part (102) for rotating the print head in a fifth axis direction which is a rotation direction about an axis in a third axis direction.

The 3D printer having the extruder integrated printhead of the present invention may further include a work table rotation driving part 241, 242 for rotating the work table 240 in any axial direction. The work table rotation driving units 241 and 242 include a third rotation driving unit 241 for rotating the work table 240 in the rotation direction about the axis in the first axis direction; And a fourth rotation driving part 242 for rotating the work table 240 in the rotation direction about the axis in the third axis direction.

The first shaft support part 210 supports the extruder integrated print head 100 and the second shaft support parts 220 and 220 'support mutually opposite ends of the first shaft support part 210 And are spaced apart. As shown in FIG. 2, the first shaft support part 210 and the second shaft support parts 220 and 220 'are connected to each other.

The first shaft driving part 211 is composed of a motor and a ball screw, and reciprocates the print head 100 in the direction of one axis (first axis) on the first shaft supporting part 210. The first axis driving unit 211 reciprocates the print head 100 in the first axis direction and the 3D printing is performed on the sculpture while the print head 100 reciprocates by the first axis driving unit 211. In this case, Materials are laminated and printed. Although the first and second shaft driving units 211 and 221 and the third shaft driving unit 231 have been described with respect to the motor and the ball screw, a timing belt may be used instead of the ball screw. The motor is a means for rotation and the ball screw is a means for converting rotational motion into linear motion, and therefore, the detailed description is omitted since it belongs to a general mechanical configuration.

The second shaft support portions 220 and 220 'are fixed to the support frames 250 and 250' with a predetermined interval therebetween. An extruder integrated printhead 100 (100 ') is interposed between the pair of second shaft support portions 220 and 220' The first shaft supporting portion 210 is fixed. The second shaft driving units 221 and 221 'relatively move the first shaft supporting unit 210 in the second axial direction (e.g., the Y-axis direction). The second shaft driving units 221 and 221 'are composed of a motor and a ball screw. In the present embodiment, the second shaft driving units 221 and 221 'are provided on the first shaft supporting unit 210 to reciprocate the print head 100 in the second axis direction.

The third shaft supporting portion 230 fixes the third shaft driving portion 231 for moving the work table 240 in the third axis direction. The third axis driving unit 231 is configured to relatively move the work table 240 in the third axis direction. The third axis direction is a direction perpendicular to a virtual plane (e.g., X-Y plane) formed by the first axis and the second axis. That is, perpendicular to the first axis direction and perpendicular to the second axis direction. The third shaft driving unit 231 may also be constituted by a motor and a ball screw, or may be constituted by a timing belt. In the present embodiment, the third axis driving unit 231 reciprocates the work table 240, thereby allowing the molding to move relative to the print head 100. The work table 240 may be disposed on the base frame 260.

The first axis drive unit 211 and the second axis drive unit 221 move the print head 100 directly and the third axis drive unit 231 moves the work table 240 so that the sculpture is moved to the print head To move relative to each other.

The first rotation driving part 101 includes a motor and a speed reducer (not shown) for rotating the print head 100 about the first axis. In this embodiment, the extruder-integrated printhead 100 is rotated. On the other hand, the second rotation driving unit 102 includes a motor and a speed reducer (not shown) for rotating the print head 100 about the third axis. The first rotation driving part 101 and the second rotation driving part 102 may further include a buffer for limiting the rotation range of the extruder integrated type print head 100 to a predetermined range.

Multi-axis printing in the present invention is advantageous in that the extruder-integrated printhead 100 may rotate about a first axis or rotate about a third axis and, alternatively, the work table 240 may rotate about a second axis and a third axis can do. In another embodiment, the extruder integrated printhead 100 rotates about a second axis and the work table 240 can rotate about a third axis.

In the 3D printer of the present invention, the extruder-integrated printhead 100 may be configured to be replaceable with a cutting machine. FDM-type 3D printing is a drawback in that the surface roughness of the molding is high and the surface state is rough. If the print head 100 can freely move in multiple axes of 5 or more axes, not only the printing material is laminated, Can be finished in various directions and further finishing with a cutting machine, so that the surface of the molding can be made to a desired level.

5 is a schematic perspective view of a multi-axis 3D printer having an extruder integrated type printhead using a robot arm according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, in another embodiment of the present invention, the printhead triaxial driver may be embodied as a articulated robot arm 300. The articulated robot arm 300 includes arms, which are made up of six joints of a multi-jointed joint, and have a total of six movements including a leftward / rightward motion, a forward motion, a motion upward and downward, a rolling motion to the left and right, a bending motion upward and downward, A six-axis articulated robot capable of three-dimensional three-dimensional operation capable of reaching any point in the space is possible. However, it is needless to say that a four-axis or five-axis articulated robot may be applied.

The end of the arm of the articulated robot arm 300 is equipped with a cutting tool (for example, an end mill) or various tools necessary for three-dimensional machining that can perform milling or cutting in place of the extruder-integrated printhead 100 It is possible. An end mill for cutting is detachably connected to the articulated robot arm 300 so that the robot can be 3D-printed using a multi-axis robot arm as a rotary shaft, or an end mill can be attached to the multi-joint robot arm. The extruder integrated type printhead fixed to the articulated robot arm 300 can be replaced with a cutting tool. In this embodiment, the laminate molding and the cutting process are sequentially or alternately proceeded to form a complicated shape with the laminate molding, and the accuracy of the machining can be further improved by increasing the precision roll by the cutting function.

6 is a schematic perspective view of a multi-axis 3D printer having an extruder-integrated printhead according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6, in another embodiment, the 3D printer includes two or more hoppers for extruding 3D printing materials of various colors or various materials, an extruder integrated printhead module And a work table 250 having a plurality of insert holes 251 for mounting the extruder-integrated printhead modules 110 'and the extruder-integrated printhead modules 110'. In the 3D printer of this embodiment, materials of various materials or colors can be put in each of the extruder integrated printhead modules, and then, can be used interchangeably.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view and partially cutaway perspective view of an extruder integrated printhead of a multi-axis 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view and a front view of an integrated-type extruder printhead of a multi-axis 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The driving motor 10 is located at the upper end of the extruder-integrated type printhead 100 and receives power from the outside to generate rotational power. The rotational power generated by the driving motor 10 is transmitted to the extrusion screw 32 of the extrusion conveying unit 30 and used to convey the 3D printing material to the nozzle unit 60.

The pushing-out extrusion screw 32 is embedded in the extrusion-sending part 30 to mix and feed the 3D printing material supplied through the hopper 20 by driving the driving motor 10, And the inclined extrusion portion 34 having a narrow diameter is disposed at the outlet side of the heating section 33 to be disposed. The screw 32 of the extruder can include a single screw or two or more screws. The diameter d of the warp extrusion portion 34 may be configured to be 1/3 to 1/2 of the diameter D of the extrusion cylinder. By forming the warp extrusion 34 in this manner, the rheological extrusion of the 3D printing material can be improved after the melt extrusion is rapidly performed, thereby overcoming the strong back pressure generated inside the extrusion cylinder, And it is a great help to advance to the nozzle unit 60.

The hopper 20 may be inclined by 90 to 160 degrees with respect to the advancing direction of the extrusion screw 32. In another embodiment, the hopper 20 is formed with a plurality of hoppers connected to the extrusion cylinder, as shown in FIG. 3, so that printing can be performed by combining printing materials of various colors or various materials.

Referring to FIG. 9, the heating unit 50 may include induction heating tubes 51 and 52 having a circular or rectangular cross-sectional shape, which are installed in at least one heating zone 33 outside the extrusion cylinder. As described above, the induction heating tubes 51 and 52 may have a structure in which cooling cooling water is circulated in the hollow copper tube, for example. The induction heating tubes 51 and 52 of the heating section 50 are connected to the heating section 33 immediately above the warp extrusion section 34 of the extrusion cylinder 31 and one of the heating sections outside the warp extrusion section 34 Or more. As shown in FIG. 5, the induction heating tubes 51 and 52 may be formed of two or more pieces. When the plurality of induction heating tubes 51 and 52 are formed as described above, the degree of melting can be adjusted according to the characteristics of the 3D printing material. For example, in the case of a material having a large molecular weight, it is necessary to heat by using all of the induction heating tubes 51 and 52. In the case of a 3D printing material having a small molecular weight, It may be heated by using only. The heating unit 50 is configured to heat the 3D printing material in the range of 150 to 450 degrees. The induction heating tubes 51 and 52 of the heating unit 50 may be formed of a polymer, a metal oxide, a metal precursor powder, Or the metal-containing polymer composite. The heating section 50 may be fluorine-coated to fundamentally solve the problem of nozzle clogging and to control the melting rate of the 3D printing material.

The extruder-integrated printhead 100 also includes a power source (not shown) that provides current pulses to the induction heating tubes 51, 52 that generate magnetic flux for induction heating of the 3D printing material; And a control unit (not shown) for generating control signals for the driving motor 10, the screw 32 for extrusion, and the induction heating tubes 51 and 52. The power source and the control unit may be shared with the power source and the control unit of the 3D printer when the extruder integrated type printhead is mounted in the 3D printer.

The nozzle portion 60 of the extruder-integrated printhead 100 includes a nozzle connection fixing member 61 for connecting the nozzle to the extrusion cylinder and a 3D molding material extruding the 3D printing material melted in the heating portion 50 into the filament, (Not shown). The discharge nozzle 62 may be composed of fluorine, a fluorine coating member, or a ceramic. The ejection nozzle 62 is a component for printing the 3D molding at the same time as injecting the melted material into the outside of the extruder integrated type printhead 100 in the heating part 50. The ejection nozzle 62 is provided inside the heating part 50 Respectively. In addition, such a discharge nozzle 62 can be separated and assembled.

The length of the ejection nozzles 62 of the extruder-integrated type printhead 100 is within a range of 1 cm to 20 cm, and the ejection nozzles 62 are replaced with nozzles having a diameter ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm It is a possible type. The length of the discharge nozzle 62 may be about 0.2 to about 1 times the length of the extrusion cylinder in consideration of cooling of the material. If necessary, a cooling coil for circulating cooling water may be installed on the outer periphery of the nozzle unit 60.

In another embodiment, the heating section 50 of the extruder-integrated printhead of another embodiment of the multiaxial 3D printer of the present invention includes a first electrode 51a connected to the carbon heating element upper surface, as shown in Fig. 10; A temperature sensor 52a incorporated in the carbon heating element; A carbon heating element 53a for heating the 3D printing material; An insulating member 54a formed on the outer surface of the carbon heating element, and a second electrode 55a electrically connected to the lower surface of the carbon heating element. The first electrode 51a may be a ring-shaped electrode, and the second electrode 55a may be a pipe-shaped electrode.

In the case where the heating unit 50 is constituted by a carbon heating element, the discharge nozzle 61a of the extruder integrated type printhead 100 may be composed of fluorine, a fluorine coating member or a ceramic, Can be coated. The outer side of the discharge nozzle 61a is formed with a heat insulating cap 62a for blocking and supporting the heat of the heated cylinder to the extruded filament. The heat insulating cap 62a is fixed to the extruding cylinder 31 by a fastening screw 63a.

11 shows another embodiment of the extruder integrated type printhead of the multi-axis 3D printer of the present invention. 11, a plurality of hoppers 20 are formed, and each of the hoppers 21, 22 and 23 is constituted by a motor 24, a feed screw 25 and a preheating heater (not shown) And preliminary extruding portions 24 and 25 for melting the respective 3D printing materials supplied from the respective hoppers 21, 22 and 23 by the rotation of the feeding screw 24 and supplying the molten material to the extruding cylinder . By this preliminary extruding part, it is possible to smoothly physicochemical blend various materials. In a conventional 3D printer in which a filament extruded by a large-size extruder is wound around a spool, it is difficult to accurately cut filaments in the middle during filament melting, and filaments different from each other are mixed in the extruder, In extruder integrated printheads, powder, granules, beads or pellet materials are extruded from filaments on the fly and used for 3D printing directly, so color matching can be done so that a gradient of mixed colors does not occur.

11, in the case where a plurality of hoppers 20 are formed in the filament production apparatus of the present invention, the extrusion transfer unit 30 has a mixing screw 311 mounted therein, A blending part 310 for blending the supplied 3D printing material; A heat insulating portion 320 for blocking the heat of the extrusion portion 330 from being transmitted to the compounding portion 310; And an extrusion unit 330 for receiving and preliminarily heating and extruding the 3D printing material blended in the blending unit 310. The lower end of the blending part 310 is controlled to move into the extrusion part 330 before the mixed 3D printing material is completely blended in the blending part 310 and is moved to the extrusion part 320 after the blending is completed A disk gate (not shown) may be provided. A 3D printing material supplied through the hopper 20 is mixed and transferred by driving the driving motor 10, and a heating unit is disposed outside And the diameter d of the inclined extrusion portion 334 is 1/3 to 1/2 of the diameter D of the extrusion screw Lt; / RTI >

11, a plurality of hoppers 20 connected to the extruding cylinder 31 are formed, and each of the hoppers is connected to a motor 24 and a feeder And a preliminary extruding unit configured to melt the respective 3D printing materials supplied from the hopper by rotation of the supply screw 25 and supply the melted 3D printing material to the extruding cylinder. As shown in FIG. 11, the extrusion conveying unit includes a mixing unit 310 for mixing a 3D printing material supplied through a plurality of hoppers with a mixing screw 311 installed therein. A heat insulating portion (320) for blocking the heat of the extrusion portion from being transmitted to the 3D printing material in the compounding portion (310); And an extrusion unit 330 that receives the 3D printing material blended in the blending unit 310 and preheats and extrudes the 3D printing material using the extrusion screw 331. [ A disc gate 312 is disposed at the lower end of the compounding portion 310 to control movement of the 3D printing material mixed in the compounding portion 310 into the extrusion portion 330 before the mixed 3D printing material is completely compounded, And then moved to the extrusion portion 330. [ The disc gates 312 can match the colors so that a mixed color gradient does not occur. The disc gate 312 is composed of two discs with holes for transferring a plurality of 3D printing materials to the disc surface. When the positions of the holes on the two discs are coincident, the 3D printing material is moved, When the positions are staggered, the movement of the 3D printing material is controlled.

In the multi-axis 3D printer having the extruder integrated type printhead of the present invention, the hopper 20, the extrusion conveyor 30, the heating unit 50, and the nozzle unit 60 are constituted by one module 120 , And can be detachably attached to the 3D printer main body. The drive motor 10 of the extruder-integrated printhead 100 can be fixed to the 3D printer. Therefore, the 3D printing material can be extruded freely into filaments of various diameters and can be directly 3D-printed. When the nozzle is clogged and can not be used, only the nozzle can be used by replacing the nozzle, .

The hopper 20 for extruding the 3D printing material, the extrusion transfer section 30, the heating section 50 and the nozzle section 60 are separated into one module 120 in the embodiment in which the heating section is constituted by a carbon heater And can be detachably attached to the 3D printer. The main body of the 3D printer is provided with a first shaft driving part, a second shaft driving part, and a third shaft driving part, wherein the extruder integrated type print head can be fixed to one axial axial soccer part. The driving motor 10 and the extruder module 120 fixed to the soccer hoop can be fastened to each other in various ways, for example, screwed. In the present invention, even when the heating section 50 is constituted by a carbon heater, a separate induction heating tube may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the extrusion cylinder as required.

In another embodiment, a multi-axis 3D printer with an extruder integrated printhead may be configured with a multi-screw extruder to simultaneously extrude a 3D printing material of different material, constellation, or hue. That is, the extruder-integrated type printhead is divided into a plurality of segments in one housing to include respective extrusion cylinders and screws for extruding different materials, and the hopper can be separately connected. Further, the discharge nozzle is also made up of two or more multi-nozzles, and manufacturing cost and driving cost can be economically reduced by driving the multi-nozzle.

In another embodiment, a multi-axis 3D printer according to the present invention is a multi-axis 3D printer in which a 5-axis printhead 100 and a cutting machine 400 such as an end mill are used together to perform stacking and cutting Or may be configured to be. The cutting machine 400 such as an end mill and the extruder-integrated printhead 100 are rotationally driven around a rotation shaft of a cavity, and can be rotationally driven by separate driving means (motor blocks). The printer head 100 is rotationally driven by the motor block 122 and the cutting machine 400 can be rotationally driven by the motor block 410. In the case of such a constitution, the lamination and cutting progress at the same time, the lamination is performed in one portion, the cutting progresses in the adjacent portion, and the surface can be smoothly processed through the cutting machine after lamination.

14 is a schematic perspective view of an extruder-integrated 3D printer according to another embodiment of the present invention. 14, the extruder-integrated printhead 100 and the cutting machine 400 are spaced apart from each other so that the work table 240 is disposed above the base frame 260 And may be configured to reciprocate between the extruder-integrated print head 100 and the cutting machine 400. The means for moving the work table 240 may include a work table transfer rack 245 and a work table drive motor block 247 that slidably drives the work table 240 on the work table transfer rack. In the 3D printer of this embodiment, after the printing with the 3D printer is completed, the work table 240 on which the print is placed can be slid toward the cutting machine 400 and can be cut into a cutting machine 400 such as an end mill . In this embodiment, it is possible to independently drive the print head 100 and the cutting machine 400 so that 3D printing and cutting can be performed at the same time, thereby maximizing the working efficiency or controlling several axes jointly, So that the production cost can be reduced.

Hereinafter, the operation of the multi-axis 3D printer having the extruder-integrated printhead of the present invention will be described. First, the same model as the printing object is produced by using the design program. At this time, when printing using the 3D printer, the printing object moves along the previously calculated movement path on the edge cam, and the relative movement and rotation between the printing object and the print head is performed by the second shaft driving part and the third shaft driving part, And the reciprocating motion of the print head is applied to the first axis driving portion. The driving motor 10 is located outside the cylinder for extrusion 31 and is coupled to the cylinder 31 for extrusion. The driving motor 10 is supplied with electric power by a power source (not shown) and can rotate the extrusion-use extrusion screw 32 using the supplied electric power. The extrusion screw 32 mixes the 3D printing material on the powder or pellet supplied while rotating at high speed. When the extrusion-machine-integrated printhead 100 is operated in a state in which the 3D printing material is inserted into the extrusion cylinder 31, the driving motor 10 generates rotational power to rotate the extrusion screw 32. At this time, the heating part 50 can melt the 3D printing material in a short time by the induction heating tube or the carbon heating element independently provided in the extrusion cylinder or the outside thereof. The molten 3D printing material is extruded through the ejection nozzle 62 to form a 3D sculpture.

The multi-axis 3D printer including the extruder integrated type print head of the present invention can reduce the loss of electric power when connected to a 3D printer and enable stable and rapid 3D printing of the solid material. Furthermore, by adjusting the diameter of the nozzle portion by changing the nozzle portion, it is possible to adjust the amount of the material to be molten and ejected to improve the speed of the 3D printing.

The present invention has been described in detail with reference to the specific exemplary embodiments. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly, the true scope of protection of the present invention should be defined in the following claims and their equivalents.

100: Extruder integrated printhead
101: first rotation driving part 102: second rotation driving part
200: multi-axis driving means
210: first shaft supporting portion 211: first shaft driving portion
220, 220 ': second shaft supporting portion 221, 221': second shaft supporting portion
230: third shaft supporting part 231: third shaft driving part
250, 250 ': Support frame
240: work table
241: third rotation driving part 242: fourth rotation driving part
10: drive motor 20: hopper
30: Extrusion blowing part 50: Heating part
60:

Claims (16)

A work table for mounting a sculpture; A printhead for stacking 3D printing material; And a multi-axis driving means for driving the print head in an axial direction of 5 or more axes, wherein the print head includes: a driving motor for generating rotational power; A hopper supplying a solid material for 3D printing; An extrusion blowing unit for extruding a 3D printing material supplied through the hopper by driving the driving motor and transferring the 3D printing material to a nozzle unit, the extrusion screw being installed in an extrusion cylinder provided at one side of the hopper; A heating unit for melting the 3D printing material; And a nozzle unit having a replaceable discharge nozzle for printing the 3D molding while extruding the 3D printing material melted in the heating unit into the filament,
Wherein the multi-axis driving means comprises: a print head triaxial driving unit for moving the print head in three axial directions; And a print head rotation driving unit for rotating the print head about any two or more axes among the three axes,
Wherein the ejection nozzles are of a replaceable type so that nozzles having different diameters can be selected and used. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the print head triaxial driving unit includes: a first shaft support portion to which the print head is fixedly supported; A first axis driving part for relatively moving the print head on a first axis supporting part in a first axis direction; A pair of second shaft supporters supporting the first shaft supporter at both ends thereof; A second shaft driving part for relatively moving the second shaft supporting part on a second shaft supporting part in a second shaft direction perpendicular to the first shaft direction; And a third axis driving part for relatively moving the work table on a third axis supporting part in a first axis direction and a third axis direction perpendicular to the second axis direction. printer. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the print head rotation driving unit includes: a first rotation driving unit that rotates the print head in a fourth axis direction, which is a rotation direction about an axis in a first axis direction; And a second rotation driving unit for rotating the print head in a fifth axis direction which is a rotation direction about an axis in a third axis direction. The 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein the 3D printer includes a work table rotation driving unit that rotates the work table in two or more axial directions, and the work table rotation drive unit drives the work table in a rotation direction A third rotation driving unit for rotating the third rotation driving unit; And a fourth rotation driving unit for rotating the work table in a rotation direction about an axis in a third axis direction. The multi-axis 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein the printhead triaxial drive unit is a multi-joint robot arm. The end mill according to claim 5, wherein an end mill for cutting is detachably connected to the articulated robot arm, and the multi-axis robot arm is used as a rotary shaft for 3D printing, Wherein the multi-axis 3D printer has an extruder-integrated type print head. 2. The multi-axial 3D printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printhead is configured to be replaceable with a cutting machine. The multi-axis 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit is an induction heating tube installed in at least one heating zone outside or inside the extrusion cylinder. The extruder as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extruder has an inclined extruded portion with a narrow diameter on the outlet side, and the diameter of the extruded extruded portion is 1/3 to 1/2 of the diameter of the extruded cylinder. A multi-axis 3D printer having an integral printhead. The multi-axis 3D printer according to claim 9, wherein the heating unit is installed in at least one of a heating zone immediately above the warp extrusion unit of the extrusion cylinder and a heating zone inside or outside the warp extrusion unit. . 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of hoppers connected to the extrusion cylinder are formed, each hopper being constituted by a motor and a supply screw, and each of the 3D printing materials supplied from the hopper by rotation of the supply screw And a preliminary extruding unit for supplying the extruder-integrated print head to the extruder cylinder. [2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extrusion conveying unit includes a blending unit for mixing a 3D printing material supplied through a plurality of hoppers, A heat insulating portion which blocks heat of the extruded portion from being transferred to the mixing portion; And an extruder for receiving the 3D printing material blended in the blender and preheating and extruding the 3D printing material. The method according to claim 1, wherein the heating unit comprises: a first electrode connected to a top surface of the carbon heating element; A temperature sensor embedded in the carbon heating element; A carbon heating element for heating the 3D printing material; And a second electrode electrically connected to the lower surface of the carbon heating element and an insulating member formed on the outer surface of the carbon heating element. [2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the nozzle unit comprises: a nozzle coated with fluorine inside or all of the nozzle unit; And a heat-insulating cap fixed to the extruding cylinder by a fastening screw, the heat-insulating cap being adapted to block the heat of the extruded cylinder heated by the extruded filament and to support the nozzle. The multi-axial 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein the ejection nozzle is of a replaceable type so as to select and use a nozzle having a diameter ranging from 0.5 mm to 2.5 mm. 2. The 3D printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the driving motor, the hopper, the extrusion blowing unit, and the nozzle unit are constituted by a single module so as to be detachable from the main body of the 3D printer. 3D printer.

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