KR20190023945A - A 3D printing device having a wiper type powder supplier - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supply unit, and more particularly to a 3D printing apparatus having a plurality of powder supply chambers and a plurality of shaping chambers provided circumferentially and having a turning radius to a position of the powder supply chamber and the shaping chamber To a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supply unit so that the apparatus is simplified and the working time can be shortened.
For this, a plurality of powder supply chambers for supplying powder and a plurality of shaping chambers for 3D shaping are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, and are installed above the main body, And a hybrid powder supply unit that is connected to the center of the main body and rotates in the circumferential direction of the main body to continuously supply and planarize the powder housed in the powder supply chamber to the neighboring forming chamber, The present invention provides a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supply unit.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a 3D printing device having a wiper-type powder supplying part,

The present invention relates to a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder feeder, and more particularly, to a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder feeder for simplifying the apparatus and shortening the working time.

Recently, 3D printers capable of forming desired objects using three-dimensional (3D) data have been actively researched.

It is expected that the market of 3D printers will become very big in the future as it can be easily molded and manufactured according to the design of a product having a complicated structure.

3D printers are actively used in various fields such as medicine, industry, and life because they can easily process objects to be produced based on digitized drawing information.

Most of the 3D printers that have been put into practical use now use synthetic resin materials that are easy to process, but their applications are limited due to limitations of the physical properties of synthetic resins. In addition, 3D There is a growing demand for printers.

Recently, as a method of performing 3D printing using a metal material, a method has been proposed in which a material powder is spread and arranged in a thin layer, and only a desired portion is sintered using a laser (or an electron beam) And a selective laser sintering (SLS) method in which a desired portion is sintered with a laser is repeatedly performed.

SLS is mainly represented by direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) using metal powder.

In the SLS type 3D printer, it is essential to spread the material powder thinly one layer at a time to arrange it as a powder layer. In this method, after spreading the material powder, a leveling blade is used to flatten the powder while adjusting the height of the powder. Or a height adjusting plate for moving together with the discharge port on the side of the discharge port to directly discharge the discharged powder to form a powder layer.

Hereinafter, a powder supply apparatus for a 3D printer according to the prior art will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in Fig. 1, the powder feeder of the 3D printer is composed of a powder storing section 10, a blade 20, and a pressurizing roller 30.

The powder storage part 10 is a space in which an empty space is formed and the powder P to be supplied through the supply amount adjusting part 11 is stored in advance and is reciprocated along the upper surface of the bed B together with a driving part Be moved

The pressurizing roller 30 is configured to press the powder P dispersed on the surface of the bed B by the blade 20 so that the powder P between the pressing roller 30 and the blade 20 Therefore, when the driving unit moves in the direction of the blade 20 without rotating when the driving unit moves in the direction of the pressure roller 30, the driving unit rotates to pressurize and flatten the powder P.

The blade 20 functions to simply disperse the highly accumulated powder P to the height of the end of the blade 20 and the pressing roller 30 presses the dispersed powder P to increase the density At the same time, the powder (P) is more uniformly dispersed.

That is, when the powder 20 is dispersed, the powder P is not uniformly dispersed and the amount of the powder P is different for each part. Therefore, the powder P is uniformly dispersed by pressing using the pressing roller 30.

In such a conventional 3D printer powder feeder, a powder P having a predetermined height is uniformly applied to the entire upper surface area of the bed B before dissolving the powder P using a laser in a 3D printer, The powder P is coated on the upper surface of the bed B because the process for forming the printed material 3 on one surface of the bed B and then forming the layer of the printed material on the surface of the printed material 3 is repeated, It is preferable that the entire top surface of the bed B is coated when the driving unit reciprocates once along the longitudinal direction of the bed B. [

However, the conventional powder supply device for 3D printer has the following problems.

As shown in FIG. 1, since the conventional powder coating method linearly moves and applies powder, a large amount of powder is unnecessarily consumed in a region deviating from the work surface W where the molding of the printed material is formed, and the powder is wasted There was a problem.

Further, since the powder supply device for supplying powder and the bed (B) for shaping are constituted respectively, there is a problem that it is difficult to simplify the structure of the apparatus.

Korea Registration No. 10-1676606

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived to solve the problems described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a hybrid powder feeder comprising a plurality of powder supply regions and a plurality of shaping regions together, It is an object of the present invention to provide a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supply unit that simplifies the structure of the apparatus and allows the printing operation to be performed quickly by performing powder supply and planarization operations from the powder supply region to the shaping region will be.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a powder processing apparatus including a main body in which a plurality of powder supply chambers for supplying powder and a plurality of forming chambers for 3D molding are alternately disposed in the circumferential direction, A laser oscillation unit for performing 3D shaping by irradiating a laser while being moved toward the center of the main body, and rotating the main body in the circumferential direction by being axially coupled to the center of the main body, and supplying and planarizing the powder housed in the powder supply chamber to the neighboring forming chamber And a hybrid powder supply unit for supplying the hybrid powder supply unit with the wiper-type powder supply unit.

As another example for achieving the above object, there is provided a plasma display apparatus comprising: a main body in which a plurality of forming chambers are arranged in a circumferential direction; a laser oscillating portion provided above the main body to perform 3D molding by irradiating a laser while being moved toward the forming chamber; And a hybrid powder supply unit that is axially coupled to the center of the main body and rotates in a circumferential direction of the main body to apply powder toward the shaping chamber and perform a planarization operation successively. do.

The 3D printing apparatus having the wiper-type powder supplying unit according to the present invention has the following effects.

First, a plurality of powder supply chambers and a plurality of shaping sections are formed together in one apparatus, and the powder supply chambers and shaping sections are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction, thereby simplifying the structure of the apparatus.

Secondly, by providing a hybrid powder supply unit having a rotation radius at a position from the powder supply chamber and the forming chamber to the powder supply chamber and the forming chamber, centering on the center of the apparatus provided with the plurality of powder supply chambers and the forming chambers, There is an effect that can be.

Third, a recovery chamber is provided in an inner lower part of the apparatus, and a filter capable of separating powder falling down by particle size is provided at an upper part of the recovery chamber, thereby enabling powder separation for reuse.

At this time, a transfer pipe is formed between the recovery chamber and the powder supply chamber, and suction force is generated in the transfer pipe to allow the powder in the recovery chamber to be transferred to the powder supply chamber, thereby facilitating powder reuse.

Fourth, since a drop port is provided between the powder supply chamber and the shaping chamber and the drop port is configured to be opened and closed, even when different kinds of powder materials are used, the powder is supplied to different powder supply chambers Can be prevented.

1 is a perspective view showing a powder feeder of a conventional 3D printing apparatus;
2 is a perspective view illustrating a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supplying unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are plan views of a powder supplying unit of a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supplying unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention
4 is a plan view showing a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supplying unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of the powder supplying unit of the 3D printing apparatus having the wiper-type powder supplying unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention
6 is a cross-sectional view showing a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supplying unit according to a third embodiment of the present invention
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a main portion of a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supply unit according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

It is to be understood that the words or words used in the present specification and claims are not to be construed in a conventional or dictionary sense and that the inventor can properly define the concept of a term in order to describe its invention in the best possible way And should be construed in light of the meanings and concepts consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supplying unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as a 3D printing apparatus) will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 3B.

The 3D printing apparatus has a technical feature such that powder supply and 3D modeling of a plurality of regions can be performed on one apparatus.

Thus, the device configuration can be simplified.

Particularly, since the wiper-type powder supply unit is rotated, the powder supply and planarization operations can be performed successively, thereby shortening the working time due to the continuity of the operation, thereby increasing work productivity.

The 3D printing apparatus includes a main body 100, a laser oscillating unit 200, and a hybrid powder supplying unit 300, as shown in FIG.

The main body 100 constitutes a lower appearance of the 3D printing apparatus, and a space in which chambers and parts are installed is formed therein.

As shown in FIG. 2, the main body 100 is provided with a plurality of powder supply chambers 110 and a plurality of forming chambers 120.

The powder supply chamber 110 and the shaping chamber 120 are installed in the main body 100 in the circumferential direction and are alternately installed.

The number of the powder supply chambers 110 and the shaping chambers 120 is not limited, and the shape of the main body 100 is preferably cylindrical as the main body 100 is installed in the circumferential direction of the main body 100.

The powder supply chamber 110 includes a lift plate 111 which forms a space for receiving the powder material downward and can transfer the powder upward.

The molding chamber 120 provides a space for 3D molding and includes a lifting plate 121 that can be lowered into the inner space of the main body 100. [

The operation principle of the powder supply chamber 110 and the molding chamber 120 is the same as that of the prior art.

Next, the laser oscillating unit 200 is provided above the main body 100 to allow 3D molding to be performed by irradiating and sintering the powder supplied to the molding chamber 120 with a laser.

The laser oscillating unit 200 includes a support frame 210 installed upward from an upper portion of the main body 100 and an oscillator for oscillating the laser toward the shaping chamber 120 while moving in the X and Y axes at the support frame 210 220).

The configuration and operation of the laser oscillating unit 200 may be the same as those of the prior art.

Next, the hybrid powder supply unit 300 plays a role of powder supply to the shaping chamber 120 and powder flattening operation, and is axially coupled to the center of the upper surface of the main body 100.

The rotation radius of the hybrid powder supply part 300 corresponds to the position where the powder supply chamber 110 and the molding chamber 120 are formed.

That is, since the powder supply chamber 110 and the shaping chamber 120 are disposed at the rotation radius of the hybrid powder supply unit 300, the powder of the powder supply chamber 110 is supplied to the shaping chamber 110 while the hybrid powder supply unit 300 is rotated. (Not shown), and the planarizing operation can be simultaneously performed.

In addition, since the powder transportation is performed by the rotation of the hybrid powder supply unit 300 rather than the linear movement as described above, the powder transportation range becomes an arc shape based on the molding chamber 120, thereby increasing the powder consumption efficiency .

In other words, conventionally, as the supply of powder is linear, the laser oscillation can not be achieved with respect to the shaping chamber 120. As the powder is supplied in the form of arc on the basis of the shaping chamber 120, It is possible to minimize the range in which the oscillation does not occur, thereby reducing the waste of the powder.

The hybrid powder supply unit 300 is axially coupled to rotate 360 degrees about the center of the upper surface of the main body 100 and includes an extension unit 310 and a coating unit 320.

The extension portion 310 is fixed to a shaft provided at the center of the main body 100 and interlocks with the rotation of the shaft.

The application unit 320 also serves to transfer and planarize the powder material in the powder supply chamber 110 to the molding chamber 120 adjacent to the powder supply chamber 110 and to extend the powder material in the extension unit 310 Respectively.

The application portion 320 may be variously provided and may be provided with a pressure roller 321 coupled to the extension portion 310 as shown in FIG.

The pressing roller 321 is coupled so as to be rolled on the extension 310, and its length corresponds to the turning radius of the main body 100.

The pressing roller 321 having such a structure is rotated around the center of the main body 100 by the rotation of the extension part 310 to push the powder material in the powder supply chamber 110 toward the adjacent forming chamber 120 As the pressure roller 321 is rolled simultaneously with the draw, the flattening operation is performed successively.

3 (b), the applying unit 320 may be formed in a hook shape.

The application unit 320 is formed to have a length corresponding to the rotation radius of the main body 100 from the extension 310 fixed to the shaft, and has a hook shape concave with respect to the rotation direction.

This is to ensure that the forces acting on both ends of the application part 320 act uniformly while the powder 320 is being transferred to the shaping chamber 1200 while the application part 320 is rotated so that the powder delivery amount can be maintained evenly.

Hereinafter, the operation of the 3D printing apparatus constructed as described above will be described.

In a state where the plurality of powder supply chambers 110 and the shaping chambers 120 are alternately disposed in the circumferential direction, when the 3D printing operation is started, the hybrid powder supply unit 300 rotates about the center of the top surface of the main body, The powders of the respective powder supply chambers 110 are transferred to the respective shaping chambers 120.

Then, the oscillator 220 oscillates the laser toward the work surface of each shaping chamber 120 while moving in the X and Y axes in the support frame 210.

Accordingly, the powder supplied to each molding chamber 120 is sintered and 3D molding is performed.

Then, the lift plate 121 of each of the steering chambers 120 is lowered, and the lift plate 111 of each of the powder supply chambers 110 is lifted.

Thereafter, the hybrid powder supply part 300 rotates 360 degrees again to transfer the powder to the respective molding chambers 120.

Thereafter, sintering is performed through laser oscillation. As a series of processes are repeatedly performed, the programmed 3D molding is performed in each of the molding chambers 120.

The main body 100 may be provided with only the shaping chamber 120 and the powder may be supplied through the hybrid powder supply unit 300.

This will be described as a second embodiment of the present invention and will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 attached hereto.

Before describing, the same components as those of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

5 is a plan view of a 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supply unit according to a second embodiment of the present invention. In the main body 100, a plurality of shaping chambers 120 are installed in a circumferential direction without a powder supply chamber .

Next, although not shown, a laser oscillating portion 200 is provided above the main body 100 in the same manner as in the first embodiment.

Next, the hybrid powder supply unit 300 performs an operation of flattening the powder supplied together with the powder supply to the shaping chamber 120, and is axially coupled to the center of the upper surface of the main body 100.

It is natural that the hybrid powder supply unit 300 is rotated 360 degrees in the circumferential direction of the main body 100, and the turning radius thereof includes the shaping chamber 120.

The hybrid powder supply unit 300 includes an extension 310 fixed to the shaft of the main body 100, a hopper 330 installed at the extension 310, and a pressure roller 340.

The hopper 330 is provided in the form of a container for receiving the powder material and is rotated on the upper surface of the main body 100 in the circumferential direction of the main body 100 when the extension 310 is rotated.

At this time, a discharge port 331 through which the powder material is discharged is formed at one end of the hopper 330 as shown in FIG.

That is, when the extension 310 is rotated, the hopper 330 rotates in the circumferential direction of the main body 100 to supply the powder to the molding chamber 120.

At the other end of the hopper 330, a pressure roller 340 for flattening the powder supplied to the shaping chamber 120 is installed.

The pressurizing roller 340 discharges through the discharge port 331 and rolls the collected powder to perform planarization.

The discharge amount of the powder discharged through the discharge port 331 may be controlled by a known technique.

That is, a screw or the like is formed on the upper part of the hopper 330 so that the powder discharge amount can be adjusted through screw rotation.

Since a 3D printing apparatus having such a configuration is provided, only a plurality of molding chambers 120 are formed on the upper surface of the main body 100, and a large amount of 3D molding can be performed at a time. So that the working time can be shortened.

In addition, there is a feature that the apparatus can be simplified since the constitution for powder supply, flattening and 3D molding is all constituted in one apparatus.

In the course of molding through the 3D printing apparatus, a large amount of powder materials are dropped into the main body 100 and then discarded without being sorted. The powder material falling into the main body 100 is sorted by particle size So that it can be reused.

This is shown as a third embodiment of the present invention and will be described with reference to FIG. 6 attached hereto.

The same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the above-described embodiments, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the inside of the main body 100. The 3D printing apparatus includes a powder supply chamber 110, a recovery chamber 400, a mesh 500, a transfer tube 600, (700).

The powder supply chamber 110 accommodates a powder material, and a plurality of powder supply chambers 110 are provided inside the main body 100.

Next, the recovery chamber 400 can be reused in the process of supplying and flattening the powder from the powder supply chamber 110 and powder falling into the inside of the main body 100 during the 3D molding process in the molding chamber 120 And serves to receive the powder.

The recovery chamber 400 is preferably formed on the inner lower side of the main body 100.

At this time, the recovery chamber 400 is preferably formed to be inclined downward, and a separate detachable tray may be formed to recover the powder in the recovery chamber 400.

Next, the mesh 500 functions to filter powder falling into the main body 100 by particle size, and is installed above the collection chamber 400.

The mesh 500 corresponds to the inner diameter of the main body 100 and the powder filtered by the mesh 500 is discarded and the powder received in the collection chamber 400 through the mesh 500 can be reused.

This is because some of the powders supplied from the powder supply chamber 110 during the 3D molding operation are generated as debris while being sintered by the laser and the remaining part of the powder is mixed with the powder debris in the original state of the powder material and dropped into the main body 100, The powdery material remaining in the recovery chamber 400 is relatively large in size and is filtered by the mesh 500 and the original powdery material passes through the mesh 500 and is received in the recovery chamber 400, Re-use becomes possible.

Next, a transfer pipe 600 is provided between the recovery chamber 400 and the powder supply chamber 110 to provide a powder feed pipe.

That is, the powder contained in the recovery chamber 400 can be automatically transferred to the powder supply chamber 110.

Next, the transfer pump 700 functions to generate a pumping force so that the powder contained in the recovery chamber 400 can be transferred to the powder supply chamber 110 through the transfer tube 600.

With such a configuration, the powder material generated in the process of 3D molding is divided into the reusable powder and the waste powder through the mesh 500 after falling down to the inside of the main body 100, thereby preventing the waste material from being wasted .

On the other hand, 3D molding can be performed with a powder material of different powder material.

For example, 3D molding may be performed simultaneously or separately using a polymer material powder and a metal material powder. In the process of powder supply and planarization, different kinds of powders may be introduced into different powder supply chambers 110, It is possible to arrange a dropping port to prevent mixing of different kinds of powders.

This is shown as a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and will be described with reference to Fig. 7 attached hereto.

The same components as those of the above-described embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The 3D printing apparatus according to the fourth embodiment is provided with a powder supply chamber 110 and a shaping chamber 120 alternately in the circumferential direction on the upper surface of the main body 100. The powder supply chamber 110 and the shaping chamber 120 A drop hole 130 is formed.

The dropping port 130 is provided at a position where the powder is supplied to the shaping chamber 120 while the hybrid powder supply unit 300 is rotated and when the powder is supplied to the powder supply chamber 110, .

The drop port 130 is connected to the inside of the main body 100 and the recovery chamber 131 is provided below the drop port 130.

At this time, the drop port (130) is provided with an opening / closing member (140) for opening / closing the drop port (130).

When the different kinds of powders are to be introduced into the powder supply chamber 110, the opening and closing member 140 opens the drop port 130 to drop the different kinds of powders. When the powder of the same kind transports the upper surface of the main body Thereby shielding the drop port 130.

The opening and closing member 140 is installed to be automatically opened and closed through a driving unit (not shown), and the opening and closing control can be controlled through a control unit of the 3D printing apparatus.

Hereinafter, the operation of the 3D printing apparatus of the fourth embodiment constructed as described above will be described.

For example, in the case where a molding of a polymer material and a molding of a metal material are 3D-shaped in each molding chamber, the hybrid powder supplying unit 300 rotates to transfer the powder of the polymer powder supplying chamber 110A to the molding chamber 120.

The hybrid powder supply unit 300 transfers the powder of the metal powder supply chamber 110B to the molding chamber 120 through which the metal powder is supplied through the molding chamber 120 in which the polymer is formed, The drop hole 130B on one side of the metal powder supply chamber 110B is opened as shown in FIG. 7 so that the polymer powder does not flow into the metal powder supply chamber 110B.

The polymer powder that has been transported through the hybrid powder supply unit 300 is dropped through the drop port 130 and is accommodated in the recovery chamber 131 so that the polymer powder is not introduced into the metal powder supply chamber 110B do.

The metal powder is supplied to the polymer powder supply chamber 110A while the hybrid powder supply unit 300 rotates through 360 degrees and is rotated to the polymer powder supply chamber 110A through the metal forming chamber 120, So that the different kinds of powders do not flow into the different powder supply chambers 110 because they fall on the dropping ports 130A on one side.

As described above, the 3D printing apparatus having a wiper-type powder supply unit has a cylindrical main body in which a plurality of powder supply chambers and a forming chamber are alternately arranged in a circumferential direction, and a powder supply chamber and a molding chamber There is a technical feature that the hybrid powder supply portion of the wiper type having a turning radius is axially coupled.

Thus, the apparatus can be simplified, and the powder supply and planarization operations can be performed successively, so that the working time can be shortened.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

100: main body 110: powder feed chamber
110A: Polymer powder supply chamber 110B: Metal powder supply chamber
111, 121: lifting plate 130 (130A, 130B)
131: collection chamber 140: opening / closing member
200: laser oscillation part 210: support frame
220: Oscillator 300: Hybrid powder supply part
310: extension part 320:
321: pressure roller 330: hopper
331: Outlet 340: Pressure roller
400: recovery chamber 500: mesh
600: Feed pipe 700: Feed pump

Claims (8)

A plurality of powder supply chambers for powder supply and a plurality of shaping chambers for 3D shaping are arranged alternately in the circumferential direction;
A laser oscillating unit installed above the main body and irradiating a laser toward the shaping chamber to perform 3D shaping;
And a hybrid powder supply unit configured to be rotated in the circumferential direction of the main body by being axially coupled to the center of the main body and to continuously supply and planarize the powder accommodated in the powder supply chamber to the neighboring forming chamber 3D printing device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the main body is formed in a cylindrical shape. 3. The method of claim 2,
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The hybrid powder supply unit includes:
And a coating unit connected to the main body and extending to an edge of the main body, and an application unit coupled to the extended unit to perform powder supply and powder planarization. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the application unit comprises:
Wherein the pressing portion is formed of a pressure roller which is coupled to the rolling portion and is formed as a hook which is fixed to the extending portion and extends toward the edge of the main body but is recessed in the rotating direction of the extending portion. A plurality of shaping chambers arranged in a circumferential direction;
A laser oscillating unit installed above the main body and irradiating a laser toward the shaping chamber to perform 3D shaping;
And a hybrid powder supply unit configured to be rotatable in a circumferential direction of the main body by being axially coupled to the center of the main body and applying powder to the shaping chamber and performing a planarizing operation successively. 6. The method of claim 5,
The hybrid powder supply unit includes:
An extension portion which is axially coupled to the main body and extends toward an edge of the main body,
A hopper which is fixed to the extension portion and accommodates the powder material and has a discharge port at one end thereof for discharging the powder material;
And a pressure roller provided at the other end of the hopper and configured to flatten the powder discharged through the discharge port while passing through the pressure roller. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The inner bottom of the main body is provided with a recovery chamber for receiving the powder falling down to the inside of the main body during the molding process,
On the upper part of the recovery chamber,
A mesh is installed to filter the falling powder by the particle size,
And a transfer pipe and a transfer pump for transferring the powder recovered in the recovery chamber to the powder supply chamber are provided between the recovery chamber and the powder supply chamber. 7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
Wherein a drop hole communicating with the inside of the main body is formed between the powder supply chamber and the forming chamber in the upper surface of the main body and an opening and closing member for opening and closing the drop port is provided in the drop port. .

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