WO2018084352A1

WO2018084352A1 - Releasable water tank for three-dimensional printer

Info

Publication number: WO2018084352A1
Application number: PCT/KR2016/013011
Authority: WO
Inventors: 오해성; 김준오
Original assignee: 주식회사 덴티스
Priority date: 2016-11-02
Filing date: 2016-11-11
Publication date: 2018-05-11
Also published as: KR101883871B1; KR20180048110A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a releasable water tank for a three-dimensional printer, comprising: an upper body for forming wall surfaces of the water tank; a lower body coupled to the lower part of the upper body and having a structure in which a middle portion is opened; and a transparent plate formed with polymethylpentene (TPX) resin and assembled between the upper body and the lower body so as to form the bottom surface of the water tank, and thus molded articles can be easily separated without coating a release agent, and the water tank can be easily assembled and manufactured and the manufacturing costs can be also reduced.

Description

Release tank for 3D printer

The present invention relates to a water tank for a 3D printer for producing a molded article in a state in which a photocurable resin is stored in a 3D printer such as an SLA method or a DLP method.

The 3D printer, one of the 21st century's most advanced technologies, is a printer that can produce molded products as it is in solid shape based on three-dimensional data created by computer design program.

3D printers use the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) method, which pulls out solid plastic materials that are soluble in heat and melts them by melting them. SLS (Slective Laser Sintering) method, which uses functional polymer or metal powder instead of photocurable resin in the SLA method, and forms by scanning and solidifying laser beam, irradiates light to the bottom of the storage tank where the photocurable resin is stored And the DLP (Digital Light Processing) method using the partially hardened principle.

Among the 3D printers of the SLA method and the DLP method, photocurable liquid resins are used. A transparent water tank for transmitting light while storing the photocurable liquid resins is used.

The transparent water tank is usually made of a material such as acrylic, PC, glass and used. Transparent water bath made of such a material is used to coat a release agent such as silicone, Teflon film because the releasability is lowered after molding.

However, when a separate release agent is coated in the transparent water tank as described above, the coating cost is additionally added, and the water tank manufacturing process is further added, resulting in an increase in the water tank manufacturing cost. In addition, there is a problem that the uniform coating of the release agent in the transparent water tank is not easy.

In addition, when the release agent is coated in the transparent water tank, the release agent is often torn off by the cured resin (molding product) after 3D printing, which causes a problem of shortening the life of the water tank and damage to the 3D printed molding. There are also problems that can occur.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and because it is configured by assembling the transparent plate between the upper body and the lower body can be easily separated from the molded article without coating the release agent, and also the assembly of the water tank And it is an object of the present invention to provide a release tank for 3D printer that can be easily manufactured, and also reduce the production cost.

A release tank for 3D printers according to the present invention for realizing the above object comprises: a 3D printer tank comprising a container type structure containing a photocurable resin, comprising: an upper body constituting a wall of the tank; A lower body coupled to a lower portion of the upper body and having an open center portion; It is formed of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, characterized in that it comprises a transparent plate which is assembled between the upper body and the lower body constituting the bottom surface of the water tank.

The upper body and the lower body preferably has a bolt assembly structure.

At this time, it is preferable that the bolt fastening holes are formed in the upper body and the lower body in the vertical direction, respectively, and the bolts are inserted into the bolt fastening holes of the upper body and fastened to the bolt fastening holes of the lower body.

Preferably, a gasket is provided between the upper body and the transparent plate or between the transparent plate and the lower body to prevent leakage.

The upper body may have a gasket seating portion formed of a stepped cross-sectional structure so that the gasket is seated at a lower end thereof.

Preferably, the upper body has an inner side of its lower end extended inwardly, and the gasket seating portion is formed under the extended portion.

The transparent plate may be formed so that the portion in which the gasket is in close contact with the upper portion by a predetermined height.

The upper body has a flange portion that extends outwardly in the upper end portion, the drain groove is formed on one side of the flange portion, the ribs may be formed in the vertical direction on the outer wall surface.

Preferably, the upper body has a lower body coupling part formed of a stepped structure such that the upper body is assembled while contacting the inner surface and the upper surface of the lower body.

The lower body is made of a rectangular frame structure, the inner peripheral portion is low and the outer peripheral portion is preferably formed in a two-stage structure.

At this time, the lower body, the relatively inner inner circumferential portion constitutes a transparent plate support portion on which the transparent plate is located, the relatively high outer circumferential portion constitutes an upper body coupling portion to which the upper body is coupled.

The lower body may protrude outward from the outer wall of the upper body so that a portion of the bottom portion of the tank has a flanged structure.

In addition, the release tank for 3D printer according to the present invention for realizing the above-mentioned object is a 3D printer tank comprising a container-type structure containing a photocurable resin, which constitutes the wall surface of the tank, from the inside to the outside at the lower end portion Steps are gradually increased to form the upper body formed with the gasket seating portion and the lower body coupling portion in turn; A lower body assembled with a bolt at a lower portion of the upper body, formed of a rectangular frame structure, and having a stepped structure in which an upper end portion thereof gradually increases to form a transparent plate support portion and an upper body coupling portion corresponding to the lower body coupling portion; A transparent plate assembled between the upper body and the lower body in a state of being positioned above the transparent plate support of the lower body to form a bottom surface of the water tank; And a gasket fitted between the gasket seating portion and the transparent plate of the upper body.

The transparent plate is preferably formed of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin.

The transparent plate is preferably formed so that the portion in which the gasket is in close contact with the predetermined height.

The main problem solving means of the present invention as described above, will be described in more detail and clearly through examples such as 'details for the implementation of the invention', or the accompanying 'drawings' to be described below, wherein In addition to the main problem solving means as described above, various problem solving means according to the present invention will be further presented and described.

Release tank for 3D printer according to the present invention is because the bottom plate is made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin can be easily separated from the molded article without coating the release agent to increase the moldability, can extend the service life of the tank It has an effect. Accordingly, there is an effect that can increase the economics and efficiency of the 3D printer.

In addition, the present invention is made of a structure for assembling the transparent plate between the upper body and the lower body is easy to assemble and manufacture the water tank, there is an effect that can reduce the production cost.

1 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which a release tank according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a 3D printer of the DLP method.

2 to 4 is a reference diagram showing a molding forming process and a molding separation process using a release tank according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a reference diagram for explaining a problem appearing when using a general water tank.

6 is a block diagram showing a state in which the release tank according to the present invention is applied to the 3D printer of the SLA method.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a release tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a perspective view showing a release tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

9 and 10 are top and bottom exploded perspective views showing a release tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a cutaway perspective view and a main part detail view showing a release tank according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, the 3D printer of the DLP method includes a release tank 10 in which a photocurable resin R is stored, and a top portion of the release tank 10 to support the molding F. It consists of the printing bed 20 and the light source 30 which irradiates the light which hardens resin in the lower part of the release water tank 10.

Here, the printing bed 20 is fixed to the peripheral structure so as to support the molding (F) in the upper portion of the release tank (10).

In addition, the light source 30 may be configured as a DLP projector for irradiating a laser for curing the photocurable resin (R).

Since the printing bed 20 and the light source 30 is a known configuration of the 3D printer of the DLP method, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, a mirror for adjusting the light irradiation direction may be installed between the light source 30 and the release tank 10, in addition to such a component may be configured to include a known configuration required for the 3D printer of the DLP method.

The mold release tank 10 will be described.

Release tank 10 is made of a container-type structure to accommodate the photocurable resin (R). The shape of the container-type structure can be configured in various ways depending on the implementation conditions, such as an open cube, cylindrical shape.

This release water tank 10 is manufactured by injection molding with polymethylpentene (TPX) resin.

Polymethylpentene (TPX or poly-4-methylpentene-1) resin is a transparent, heat-resistant polyolefin-based resin, one of polyolefins discovered in 1956 by Montecachina, Italy, abbreviated TPX from Transparent Polymer X. will be.

Polymethylpentene (TPX) resin has a chemical formula as shown in [Formula 1] below, exhibits unique transparency among crystalline polymers, has a visible light transmittance of 90% or more, and transmittance of ultraviolet rays is superior to glass or other resins. Do.

In particular, polymethylpentene (TPX) resin has a surface tension of 24 dyne / cm, followed by a fluorine resin, has a small and excellent mold release property, and is excellent in moldability and can be molded with a conventional injection molding machine.

Such properties are described below with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5 for the case where the release water tank 10 manufactured by injection molding with a polymethylpentene (TPX) resin is applied to a 3D printer of a DLP method. .

As shown in FIG. 2, a thermosetting resin (R) is placed in a release water tank (10) made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, and light is irradiated through a light source 30 to sequentially cure the resin to form a desired molding (F). Print out and produce. At this time, the release tank 10 is located on the upper portion of the base plate 41 constituting the separation device.

Subsequently, in order to separate the molding F from the mold release tank 10, as shown in FIG. 3, when the motor 43 of the separator is driven to change one height of the base plate 41, the base plate 41 is changed. ) Is inclined while rotating about the hinge 45, the mold (F) supported on the printing bed 20 is dropped while the release tank 10 is also inclined together as shown in Figs.

Here, referring to FIG. 5, in the case of the water tank 1 coated with a release agent 5 such as an existing release film, a phenomenon in which the release agent 5 is torn in the process of separating the molding F occurs.

However, since the release tank 10 according to the present invention is made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin having excellent release property, the molding F does not stick to the release tank 10 as shown in FIG. 4. Without, it can be separated from the release tank 10 smoothly.

Next, a state in which a release tank according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to an SLA type 3D printer will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

The 3D printer of the SLA method stores the photocurable resin R in the release tank 10B, and adjusts the laser beam irradiated through the laser irradiator 51 under the release tank 10B through the dynamic mirror 55. It is configured to cure the chemical resin (R) to produce the desired molding (F).

The release water tank 10B is made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin in whole or in part as in the 3D printer of the DLP method described above.

In the SLA-type 3D printer, when the molding F is separated from the mold release tank 10B through a separating device made of a motor 43, a base plate 41, or the like as shown in FIG. 3, the molding F is released. The phenomenon of sticking and tearing to the water tank 10B does not occur, and it can be separated from the release water tank 10B smoothly.

The mold release tank 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention as described above (10B), but the entire description is made of a polymethylpentene (TPX) resin center, but is not necessarily limited to this, a part of the release tank That is, it can also be configured to be made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin around the portion where the molding (F) is supported.

This mold release tank structure is demonstrated with reference to FIGS.

In the mold release tank 10A of another embodiment shown in FIG. 7, only the bottom 11 of the tank is made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, and the wall surface portion 15 constituting the circumferential surface of the tank is another transparent resin material. Is produced by.

That is, the wall portion 15 is made of a transparent material of acrylic, PC, glass, etc., and the bottom portion 11 is made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, so that the wall portion 15 and the bottom portion 11 It constitutes the release water tank 10A by the structure which attaches and couples together.

As such, even if only the bottom 11 is made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, the molded article may be separated after the molded article is manufactured.

Here, the wall portion 15 may be configured using an opaque material (resin, glass, metal material, etc.) instead of a transparent material, if necessary.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the entire bottom portion 11 was described as being made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, but according to the embodiment, only the part through which light is transmitted and the part on which the molded article is supported is polymethylpentene (TPX). It is also possible to fabricate a resin and combine it with a part made of another material.

8 to 11 is a view showing a release tank according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 8 is a perspective view of the assembled state, Figures 9 and 10 is an exploded perspective view of the upward and downward direction, Figure 11 is a cut It is a cross section.

Referring to these drawings, the release tank 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, the upper body 110 constituting the wall surface of the tank, coupled to the lower portion of the upper body 110 and the center portion is open. And a transparent plate 140 formed of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin and assembled between the upper body 110 and the lower body 150 to form a bottom surface of the water tank. The gasket 130 is provided between the upper body 110 and the transparent plate 140 to prevent leakage.

The upper body 110 and the lower body 150 may be manufactured using a metal material such as aluminum, and is preferably configured to have a structure assembled with a plurality of bolts 160. To this end, bolt fastening holes 114 and 154 are formed in the upper body 110 and the lower body 150 in the vertical direction, respectively, and bolts 160 are formed in the bolt fastening hole 114 of the upper body 110. It is made of a configuration that is fastened to the bolt fastening hole 154 of the lower body 150 in the inserted state.

The main components of the release tank 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail.

First, the upper body 110 may be formed in a square wall structure as illustrated in FIG.

The upper body 110 may have a flange portion 112 extended outward at an upper end portion thereof, and a drain groove 113 may be formed at one edge portion of the flange portion 112. In addition, a plurality of bolt fastening holes 114 are formed inside the wall at the upper end of the upper body 110.

The outer wall surface of the upper body 110 may be formed with a plurality of ribs 116 in the vertical direction. The rib 116 is a part formed for rigid reinforcement or weight reduction, and may be formed by the fat structure of the outer wall as illustrated in FIG. 8.

Steps are gradually formed from the inner side to the lower end of the upper body 110, the gasket seating portion 120 and the lower body coupling portion 118 is preferably formed in sequence.

That is, the upper body 110 is formed with a gasket seating portion 120 having a stepped cross-sectional structure so that the lower portion of the inner wall is inclined inwardly and the gasket 130 is seated on the lower portion of the extended portion. In addition, a lower body coupling part 118 having a stepped structure is assembled at the outer lower portion of the gasket seating part 120 of the upper body 110 to be fitted in contact with the inner side and the upper side of the lower body 150. Is formed.

Next, the lower body 150 is formed in a rectangular frame having an open center portion, and is assembled with the bolt 160 at the lower portion of the upper body 110 as described above.

The lower body 150 is formed in a two-stage structure, the inner portion of the upper end is low and the outer portion is high, which is to form the transparent plate support 158 and the upper body coupling portion 156 in turn.

That is, the lower body 150 has a transparent plate support 158 in which the transparent plate 140 is positioned in a relatively low inner circumferential portion is formed in a planar structure, and the upper body 110 in a relatively high outer circumferential portion. The upper body coupling portion 156 to which is coupled is configured.

In addition, the lower body 150 is preferably formed to have a flange portion 152 protruding more outward than the outer wall of the upper body 110. In FIG. 8, a flange portion 152 is formed on both front and rear portions of the lower body 150, and a flange portion is not formed on both left and right portions thereof.

Next, the transparent plate 140 is assembled between the upper body 110 and the lower body 150 in a state located above the transparent plate support part 158 of the lower body 150 described above, the bottom surface of the tank Configure

The transparent plate 140 is preferably formed in a plate-like structure as a whole. In addition, in the transparent plate 140, only the upper portion of the edge circumferential portion that is in close contact with the gasket 130, that is, the upper surface of the edge circumferential portion may be configured to form a gasket adhesion portion 142 protruding by a certain height. This is to increase the adhesion performance of the gasket 130.

As described above, the transparent plate 140 may be formed of a polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, but may be configured using another transparent material.

Next, the gasket 130 is preferably installed to be sandwiched between the gasket adhesion part 142 of the transparent plate 140 and the gasket seating part 120 of the upper body 110.

The gasket 130 is not limited to the installation position between the upper body 110 and the transparent plate 140, and may be provided between the transparent plate 140 and the lower body 150 depending on the implementation conditions. .

As described above, the technical idea described in the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented independently, or may be implemented in combination with each other. In addition, the present invention has been described through the embodiments described in the drawings and the detailed description of the invention, which is merely exemplary, and those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains various modifications and equivalent other embodiments therefrom It is possible. Therefore, the technical protection scope of the present invention will be defined by the appended claims.

The present invention is a release water tank, and since the bottom plate is made of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin, it is easy to separate molded products without coating a release agent, thereby improving moldability, and extending the service life of the water bath, which is a 3D printer. Not only can be applied to release tanks, but also can be used for various types of release tanks.

Claims

In the water tank for 3D printer consisting of a container-type structure containing a photocurable resin,

An upper body constituting the wall surface of the tank;

A lower body coupled to a lower portion of the upper body and having an open center portion;

A release tank for 3D printer, comprising a transparent plate formed of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin and assembled between the upper and lower bodies to form the bottom surface of the tank.
The method according to claim 1,

The upper body and the lower body release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the bolt assembly structure.
The method according to claim 2,

A bolt fastening hole is formed in the upper body and the lower body in the vertical direction, respectively, and the release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the bolt is inserted into the bolt fastening hole of the upper body is fastened to the bolt fastening hole of the lower body.
The method according to claim 1,

Release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the gasket for preventing leakage is provided between the upper body and the transparent plate or between the transparent plate and the lower body.
The method according to claim 4,

The upper body is a release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the gasket seating portion is formed of a stepped cross-sectional structure so that the gasket is seated on the lower end.
The method according to claim 5,

The upper body is a release tank for a 3D printer, characterized in that the lower end of the inner side is extended inward, the gasket seating portion is configured in the lower portion of the extended portion.
The method according to claim 4,

The transparent plate is a release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the portion in which the gasket is in close contact with the gasket close contact with a certain height formed.
The method according to claim 1,

The upper body has a flange portion that extends outward in the upper end portion, the drain groove is formed on one side of the flange portion, the release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the rib formed in the vertical direction on the outer wall.
The method according to claim 1,

The upper body is a release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the lower body is formed in the lower body engaging portion made of a stepped structure to be assembled while contacting the inner surface and the upper side of the lower body.
The method according to claim 1,

The lower body is made of a rectangular frame, release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the inner peripheral portion is low and the outer peripheral portion is formed in a high two-stage structure.
The method according to claim 10,

The lower body, the relatively low inner circumference portion constitutes a transparent plate support portion on which the transparent plate is located, the relatively high outer circumference portion constitutes an upper body coupling portion to which the upper body is coupled, the release for 3D printer water tank.
The method according to claim 1,

The lower body is a release tank for a 3D printer, characterized in that a portion of the bottom portion of the tank protrudes outwardly more than the outer wall of the upper body to have a flange-like structure.
In the water tank for 3D printer consisting of a container-type structure containing a photocurable resin,

An upper body constituting the wall surface of the tank, the step of which gradually increasing from the inner side to the outer side at the lower end is formed with the gasket seating portion and the lower body coupling portion in turn;

A lower body assembled with a bolt at a lower portion of the upper body, formed of a rectangular frame structure, and having a stepped structure in which an upper end portion thereof gradually increases to form a transparent plate support portion and an upper body coupling portion corresponding to the lower body coupling portion;

A transparent plate assembled between the upper body and the lower body in a state of being positioned above the transparent plate support of the lower body to form a bottom surface of the water tank;

Release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that it comprises a gasket fitted between the gasket seating portion and the transparent plate of the upper body.
The method according to claim 13,

The transparent plate is a release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that formed of polymethylpentene (TPX) resin.
The method according to claim 13,

The transparent plate is a release tank for 3D printer, characterized in that the portion in which the gasket is in close contact with the predetermined height formed to protrude.