阅读说明：本技术 激光3d打印装置 (Laser 3D printing device ) 是由 胡楚雄 汪泽 付宏 于 2021-07-21 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及光固化增材制造技术领域,尤其涉及一种激光3D打印装置。本申请采用的光固化材料作为原料,并通过激光源照射使光固化材料进行固化的方式,其原料为光固化材料在无激光照射的情况下不会出现固化的现象,因此有效地避免了出现FDM成型过程中,停机状态或者温度降低时热塑性材料固化封堵喷头的现象。同时,本申请采用料浆存储罐封闭收纳光固化浆料可有效地避免浆料接触空气中造成的液态高分子材料的挥发或凝固,保证光固化材料的稳定性。将激光源与料浆输出头靠近工作台设置,以使料浆输出头挤出在工作台上的料浆与激光源的光线焦点重合,可实现挤出浆料在工作台上的瞬间实现激光的及时照射,及时固化成型,保证了加工精度。(The invention relates to the technical field of photocuring additive manufacturing, in particular to a laser 3D printing device. The photocuring material that this application adopted is as the raw materials to shine the mode that makes photocuring material carry out the solidification through the laser source, its raw materials for photocuring material can not appear the phenomenon of solidification under the condition of no laser irradiation, consequently avoided appearing FDM forming process effectively, the phenomenon of thermoplastic material solidification shutoff shower nozzle when shut down state or temperature reduce. Simultaneously, this application adopts the ground paste storage jar to seal accomodates photocuring thick liquids can avoid volatilizing or solidifying of the liquid macromolecular material that causes in the thick liquids contact air effectively, guarantees photocuring material's stability. The laser source and the slurry output head are arranged close to the workbench, so that slurry extruded by the slurry output head on the workbench is superposed with the light focus of the laser source, timely irradiation of laser can be realized instantly when the extruded slurry is on the workbench, timely curing molding is realized, and the processing precision is ensured.)

1. The laser 3D printing device is characterized by comprising a workbench, a laser source and a slurry storage device for storing a photocuring material;

the slurry storage device comprises a slurry storage tank and a slurry output head communicated with the slurry storage tank;

the laser source is used for curing the light-cured material;

the laser source and the slurry output head are arranged close to the workbench, so that the slurry extruded on the workbench by the slurry output head coincides with the light focus of the laser source.

2. The laser 3D printing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a process drive connected with the laser source, the slurry output head, and the platen to move the laser source and the slurry output head relative to the platen.

3. The laser 3D printing device according to claim 2, wherein the processing drive comprises a first linear output mechanism, a second linear output mechanism, and a third linear output mechanism;

the first linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the laser source and the slurry output head and is used for driving the laser source and the slurry output head to do linear motion along a first preset direction;

the second linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the first linear output mechanism and is used for driving the first linear output mechanism to do linear motion along a second preset direction;

the third linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the workbench and is used for driving the workbench to do linear motion along a third preset direction;

the first preset direction, the second preset direction and the third preset direction are mutually perpendicular in pairs.

4. The laser 3D printing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the laser source and the slurry output head are connected to the first linear output mechanism by a link;

the link includes drive connecting block and with the connection panel that the drive connecting block is connected, the drive connecting block with first straight line output mechanism is connected, laser source and the ground paste output head all sets up on the connection panel.

5. The laser 3D printing device of claim 4, wherein the paste storage device further comprises a gimbaled bamboo tube and a conduit; one end of the guide pipe is connected with the slurry storage tank, and the other end of the guide pipe is connected with the slurry output head; the universal bamboo joint pipe is sleeved on the outer side of the guide pipe, one end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the connecting panel, and the other end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the slurry output head.

6. The laser 3D printing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the paste storage device further comprises a pushing piston rod slidably connected to the paste storage tank and disposed at an end away from the conduit, and a fourth linear output mechanism; and the fourth linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the material pushing piston rod through a push plate and is used for driving the material pushing piston rod to reciprocate along the inner wall of the slurry storage tank.

7. The laser 3D printing device according to claim 6, wherein the first linear output mechanism, the second linear output mechanism, the third linear output mechanism, and the fourth linear output mechanism all employ linear screw transmission mechanisms;

the linear screw transmission mechanism comprises a frame, a motor, a screw and two guide rods; the heads and the tails of the two guide rods are respectively connected to the two ends of the rack; one end of the screw rod is rotatably connected with the end part of the rack, the other end of the screw rod penetrates through the rack and is connected with the motor through a coupler, the motor is used for driving the screw rod to rotate, and the screw rod and the two guide rods are arranged in parallel at intervals;

the driving connecting block is provided with two through holes in sliding connection with the guide rod and a threaded hole in threaded fit with the screw rod, and the motor drives the screw rod to enable the driving connecting block to move linearly along the screw rod;

a rack bottom plate of the first linear output mechanism is provided with two through holes in sliding connection with the guide rod and a threaded hole in threaded fit with the screw rod, and the motor drives the screw rod to enable the first linear output mechanism to do linear motion along the screw rod;

the bottom plate of the workbench is provided with two through holes in sliding connection with the guide rods and threaded holes in threaded fit with the screw rods, and the motor drives the screw rods to enable the workbench to move linearly along the screw rods;

the push plate is provided with two through-holes and with guide bar sliding connection's screw hole with screw rod screw-thread fit, motor drive the screw rod so that the push plate is along linear motion is to the screw rod, the push plate drives it is reciprocating motion to push away material piston rod.

8. The laser 3D printing device according to claim 7, further comprising a control device electrically connected to the first, second, third, and fourth linear output mechanisms, respectively.

9. Laser 3D printing device according to any of claims 1 to 8,

the slurry output head comprises a conical sharp-nose pipe and a switch control valve; the switch control valve is connected with the conical sharp-nose pipe and is used for controlling the switch of the discharge hole;

and/or the slurry storage tank is made of a light-tight material.

10. The laser 3D printing apparatus of claim 9, wherein the slurry storage tank is made of brown glass or glass wrapped with black paper.

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of photocuring additive manufacturing, in particular to a laser 3D printing device.

Background

The 3D printing technology is commonly used at present, and three technologies commonly used in the prior art are SLA (Stereo lithography) photocuring technology, DLP (Digital Light processing) photocuring technology, and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM).

In the related art, 3D printing apparatuses using SLA photocuring technology and DLP photocuring technology need to put photosensitive resin into an open accommodating tank, and then cure and mold the photosensitive resin by light source irradiation, so that the performance of the material to be molded is inevitably unstable. Therefore, at present, the 3D printing equipment adopting the FDM technology is frequently used, and the equipment includes a nozzle having a processing function and a control device capable of controlling the nozzle to operate along the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis.

However, in the 3D printing apparatus adopting the FDM technique, the inside of the nozzle is easily blocked, which affects the processing efficiency.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a laser 3D printing device, which can effectively solve the above or other potential technical problems.

A first aspect of the present invention provides a laser 3D printing apparatus comprising a table, a laser source, and a paste storage device for storing a photocurable material. The slurry storage device comprises a slurry storage tank and a slurry output head communicated with the slurry storage tank. The laser source is used for curing the light-cured material. The laser source and the slurry output head are arranged close to the workbench, so that the slurry extruded on the workbench by the slurry output head coincides with the light focus of the laser source.

In an optional embodiment according to the first aspect, the laser 3D printing apparatus further comprises a processing drive connected with the laser source, the slurry output head and the work table to move the laser source and the slurry output head relative to the work table. What need explain sets up the processing driving piece, just the processing driving piece with the laser source the ground paste is exported the head and the workstation is connected so that the laser source with the ground paste is exported the head with the workstation moves relatively, and then realizes that the ground paste is exported the head and can be followed according to predetermineeing the route on the workstation and export the light solidification ground paste, and the laser source is followed simultaneously and is shone in time to realize the solidification.

In an alternative embodiment according to the first aspect, the machine drive comprises a first linear output mechanism, a second linear output mechanism and a third linear output mechanism; the first linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the laser source and the slurry output head and is used for driving the laser source and the slurry output head to do linear motion along a first preset direction; the second linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the first linear output mechanism and is used for driving the first linear output mechanism to do linear motion along a second preset direction; the third linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the workbench and is used for driving the workbench to do linear motion along a third preset direction; the first preset direction, the second preset direction and the third preset direction are mutually perpendicular in pairs. In this embodiment, the processing driving member includes a first linear output mechanism, a second linear output mechanism, and a third linear output mechanism. The first linear output mechanism is used for driving the laser source and the slurry output head to make linear motion along a first preset direction, namely, to move along the up-and-down direction in the figure. The second linear output mechanism is used for driving the first linear output mechanism to do linear motion along a second preset direction, namely, the second linear output mechanism runs along the left-right direction in the figure. The third linear output mechanism is used for driving the workbench to do linear motion along a third preset direction, namely, the workbench moves along the front-back direction in the figure. And the first preset direction, the second preset direction and the third preset direction are mutually perpendicular in pairs. Namely, the laser source and the slurry output head can move along the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis relative to the workbench, namely point-to-line processing and line-to-surface processing are carried out on the workbench. And after the previous layer is processed, the laser source and the slurry output head are far away from the workbench by the thickness of one layer, and the next layer is processed, so that the forming processing from the surface to the body is realized.

In an alternative embodiment according to the first aspect, the laser source and the slurry output head are connected to the first linear output mechanism by a link; the link includes drive connecting block and with the connection panel that the drive connecting block is connected, the drive connecting block with first straight line output mechanism is connected, laser source and the ground paste output head all sets up on the connection panel. It should be noted that the laser source and the slurry output head are both arranged on the connecting panel, so that the consistent operation of the laser source and the slurry output head is convenient to ensure, the slurry output head is extruded out of the slurry on the workbench and the light focus of the laser source is coincided, the stability of the distance and the position between the laser source and the slurry output head is also realized, and then the timely irradiation, the timely solidification, the processing stability and the processing precision are ensured. The driving connecting block is connected with the first linear output mechanism, so that driving connection can be realized, the connecting panel is connected with the driving connecting block, and the connecting panel drives the laser source to move along with the slurry output head. Illustratively, in this embodiment, the laser source and the slurry output head are both detachably connected to the connecting panel, so that the laser source and the slurry output head can be detached for maintenance or replacement when a fault occurs or parts need to be adjusted and replaced.

In an alternative embodiment according to the first aspect, the slurry storage device further comprises a gimbaled bamboo joint tube and a conduit; one end of the guide pipe is connected with the slurry storage tank, and the other end of the guide pipe is connected with the slurry output head; the universal bamboo joint pipe is sleeved on the outer side of the guide pipe, one end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the connecting panel, and the other end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the slurry output head. It should be noted that the guide pipe is arranged to enable slurry in the slurry storage tank to flow to the slurry output head, so that the slurry output head and the slurry storage tank are separately arranged, the structure is simple, and the maintenance cost is reduced. The universal bamboo joint pipe is sleeved on the outer side of the guide pipe, one end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the connecting panel, the other end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the slurry output head, the inclined angle of the slurry output head can be adjusted through the universal bamboo joint pipe conveniently, and extruded slurry can be placed on the focus of the laser source conveniently. In this embodiment, the universal bamboo joint pipe of adjustment makes the ground paste output head be located the end of slope gliding from top to bottom crooked, is convenient for make one section near the ground paste output head present the route of gliding, and it is smooth and easy to realize the ejection of compact. Meanwhile, the slurry output head is obliquely arranged instead of directly arranged, so that the discharging path of the slurry output head is conveniently in an arc polishing path, and the slurry extruded by the slurry output head on the workbench is coincided with the light focus of the laser source. And the interference with the laser source is avoided in the setting, so that the phenomenon that the slurry is solidified at the slurry output head to cause plugging due to the fact that the light of the laser source irradiates the slurry output head is avoided.

In an alternative embodiment according to the first aspect, the slurry storage device further comprises a pushing piston rod slidably connected to the slurry storage tank and disposed at an end remote from the conduit, and a fourth linear output mechanism; and the fourth linear output mechanism is in transmission connection with the material pushing piston rod through a push plate and is used for driving the material pushing piston rod to reciprocate along the inner wall of the slurry storage tank. The material pushing piston rod and the fourth output mechanism are arranged, so that the fourth output mechanism can push the material pushing piston rod by pushing the push plate in the machining process, and light-cured slurry in the slurry storage tank enters the slurry output head along the guide pipe along with the pushing of the material pushing piston rod and is output on the workbench from the slurry output head, so that automatic discharging is realized.

In an alternative embodiment according to the first aspect, the first linear output mechanism, the second linear output mechanism, the third linear output mechanism and the fourth linear output mechanism all employ linear screw transmission mechanisms; the linear screw transmission mechanism comprises a frame, a motor, a screw and two guide rods; the heads and the tails of the two guide rods are respectively connected to the two ends of the rack; one end of the screw rod is rotatably connected with the end part of the rack, the other end of the screw rod penetrates through the rack and is connected with the motor through a coupler, the motor is used for driving the screw rod to rotate, and the screw rod and the two guide rods are arranged in parallel at intervals; the driving connecting block is provided with two through holes in sliding connection with the guide rod and a threaded hole in threaded fit with the screw rod, and the motor drives the screw rod to enable the driving connecting block to move linearly along the screw rod; a rack bottom plate of the first linear output mechanism is provided with two through holes in sliding connection with the guide rod and a threaded hole in threaded fit with the screw rod, and the motor drives the screw rod to enable the first linear output mechanism to do linear motion along the screw rod; the bottom plate of the workbench is provided with two through holes in sliding connection with the guide rods and threaded holes in threaded fit with the screw rods, and the motor drives the screw rods to enable the workbench to move linearly along the screw rods; the push plate is provided with two through-holes and with guide bar sliding connection's screw hole with screw rod screw-thread fit, motor drive the screw rod so that the push plate is along linear motion is to the screw rod, the push plate drives it is reciprocating motion to push away material piston rod. It should be noted that the first linear output mechanism, the second linear output mechanism, the third linear output mechanism, and the fourth linear output mechanism are all linear screw transmission mechanisms. The linear screw transmission mechanism is a transmission structure with simple structure and strong operability, is convenient for realizing stable linear motion, and simultaneously has simple structure and is convenient for reducing the operation difficulty.

In an optional embodiment according to the first aspect, the laser 3D printing apparatus further comprises a control device, and the control device is electrically connected to the first linear output mechanism, the second linear output mechanism, the third linear output mechanism, and the fourth linear output mechanism, respectively. It should be noted that the control device is configured to control the processing path and the running speed of the slurry output head in the processing process through the first linear output mechanism, the second linear output mechanism and the third linear output mechanism. Meanwhile, the fourth linear output mechanism is controlled, so that the discharging speed is convenient to control. In the actual processing production process, reasonable printing speed can be set through the control device, and the first linear output mechanism, the second linear output mechanism and the third linear output mechanism are subjected to multi-axis linkage to ensure that the shape of each layer is printed. The user can adjust the extrusion speed of the slurry according to the proportional relation of the aperture of the slurry storage tank and the aperture of the guide pipe and by combining the rotating speed of the motor of the fourth linear output mechanism, and the speed is coordinated with the multi-axis motion linear speed of the first linear output mechanism, the second linear output mechanism and the third linear output mechanism to adjust, so that the extrusion speed of the slurry is ensured to be adaptive to the multi-axis motion speed.

In an alternative embodiment according to the first aspect, the slurry output head comprises a tapered tip tube and an on-off control valve; the switch control valve is connected with the conical sharp-nose pipe and is used for controlling the switch of the discharge hole; and/or the slurry storage tank is made of a light-tight material. It should be noted that the tapered sharp-nose pipe is convenient for realizing smooth output of slurry, and enables the front end to travel and process more accurately. And a switch control valve is arranged, so that whether the slurry is output or not can be conveniently controlled. The slurry storage tank is made of light-tight materials, so that the slurry in the slurry storage tank can be effectively protected from light for storage, and quality change caused by reaction of the slurry through illumination is avoided.

In an alternative embodiment according to the first aspect, the slurry storage tank is made of brown glass, or glass wrapped in black paper. It should be noted that, by using brown glass or glass wrapped by black paper, the above two materials can meet the requirement of light impermeability, and are easy to obtain and low in manufacturing cost.

The application provides a pair of laser 3D printing device compares with prior art, possesses following beneficial effect at least:

the photocuring material that this application adopted is as the raw materials to shine the mode that makes the photocuring material carry out the solidification through the laser source, need solid-state to liquid when shaping for the FDM, it is different to solid-state conversion again, this application shaping principle, the phenomenon of solidification can not appear for the photocuring material under the condition of no laser irradiation, consequently avoided appearing FDM forming process effectively, the phenomenon of thermoplastic material solidification shutoff shower nozzle when shut down state or temperature reduction. Simultaneously, this application adopts the ground paste storage jar to seal accomodates photocuring thick liquids can avoid volatilizing or solidifying of the liquid macromolecular material that causes in the thick liquids contact air effectively, guarantees photocuring material's stability. The laser source and the slurry output head are arranged close to the workbench, so that the slurry output head extrudes slurry on the workbench and the light focus of the laser source are overlapped, timely irradiation of laser can be realized instantly when the slurry is extruded on the workbench in the forming process, the slurry is cured and formed in time, and the processing precision is guaranteed.

Advantages of additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention will become more readily understood by the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example and not limitation, in the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 is a schematic overall structure diagram of a laser 3D printing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a schematic partial structure diagram of a laser 3D printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a linear screw transmission mechanism of a laser 3D printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is an overall structural schematic diagram of a bamboo joint unit of the laser 3D printing apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application at a first viewing angle;

fig. 5 is an overall structural schematic diagram of a bamboo joint unit of the laser 3D printing apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application at a second viewing angle;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of FIG. 5;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of two joint units of the laser 3D printing apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application in a combined state.

Reference numerals:

11-a workbench; 12-a laser source;

121-driving connecting blocks; 123-a connection panel;

13-a slurry storage means; 131-a slurry storage tank;

132-a slurry output head; 1321-tapered sharpened tube;

1322-on-off control valve; 133-universal bamboo joint pipe;

134-a catheter; 135-bamboo joint unit;

1351-first connection; 1352-a second connection;

1353-a containing cavity; 1354-channel;

136-pushing piston rod; 137-a fourth linear output mechanism;

138-a push plate; 141-a first linear output mechanism;

142-a second linear output mechanism; 143-a third linear output mechanism;

151-a frame; 152-a motor;

153-screw rod; 154-guide bar.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the drawings are illustrative and intended to be illustrative of the invention and are not to be construed as limiting the invention.

It should be understood that the following examples do not limit the order of execution of the steps of the claimed method. The various steps of the method of the invention can be performed in any possible order and in a round-robin fashion without contradicting each other.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships based on those shown in the drawings, and are used merely for convenience in describing the present invention and for simplicity in description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed in a particular orientation, and be operated, and thus, are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means at least two, e.g., two, three, etc., unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; may be a mechanical connection; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship, unless expressly stated otherwise. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above are not necessarily intended to refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, various embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without contradiction.

In the prior art, FDM technology is adopted for 3D printing equipment, the equipment comprises a spray head with a processing function and a control device capable of controlling the spray head to operate along an X axis, a Y axis and a Z axis, in the processing process, extrusion spraying and solidification of materials are completed on one layer, then extrusion spraying and solidification are continuously repeated on the solidified materials, layer by layer deposition is carried out, and finally molded products are manufactured. However, as the fused and resolidified thermoplastic material is involved in the nozzle processed by the FDM technique, when the nozzle is shut down or the temperature of the nozzle is reduced, the thermoplastic material is solidified, which is likely to cause a blocking fault in the nozzle, and affects the processing efficiency and the processing precision.

In view of this, the laser 3D printing device provided in the embodiment of the present application adopts the light-curing material as the raw material, and the light-curing material is cured by irradiation of the laser source, and the conversion from the solid state to the liquid state to the solid state is different when FDM is formed. Simultaneously, this application adopts the ground paste storage jar to seal accomodates photocuring thick liquids can avoid volatilizing or solidifying of the liquid macromolecular material that causes in the thick liquids contact air effectively, guarantees photocuring material's stability. The laser source and the slurry output head are arranged close to the workbench, so that the slurry output head extrudes slurry on the workbench and the light focus of the laser source are overlapped, timely irradiation of laser can be realized instantly when the slurry is extruded on the workbench in the forming process, the slurry is cured and formed in time, and the processing precision is guaranteed.

Fig. 1 is a schematic overall structure diagram of a laser 3D printing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 2 is a schematic partial structure diagram of the laser 3D printing apparatus provided in the embodiment of the present application. Referring to fig. 1 and 2, a laser 3D printing apparatus provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a worktable 11, a laser source 12, and a slurry storage device 13 for storing a photo-curing material. The slurry storage means 13 comprises a slurry storage tank 131 and a slurry outlet head 132 in communication with the slurry storage tank 131. The laser source 12 is used to cure the light curable material. Wherein, the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are arranged close to the worktable 11, so that the slurry extruded on the worktable 11 by the slurry output head 132 is coincident with the light focus of the laser source 12.

The table 11 is used for receiving product processing, receiving slurry of the light curing material to be cured, and performing the product processing on the table 11. Illustratively, the stage 11 is provided in a plate-like configuration, and a flat surface of the stage 11 is provided on a side opposite to the laser source 12 and the slurry discharge head 132.

The laser light source 12 is used to cure the photo-setting material, and specifically, the laser light source 12 emits laser light that irradiates the photo-setting slurry output on the stage 11, thereby curing the photo-setting slurry. Illustratively, the laser source 12 is a high-energy laser source 12 that can emit high-energy laser light to further increase the curing speed.

The slurry storage device 13 is used for storing the light-curing material, and includes a slurry storage tank 131 and a slurry output head 132 communicating with the slurry storage tank 131. It should be noted that, by adopting the slurry storage tank 131 to store the photo-curing slurry in a sealed manner, the volatilization or solidification of the liquid polymer material caused by the slurry contacting with the air can be effectively avoided, and the stability of the photo-curing material is ensured. For example, the slurry storage tank 131 may be configured to be a cylindrical structure, so that the subsequent discharging is realized by pushing material, and the cylindrical slurry storage tank 131 has a simple structure and is convenient to process. Illustratively, the slurry storage tank 131 is made of a light-proof material, and the slurry storage tank 131 is made of a light-proof material, so that the slurry in the slurry storage tank 131 can be effectively protected from light and quality change caused by reaction of light. Illustratively, in this embodiment, the slurry storage tank 131 is made of brown glass or black paper-wrapped glass. It will be appreciated that the specific material used for the slurry storage tank 131 is not limited, and in other embodiments, the slurry storage tank 131 may be made of other materials, or in a manner that is both non-reactive with the slurry of the photocurable material and non-light-transmissive, depending on the needs of the user.

The slurry outlet 132, the slurry of the light curable material in the slurry storage tank 131 is controllably discharged through the slurry outlet 132. The slurry output head 132 comprises a tapered tip pipe 1321 and an on-off control valve 1322; the switch control valve 1322 and the tapered sharp-pointed nozzle 1321 are connected to control the opening and closing of the discharge hole, and it should be noted that the tapered sharp-pointed nozzle 1321 facilitates smooth output of slurry and enables the front end to travel and process more accurately. The switch control valve 1322 is arranged, so that whether the slurry is output or not can be conveniently controlled.

The laser source 12 and the slurry discharge head 132 are disposed close to the table 11, so that the slurry discharged from the slurry discharge head 132 onto the table 11 coincides with the light focus of the laser source 12. So that the slurry extruded by the slurry output head 132 on the workbench 11 coincides with the light focus of the laser source 12, and in the forming process, the timely irradiation of laser can be realized instantly when the extruded slurry is on the workbench 11, the curing forming is realized in time, and the processing precision is ensured.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the laser 3D printing apparatus further comprises a machining drive connected with the laser source 12, the slurry output head 132 and the work table 11 to move the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 relative to the work table 11. It should be noted that, a processing driving element is arranged, and the processing driving element is connected with the laser source 12, the slurry output head 132 and the workbench 11 so that the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 can run relative to the workbench 11, and then the slurry output head 132 can output light curing slurry on the workbench 11 according to a preset path, and meanwhile, the laser source 12 follows to irradiate and timely realize curing.

Exemplarily, in the present embodiment, the machining driver includes a first linear output mechanism 141, a second linear output mechanism 142, and a third linear output mechanism 143. The first linear output mechanism 141 is in transmission connection with the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132, and is configured to drive the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 to perform a linear motion along a first preset direction. The second linear output mechanism 142 is in transmission connection with the first linear output mechanism 141, and is configured to drive the first linear output mechanism 141 to make a linear motion along a second preset direction. The third linear output mechanism 143 is in transmission connection with the workbench 11, and is configured to drive the workbench 11 to perform a linear motion along a third preset direction. The first preset direction, the second preset direction and the third preset direction are mutually vertical pairwise. In the present embodiment, the machining driver includes a first linear output mechanism 141, a second linear output mechanism 142, and a third linear output mechanism 143. The first linear output mechanism 141 is used for driving the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 to move linearly along a first preset direction, i.e. along the up-down direction in the figure. The second linear output mechanism 142 is used for driving the first linear output mechanism 141 to make a linear motion along a second preset direction, i.e. along the left-right direction in the figure. The third linear output mechanism 143 is configured to drive the table 11 to move linearly along a third predetermined direction, i.e., along the front-back direction in the figure. And the first preset direction, the second preset direction and the third preset direction are mutually vertical pairwise. That is, the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 can be operated along the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis with respect to the table 11, that is, point-to-line processing and then line-to-surface processing can be performed on the table 11. After the previous layer is processed, the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are moved away from the table 11 by the thickness of one layer, and the next layer is processed, thereby realizing the forming process from the surface to the body.

It should be noted that the present application does not limit the specific driving manner of the machining driving element, and in other specific embodiments, the machining driving element may be configured as a robot arm capable of performing three-dimensional operation according to the requirement of the user. Alternatively, and with the linear output mechanisms described above, the relative driving method can be adjusted adaptively, for example, three linear output mechanisms can be used to drive the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 so that they can independently move along the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, while the stage 11 remains stationary. The laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 can be fixed, the three linear output mechanisms are in transmission connection with the workbench 11 to enable the linear output mechanisms to run along the X axis, the Y axis and the Z axis, and the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 run relative to the workbench 11 by driving the workbench 11 to achieve machining and forming of a three-dimensional path. The user can adjust and distribute the adaptability of the three linear output mechanisms between the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 and the workbench 11 according to the requirements, so that the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 can run relative to the workbench 11, and the three-dimensional path machining forming can be realized.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are connected to the first linear output mechanism 141 by a link. The connection frame comprises a driving connection block 121 and a connection panel 123 connected with the driving connection block 121, the driving connection block 121 is connected with the first linear output mechanism 141, and the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are both arranged on the connection panel 123. It should be noted that, the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are both disposed on the connection panel 123, so as to ensure that the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 operate in unison, and ensure that the slurry extruded by the slurry output head 132 on the working table 11 coincides with the light focus of the laser source 12, that is, the distance and position stability between the two are also achieved, and further, the irradiation, solidification, processing stability and processing precision are ensured in time. The driving connection block 121 is connected to the first linear output mechanism 141, so that the driving connection can be realized, and the connection panel 123 is connected to the driving connection block 121, that is, the connection panel 123 drives the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 to operate therewith. Illustratively, in the present embodiment, the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are both detachably connected to the connection panel 123, so that when a failure occurs or a need arises to adjust and replace parts, the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are detached for maintenance or replacement.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, slurry storage device 13 further includes a gimbaled tube 133 and a conduit 134; one end of the conduit 134 is connected with the slurry storage tank 131, and the other end is connected with the slurry output head 132; the universal bamboo joint pipe 133 is sleeved outside the guide pipe 134, and one end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the connection panel 123, and the other end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the slurry output head 132. It should be noted that the conduit 134 is provided for flowing the slurry in the slurry storage tank 131 to the slurry output head 132, so as to separate the slurry output head 132 from the slurry storage tank 131, which has a simple structure and reduces the maintenance cost. The universal bamboo joint pipe 133 is arranged to be sleeved outside the guide pipe 134, one end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the connecting panel 123, the other end of the universal bamboo joint pipe is connected to the slurry output head 132, the inclined angle of the slurry output head 132 can be adjusted through the universal bamboo joint pipe 133 conveniently, and the extruded slurry can be placed on the focus of the laser source 12 conveniently. In this embodiment, the adjustment universal bamboo joint pipe 133 is bent from top to bottom to make the slurry output head 132 be located at the end of the inclined downward sliding, so that a downward sliding path is presented at a section close to the slurry output head 132, and smooth discharging is realized. Meanwhile, the slurry output head 132 is arranged obliquely rather than in a direct-type arrangement, so that the discharge path of the slurry output head 132 presents a polished arc path, and the slurry extruded by the slurry output head 132 on the workbench 11 coincides with the light focus of the laser source 12. And the interference with the laser source 12 is avoided in the setting, so that the phenomenon that the slurry is solidified at the slurry output head 132 to cause plugging due to the fact that the light of the laser source 12 irradiates the slurry output head 132 is avoided.

Referring to fig. 4 to 7, the universal bamboo joint pipe 133 includes a plurality of bamboo joint units 135, each bamboo joint unit 135 includes a first connection portion 1351 and a second connection portion 1352, the first connection portion 1351 is spherical, the second connection portion 1352 is truncated conical, the first connection portion 1351 is disposed at an end portion of the second connection portion 1352 with a smaller cross-sectional area, and the second connection portion 1352 defines a receiving cavity 1353 for the first connection portion 1351 of an adjacent bamboo joint unit 135. The bamboo joint unit 135 further includes a passage 1354 passing through the first and second connection portions 1351 and 1352. The second connection portions 1352 of the bamboo joint units 135 are sleeved on the first connection portions 1351 of the adjacent bamboo joint units 135, and the plurality of bamboo joint units 135 are sequentially sleeved and connected to form the universal bamboo joint pipe 133. The first connection portion 1351 and the second connection portion 1352 form a ball joint, so that the universal bamboo joint pipe 133 has high plasticity due to the tightness of fit, and the universal bamboo joint pipe 133 is easily bent and changed in shape by an external force and has the ability to maintain the shape unchanged. The conduit 134 runs through the channels 1354 of each bamboo joint unit 135 in turn, and the slurry output head 132 is inclined by adjusting the universal bamboo joint pipe 133, so that the slurry extruded by the conduit is placed at the focus of the laser source 12.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the slurry storage device 13 further comprises a pushing piston rod 136 and a fourth linear output mechanism 137, wherein the pushing piston rod 136 is slidably connected to the slurry storage tank 131 and is disposed at one end away from the conduit 134; the fourth linear output mechanism 137 is in transmission connection with the pushing piston rod 136 through a push plate 138, and is used for driving the pushing piston rod 136 to reciprocate along the inner wall of the slurry storage tank 131. It should be noted that, the material pushing piston rod 136 and the fourth output mechanism are provided, so that in the processing process, the fourth output mechanism pushes the material pushing piston rod 136 by pushing the push plate 138, and along with the pushing of the material pushing piston rod 136, the photo-cured slurry in the slurry storage tank 131 enters the slurry output head 132 along the guide pipe 134 and is output from the slurry output head 132 onto the working table 11, so as to achieve automatic discharging.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a linear screw transmission mechanism of a laser 3D printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application, and referring to fig. 3, in an alternative exemplary embodiment, a linear screw transmission mechanism is adopted for each of the first linear output mechanism 141, the second linear output mechanism 142, the third linear output mechanism 143, and the fourth linear output mechanism 137. The linear screw transmission mechanism comprises a frame 151, a motor 152, a screw 153 and two guide rods 154; the heads and the tails of the two guide rods 154 are respectively connected to the two ends of the frame 151; one end of the screw 153 is rotatably connected with the end of the frame 151, the other end of the screw 153 penetrates through the frame 151 and is connected with the motor 152 through a coupling, the motor 152 is used for driving the screw 153 to rotate, and the screw 153 and the two guide rods 154 are arranged in parallel at intervals. The driving connection block 121 is provided with two through holes slidably connected to the guide rods 154 and a threaded hole threadedly engaged with the screw 153, and the motor 152 drives the screw 153 to linearly move the driving connection block 121 along the screw 153. The bottom plate of the frame 151 of the first linear output mechanism 141 is provided with two through holes slidably connected with the guide rod 154 and a threaded hole in threaded fit with the screw 153, and the motor 152 drives the screw 153 to make the first linear output mechanism 141 move linearly along the screw 153. The bottom plate of the working table 11 is provided with two through holes slidably connected with the guide rods 154 and a threaded hole in threaded fit with the screw 153, and the motor 152 drives the screw 153 to make the working table 11 move linearly along the screw 153. The push plate 138 is provided with two through holes slidably connected with the guide rod 154 and a threaded hole in threaded fit with the screw 153, the motor 152 drives the screw 153 to make the push plate 138 move linearly along the screw 153, and the push plate 138 drives the pushing piston rod 136 to move back and forth.

In addition, the first linear output mechanism 141, the second linear output mechanism 142, the third linear output mechanism 143, and the fourth linear output mechanism 137 are all linear screw transmission mechanisms. The linear screw transmission mechanism is a transmission structure with simple structure and strong operability, is convenient for realizing stable linear motion, and simultaneously has simple structure and is convenient for reducing the operation difficulty.

In an alternative exemplary embodiment, the laser 3D printing apparatus further includes a control device electrically connected to the first straight output mechanism 141, the second straight output mechanism 142, the third straight output mechanism 143, and the fourth straight output mechanism 137, respectively. The control device is provided to control the processing path and the speed at which the slurry discharge head 132 moves during the processing by the first linear discharge mechanism 141, the second linear discharge mechanism 142, and the third linear discharge mechanism 143. Meanwhile, the discharging speed is convenient to control through controlling the fourth linear output mechanism 137. In the actual processing production process, a reasonable printing speed can be set through the control device, and the first linear output mechanism 141, the second linear output mechanism 142 and the third linear output mechanism 143 are subjected to multi-axis linkage to ensure that the shape of each layer is printed. The user can adjust the extrusion speed of the slurry according to the proportional relationship between the aperture diameters of the slurry storage tank 131 and the conduit 134, and by combining the rotation speed of the motor 152 of the fourth linear output mechanism 137, and adjust the extrusion speed of the slurry in cooperation with the multi-axis movement linear speeds of the first linear output mechanism 141, the second linear output mechanism 142 and the third linear output mechanism 143, so as to ensure that the extrusion speed of the slurry is adapted to the multi-axis movement speed. Illustratively, if the extrusion speed of the slurry is x ml/s, and the linear speed of the laser focus moving relative to the workpiece table is y cm/s, the control device is adjusted to enable 0.8x to be less than y to be less than 1.2x, so that the uniformity of a discharging path is ensured, and the machining precision is ensured.

In the prior art, the operating principle of the SLA photocuring technology is to cure the photosensitive resin by using a single laser as an exposure light source, and the equipment includes a single laser source arranged on a lifting worktable and an open accommodating tank; the adopted raw materials comprise photosensitive resin, in the processing process, the liquid photosensitive resin is placed in a resin tank, a single laser source is driven by a lifting workbench to descend to the height of the thickness of the next section layer of the liquid level, focused laser beams are used for scanning along the liquid level under the control of a computer, the resin in a scanned area is solidified, the lifting workbench descends again subsequently, the scanning is performed again, and the steps are repeated to process a molded product. The DLP photocuring technology adopts the working principle that a digital light source performs layer-by-layer projection on the surface of liquid photosensitive resin in a surface exposure mode, and the liquid photosensitive resin is cured and molded layer by layer. The processing equipment comprises a high-resolution Digital Light Processor (DLP) projector and an open accommodating tank which are arranged on a lifting workbench, the adopted raw materials comprise photosensitive resin, and the sheet is cured through layer-by-layer surface exposure to process a molded product. In the SLA printing process, a workpiece is soaked in a tank of liquid resin, the requirement on the resin amount is high, the forming precision is low, and a material to be formed is easily subjected to polymerization reaction because the material is placed in an open environment, so that the performance of the material is unstable. Precision of DLP printing technology DLP light source resolution, high resolution light sources can cause high costs. And the requirement on the performance of a high-energy laser is high when a large-size surface is printed, large-size high-precision exposure is difficult to realize, high energy consumption is required in the forming process, the material to be formed is easy to generate chemical reaction, and the performance of the material to be formed is unstable.

In view of this, in the present application, the printing width depends on the operation of the slurry discharge head 132, and therefore, even if the working width is enlarged, the working accuracy is not affected. The slurry is stored in the sealed slurry storage tank 131, which is safer than the conventional SLA and DLP method of holding the slurry in an open tank, and prevents the volatilization and solidification of the liquid polymer material caused in the air when the slurry is left standing. Simultaneously, the laser 3D printing device provided by the application is simple in structure, and low in processing cost and maintenance cost.

To further illustrate the structural principle of the laser 3D printing apparatus in the present application, a processing method using the laser 3D printing apparatus will now be shown as follows:

and (3) sliding the push plate 138 in the direction away from the slurry storage tank 131 to separate the material pushing piston rod 136 from the slurry storage tank 131, adding the slurry into the slurry storage tank 131 from the exit position of the material pushing piston rod 136, and after the material addition is finished, pushing the push plate 138 to enable the material pushing piston rod 136 to enter the slurry storage tank 131, so that the slurry is stored in the slurry storage tank 131 in a sealed manner.

The adjustment control device controls the first straight line output mechanism 141, the second straight line output mechanism 142 and the third straight line output mechanism 143; so that the laser source 12 is brought close to the workpiece stage and is operated to be aligned with a preset position as a processing start point.

The adjustment control device controls the fourth linear output mechanism 137 to push the push plate 138, so that the light-cured slurry is output from the slurry storage tank 131 to the slurry output head 132 along the conduit 134 and stably flows out from the slurry output head 132.

Starting the laser source 12, adjusting the focus of the laser source to make the focus fall on the workpiece table, after determining the focus of the laser source 12, moving the universal bamboo joint pipe 133 to make the slurry extruded by the slurry output head 132 on the worktable 11 coincide with the light focus of the laser source 12, and closing the laser source 12 after adjusting.

An appropriate printing speed is set according to the 3D printing path calculated by the slicing software, the first straight line output mechanism 141, the second straight line output mechanism 142, and the third straight line output mechanism 143 are turned on, and the three are subjected to multi-axis linkage by the control device, thereby ensuring that the shape of each layer is printed. Meanwhile, the fourth linear output mechanism 137 is started, the on-off control valve 1322 for controlling the tapered tip pipe 1321 is started, and the control device adjusts the operation speeds of the first linear output mechanism 141, the second linear output mechanism 142, the third linear output mechanism 143 and the fourth linear output mechanism 137, for example, if the slurry extrusion speed is x ml/s and the linear speed of the laser focus moving relative to the workpiece table is y cm/s, the speeds satisfy 0.8x < y <1.2x, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the discharge path.

After the slurry is stably discharged from the slurry discharge head 132, the laser source 12 is turned on, and the laser power is adjusted according to the thickness of the extruded slurry, and the power of the laser source 12 is set to 2W or more, for example.

After the first layer preset path is completed, the second linear output mechanism 142, the third linear output mechanism 143 and the fourth linear output mechanism 137 are closed, and the on-off control valve 1322 is closed. The control device controls the first linear output mechanism 141 to realize that the laser source 12 and the slurry output head 132 are lifted by a distance of one thickness of the processed slurry, and the processing and forming of the second layer are started, and the steps are repeated until all the processing and forming are finished.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and not for limiting the same; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

It should be noted that the various features described in the above embodiments may be combined in any suitable manner without departing from the scope of the invention. The invention is not described in detail in order to avoid unnecessary repetition.