TW201522019A - Three-dimensional printing apparatus and printing head module - Google Patents

Abstract

A three-dimensional printing apparatus includes a base having a carrying surface, a plurality of printing heads, a printing head switching unit, and a control unit. Each printing head includes a material-supply channel and a nozzle. The material-supply channels connect and transmit a plurality of base materials to the corresponding nozzles respectively. The base materials respectively have a plurality of characteristics. The printing head switching unit connected to the printing heads is configured to drive the printing heads to rotate. The control unit is coupled to and controls the printing head switching unit to choose one of the printing heads according to the characteristics, and rotate the chosen printing head to a material-dispensing position, so the chosen printing head dispense the base material connected thereto on the carrying surface.

Description

Three-dimensional printing device and its printing head module

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a printing head module thereof, and more particularly to a three-dimensional printing apparatus and a printing head module thereof.

With the advancement of Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM), the manufacturing industry has developed Rapid Prototyping (RP), which can quickly create original design ideas. Rapid Prototype (RP) technology has unlimited geometry, and the more complex the part, the more excellent the RP technology is, the greater the labor and processing time, and the design parts on 3D CAD in the shortest time. Really presented, not only can you feel it, but you can also feel its geometric curve, and you can test the assembly of parts and even perform possible functional tests.

There are many such rapid prototyping methods, such as Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM), and the like. However, at present, a three-dimensional printing apparatus for forming a three-dimensional object by the above rapid prototyping method has only one printing head, and therefore, it is necessary to switch When constructing a substrate with the same characteristics, the print head must be first ejected for material return, the construction substrate to be replaced is connected to the print head, and the print head after refueling is moved back to the original position. To continue printing. However, an offset may occur when the print head is returned to the printing position after refueling, which results in a breakpoint in the printing and needs to be reprinted, resulting in a three-dimensional printing effect and a poor yield.

The invention provides a three-dimensional printing device, wherein the printing head module can switch the printing heads connected to different substrates according to the printing requirements, so as to simplify the step of switching the substrate and improve the yield of the three-dimensional printing.

The present invention provides a printhead module that can switch printheads connected to different substrates according to printing requirements, to simplify the steps of switching substrates and to improve the yield of three-dimensional printing.

The three-dimensional printing apparatus of the present invention comprises a base, a plurality of print heads, a row of head switching elements, and a control unit. The base has a bearing surface. Each print head includes a feed conduit and a nozzle. The supply conduits connect and transport a plurality of substrates to corresponding nozzles, respectively. The substrates each have a plurality of characteristics. The print head switching element is coupled to the print head and configured to drive the print head to rotate. The control unit couples and controls the print head switching element to select one of the print heads according to the characteristics of the substrate to which the print head is attached, and rotates the selected print head to a discharge position to make the selected column The print head molds the substrate to which it is attached layer by layer on the bearing surface.

The print head module of the invention is suitable for forming a plurality of substrates layer by layer on a load These substrates have a number of properties on the face. The print head module includes a plurality of print heads and a row of print head switching elements. Each print head includes a feed conduit and a nozzle. The supply conduits connect and transport a plurality of substrates to corresponding nozzles, respectively. The print head switching element is coupled to the print head and configured to drive the print head to rotate to rotate each print head to a discharge position and to cause the print head to be moved to the discharge position to which the print head is attached The material is formed layer by layer on the bearing surface.

In an embodiment of the invention, the print head switching element has at least one limit structure, and the print head switching element is adapted to rotate at least one fixed position to move the at least one print head to the discharge position.

In an embodiment of the invention, the at least one limiting structure comprises a first limiting structure and a second limiting structure disposed in an opposite rotational direction with respect to the first limiting structure. The print head switching element is adapted to rotate to a discharge position that matches the first limit structure, or the print head shifting element is adapted to rotate in the opposite direction to a discharge position that matches the second limit structure.

In an embodiment of the invention, the above characteristics include color or material.

In an embodiment of the invention, the material of the substrate comprises a conductive material, an insulating material or a colloid.

In an embodiment of the invention, the print heads are arranged in a circular shape.

In an embodiment of the invention, the control unit controls the printhead switching element to rotate along a central axis of the circle to rotate the selected print head to the discharge position.

Based on the above, the three-dimensional printing apparatus of the present invention utilizes a row of head switching elements And connecting the plurality of print heads, and configured to drive the printing head to rotate, wherein the plurality of print heads respectively connect the plurality of different characteristics of the substrate, and the control unit selects according to the characteristics of the substrate Printing one of the print heads, and controlling the print head switching unit to rotate the selected print head to the discharge position to extrude the substrate to which the selected print head is attached and form a layer by layer on the base Three-dimensional object. In this way, the three-dimensional printing device can easily automatically select and switch the characteristics of the color or material of the solid object to be manufactured without complicated feeding and returning steps. Moreover, the print head module can switch the substrate in situ by rotating the print head switching element without moving the position thereof, thereby reducing the positional deviation of the print head module during refueling and causing the print to be produced. The situation where the breakpoint needs to be reprinted. Therefore, the three-dimensional printing apparatus and the print head module of the present invention can enhance the effect and yield of the three-dimensional printing, and the use ease of the three-dimensional printing apparatus and the elasticity of the printing are greatly increased.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

10‧‧‧Three-dimensional printing device

20‧‧‧Computer host

100‧‧‧Print head module

110, 110a, 110b, 110c‧‧‧ print heads

112‧‧‧Feeding pipeline

114‧‧‧Nozzles

120‧‧‧Print head switching elements

122A, 122B, 124‧‧‧ Limit structure

130‧‧‧Switching motor

200‧‧‧Base

210‧‧‧ bearing surface

300‧‧‧Control unit

400‧‧‧rails

500a, 500b, 500c‧‧‧ substrates

A1‧‧‧ central axis

C1, C2‧‧‧ direction of rotation

P1‧‧‧ Discharge positioning

R1‧‧‧first direction of rotation

R2‧‧‧second direction of rotation

1 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing the use of a three-dimensional printing device according to an embodiment of the invention.

3 is a block diagram of a three-dimensional printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. intention.

4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a print head in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a print head module according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of the printhead module of Figure 5 rotated to a first position.

Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of the printhead module of Figure 5 rotated to a second position.

Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of the printhead module of Figure 5 rotated to a third position.

9 is a schematic illustration of a printhead module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of a printhead module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

The above and other technical contents, features, and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention. The directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as "upper", "lower", "front", "back", "left", "right", etc., are only directions referring to the additional schema. Therefore, the directional terminology used is for the purpose of illustration and not limitation. Also, in the following embodiments, the same or similar elements will be given the same or similar reference numerals.

1 is a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional printing apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing the use of a three-dimensional printing device according to an embodiment of the invention. 3 is a block diagram of a three-dimensional printing apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the three-dimensional printing device 10 is adapted to print a solid object according to a digital stereo model information. The three-dimensional printing device 10 includes a row of print head modules 100, a base 200 and a control unit 300. In this embodiment, the control unit 300 can be used to read a digital stereo model information, wherein the digital stereo model information can be a digital stereo image file, for example, by a computer host 20 through computer-aided design. , CAD) or animation modeling software, etc.

In view of the above, the base 200 of the three-dimensional printing apparatus 10 has a bearing surface 210 as shown in FIG. The print head module 100 is movably disposed above the base 200 and configured to slide back and forth along a slide rail 400, and the base 200 is also movable relative to the print head module 100. The control unit 300 can be used to read and process the digital stereo model information, and couple the print head module 100 and the susceptor 200 to control the movement of the print head module 100 and the susceptor 200. In this manner, the control unit 300 can control the print head module 100 to move along the slide rail 400 according to the digital stereo model information, and the print head module 120 can layer the substrate 500a, 500b or 500c layer by layer during the moving process. Formed on the bearing surface 210 to form a plurality of layers of build-up material, wherein the layers of build-up material are stacked on one another to form a solid object.

4 is a cross-sectional view of a printhead module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 4 , in detail, the print head module 100 includes a plurality of print heads 110 and a row of print head switching elements 120 . Each print head 110 includes a supply conduit 112 and a nozzle 114. The supply conduits 112 respectively connect and transport a plurality of substrates 500a, 500b, 500c to corresponding nozzles 114. The substrates 500a, 500b, 500c each have a plurality of characteristics, and the characteristics are different from each other. The print head switching element 120 is coupled to the plurality of print heads 110 and configured to drive the plurality of print heads 110 to rotate. In this embodiment, the print head module 100 further includes a switching motor 130, coupled to the control Unit 300. The control unit 300 controls the switching motor 130 to drive the print head switching element 130 to rotate, thereby driving the plurality of print heads 110 to rotate. Specifically, the print heads 110 may be arranged in a circular shape as shown in FIG. 1, and the control unit 300 controls the print head switching elements 120 to rotate along a central axis A1 of the circle to select the columns selected by the control unit 300. The print head 110 is rotated to the discharge position to cause the selected print head 110 to form the substrate 500a, 500b or 500c to which it is attached layer by layer on the load bearing surface 210. The control unit 300 couples and controls the print head switching element 120 to select one of the print heads 110 according to the characteristics of the substrate 500a, 500b or 500c to which the print head 110 is attached, and rotates the selected print head 110. The discharge positioning is performed to discharge, so that the selected print head 110 forms the substrate 500a, 500b or 500c to which it is attached layer by layer on the bearing surface.

In this embodiment, the substrate 500a, 500b, 500c may be suitable for Stereolithography, Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF), Melted and Extrusion Modeling, and Electron Beam Melting ( Electron Beam Modeling) and other suitable materials for the production method. For example, the substrates 500a, 500b, 500c can be solid-state wires composed of a hot melt material suitable for fuse fabrication, and for example, through the nozzles 114 of the printhead module 100 for selected substrates 500a, 500b or 500c is heated to melt the substrate 500a, 500b or 500c transferred to the nozzle 114 into a molten fluid material, and then the molten substrate 500a, 500b or 500c is extruded and layer-by-layer molded on the bearing surface 210, after which Further, for example, a hardening and drying process is performed to form a solid object.

In addition, in the embodiment, the substrate 500a, 500b, 500c formed by the print head 110 to be printed on the bearing surface 210 layer by layer may include building materials (Building) Material), a support material for supporting the construction material, and a release material disposed between the construction material and the support material. Briefly, the substrate 500a, 500b, 500c formed on the bearing surface 210 is not only a building material for forming a solid object, but may also include a supporting material for forming a supporting solid object and a building material and a supporting material. Buffer material between. Moreover, after the substrates 500a, 500b, 500c printed on the carrying surface 210 are cured, the supporting material and the cushioning material can be removed to obtain a solid object.

In view of the above, the properties of the respective substrates 500a, 500b, and 500c are different. Specifically, the plurality of base materials 500a, 500b, and 500c have different color characteristics or material properties. In this manner, the control unit 300 can select the print head 110 that meets the requirements according to the color or material information of the substrate 500a, 500b, 500c to which the print head 110 is connected, or the material corresponding to the digital stereo model information, and select The print head 110 is rotated to the discharge position to cause the selected print head 110 to form the substrate 500a, 500b, 500c to which it is attached layer by layer on the load bearing surface 210.

4 is a schematic view showing the configuration of a print head in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a print head module according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 simultaneously, in particular, the three-dimensional printing device 10 may include substrates 500a, 500b, and 500c as shown in FIG. 4, respectively connected to the printing heads 110a, 110b, and 110c, and the substrate 500a, The color characteristics of the 500b, 500c are different, and the control unit 300 can select one of the substrates 500a, 500b, 500c according to the characteristic information of the color, for example, by reading the color characteristic parameter of the digital stereo model information. And controlling the printhead switching element 120 to connect the selected substrate 500a, 500b or 500c The print head 110 is rotated to the discharge position P1 as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5 to form the selected substrate 500a, 500b or 500c layer by layer on the bearing surface 210 via the corresponding print head 110a, 110b or 110c. A solid object having a color of the selected substrate is formed. The discharge position P1 may correspond, for example, to one of the print heads 110a, 110b, 110c. In the present embodiment, the discharge position P1 corresponds to the print head 110b as shown in FIG.

For example, the color of the substrate 500a is red, the color of the substrate 500b is yellow, the color of the substrate 500c is blue, and the color characteristic parameter of the digital stereo model information is yellow. Therefore, the control unit 300 reads the color characteristic parameter of the digital stereo model information and selects the yellow substrate 500b accordingly. In this case, since the printing head 110b of the connection substrate 500b is already located at the discharge positioning P1, the control unit 300 can directly control the printing head 110b to extrude the yellow substrate 500b and form the layer by layer on the bearing surface 210. Top to form a yellow solid object.

Figure 6 is a schematic illustration of the printhead module of Figure 5 rotated to a first position. Referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, in another embodiment, the color of the substrate 500a is red, the color of the substrate 500b is yellow, the color of the substrate 500c is blue, and the color characteristic parameters of the digital stereo model information are It is blue. Therefore, the control unit 300 reads the color characteristic parameter of the digital stereo model information, selects the blue substrate 500c accordingly, and controls the print head switching element 120 to connect the print head 110c of the connection substrate 500c as shown in FIG. A first rotational direction R1 (clockwise in the present embodiment) is rotated by a fixed pitch to the discharge positioning P1 to extrude the blue substrate 500c via the print head 110c and form a layer-by-layer molding on the bearing surface 210. A three-dimensional object that forms a blue color.

Figure 7 is a schematic illustration of the printhead module of Figure 5 rotated to a second position. Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of the printhead module of Figure 5 rotated to a third position. Referring to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8 , in another embodiment, if the color characteristic parameter of the digital stereo model information is red at this time, and the color of the substrate is as described above, the color of the substrate 500 a is red, and the substrate is The color of 500b is yellow, and the color of substrate 500c is blue. In this manner, the control unit 300 reads the color characteristic parameter of the digital stereo model information, selects the red substrate 500a accordingly, and controls the print head switching element 120 to connect the print head 110a of the connection substrate 500a in a direction opposite to the first rotation direction. A second direction of rotation R2 of R1 (counterclockwise in this embodiment), and rotated by two fixed pitches from the state of FIG. 6 to rotate the discharge position P1 as shown in FIG. 8 to set the red base The material 500a is extruded through the printing head 110a and formed on the bearing surface 210 layer by layer to form a red solid object. In addition, the three-dimensional printing device 10 can switch the printing heads 110a, 110b, and 110c through the head switching member 120 during the process of manufacturing the three-dimensional object to replace the substrates 500a, 500b of different colors in the process of manufacturing the three-dimensional object. , 500c, the manufactured solid objects have different colors.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the three-dimensional printing apparatus 10 may include substrates 500a, 500b, 500c as shown in FIG. 1, respectively connected to the printing heads 110a, 110b, 110c, and the substrates 500a, 500b, 500c The material properties are different, and the material thereof may include a conductive material, an insulating material, or a colloid. Of course, this embodiment does not limit the material types of the substrates 500a, 500b, and 500c. The control unit 300 can select one of the substrates 500a, 500b, and 500c according to the material characteristic information of the material according to the material characteristic parameter of the digital stereo model information, and control the print head switching element. The piece 120 rotates the print head 110 that connects the selected substrate 500a, 500b or 500c to the discharge position P1. For example, the material of the substrate 500a is a gel, the material of the substrate 500b is an insulating material, the material of the substrate 500c is a conductive material, and the material property parameter of the digital stereo model information is a conductive material. Therefore, the control unit 300 reads the material property parameter of the digital stereo model information, selects the conductive substrate 500c accordingly, and controls the print head switching element 120 to connect the print head 110c of the connection substrate 500c in the first rotation direction R1 ( In the present embodiment, it is clockwise) and rotated by a fixed pitch from the state of FIG. 5 to the discharge positioning P1 as shown in FIG. 6 to extrude the conductive substrate 500c via the print head 110c. The layer is formed on the bearing surface 210 to form a conductive solid object. Of course, the three-dimensional printing device 10 can switch the printing heads 110a, 110b, and 110c through the head switching element 120 during the process of manufacturing the three-dimensional object, so as to replace the substrates 500a, 500b of different materials during the process of manufacturing the three-dimensional object. , 500c, the manufactured three-dimensional object has different material properties. However, it should be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention does not limit the number of substrates 500a, 500b, 500c, and the types and characteristics thereof.

9 is a schematic illustration of a printhead module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 10 is a schematic illustration of a printhead module in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that, in order to simplify the drawing, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 only illustrate the arrangement relationship between the printing head 110a and the print head switching element 120 as an example. Referring to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, in an embodiment of the present invention, the switching motor 130 can be configured to cooperate with the print head switching element 120 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 to drive the print head switching element 120 to rotate. The control unit 300 is coupled to the print head switching element 120 to drive the switching motor 130 drives the print head switching element 120 to rotate, and is designed, for example, by a gear engagement or a stop structure such as a stopper, so that the print head switching element 120 is adapted to rotate at a fixed pitch at a time to rotate the print head 110a to For example, the discharge positioning P1 shown in FIG. 8 is formed by extruding the substrate 500a to which the printing head 110a is attached via the printing head 110a and forming it on the bearing surface 210 layer by layer to form a solid object. That is, the control unit 300 is coupled to the switching motor 130 to control the switching motor 130 to drive the printing head switching element 120 to rotate to select the printing head according to the characteristics of the substrate 500a, 500b or 500c to which the printing head is connected. And rotating the selected print head to a discharge position at a fixed pitch for discharging, so that the selected print head shapes the substrate 500a, 500b or 500c to which it is connected layer by layer. On the surface.

On the other hand, the print head switching element 120 of the embodiment may also have a plurality of limiting structures 122A, 122B and 124, as shown in FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, wherein the limiting structure 122A corresponds to one of the columns. The print head 122B corresponds to the other print head and is coupled to the limit structure 124 on the switch motor 130. In this way, the print head switching element 120 can rotate the print head in a two-way manner by the mutual matching of the above-mentioned limit structures 122A, 122B and 124 (as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 9). Two directions of rotation C1, C2), and can not continue to rotate in a single direction (for example, continuous rotation in the direction of rotation C1 or C2), because they interfere with the limiting structures 124 and 122A, or the limiting structures 124 and 122B Therefore, the print head switching member 120 can be prevented from driving the printing head to continuously rotate to prevent the linear substrates 500a, 500b, and 500c from being entangled with each other. For example, when the print head switching element 120 is rotated in the rotation direction C2, the limiting structure 122A will interfere with 124 to form FIG. State to prevent the printhead switching element 120 from continuing to rotate in the direction of rotation C2. At this time, the head switching element 120 can only rotate in the rotation direction C1 and until the stopper structures 122B and 124 interfere.

In summary, the three-dimensional printing apparatus of the present invention utilizes a row of head switching elements that are coupled to a plurality of print heads and configured to drive the printing head to rotate, wherein the plurality of print heads respectively connect a plurality of characteristics Different substrates, and selecting one of the print heads according to the characteristics of the substrate through the control unit, and controlling the print head switching unit to rotate the selected print head to the discharge position to select the selected print head The joined substrates are extruded and layered on a pedestal to form a solid object. In this way, the three-dimensional printing device can easily automatically select and switch the characteristics of the color or material of the solid object to be manufactured without complicated feeding and returning steps. Moreover, the print head module can switch the substrate in situ by rotating the print head switching element without moving the position thereof, thereby reducing the positional deviation of the print head module during refueling and causing the print to be produced. The situation where the breakpoint needs to be reprinted. Therefore, the three-dimensional printing apparatus and the print head module of the present invention can enhance the effect and yield of the three-dimensional printing, and the use ease of the three-dimensional printing apparatus and the elasticity of the printing are greatly increased.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

10‧‧‧Three-dimensional printing device

100‧‧‧Print head module

110, 110a, 110b, 110c‧‧‧ print heads

112‧‧‧Feeding pipeline

114‧‧‧Nozzles

120‧‧‧Print head switching elements

130‧‧‧Switching motor

200‧‧‧Base

210‧‧‧ bearing surface

400‧‧‧rails

500a, 500b, 500c‧‧‧ substrates

A1‧‧‧ central axis

Claims (12)

A three-dimensional printing device comprises: a base having a bearing surface; a plurality of printing heads, each of the printing heads comprising a feeding pipe and a nozzle, the feeding pipes respectively connecting and conveying a plurality of substrates To each of the corresponding nozzles, the substrates have a plurality of characteristics; and a row of head switching elements coupled to the print heads and configured to drive the print heads to rotate; and a control unit coupled Controlling the print head switching element to select one of the print heads according to characteristics of the substrates to which the print heads are attached, and rotating the selected print head to a discharge position, The selected print head is formed on the support surface by layering the substrate to which it is attached. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein the print head switching element has at least one limiting structure, and the print head switching element is adapted to rotate at least one fixed pitch to move at least one print head to The discharge positioning. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 2, wherein the at least one limiting structure comprises a first limiting structure and a second limiting structure disposed in opposite rotation directions with respect to the first limiting structure. The print head switching element is adapted to rotate to the discharge position that matches the first limit structure, or the print head switching element is adapted to rotate in the opposite direction to the output that matches the second limit structure Material positioning. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein the characteristics include color or material. The three-dimensional printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print heads are arranged in a circular shape. The three-dimensional printing device of claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the print head switching element to rotate along a central axis of the circle to rotate the selected print head to the discharge positioning . The three-dimensional printing device of claim 1, wherein the print head module further comprises a switching motor coupled to the control unit and the print head switching element, the control unit controls the switching motor to drive The print head switching element rotates. A print head module adapted to form a plurality of substrates layer by layer on a bearing surface, the substrates having a plurality of characteristics, the print head module comprising: a plurality of print heads, each of the prints The head includes a supply conduit and a nozzle, the supply conduits respectively connect and transport the substrates to corresponding nozzles; and a row of head switching elements coupled to the printheads and configured to drive the columns The print head is rotated to rotate each of the print heads to a discharge position, and the print head moved to the discharge position forms one of the substrates to which it is attached to the load bearing surface. The print head module of claim 8, wherein the print head switching element has at least one limit structure, and the print head switching element is adapted to rotate at least one fixed position to move at least one print head To the discharge positioning. The printing head module of claim 9, wherein the at least one limiting structure comprises a first limiting structure and a second limiting position disposed opposite to the first limiting structure in a reverse rotation direction Structure, the print head switching element is adapted to rotate To the discharge positioning that matches the first limit structure, or the printhead switching element is adapted to rotate in the opposite direction to the discharge position that matches the second limit structure. The print head module of claim 8, wherein the features include color or material. The print head module of claim 8, wherein the print heads are arranged in a circular shape.