KR102227689B1 - Polymer based 3D printer with consolidation function - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a 3D printer having a consolidation function according to the present invention. A 3D printer having a consolidation function according to the present invention includes: a molding head mounted with a main nozzle from which a material for 3D printing is discharged, and movably installed in a case with respect to three axes (X, Y, and Z axes); A stage in which the material discharged from the main nozzle of the shaping head is stacked; And a consolidation device for consolidating the material to be laminated while forming a layer on the stage before completion of the final molded product.

Description

3D printer with consolidation function {Polymer based 3D printer with consolidation function}

The present invention relates to a 3D printer having a consolidation function, and more particularly, in a 3D printer of the FDM method (or fiber-reinforced composite material molding including this method) in which a filament is melted to form a predetermined shape, the strength of the raw material is much lower than that of the raw material. The present invention relates to a 3D printer having a consolidation function capable of performing a consolidation process to improve strength in the process of lamination to compensate for the disadvantages of forming with strength.

The FDM type 3D printer is a device that melts a thermoplastic material in the form of a filament like a fine thread in a nozzle, prints it in a thin film, and prints it in the form of a thin film.The main nozzle is a filament that melts and discharges plastic filaments with high heat. Is cured at room temperature to enable 3D structure molding.

Compared to other types of 3D printers, the FDM type 3D printer has the advantage of low equipment price and maintenance cost because the device structure and program are simpler than other types of 3D printers. The density of the raw material is lower than that of the raw material, and the strength of the melt-adhesive interface is low, which is generally very lower than that of the raw material. In particular, a polymer matrix fiber-reinforced composite material 3D printer has a disadvantage that it is difficult to expect high strength due to low interfacial strength with a polymer base that bonds to the fiber.

Such low strength is often caused by the omission of the consolidation process of the molten polymer material during the printing process, and therefore, the development of a system linking 3D printing and the consolidation process is required.

Korean Registered Patent Publication Registration No. 2009146 Korean Registered Patent Publication Registration No. 1952947 Japanese Patent No. 6507203

The present invention was conceived to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a 3D printer having a consolidation function that allows the consolidation process to be performed alternately with the molding process while forming a product while forming a layer. I want to.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a 3D printer having a consolidation function that enables the consolidation process of a molding to be accurately and efficiently performed.

A 3D printer having a consolidation function according to the present invention for achieving the above object is equipped with a main nozzle through which a material for 3D printing is discharged, and is installed to be movable about three axes (X, Y, Z axes) on the case. Forming head; A stage in which the material discharged from the main nozzle of the shaping head is stacked; And a consolidation device for consolidating the material to be laminated while forming a layer on the stage before completion of the final molded product.

The consolidation device is installed to be elevating on the molding head, so that when the molding is formed by the main nozzle, it moves upward and is placed in a position where the main nozzle does not interfere, the molding process is stopped, and the consolidation process is lowered when the consolidation process is performed. And a press member for consolidating the laminated material.

It is preferable that the main nozzle is installed to be elevating on the molding head.

The consolidation device may include a consolidation jig installed at a position spaced apart from the molding head, and a press member installed to be elevating and descending on the consolidation jig, and the stage moves relative to the case. It may be installed so that the position is fixed during molding of the molded product by the main nozzle, the molding process is stopped, and the position is moved toward the press member when the consolidation process is performed.

It is preferable that the press member includes a heating means such as a hot wire for effective consolidation, and is configured to increase the temperature before pressing or during the pressing process. In addition, the pressing member can be made of a soft material such as silicone rubber, so that a uniform pressure can be applied to the molded product A during consolidation.

The present invention is installed on the stage so as to be relatively movable so as to be accessible and spaced apart from the molded product with the molded product interposed therebetween, and the molded product having a height that gradually increases while forming a layer can be lifted up and down so as to be able to compact It is installed, and it is also possible to further include a pair of consolidation frame members formed in a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the molded object and the opposite surface forming the boundary with the molded object.

In addition, the present invention further comprises a frame member forming apparatus for forming a consolidation frame member having an inner surface having a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the molded article in a lamination method by 3D printing on the outer side of the molded article. The frame member forming apparatus is installed to be elevating to the forming head, so that when forming the molded product by the main nozzle, the frame member is formed at a position that does not interfere with the main nozzle by raising and lowering it. It is possible to include a sub-nozzle for stacking and forming a consolidation frame member on the outside of the molded article by performing a lowering operation at the time.

It is preferable that the material discharged from the sub nozzle contains any one of sugar and salt.

In the 3D printer having the consolidation function according to the present invention having the configuration as described above, by repeatedly implementing the process of performing a consolidation process after melting and laminating a layer of filaments on a stage, the density of the finished product is improved to enhance strength. And, in the case of composite material printing, it has the effect of increasing the adhesive strength between the fiber and the polymer base.

1 is a view for explaining the configuration of a 3D printer having a consolidation function and an operation performed during a molding process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a view for explaining an operation performed during the consolidation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a view for explaining the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention and an operation performed during a molding process.
4 is a view for explaining an operation performed during the consolidation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view for explaining the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention and an operation performed during a molding process.
6 is a view for explaining an operation performed during the consolidation process according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view for explaining the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention and an operation performed during a molding process.
8 is a view for explaining an operation performed during the consolidation process according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view for explaining a final molding process according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a view for explaining the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention and a forming process and a consolidation process.

In the following description, in order to clarify an understanding of the present invention, a description of known techniques for features of the present invention will be omitted. The following embodiments are detailed descriptions to aid understanding of the present invention, and it will be natural that the scope of the present invention is not limited. Accordingly, an equivalent invention that performs the same function as the present invention will also fall within the scope of the present invention.

In addition, in the following description, the same identification symbols mean the same configuration, and unnecessary redundant descriptions and descriptions of known technologies will be omitted. In addition, the description of each of the embodiments of the present invention, which overlaps with the description of the technology behind the background of the present invention, will also be omitted.

Hereinafter, a 3D printer having a consolidation function according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a view for explaining the configuration of a 3D printer having a consolidation function and an operation performed during a molding process according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation performed during the consolidation process according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a drawing for.

As shown in these drawings, the 3D printer having a consolidation function according to an embodiment of the present invention allows the consolidation process to be performed by alternating with the molding process to compensate the strength of the molded article (A). It comprises a head 10, a stage 20, and a consolidation device.

The molding head 10 is a part on which the main nozzle 12 from which the material for 3D printing is discharged is mounted, and the stage provided in the case is installed to be movable about three axes (X, Y, Z axes) It is possible to form a three-dimensional molded article (A) in (20).

In this forming head 10, a heating device for heating the material (not shown) so that a thermoplastic material in the form of a filament, such as a fine thread, which is one of the materials for 3D printing, is melted and discharged in the main nozzle 12. ) Is provided.

The stage 20 is a portion in which the material discharged from the main nozzle 12 of the shaping head 10 is laminated.

The consolidation device is for consolidating the material to be laminated while forming a layer on the stage 20 before completion of the final molded product (A). It is preferable that it is configured to perform the consolidation process as shown in 2.

The 3D printer having a consolidation function according to an embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration improves the density of the finished product by repeatedly implementing the process of performing a consolidation process after melting and laminating a layer of filaments on the stage 20. By doing so, it is possible to supplement the strength, and in the case of composite material printing, it has the effect of increasing the adhesive strength between the fiber and the polymer base.

The consolidation device includes a press member 14 installed on the molding head 10 so as to be elevating and descending, so that the consolidation process can be performed without interference with the main nozzle 12 mounted on the molding head 10. .

That is, the press member 14, as shown in Fig. 1, is arranged in a position where the main nozzle 12 does not interfere by an upward operation when the molded product A is formed by the main nozzle 12. Likewise, the molding process is stopped, and when the consolidation process is performed, a lowering operation is performed to consolidate the laminated material.

Here, the press member 14 includes a heating means (not shown) separate from the heating device provided in the forming head so as to maximize the consolidation effect by raising the temperature to near the filament melting temperature before or during the pressing process. It is preferable to do so. In addition, the pressing member may be made of a soft material such as silicone rubber, so that a relatively uniform pressure can be applied to the molded product A without being significantly affected by the shape of the press during compaction.

The main nozzle 12 is configured to lift only the press member 14 while fixing the position, so that interference occurs when the consolidation process by the press member 14 and the molding process by the main nozzle 12 are performed. However, in this embodiment, the main nozzle 12 is also installed so as to be elevated on the molding head 10 like the press member 14, so that the alternating operation of the molding process and the consolidation process can be more smoothly implemented. You will be able to.

Meanwhile, FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention and an operation performed during a molding process, and FIG. 4 is a view for explaining an operation performed during a consolidation process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The consolidation device 40 employed in this embodiment includes a consolidation jig 42 installed at a position spaced apart from the molding head 30, and a press member 44 installed to be elevating and descending on the consolidation jig 42. ).

And, the stage 50 in which the molded product (A) is made is installed to be able to move relative to the case, and the position is fixed during the molding of the molded product (A) by the main nozzle as shown in FIG. 3, and the molding process is performed as shown in FIG. When it is stopped and the consolidation process is performed, the position is moved toward the press member 44.

Although the configuration for moving the stage 50 is not shown, for example, a transfer screw that is rotated by a motor and formed long along the moving direction of the stage 50 and the rotational motion of the transfer screw is a straight line of the stage 50. Of course, it can be implemented with a nut member that converts it into motion.

That is, by forming the nut member on the lower surface provided on the opposite side to the stacking surface (upper surface) on which the molded product A of the stage 50 is placed, and screwing the transfer screw to the nut member, the stage 50 is It is possible to implement a structure that can be moved.

In this embodiment having such a configuration, a consolidation device 40 is provided separately from the existing 3D printer, and the molding process and the consolidation process can be performed by changing the structure of moving the stage 50 toward the consolidation device 40. In addition, it derives the advantage of enabling the additional consolidation process to be performed without significantly altering the structure of the existing 3D printer.

Hereinafter, a 3D printer having a consolidation function according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

5 is a view for explaining the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention and an operation performed during a molding process, and FIG. 6 is a view for explaining an operation performed during the consolidation process according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, at least, the facing surface is installed at a position adjacent to the molding (A) that is formed stacked on the stage (70), and the opposite surface forming the boundary with the molding (A) is formed to correspond to the outer surface of the molding (A). It consists of a pair of consolidation frame members (60).

Such a pair of consolidation frame members 60 are disposed opposite to each other with the molding A interposed therebetween, as shown in FIG. 5, and on the stage 70 as shown in FIG. 6 (a), the molding ( It is installed to be relatively movable so as to be accessible and spaced apart from the molding (A) with A) interposed therebetween, and the molding (A) having a height that gradually increases while forming a layer as shown in FIG. 6(b) can be consolidated. It is installed so that it can be lifted up and down.

The configuration for raising and lowering the consolidation frame member 60 may be implemented in various structures, but is not shown, for example, a combination of the lifting bracket 72 on which the consolidation frame member 60 is placed in a cylinder or a motor and a transfer screw. Of course, it can be implemented with.

In addition, it goes without saying that the consolidation frame members 60 may be composed of several pieces instead of a pair, if necessary, when the molded object to be molded has a complex shape.

In the present embodiment having such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 5, the consolidation frame member 60 performs a molding process using the main nozzle 82 in a state spaced apart from the molded article (A), and the ( As shown in a), the consolidation frame member 60 is configured to be able to perform the consolidation process using the press member 84 and the consolidation frame member 60 after bringing the consolidation frame member 60 close to the molded product A, thereby improving the precision of consolidation. It makes it possible to further improve.

7 is a view for explaining the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention and an operation performed during the molding process, FIG. 8 is a view for explaining the operation performed during the consolidation process according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 The present invention is a view for explaining the final molding (A) molding process of another embodiment.

The present embodiment further comprises a frame member forming apparatus for forming a consolidation frame member (B), which makes it possible to increase the precision of the consolidation during consolidation of the molded product (A).

That is, the frame member molding apparatus is to form a consolidation frame member (B) having an inner surface of a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the molded product (A) by a lamination method by 3D printing on the outside of the molded product (A). In order to be able to do so, it includes a sub nozzle 104 separate from the main nozzle 102 mounted on the shaping head 100.

The sub-nozzle 104 is installed to be elevating in the forming head 100 so that the main nozzle is raised when forming the molded article A by the main nozzle 102 as shown in FIG. 7(b). Arranged in a position that does not interfere with (102), the consolidation frame member (B) on the outside of the molding (A) by performing a lowering operation when forming the consolidation frame member (B) as shown in Fig. 7 (a). Is formed by lamination.

In the present embodiment having such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, a frame member for consolidation (B) is formed together with a molded object (A) using the main nozzle 102 and the sub nozzle 104, and FIG. 8(a) It is possible to perform the consolidation process using the press member 110 as shown in Fig. 9 after forming the final molded product (A) and the consolidation frame member (B) while forming a layer as shown in Fig. 9(a). As shown in (b), the frame member for consolidation (B) is dissolved with water or other solvent so that only the final molded product (A) is left. It can be formed, and the strength of the product can be further improved through the implementation of a precise and efficient consolidation function.

It is preferable that the material discharged from the sub-nozzle 104 contains any one of sugar and salt used as a 3D printing material, so that a material that is relatively inexpensive and readily available in the vicinity can be used as a solvent. .

10 is a view for explaining the configuration of another embodiment of the present invention and a forming process and a consolidation process.

In this embodiment, a frame member for consolidation (B) having an inner surface of a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the molded product (A) can be formed on the outside of the molded product (A) in a lamination method by 3D printing It further includes a molding device, but unlike the above-described embodiments, a main nozzle 112 for molding the molded article was employed as a frame member molding device.

That is, as the main nozzle 112 allows not only the molding (A) but also the frame member (B) to be stacked, so that a separate molding device for molding the frame member (B) is not required, It makes it possible to achieve simplification.

However, according to this embodiment, the molded product A and the frame member B are stacked with the main nozzle 112 so that the frame member B can be smoothly separated from the molded product A, and the molded product It is preferable to form a gap (G) between (A) and the frame member (B).

In this way, according to the embodiment in which the gap is formed between the molded product (A) and the frame member (B), there is an advantage that the molding of the frame member (B) can be made smoothly, but in the consolidation process, the molded product (A) is The relative position to the frame member (B) may not be fixed.

Therefore, in order to compensate for this point, a part of the gap (G) is formed in the form of a bridge (E) so that the molding (A) and the frame member (B) are connected to each other, and after the molding (A) is completed, the It is preferable to be configured to separate the molded material (A) and the frame member (B) connected through the bridge (E) from each other.

Various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present embodiment and the accompanying drawings are merely illustrative of some of the technical ideas included in the present invention, and are included in the specification and drawings of the present invention. It will be apparent that all modified examples and specific embodiments that can be easily inferred by a person skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea are included in the scope of the present invention.

10: molding head 12: main nozzle
14: press member 20: stage
A: Molded object

Claims (9)

A molding head mounted with a main nozzle through which a material for 3D printing is discharged, and installed to be movable about three axes (X, Y, and Z axes) on the case;
A stage in which the material discharged from the main nozzle of the shaping head is stacked;
A consolidation device for consolidating the material to be laminated while forming a layer on the stage before completion of a final molded product; And
On the stage, it is installed to be relatively movable so as to be accessible and spaced apart from the molding with the molding interposed therebetween, and it is installed so as to be able to move up and down so that the molding having a height that gradually increases while forming a layer can be compacted, and the molding A 3D printer having a consolidation function, comprising: a pair of frame members for consolidation, in which an opposing surface bordered by a formation corresponding to the outer surface of the molded article is formed. The method of claim 1,
The consolidation device is installed so as to be elevating on the molding head, so that when the molded product is formed by the main nozzle, it moves upward and is placed in a position where it does not interfere with the main nozzle, the molding process is stopped, and the consolidation process is lowered. A 3D printer having a consolidation function, comprising: a press member for consolidating the laminated material by operation. The method of claim 2,
The main nozzle 3D printer with a consolidation function, characterized in that installed to be elevating to the molding head. The method of claim 1,
The consolidation device includes a consolidation jig installed at a position spaced apart from the molding head, and a press member installed to be elevating and descending on the consolidation jig,
The stage is installed to be relatively movable in the case, and the position is fixed when the molded product is formed by the main nozzle, the forming process is stopped, and when the consolidation process is performed, the stage is moved to the press member side. 3D printer with a laptop. delete A molding head mounted with a main nozzle through which a material for 3D printing is discharged, and installed to be movable about three axes (X, Y, and Z axes) on the case; A stage in which the material discharged from the main nozzle of the shaping head is stacked; A consolidation device for consolidating the material to be laminated while forming a layer on the stage before completion of a final molded product; And a frame member forming apparatus for forming a consolidation frame member having an inner surface of a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the molded product in a lamination method by 3D printing on the outside of the molded product, and
The frame member molding device is installed to be elevating to the molding head, so that when the molded product is formed by the main nozzle, it moves upward and is disposed at a position where it does not interfere with the main nozzle, and when the consolidation frame member is formed, it moves downward. 3D printer having a consolidation function, comprising: a sub-nozzle for laminating and forming a consolidation frame member on the outside of the molded article. The method of claim 6,
3D printer with a consolidation function, characterized in that the material discharged from the sub-nozzle comprises any one of sugar and salt. A molding head mounted with a main nozzle from which a material for 3D printing is discharged, and installed to be movable about three axes (X, Y, and Z axes) on the case; A stage in which the material discharged from the main nozzle of the shaping head is stacked; A consolidation device for consolidating the material to be laminated while forming a layer on the stage before completion of a final molded product; And a frame member forming apparatus for forming a consolidation frame member having an inner surface having a shape corresponding to the outer surface of the molded article in a lamination method by 3D printing on the outer side of the molded article. The apparatus comprises the main nozzle, and the 3D printer having a consolidation function, characterized in that it is configured so that the molded article and the frame member can be laminated and formed with the main nozzle. The method of claim 8,
The molded product and the frame member are stacked and formed with the main nozzle, and a gap is formed between the molded product and the frame member, and a part of the gap is formed in a bridge shape so that the molded product and the frame member are connected to each other, and the molding is formed. After completion, a 3D printer with a consolidation function, characterized in that it is configured to separate the molded object and the frame member connected through the bridge from each other.

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