KR101642856B1 - Powder mixture extrusion device and method for 3D printing - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a powder mixture discharging device for three-dimensional printing and a space forming device capable of controlling a powder mixture content. According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a powder mixture discharging apparatus comprising: a body for containing a powder mixture supplied from a material supplying unit; A nozzle coupled to a lower portion of the body; An extrusion unit accommodated in the body and extruding the powder mixture toward the nozzle; And a heater provided at a discharge-side end of the nozzle.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a powder mixture discharging apparatus for three-dimensional printing and a space forming apparatus capable of controlling a powder mixture amount,

The present invention relates to a powder mixture dispensing apparatus for three-dimensional printing and a space forming apparatus capable of controlling a powder mixture content.

Product development cycles are becoming shorter as well as the trends of rapidly changing markets. In order to shorten the development time of a specific product, a three-dimensional arbitrary shape production technology is attracting attention.

Unlike 2D printing such as blueprints and drawings, 3D printing technology, which can replicate three-dimensional objects in a short period of time, can be used to produce products in a short period of time. Is expected to bring many changes.

The 3D printing technology improves the existing flat printing method and builds the actual shape by stacking the output step by step. In the medical industry, it is used for tooth model, pre-surgery simulated experimental shape, etc. In the construction industry, And is actually applied to the production of shapes.

3D printing technology can reduce design errors by realizing the shape created by using 3D computer-aided design (CAD) or by reverse engineering (tracking the basic design details by analyzing finished products) To be done.

A three-dimensional printer capable of doing this is a real-life replicator that takes objects, designs objects in 3D, creates CAD files of computer files, and then sprays liquid plastics, metal powder, etc. from the printer nozzles into a design shape.

In addition to the early prototype (Rapid Prototype) technology that shows the designed shape, 3D printing technology can be used to create arbitrary shapes (SFF , Solid Freeform Fabrication) technology.

In the field of tissue engineering, the FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling) method is applied to the arbitrary shape production (SFF) method, and the melt deposition modeling device is also disclosed in Korean Patent No. 10-0893889 (melt flow compensation method in extrusion apparatus) .

FIG. 1 is a view showing a conventional melting deposition modeling apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a bottleneck phenomenon at the time of mixture discharge.

Referring to FIG. 1, a conventional melt deposition modeling apparatus 1 includes a heater 40 disposed outside a cylindrical barrel 20, and an air pressure 10 provided at an upper portion thereof.

The modeling material 5 melted by the heater 40 is accommodated in the inner space and the modeling material 5 is discharged through the nozzle 30 formed at the lower portion by the air pressure by the air pressure 10, 50). ≪ / RTI > An extruder 60 is provided in the barrel 20 as shown in Figure 2 instead of the air pressure 10 so that the molten modeling material 5 is melted by the rotation of the extruder 60 into the nozzle 30 As shown in Fig.

Since the conventional melt deposition modeling device 1 has a contact type structure and the molten modeling material 5 has to pass through the nozzle 30 having a relatively small inner diameter, There is a limit that is limited by size.

In the case of a single material, there is no problem in discharging the material which has been melted at a high temperature by using the nozzle 30. In the case of a mixture in which the particles are well distributed, the mixture 5a, The unfused particles 5b contained in the molten material 5a are bottlenecked at the nozzle inlet portion A, which makes it difficult to perform normal discharge.

The above-described background technology is technical information that the inventor holds for the derivation of the present invention or acquired in the process of deriving the present invention, and can not necessarily be a known technology disclosed to the general public prior to the filing of the present invention.

Korean Patent No. 10-0893889

The present invention provides a powder mixture dispensing apparatus for three-dimensional printing capable of three-dimensional printing using a powder mixture in which a plurality of particles are evenly distributed as a modeling material, and a space shaping apparatus capable of controlling a powder mixture amount.

The present invention relates to a powder mixture dispensing device and a powder mixture dispensing device capable of three-dimensionally stacking in the form of a mixture or a pore to prevent bottleneck at the nozzle inlet by discharging the molten modeling material by applying heat at the nozzle end, And to provide a space-shaping apparatus that can be used.

The present invention relates to a porous three-dimensional structure, a three-dimensional complex having high rigidity or elasticity, a three-dimensional complex having an inclined structure according to the density change of particles, a three-dimensional smart structure having various physical properties The present invention is to provide a powder mixture dispensing apparatus for three-dimensional printing capable of being manufactured and a space shaping apparatus capable of controlling a powder mixture content.

Other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following description.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder mixing apparatus comprising: a body for receiving a powder mixture supplied from a material supply unit; A nozzle coupled to a lower portion of the body; An extrusion unit accommodated in the body and extruding the powder mixture toward the nozzle; And a heater provided at a discharge-side end of the nozzle.

The powder mixture may be a powder state in which a plurality of particles are mixed with a predetermined amount and at least one of the plurality of particles may be in a molten state at a discharge side end of the nozzle by heating the heater.

The extruding portion has a screw shape so that the distribution state of the powder mixture can be maintained.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a three-dimensional modeling material, comprising: a material supply unit that supplies a three-dimensional modeling material in a powder state in which a plurality of particles are mixed; A build platform on which the 3D modeling material is printed to produce a 3D structure; And a powder mixture dispensing device for dispensing the powder mixture supplied from the material supply unit onto the build platform in a molten state by heating at a discharge side end of the nozzle.

The material supply unit includes: a first material supply unit for supplying the first material in a particle state; A second material supply unit for supplying the second material in a particle state; And a content control unit for mixing the first material supplied from the first material supply unit and the second material supplied from the second material supply unit at a predetermined mixing ratio to generate the powder mixture.

A solenoid valve is provided in a first passage between the first material supply unit and the content control unit and a second passage between the second material supply unit and the content control unit so that the operation of the solenoid valve is controlled according to the mixing ratio The degree of opening and closing of the first passage and the second passage can be adjusted.

Alternatively, the material supply unit may include: a first material supply unit for supplying the first material in a particle state through a rotation operation of the first screw installed therein; A second material supply unit for supplying the second material in a particle state through a rotation operation of a second screw provided inside; A first motor for rotating the first screw; A second motor for rotating the second screw; And a motor control unit for controlling operations of the first motor and the second motor in accordance with the mixing ratio of the powder mixture.

The motor control unit may control the first motor and the second motor such that the first screw and the second screw have a rotation speed corresponding to the mixing ratio.

The material supply unit may change at least one of the kind and the content of the particles to be mixed into the powder mixture in real time.

Other aspects, features, and advantages will become apparent from the following drawings, claims, and detailed description of the invention.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to perform three-dimensional printing using a powder mixture in which a plurality of particles are uniformly distributed as a modeling material.

In addition, heat is applied at the tip of the nozzle to eject the molten modeling material, thereby preventing the bottleneck at the nozzle inlet and effecting the three-dimensional lamination of a form having a mixture form or pores.

In addition, by controlling the material content of the powder mixture, a porous three-dimensional structure, a three-dimensional complex having high rigidity or elasticity, a three-dimensional complex having an inclined structure according to the density change of the particle, a three-dimensional smart structure having various physical properties Can be produced.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a diagram of a conventional melt deposit modeling apparatus,
2 is a view showing a bottleneck phenomenon at the time of mixture discharge,
3 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a powder mixture discharging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a cross-sectional view of a space forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a conceptual view of a space forming apparatus including a material supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;
6 is a conceptual view of a space forming apparatus including a material supply unit according to another embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a view illustrating a process of fabricating a porous three-dimensional structure using the spatial shaping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 8 is a view showing an internal shape of a three-dimensional structure using the spatial shaping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
9 is a view showing an inner shape of a three-dimensional structure having a gradient structure according to a change in particle density,
10 is a view showing an internal shape of a three-dimensional structure having various physical properties,
11 is an illustration of an application example of a product having various physical properties.

While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like refer to the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

Also, the terms " part, "" module," and the like, which are described in the specification, mean a unit for processing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

It is to be understood that the components of the embodiments described with reference to the drawings are not limited to the embodiments and may be embodied in other embodiments without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is to be understood that although the description is omitted, multiple embodiments may be implemented again in one integrated embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

FIG. 3 is a three-dimensional perspective view of a powder mixture dispensing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a space forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of the space forming apparatus 100, the powder mixture dispensing apparatus 110, the body 111, the extrusion unit 112, the nozzle 113, the heater 114, the material supply unit 120, The platform 130, the powder mixture 6, the first particles 6a, and the second particles 6b are shown.

The powder mixture discharging apparatus 110 according to an embodiment of the present invention is configured such that the powder mixture in which a plurality of particles are evenly distributed enters the nozzle inlet in a non-fusion state and then melted through a heater provided at the nozzle end, It is possible to prevent the bottleneck phenomenon at the nozzle inlet by being discharged and to be capable of three-dimensionally stacking in the form of mixture or pores.

The space forming apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a material supplying unit 120, a powder mixture discharging apparatus 110, and a build platform 130.

The material supply unit 120 provides a polymer material that becomes a material of the three-dimensional structure (three-dimensional modeling material). In the present embodiment, the material supply unit 120 supplies the powder mixture discharge device 110 with a mixture in which a plurality of particles are mixed, in a powder state.

The material supply unit 120 can adjust at least one of the kind and the content of the particles to be mixed in real time in supplying the powder mixture 6, so that the properties of the structure, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 11, Structure or elastic structure, and the particle density distribution has an inclined body structure, so that it is possible to diversify attributes depending on the position in one structure.

The build platform 130 is a stage in which a three-dimensional modeling material is printed to fabricate a three-dimensional structure.

A foam base may be provided on the build platform 130. Dimensional modeling material may be printed on the foam base and easily separated from the build platform.

The powder mixture discharging apparatus 110 receives a powder mixture 6 uniformly distributed from a material supply unit 120 in a predetermined amount of a plurality of particles 6a and 6b and applies heat to the powder mixture 6, And then prints on the build platform 130.

The powder mixture dispensing apparatus 110 includes a body 111, an extrusion portion 112, a nozzle 113, and a heater 114.

The body 111 may be, for example, a cylindrical barrel, in which the three-dimensional modeling material supplied from the material supply unit 120, that is, the portion in which the powder mixture is received.

The nozzle 113 is coupled to the lower portion of the body 111 and allows the three-dimensional modeling material accommodated in the body 111 to be discharged downward in a molten state.

The extrusion portion 112 is accommodated in the body 111 and can advance the three-dimensional modeling material accommodated in the body 111 toward the nozzle 113 through the rotation operation. For example, the extrusion portion 112 may have a screw shape as shown in the drawing.

Such an extrusion method enables a powder mixture having a plurality of particles evenly distributed to maintain a uniform distribution state until reaching the inlet of the nozzle 113.

The heater 114 is installed at the discharge side end of the nozzle 113 to heat the three-dimensional modeling material, that is, the powder mixture 6 discharged on the build platform 130 via the nozzle 113, into a molten state . At least one (6a) of the plurality of particles contained in the powder mixture may be composed of a material which is changed into a molten state by heating and then hardened again when the temperature is lowered.

At the inlet of the nozzle 113, a plurality of particles are uniformly distributed in a state in which the powder mixture 6 in a molten state is supplied from the material supply unit 120. Therefore, when the molten resin flows into the molten state as in the existing apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the unmelted particles can prevent a bottleneck phenomenon occurring at the inlet of the nozzle 113.

The powder mixture 6 is heated by the heater 114 provided at the discharge side end of the nozzle 113 while being advanced to the discharge side of the nozzle 113 by the extrusion of the extrusion portion 112 to be in a molten state. In this case, since the entrance of the nozzle 113 has already been melted, the particle is not bottlenecked, and the three-dimensional lamination can be performed on the build platform 130 while maintaining the set mixed content .

In this embodiment, the build platform 130 and the powder mixture discharge device 110 may have a structure capable of relative three-dimensional movement for three-dimensional stacking. For example, a method in which the build platform 130 is movable in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction) and the powder mixture discharge device 110 is movable in two dimensions on a horizontal plane (XY plane) And at least one of the build platform 130 and the powder mixture dispensing apparatus 110 is movable in three dimensions in the X, Y, and Z axes Or a three-axis control such that the three-axis control is performed.

In the present embodiment, the material supply unit 120 supplies the powder mixture mixed at a preset ratio to the powder mixture discharge device 110. The structure and function of the powder mixture discharge device 110 will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a conceptual view of a space forming apparatus including a material supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the material supply unit 120 includes a first material supply unit 210, a second material supply unit 220, and a content control unit 230.

The first material supply unit 210 and the second material supply unit 220 supply the first material and the second material, which are raw materials of the powder mixture, which is a three-dimensional modeling material.

The mixing ratio of the first material supplied from the first material supply unit 210 and the second material supplied from the second material supply unit 220 are controlled by the content control unit 230 to be a powder mixture having a predetermined content And is supplied to the powder mixture discharge device 110 at the downstream stage.

A method of controlling the content of the first material and the second material in the content controller 230 may be as follows.

For example, the degree of opening / closing of the first passage connected to the first material supply unit 210 and the second passage connected to the second material supply unit 220 in the content controller 230 can be controlled by a solenoid valve. Such a solenoid valve may be determined in accordance with the predetermined amount of the powder mixture.

6 is a conceptual view of a space forming apparatus including a material supply unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

6, the material supply unit 120 includes a first material supply unit 310, a second material supply unit 320, a first motor 315, a second motor 325, and a motor control unit 330 do.

The first material supply part 310 and the second material supply part 320 supply the first material and the second material, which are raw materials of the powder mixture, which is a three-dimensional modeling material, respectively.

The first material supply unit 310 and the second material supply unit 320 may have a screw type valve structure like the powder mixture discharge device 110.

The first material supply unit 310 and the second material supply unit 320 are provided with screws 311 and 321 therein so that the amount of the material to be extruded can be adjusted according to the rotational speed of the screws 311 and 321 have.

The first motor 315 and the second motor 325 are connected to the ends of the screws 311 and 321. The first motor 315 and the second motor 325 are rotated by the motor control unit 330 The speed is controlled.

For example, when the first material supply part 310 and the second material supply part 320 have the same mechanical structure, the first material of the powder mixture to be supplied to the powder mixture discharge device 110 and the second material When the content of the material is a: b, the rotation speed of the first motor 315 and the rotation speed of the second motor 325 are controlled to be a: b so that the first material, which is extruded from the first material supply part 310, The amount of the second material extruded from the second material supply portion 320 can be adjusted to a: b.

FIG. 7 is a view illustrating a process of fabricating a porous three-dimensional structure using the space forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a three-dimensional structure 400 manufactured using a space forming apparatus for performing three-dimensional printing using a powder mixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The three-dimensional structure 400 is composed of a plurality of particles, and the plurality of particles may include the water-soluble particles 410.

In this case, the water-soluble particles 410 are dissolved in water through the leaching-out process, and finally, the portion where the water-soluble particles 410 exist becomes a void 420, 430 can be completed.

In tissue engineering, cell scaffolds that act as cell clusters during cell culture need to be transplanted into the human body and need to be made using biocompatible, biodegradable materials. In addition, the cell scaffold is required to have high porosity for supplying nutrients and waste products, a proper pore size for cell growth, and a high surface area for facilitating cell attachment, and structural strength is also required. And may be produced through a three-dimensional structure manufacturing method.

FIG. 8 is a view showing an inner shape of a three-dimensional structure using a spatial shaping apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 9 is a view showing an inner shape of a three-dimensional structure having an inclined structure according to a change in particle density, FIG. 10 is a view showing an inner shape of a three-dimensional structure having various physical properties, and FIG. 11 is an illustration showing an application example of a product having various physical properties.

Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a three-dimensional structure 510, 520 fabricated using a spatial shaping apparatus that performs three-dimensional operation using a powder mixture according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The three-dimensional structure 510 shown in FIG. 8 (a) can be made of a rigid structure having relatively high rigidity of the structure itself, because the particles distributed inside are composed of particles 515 having a rigidity of a predetermined strength or more .

The three-dimensional structure 520 shown in FIG. 8 (b) has a plurality of pores 525 distributed therein through the manufacturing process as shown in FIG. 7, Structure can be fabricated.

Referring to FIG. 9, it is shown that the density of the particles distributed inside can be changed according to the position, so that the rigidity or elasticity of the three-dimensional structures 610 and 620 can have a tilted structure.

As shown in Fig. 9 (a) or 9 (b), the particle density distribution has the inclined body structure, as shown in Fig. 5 or 6, Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > real-time < / RTI > controlled mixture of powders.

10, rigid particles 710 and pores 720 are mixed in the three-dimensional structure 700. In one region (left side in the drawing), the density of the rigid particles 700 is high, And the density of pores 720 formed by leaching of the water-soluble particles in the other region (right side in the drawing) is high, so that elasticity may be complemented.

The rigid particles 710 and the pores 720 are appropriately mixed in the intermediate region (middle in the drawing), so that mechanical stiffness and elasticity can be appropriately harmonized.

That is, by controlling the kind and content of the particles contained in the three-dimensional structure 700 in real time during three-dimensional printing using the space forming apparatus according to the present embodiment, a three-dimensional product having various physical properties can be obtained It becomes possible to produce the same.

FIG. 11 shows a sneaker which can be regarded as a three-dimensional product having various physical properties as described above.

Sneakers have outsole, middle, and upper, and each part can have different properties depending on its use and location.

It is possible to manufacture sneakers having various physical properties as shown in FIG. 11 by controlling the content of the powder mixture according to the three-dimensional lamination position using the space shaping apparatus according to the present embodiment and performing three-dimensional printing.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the following claims And changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

100: Spatial molding apparatus 110: Powder mixture dispensing apparatus
111: body 112: extrusion part
113: nozzle 114: heater
120: Material supply unit 130: Build platform
6: Powder mixture
210: first supply part 220: second supply part
230: content control unit 310: first supply unit
320: second supply part 311, 321: screw
315: first motor 325: second motor
330:

Claims (9)

delete delete delete delete delete delete A material supply unit that supplies the three-dimensional modeling material in a powder state in which a plurality of particles are mixed;
A build platform on which the 3D modeling material is printed to produce a 3D structure; And
Wherein the powder mixture supplied from the material supply unit is introduced into the inlet of the nozzle in an unfused state and then heated at the discharge side end of the nozzle to discharge at least one of the plurality of particles in a molten state onto the build platform And a discharge device,
The material supply unit includes:
A first material supply unit for supplying the first material in a particle state through a rotation operation of the first screw installed inside;
A second material supply unit for supplying the second material in a particle state through a rotation operation of a second screw provided inside;
A first motor for rotating the first screw;
A second motor for rotating the second screw;
And a motor control unit for controlling operations of the first motor and the second motor according to a mixing ratio of the powder mixture,
Wherein the motor control unit controls the first motor and the second motor such that the first screw and the second screw have a rotation speed corresponding to the mixing ratio,
When the first material supply part and the second material supply part have the same size mechanical structure,
Wherein the control unit controls the rotation speed of the first motor and the rotation speed of the second motor to a: b so that the content of the first material and the second material in the powder mixture is adjusted to a: b. Molding device.
delete 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the material supply unit changes at least one of a type and a content of particles mixed in the powder mixture in real time.

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