KR101791543B1

KR101791543B1 - Printer by sintering Powder

Info

Publication number: KR101791543B1
Application number: KR1020160007193A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 우정현
Original assignee: 우정현
Priority date: 2015-04-06
Filing date: 2016-01-20
Publication date: 2017-11-20
Also published as: KR20160119684A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a powder sintered printing apparatus.
A powder sintering type printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a chamber forming unit configured to variably form a print work space; A powder supply unit for supplying molding powder to the printing work space; And at least one print head for sintering and printing the molding powder supplied to the print work space.
According to the present invention, it is possible to set the working space suitable for the size of the object to be injected by the user and perform the injection, thereby reducing the time required for powder flattening. In addition, there is an effect that waste of unnecessary powder can be reduced. In addition, since the powder can be directly supplied into the forming chamber corresponding to the set working space, the planarization can be performed immediately, thereby reducing the time required for printing.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a powder sintering type printing apparatus,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powder sintered printing apparatus, and more particularly, to a printing apparatus that provides a work space in which a user intends to perform an injection, and supplies an amount of powder necessary for a printing operation.

Recent advances have led to the field of directly producing solid objects such as a small number of circular parts and finished parts from a CAD database. In contrast to conventional cutting processes, such as machining, various techniques have been known for producing such components, in particular through the use of additional processes. An important additional process for the production of these objects is the selective laser sintering process developed and popularized by DTM. According to the selective laser sintering process, the powder is injected in a layered form by a directed energy beam, such as a laser beam, so that the powder is melted at a selected position corresponding to the intersection of the object. The melted points inside each layer are attached to the melted portions of the previously melted layers, so that a series of layers produced in this manner forms the finished part. Therefore, computer control of the energy beam scanning makes it possible to directly convert the design in a CAD database to a physical object.

The method and apparatus for performing the same are described in U.S. Patent No. 4,247,508, issued January 27, 1981, U.S. Patent No. 5,252,264, issued October 12, 1993, and U.S. Patent No. 5,252, U.S. Patent No. 5,352,405, all of which are assigned to DTM Corporation and are incorporated herein by reference. U.S. Patent No. 4,865,538, issued September 9, 1989, and U.S. Patent No. 5,017,753, issued May 21, 1991, both issued to the University Board of Trustees of the Texas System, U.S. Patent No. 4,938,816 issued to U.S. Patent No. 4,938,816, U.S. Patent No. 4,994,817 issued on July 31, 1990, U.S. Patent No. 5,076,869 issued on December 31, 1991, and U.S. Patent No. 5,076,869 issued on March 22, U.S. Patent No. 5,296,062, and U.S. Patent No. 5,382,308, filed January 17, 1995, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Further improvements in selective laser sintering and machines and advanced systems for performing selective laser sintering are described in U.S. Patent 5,155,321, issued October 13, 1992, and U.S. Patent 5,155,321, issued October 13, 5,155,324 and International Publication No. WO 92/08556, which are incorporated herein by reference.

U.S. Patent 5,156,697, issued October 20, 1992, and U.S. Patent No. 5,147,587, issued September 15, 1992, both of which are incorporated herein by reference and to the Council of the Board of Trustees of the University of Texas System , Combinations of various materials and materials, including plastics and waxes, metals, ceramics, etc., as described in U.S. Patent No. 5,182,170, issued January 26, 1993, Additionally, as described in the above patents and applications, the selective laser sintering process can produce parts of very complex shapes and shapes that can not be fabricated by conventional cutting processes such as machining. This complexity is made possible by the natural support of the molten portion over the top of the object provided by the unmelted powder remaining in the existing layer.

Clearly, the aforementioned US Pat. No. 5,382,308 and patents which claim to be the parent have described a system of composite powder useful for selective laser sintering. The composite material powder is, for example, composed of a powder mixture of materials having different melting (or bonding or separation) temperatures, such as a mixture of glass powder and alumina powder. The patent also describes various examples of coated powders in which one material is coated with another material.

The selective laser sintering process is a thermal process wherein an object is formed by sintering or melting powder at a selected location of the layer, receiving energy sufficient to reach a melting or sintering temperature guided primarily from the laser. The portion of each powder layer that does not receive the laser energy must remain unmelted and therefore must remain below the melting or sintering temperature. Additionally, the temperature of the powder receiving the laser energy is generally higher than the temperature of the underlying layer (melted or unmelted). In the selective laser sintering process, a significant thermal diffusivity occurs at the target surface of the powder.

In the method of sintering using a powder such as the selective laser sintering method, there is an inconvenience that the powder must be filled in a space larger than the size of the object to be printed and then the injection must be performed. As a result, the injection time of a small object is long, and unnecessary powder is used. In addition, there is an inconvenience in that an object ejected by a method of sintering using a powder such as a selective laser sintering method is accompanied by a residual powder so that the powder must be directly removed by people.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a powder sintering type printing apparatus capable of providing a variable working space in which a user intends to perform injection, and capable of supplying an amount of powder necessary for a printing operation to improve a speed of an injection operation, &Lt; / RTI >

It is another object of the present invention to provide a powder sintering type printing apparatus capable of automating continuous injection work by automatically removing residual powder adhering to a workpiece after injection is performed by a printing apparatus.

A powder sintering type printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a chamber forming unit configured to variably form a print work space; A powder supply unit for supplying molding powder to the printing work space; And at least one print head for sintering and printing the molding powder supplied to the print work space.

The chamber forming unit may include a forming chamber formed of a pair of chamber blocks, the bending units bending at one side and the bending units facing each other; A block driving unit for mutually approaching the pair of chamber blocks so that the pair of chamber blocks facing each other form a closed loop and variably forming the print working space between the pair of chamber blocks; And a disk provided in the print work space and supporting the molding powder supplied to the print work space.

In addition, when the specific forming chamber among the plurality of forming chambers is set as the printing work space, the forming chamber group in the set forming chamber may include a plurality of forming chambers, And supports the molding powder supplied to the printing work space.

The chamber forming unit may include: a body; A plurality of variable valves which are formed in the body and are supplied with the molding powder and whose diameters of the powder holes to which the molding powder is supplied are automatically or manually changed; A powder supply guide member connecting the plurality of variable valves in the body and having the print work space therein; And a support filter portion for supporting the molding powder supplied to the print work space.

The variable valve may further comprise: a plate; And a plurality of blades each having a rim and configured to be rotatable with one end fixed to the plate, wherein the rim of each of the plurality of blades abuts against the rim of two adjacent blades, have.

Further, the diameter of the powder hole may be changed as the plurality of blades rotate automatically or manually.

The chamber forming unit may further include an integrated driving unit connected to the plurality of variable valves to simultaneously rotate the plurality of blades so that the powder holes formed in the plurality of variable valves all have the same diameter. The powder supply guide member may include a plurality of elastic frames; And a frame connection portion connecting the plurality of frames to each other and having the print work space formed therein and having elasticity.

The support filter unit may include: a first support filter having a plurality of through holes having a predetermined diameter through which the molding powder can pass; And a second support filter which is continuously stacked on the first support filter and in which through holes having the same pattern as the number of through holes of the first support filter are formed, And at least one of the through holes of the first support filter and the second support filter may be rotatable so that the through holes of the first support filter and the through holes of the second support filter are not opposed or opposed to each other.

In addition, when the through hole of the first support filter and the through hole of the second support filter are opposed to each other, the vibration filter may further include a vibrating part for applying vibration to the support filter part.

In addition, the plate includes at least one magnet, and the chamber forming part includes a plurality of forming chambers composed of the combination of the variable valve and the supply guide member, and the plurality of forming chambers are connected by the magnet The print work space can be expanded.

And a lifting unit for lifting the disk, the forming chamber group, or the support filter unit along the print work space.

In addition, the pair of chamber blocks may be laminated with a plurality of blocks.

The apparatus may further include an air injecting unit provided in the pair of chamber blocks for injecting air into the workpiece printed in the print work space to remove the molding powder attached to the workpiece.

The powder supply unit may include a plurality of nozzle holes through which the molding powder is injected and a powder nozzle which is provided to be reciprocatable above the chamber forming unit and supplies the molding powder to the printing work space through the nozzle holes, May include sieves.

The scraper may further include a scraper scraping the molding powder supplied to the print work space so as to be flush with the uppermost end of the chamber forming part.

The apparatus may further include a plurality of auxiliary disks provided along the periphery of the disk to gradually increase an effective area of the print work space.

The apparatus may further include a flap for blocking a gap between the disk and the auxiliary disk and between the pair of adjacent auxiliary disks.

The vacuum cleaner may further include a vacuum suction unit for sucking and discharging the molding powder supplied to the print work space by vacuum.

According to the present invention as described above, the following various effects are obtained.

First, since the injection space can be set by variably setting the work space suitable for the size of the object to be injected by the user, the time required for powder flattening can be reduced. In addition, there is an effect that waste of unnecessary powder can be reduced.

Second, since the powder can be directly supplied into the forming chamber corresponding to the set work space, the planarization can be performed immediately, and the time required for printing can be reduced.

Third, it is easy to automatically remove the residual powder attached to the ejected object. In addition, the injection operation and the residual powder removing operation are automatically performed, and the three-dimensional printing can be performed automatically and continuously. As a result, the 3D printer can automatically perform the scheduled injection operation even after the administrator leaves the work, and the production efficiency of the 3D printer using the selective laser sintering method is increased.

1 is a perspective view of a pair of forming chambers according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view of a chamber forming part including a plurality of forming chambers according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view of a chamber forming part including a plurality of forming chambers according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is an exemplary view of a lifting unit and a chamber forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 5 is an exemplary view in which a workpiece is secured by a workpiece support in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an exemplary view of supplying powder to a forming chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
7 is an exemplary view of a powder supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an exemplary layout view of a printer head, a powder feeder, and a chamber forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an exemplary view showing a powder supply unit and a chamber forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a perspective view showing a part of a chamber forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is an exemplary view showing a powder supply guide member according to an embodiment of the present invention.
12 is a perspective view of a chamber forming part according to an embodiment of the present invention.
13 is an exemplary view showing a state in which the support filter portion is lowered by the lifting portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a plan view of a support filter portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
15 is an exemplary view of a variable valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.
16 is another exemplary view of a variable valve according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in a sense commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Also, commonly used predefined terms are not ideally or excessively interpreted unless explicitly defined otherwise.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of illustrating embodiments and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. In the present specification, the singular form includes plural forms unless otherwise specified in the specification. The terms " comprises "and / or" comprising "used in the specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the stated element.

As used herein, the terms "first," "second," "first," or "second," and the like may denote various components, regardless of their order and / or importance, But is used to distinguish it from other components and does not limit the components. For example, the first and second support filters may be different support filters or may be the same support filter, regardless of order or importance. That is, the first component can be named as the second component without departing from the scope of the rights described in this document, and similarly, the second component can also be named as the first component.

1 is a perspective view of a pair of forming chambers according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a perspective view of a chamber forming part including a plurality of forming chambers according to an embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a plan view of a chamber forming part including a plurality of forming chambers according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is an exemplary view of a lifting unit and a chamber forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is an exemplary view in which a workpiece is secured by a workpiece support in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an exemplary view of supplying powder to a forming chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is an exemplary view of a powder supply unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 8 is an exemplary layout view of a printer head, a powder feeder, and a chamber forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 9 is an exemplary view showing a powder supply unit and a chamber forming unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 9 show a chamber forming part 100; Forming chamber 110; A chamber block 111; Forming chamber group 120; Disk 130; A workpiece support 140; A powder supply unit 200; A nozzle hole 210; A powder nozzle body 220; A print head 300; A lift part 400; A scraper 500; And a workpiece 600 are shown.

Hereinafter, a printing apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The powder sintering type printing method may include all the prilling methods using powder (or powder). For example, the powder processing type printing method may include a selective laser sintering (SLS) method. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the powder processing type printing method may use a color jet printing printing method in which an adhesive and a color ink jet printer are injected into a powder and printed.

A powder sintering type printing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber forming unit 100; A powder supply unit 200; And a printhead 300.

The chamber forming unit 100 serves to variably form the printing work space. That is, a three-dimensional printer can variably generate a workspace having a desired area (or size) for forming a powder layer to perform injection (i.e., printing).

One embodiment of the chamber forming part 100 comprises a forming chamber 110; A block driver; And a disc 130.

The forming chamber 110 may be composed of a pair of chamber blocks, as in Fig. The pair of chamber blocks form a bending portion bent to one side, and the bending portions can be arranged to face each other. For example, each of the chamber blocks may be arranged in an 'a' shape so as to face each other.

The pair of the chamber blocks may be laminated with a plurality of blocks. In this way, the height of the chamber can be adjusted to the height of the object to be printed. For example, a chamber block having a certain height may be combined with a magnet. However, the method of laminating the chamber blocks is not limited thereto, and various methods such as a method of joining the male and female portions of the connection portions provided in the respective chamber blocks can be applied.

The block driving unit may function to variably form the printing work space between the pair of chamber blocks by mutually approaching the pair of chamber blocks so that the pair of chamber blocks facing each other form a closed loop .

The disk 130 is provided in the print work space and can perform the function of supporting the molding powder supplied to the print work space. That is, the disk 130 may serve to support a powder layer to be printed in an internal work space formed by a pair of chamber blocks.

In addition, the chamber forming unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a lifting unit 400. The elevating unit 400 may perform a function of moving the disk 130 up and down along the print work space.

In addition, it may further include a plurality of auxiliary disks (not shown). The auxiliary disk (not shown) is provided along the periphery of the disk 130, and when the effective area of the print work space is increased due to the variable block of the chamber block by the block driving unit, Can be performed.

2 and 3, another embodiment of the chamber forming unit 100 includes a plurality of forming chambers 110; And a lifting unit (400).

The forming chamber 110 may correspond to a chamber of the same shape, formed continuously in different sizes. The plurality of forming chambers 110 may include a first forming chamber 110 having a large internal area and a second forming chamber 110 having a small internal area. The outer surface of the second forming chamber 110 may be in contact with the outer surface of the second forming chamber 110. For example, the plurality of forming chambers 110 may be formed in a different shape of '?' Shape. A plurality of rectangular forming chambers 110 whose sizes are continuously changed are disposed on the bottom surface of the three-dimensional printing apparatus, and a square forming chamber 110 having a size desired for printing by the user is set as an output space, Forming chambers 110 downwardly. That is, the forming chamber 110 forming unit may set the forming chambers 110 inside the smallest forming chamber 110 including the object on which the user performs the injection. The quadrangle forming chambers 110 in the work space that are settled (that is, moved down) may perform the same function as the disk 130.

As shown in FIG. 4, the elevating unit 400 can perform a function of constantly raising and lowering a plurality of forming chambers 110 in the forming chamber 110 corresponding to the work space along the outer surface of the print work space have. For example, in the case of the SLS method, the elevating part 400 can form a powder layer having a specific thickness by lowering the plurality of forming chambers 110 of the work space by the same specific interval for stacking the powders.

In addition, the chamber forming unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include an air injection unit. The air injecting unit is provided inside the chamber forming the work space to perform the function of injecting air into the work 600 printed in the print work space to remove the molding powder attached to the work 600 . The remaining powder attached to the workpiece 600 is manually removed by the user. However, after the injection of the air is completed in the chamber forming unit 100, the residual powder can be automatically removed through air injection have.

Further, the chamber forming part 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a flap. The flap may function to block a gap between the disc 130 and the auxiliary disc (not shown) and between a pair of adjacent auxiliary discs (not shown). Further, the flaps are provided in the gaps between the plurality of the forming chambers 110, so that the powder can be prevented from entering the gaps.

In addition, the chamber forming unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a work support 140. As shown in FIG. 5, when the powder attached to the workpiece 600 is removed by the air spraying unit or the residual powder is removed by the vacuum suction unit after shipment, (600) so as not to fall over. For example, the work support 140 may be included in the chamber forming part 100 during the printing operation, and may be provided toward the work 600 to support the work 600 when the powder is removed.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the powder supply unit 200 functions to supply the molding powder to the print work space. That is, the powder supply unit 200 can supply the molding powder only to the work space set corresponding to the size of the workpiece 600 to be injected. Although not specifically illustrated in Figures 6 and 7, the powder feeder 200 may be operatively associated with a mechanical or electrical configuration (e.g., an actuator, a frame, or an electrical circuit, etc.) that drives it to move toward the print work space have.

One embodiment of the powder feeder 200 includes a plurality of nozzle holes 210; And a powder nozzle body 220. The nozzle hole 210 corresponds to a hole through which the molding powder is injected. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 9, the plurality of nozzle holes 210 may be provided at regular intervals in a powder nozzle body (described later) of the powder supply portion, and the lateral length of the powder nozzle body may be longer than the length Only a specific number of nozzle holes 210 corresponding to the size of the work space can be utilized.

The powder nozzle body 220 forms a plurality of nozzle holes 210 and has a pair of chamber blocks or a forming chamber of a specific shape including the work space 600 110) inner space so that the molding powder can be supplied to the printing work space through the nozzle hole 210. [0050]

The powder nozzle body 220 is formed in a straight line shape and can be moved by supplying the forming powder in the x-axis direction or the y-axis direction at the lower end of the printer head 300 corresponding to the laser module.

The print head performs a function of sintering (or cocooning) the molding powder supplied to the print work space and printing it, as in Fig. As a non-limiting example, a printhead may sinter (or cement) the molding powder using a chemical solidifying material, UV, or laser that solidifies the molding powder supplied to the printing workspace, Or more may be included in a powder sintering (or cementation) type printing apparatus.

Further, an embodiment of the present invention may further include a scraper 500. The scraper 500 is provided so as to reciprocate above the work space (i.e., the forming chamber 110) so that the molding powder supplied to the print work space is flush with the uppermost end of the forming chamber 110 (That is, a planarizing operation of the powder). Unless the scraper 500 is provided, the nozzle hole 210 is not provided so tightly that a powder layer having a uniform thickness can not be formed. There is therefore a need for a scraper 500 that will move at a certain height after powder feeding and perform planarization of the powder layer.

7, the scraper 500 may be coupled to the powder supply unit 200 so that the powder supply unit moves the upper end of the chamber forming unit 100 and performs the planarization operation immediately after supplying the powder. Since the flattening is performed immediately after a predetermined amount of powder is sprayed from above, more delicate powder lamination and planarization than conventional methods can be performed.

According to a non-limiting embodiment, the powder sintered type printing apparatus may include rollers in place of or in combination with the scraper 500. In this case, the roller may be combined with the powder feeder 200 as in the case of the scraper 500, and the upper end of the chamber forming unit 100 may be planarized.

Further, an embodiment of the present invention may include a vacuum suction unit. The vacuum suction unit may perform a function of sucking and discharging the molding powder supplied to the print work space by vacuum. The vacuum suction unit sucks the remaining powder after the printing operation and sucks the remaining powder so that the remaining powder can be used again. The remaining powder attached to the work 600 is also sucked immediately after being removed by air injection of the air injection unit, It is possible to prevent flying.

On the other hand, another embodiment of the above-described chamber forming unit 100 will be described with reference to Figs.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a part of a chamber forming part 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 11 is an exemplary view showing a powder supplying guide member 700 according to an embodiment of the present invention, 12 is a perspective view of a chamber forming unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 13 is an exemplary view of a state where support filter units 740 and 750 according to an embodiment of the present invention are lowered by a lifting unit FIG. 14 is a plan view of the support filter portion 740, 750 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 15 is an exemplary view of a variable valve 112 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is another exemplary view of a variable valve 112 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 to 16, a detailed configuration of the chamber forming unit 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. First, a body 800 constituting the chamber forming unit 100 and a plurality of variable valves (112_1, 112_2, 112_3) are shown. The body 800 may be made of various materials, and the interior of the body 800 may be empty, but is not limited thereto. The body 800 shown in FIG. 10 is shown not to be formed below the variable valve 112_3 located below for convenience of explanation, but it is further extended in the upper or lower direction to form the support filter portion 740, 750).

The variable valve 112 may be configured in the body 800 to receive the molding powder, and the diameter R of the powder hole to which the molding powder is supplied may be automatically or manually changed. As a non-limiting example, the variable valve 112 may be fixed or installed within the body 800, as shown in FIG. 10, with three variable valves 112_1, 112_2, and 112_3.

The variable valve 112 includes a plate 119 including or including at least one magnet 113 and a plurality of vanes 114 having a rim fixed to the plate 119 and configured to be rotatable ). This variable valve 112 can be driven by the principle of a diaphragm used in, for example, a camera or the like.

Specifically, when at least one of the plurality of blades 114 and the plate 119 is rotated by the integrated driving unit 117, the rim of each of the plurality of blades 114 is aligned with the rim of the adjacent two blades. A powder hole having a predetermined diameter (R) can be formed. This integrated driver 117 may be automatically rotated through a combination of an electrical configuration (e.g., a motor) and a mechanical configuration (e.g., gear teeth, etc.) or may be manually rotated by a user.

15 and 16, the diameter of the powder hole 115 formed in the variable valve 112 of FIG. 15 is adjusted by the operation of the integrated driver 117 (clockwise movement) As shown in Fig. For this operation, the plate 119 may include at least one protrusion (not shown), and each of the plurality of blades 114 may be configured such that the plate 119 or the plurality of blades 114 rotate A guide groove (not shown) having a predetermined length to accommodate the protrusion can be formed. As the protrusion moves in the guide groove formed in a predetermined pattern, the rim of each of the plurality of blades can be formed into a powder hole having a predetermined diameter R while coming into contact with the rims of the adjacent two wings.

Also, in contrast, each of the plurality of blades 114 may include at least one protrusion, so that the plate 119 may include a guide groove of a predetermined length to accommodate the protrusion. In addition, at least one of the variable valve 112 and the body 800 can support the plate 119 and the plurality of blades 114 as the plate 119 and the plurality of blades 114 rotate And may further include a support portion 118.

The depth, length, and shape of the projections and guide grooves can be variously designed according to a predetermined standard or user policy so that the powder holes varying as the rims of the plurality of blades 114 come into contact with each other.

Although not shown, according to various embodiments, the forming chamber 110 composed of the combination of the variable valve 112 and the supply guide member 700 is formed by the magnet 113 of the variable valve 112, Can be combined. For example, the upper variable valve 112_1 or the lower variable valve 112_3 of the forming chamber 110 may be coupled with the upper variable valve or the lower variable valve of the forming chamber different from the forming chamber 110 through the magnet have. As described above, the plurality of forming chambers are connected by the magnet 113 formed or included in the plate 119, so that a desired printing work space can be secured by the user. In the various embodiments of the present invention, the shape, thickness, length, and the like of the magnet 113 are not limited to specific forms.

Referring again to FIG. 10, the integrated drive unit 117 simultaneously operates the plurality of vanes 114 (for example, rotate the vanes 114 so that the powder holes formed in the plurality of variable valves 112_1, 112_2, and 112_3 have the same diameter) ). To this end, the integrated drive unit 117 may include variable valve operating units 117_1, 117_2, and 117_3 and an operation connection unit 117_5. For example, the operation connecting portion 117_5 is connected to the plurality of variable valve operating portions 117_1, 117_2, and 117_3, so that the variable valve operating portions 117_1, 117_2, and 117_3 are provided with a frame function Can be performed. Each of the variable valves 112_1, 112_2, and 112_3 may further include accommodation spaces 116_1, 116_2, and 116_3 for operating the integrated driver 117.

In Fig. 11, a powder supply guide member 700 is shown. The powder supply guide member 700 connects the plurality of variable valves 112 in the body 800 and forms a print work space inside the body 800. [ The powder supply guide member 700 may have a structure in which the upper surface and the lower surface are opened, and may be composed of various materials having elasticity and stretchability.

The powder supply guide member 700 may include a plurality of frames 710 and 720 having elasticity and a frame connecting portion 730 connecting the plurality of frames 710 and 720 and having elasticity . When the molding powder is supplied into the powder hole of the variable valve 112, the supplied molding powder is dispersed into the void space of the body 800, as the inner body of the body 800 may be in an empty state, . Accordingly, a cylindrical print work space having a diameter of the powder hole of the variable valve 112 can be formed by inserting or configuring the powder supply guide member 700 inside the body 800. [

In FIG. 11, the frame connection portion 730 is shown as being contracted inward, but may be formed to have the same or similar diameter as the diameter of the frames 710 and 720. 12, the inner circumferential surface of the specific variable valve 122_2 is engaged with or bonded to the outer circumferential surface of the frame connecting portion 730, so that the diameter of the powder hole of the variable valve 122_2 is changed to change the diameter of the frame connecting portion 730 Or the like.

Referring to FIG. 12, the chamber forming part 100 may include the forming chamber 110 in which the powder supply guide member 700 of FIG. 11 is inserted into the body 800 of FIG. The upper surface and the lower surface (or the lower surface) of the forming chamber 110 are opened by the diameter of the powder hole formed by the variable valve. In a part of the frame connecting part 730 surrounding the inner surface of the opened area, Can be formed. The forming chamber 110 may include a molding powder 715 in the print work space and a work 600 in which some of the molding powder 715 is sintered by a laser. The chamber forming portion 100 may also include support filter portions 740 and 750 that support the molding powder 715 supplied to the printing workspace below the open lower surface of the forming chamber 110 . The chamber forming unit 100 may further include a lifting unit 600 for lifting the support filter unit 740 along the print work space.

The chamber forming portion 100 may be configured to receive the molding powder that has passed through the elevating portion 600, the workpiece 600 descended by the elevating portion 600, and the support filter portions 740 and 750, (Not shown). The support filter units 740 and 750 can be moved up and down by the lifting unit 500 in the base frame 760. The base frame 760 may include a portion of the body 800 that is different from the forming chamber 110 on the body 800, but is not limited thereto. For example, the base frame 760 may be configured separately from the forming chamber 100 or the body 800 and may have a diameter equal to or slightly larger than the bottom diameter of the forming chamber 100, As shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 13, a space may be formed between the frame 720 and the support filter portions 740 and 750 while the support filter portions 740 and 750 are lowered along the lifting portion 400. Since the lower surface of the forming chamber 110 is partly opened, the space is filled with the molding powder 715 discharged from the opened lower surface, and the filled molding powder 715 is molded The powder 715 can be supported. As the sintering process proceeds, the gradually lowered workpiece 600 can be discharged through the open lower surface of the forming chamber 110.

By way of a non-limiting example, the workpiece 600 can be formed by the following process by the configurations of FIGS. 12 and 13. First, the molding powder 715 is filled in the printing work space up to the uppermost surface of the forming chamber 110 opened to have the predetermined diameter R. Next, the molding powder 715 from the uppermost surface to a predetermined depth is sintered through the laser of the print head 300. The sintered portion is formed at the lowermost end of the workpiece 600 and the support filter portions 740 and 750 are lowered to a predetermined depth according to the elevation portion 400 to be formed into an open lower surface of the forming chamber 110 The powder 715 is discharged. The molded powder 715 is filled up to the uppermost surface of the forming chamber 110 if the molded powder 715 is discharged to some extent and is no longer discharged. Thereafter, the sintering, descending, and supplying operations are repeated until the workpiece 600 is completed.

However, the various embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above-described processes. For example, the lower surface of the forming chamber 110 is in contact with or fixed to the support filter portions 740 and 750 by the elevating portion 400 and the lower surface of the forming chamber 110 and the support filter portion 740 , 750 may all be lowered. In this case, the body 800 of the forming chamber 110 and the base frame 760 may be formed of one body 800, and the lower variable valve 112_3 may be formed in the body 800, And can be configured to be movable in the downward direction. Then, the flexible frame connection part 730 is extended downward in the downward movement of the body 800, so that the printing work space can be extended in the depth direction. When the part of the sintered workpiece 600 and the molding powder 715 are lowered, the molding powder 715 is filled up to the uppermost surface of the forming chamber 110 again. Then, until the workpiece 600 is completed Sintering, descending, and supplying operations can be repeated.

In Fig. 14, the specific configuration of the support filter portions 740 and 750 is shown. According to various embodiments, the support filter portions 740, 750 may include a first support filter 740 and a second support filter 750. The first support filter 740 may have a plurality of through holes 741 having a predetermined diameter through which the molding powder 715 can pass. The second support filter 750 is continuously stacked on the first support filter 740 and has a through hole 751 having the same pattern as the number of the through holes 741 of the first support filter 740 . At least one of the first support filter 740 and the second support filter 750 may have a through hole 741 of the first support filter 740 and a through hole 742 of the second support filter 750, (751) are not opposed or opposed to each other.

For example, when the through hole 741 of the first support filter 740 and the through hole 751 of the second support filter 750 are not opposed to each other (a), the molding powder 175 is not discharged On the other hand, when the through hole 741 of the first support filter 740 and the through hole 751 of the second support filter 750 are opposed to each other, the molding powder 175 is separated from the support filter portions 740, 750 to the separate storage space or the vacuum suction unit.

According to some embodiments, the powder sintered type printing apparatus may further include a vibrating portion (not shown). The vibrating portion may be configured to apply a vibration to the support filter portion when the through hole of the first support filter is opposed to the through hole of the second support filter (e.g., a sector connecting the motor and the support filter portion to the motor) . Accordingly, the molded powder 715 can be discharged through the support filter portion 715 more effectively. [0064] According to the present invention as described above, the following various effects are obtained.

First, since the injection can be performed by setting a work space suitable for the size of the object to be injected by the user, the time required for powder flattening can be reduced. In addition, there is an effect that waste of unnecessary powder can be reduced.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, You will understand. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive.

100: chamber forming part 110: forming chamber
111: chamber block 120: forming chamber group
130: Disk 140: Workpiece support
200: Powder supply part 210:
220: powder nozzle body 300: print head
400: elevating part 500: scraper
600: Workpiece

Claims

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A chamber forming unit for variably forming a printing work space;
A powder supply unit for supplying molding powder to the printing work space; And
And at least one print head for sintering and printing the molding powder supplied to the print work space,
The chamber-
A forming chamber formed of a pair of chamber blocks which bend at one side to form a bending portion and the bending portions are arranged to face each other;
A block driving unit for mutually approaching the pair of chamber blocks so that the pair of chamber blocks facing each other form a closed loop and variably forming the print working space between the pair of chamber blocks; And
And a disk provided in the print work space for supporting the shaping powder supplied to the print work space.

A chamber forming unit for variably forming a printing work space;
A powder supply unit for supplying molding powder to the printing work space; And
And at least one print head for sintering and printing the molding powder supplied to the print work space,
The chamber-
A plurality of telescopically configured forming chambers of different sizes,
Wherein when a specific forming chamber of the plurality of forming chambers is set as a printing work space, the forming chamber group in the set forming chamber supports the forming powder supplied to the printing work space.

A chamber forming unit for variably forming a printing work space;
A powder supply unit for supplying molding powder to the printing work space; And
And at least one print head for sintering and printing the molding powder supplied to the print work space,
The chamber-
body;
A plurality of variable valves which are formed in the body and are supplied with the molding powder and whose diameters of the powder holes to which the molding powder is supplied are automatically or manually changed;
A powder supply guide member connecting the plurality of variable valves in the body and having the print work space therein; And
And a support filter portion for supporting the molding powder supplied to the print work space.

5. The variable valve system according to claim 4,
plate; And
A plurality of blades having one end fixed to the plate and rotatable and having a rim,
Characterized in that the rim of each of the plurality of blades abuts the rim of the two wings on both sides adjacent to each other to form the powder hole.

6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the powder hole is changed in diameter as the plurality of blades rotate automatically or manually.

The method according to claim 6,
The chamber-
Further comprising an integrated driver connected to the plurality of variable valves for simultaneously rotating the plurality of vanes so that the powder holes formed in the plurality of variable valves all have the same diameter.

5. The method of claim 4,
The powder supply guide member
A plurality of frames having elasticity; And
And a frame connecting portion connecting the plurality of frames to each other and having the print work space formed therein and having elasticity.

5. The method of claim 4,
The support filter unit includes:
A first support filter in which a plurality of through holes having a diameter allowing the molding powder to pass therethrough are formed in a predetermined pattern; And
And a second support filter which is continuously laminated on the first support filter and on which a through hole having the same pattern as the number of the through holes of the first support filter is formed,
Wherein at least one of the first support filter and the second support filter is configured to be rotatable such that the through hole of the first support filter and the through hole of the second support filter are not opposed to or opposed to each other.

10. The method of claim 9,
Further comprising a vibrating part for vibrating the support filter part when the through hole of the first support filter and the through hole of the second support filter are opposed to each other.

6. The method of claim 5,
The plate comprising at least one magnet,
The chamber-
A plurality of forming chambers formed by coupling the variable valve and the powder supply guide member,
And the plurality of forming chambers are connected by the magnets to expand the printing work space.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
Further comprising a lifting portion for lifting any one of a disk, a forming chamber group, and a support filter portion along the print work space.

3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the pair of chamber blocks are laminated in a plurality of blocks.

3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising an air ejection portion provided in the pair of chamber blocks for ejecting air from the print work in the print work space to remove the molding powder adhered to the work.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
Wherein the powder supply unit comprises:
And a powder nozzle body which forms a plurality of nozzle holes through which the molding powder is injected and which is reciprocatable above the chamber forming portion and supplies the molding powder to the printing work space through the nozzle hole, Type printing device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4,
And a scraper scraping the molding powder supplied to the print work space so as to be flush with the uppermost end of the chamber forming portion.

3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a plurality of auxiliary disks disposed along the periphery of the disk to incrementally increase the effective area of the print work space.

18. The method of claim 17,
Further comprising: a flap for blocking a gap between the disc and the auxiliary disc and between a pair of adjacent auxiliary discs.

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