Patent Publication Number: US-2022212405-A1

Title: Fast Light-curing 3D Printer Cartridge and 3D Printer

Description:
The present disclosure claims priority of Chinese Patent Application No. 201910432608.4, filed on May 23, 2019, and entitled “Fast Light-curing 3D Printer Cartridge and 3D Printer”, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The present disclosure relates to the field of printers, and particularly to a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge and a 3D printer. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As a material commonly used for light-curing printer cartridge designs, PDMS has the advantages of relatively low friction coefficient and relatively good elasticity, oxygen permeability and oxygen storage rate. With these characteristics, PDMS may provide a relatively high release property in a cartridge design with a totally enclosed system. However, in the totally enclosed PDMS cartridge design, PDMS cannot keep supplementing oxygen continuously, and a low release force usually exists in first multiple printed layers only. A drawing force between the printed layers subsequently formed and the bottom surface of the cartridge increases, resulting in a low printing speed and poor printing effect of a light-curing printer in a conventional art. 
     SUMMARY 
     Objectives of the present disclosure include, for example, providing a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge, which has the characteristics that a resin flows back fast, a drawing force between a printed layer and a bottom surface of the cartridge is reduced, the stripping speed is increased, and the printing speed is improved remarkably. 
     The objectives of the present disclosure also include providing a 3D printer with high printing speed. 
     In order to achieve at least one of the above objectives, the following technical solutions are adopted in the examples of the present disclosure. 
     The embodiment of the present disclosure provides a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge, which includes a resin tank sidewall and a curing inhibitor delivery layer. A bottom of the resin tank sidewall is connected to an upper surface of the curing inhibitor delivery layer to enclose a resin tank. The fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge has a curing inhibitor supply part configured to provide a curing inhibitor for the curing inhibitor delivery layer. 
     in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the curing inhibitor supply part is arranged to provide the curing inhibitor for the curing inhibitor delivery layer, and the curing inhibitor keeps entering a resin in the resin tank well and continuously from the curing inhibitor delivery layer. Therefore, the printing speed may be improved remarkably. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the structure and arrangement manner of the curing inhibitor supply part are not limited strictly as long as the curing inhibitor supply part may provide the curing inhibitor (gaseous, e.g., oxygen and air) for the curing inhibitor delivery layer well. 
     In an implementation mode, the curing inhibitor supply part includes a delivery layer extending part. The delivery layer extending part is formed by the extension of the curing inhibitor delivery layer from the resin tank along the bottom of the resin tank sidewall. That is, the delivery layer extending part is a part of the curing inhibitor delivery layer. In the present disclosure, the delivery extending part is used as the curing inhibitor supply part and may contact with the air well, and the air freely enters the curing inhibitor delivery layer through the delivery layer extending part and is diffused so as to keep entering the resin in the resin tank well and continuously. 
     In another implementation mode, the curing inhibitor supply part includes a curing inhibitor supply bin. The curing inhibitor supply bin contacts with the curing inhibitor delivery layer to deliver the curing inhibitor to the curing inhibitor delivery layer. In such case, the curing inhibitor is delivered to the curing inhibitor delivery layer through the curing inhibitor supply bin so as to keep entering the resin in the resin tank well and continuously. 
     It is to be noted that, in another implementation mode of the present disclosure, the curing inhibitor supply bin may also contact with the delivery layer extending part to deliver the curing inhibitor through the delivery layer extending part. 
     Further, the curing inhibitor supply part further includes a pressurization part configured to pressurize and deliver the curing inhibitor to the curing inhibitor delivery layer. The pressurized delivery further ensures that the curing inhibitor is delivered into the resin well. 
     Optionally, in another implementation mode of the present disclosure, an oxygen-permeable light-transmitting curing inhibitor distribution layer is further arranged on the upper surface of the curing inhibitor delivery layer of the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge. The curing inhibitor distribution layer is located in the resin tank. 
     Optionally, in another implementation mode of the present disclosure, the curing inhibitor distribution layer of the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge is an oxygen-permeable light-transmitting fluorine-containing thin film, preferably a Teflon AF 2400 thin film. 
     Optionally, in another implementation mode of the present disclosure, the curing inhibitor delivery layer of the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge is a silicon-based thin film material layer, preferably a PDMS thin film. 
     Optionally, in another implementation mode of the present disclosure, the curing inhibitor of the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge is oxygen or air. 
     Optionally, in another implementation mode of the present disclosure, a rigid ultraviolet light-transmitting layer is further arranged on a lower surface of the curing inhibitor delivery layer of the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge. 
     In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the rigid ultraviolet light-emitting layer is arranged to support the curing inhibitor delivery layer. In such case, the curing inhibitor delivery layer is prevented from being deformed under the gravity of the resin or the pressure of the air, the printing error is minor, the accuracy is high, and the printing effect is good. 
     Optionally, in another implementation mode of the present disclosure, the ultraviolet light-transmitting layer of the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge is made of quartz or transparent acrylic. 
     According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a 3D printer is provided, which includes the above-mentioned fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge. 
     During a 3D printing process of the 3D printer, the resin tank is filled with a resin, the resin contacts with the curing inhibitor delivery layer, and a part of the resin contacting with the curing inhibitor delivery layer may be mixed with oxygen to form an inhibition layer. 
     According to the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the oxygen-permeable light-transmitting curing inhibitor delivery layer is arranged at the bottom of the resin tank sidewall to form the resin tank, and the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge has the curing inhibitor supply part configured to provide the curing inhibitor for the curing inhibitor delivery layer. The curing inhibitor supply part may keep providing the curing inhibitor (e.g., oxygen, air and the like) for the curing inhibitor delivery layer well and continuously such that the curing inhibitor is continuously delivered into the resin tank. A lower surface of a new printed layer contacts with the curing inhibitor when the resin tank is filled with the resin to form a resin layer during a printing process. The resin of the resin layer is partially mixed with oxygen to form an oxygen inhibition phenomenon, and a part of the resin mixed with oxygen does not undergo a curing reaction. Therefore, the lower surface of the new printed layer is unlikely to adhere to the bottom surface of the cartridge, a drawing force between the new printed layer and the bottom surface of the cartridge is low, the resin flows back faster, and the printing speed is improved remarkably. According to the 3D printer provided by the embodiments of present disclosure, the resin flows back fast, and the printing speed is improved remarkably. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the examples of the present disclosure, accompanying drawings to be used in the examples are simply described below. It should be understood that the following accompanying drawings only show some examples of the present disclosure and thus should not be regarded as limits to the scope. Those of ordinary skill in the art can also obtain other related accompanying drawings according to the accompanying drawings without creativity. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates another schematic structural diagram of a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates yet another schematic structural diagram of a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge according to an example of the present disclosure. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a schematic structural diagram of a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge filled with a resin according to an example of the present disclosure. 
       Reference signs:  100 -fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge;  101 -curing inhibitor delivery layer;  102 -resin tank sidewall;  103 -curing inhibitor distribution layer;  104 -curing inhibitor supply bin;  105 -ultraviolet light-transmitting layer;  106 -resin tank;  107 -delivery layer extending part;  200 -resin layer; and  201 -inhibition layer. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT 
     In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the examples of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions in the examples of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below in combination with the accompanying drawings in the examples of the present disclosure. It is apparent that the described examples are not all but part of examples of the present disclosure. Generally, components in the examples of the present disclosure described and shown in the accompanying drawings may be arranged and designed in various different configurations. 
     Therefore, the following detailed descriptions about the examples of the present disclosure provided in the accompanying drawings are not intended to limit the claimed scope of the present disclosure but only intended to represent selected examples of the present disclosure. All other examples obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the examples of the present disclosure without creative efforts fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure. 
     It should be noted that similar symbols and letters represent similar terms in the following accompanying drawings and thus a certain term, once being defined in one accompanying drawing, is not required to be further defined or explained in the subsequent accompanying drawings. 
     In the descriptions of the present disclosure, it is to be noted that orientation or position relationships indicated by terms “center”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “inner”, “outer” and the like are orientation or position relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or orientation or position relationships commonly formed when the product of the present disclosure is used, or orientation or position relationships commonly understood by those skilled in the art. They are only for easily describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description rather than indicating or implying that indicated devices or components must be in specific orientations or structured and operated in specific orientations, and thus should not be understood as limits to the present disclosure. In addition, the terms “first”, “second”, “third” and the like are used for differentiated description and should not be understood to indicate or imply relative importance. 
     Moreover, terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, “pendent” and the like do not represent that a component is required to be absolutely horizontal or pendent, and instead, the component may be slightly inclined. For example, “horizontal” only refers to that the direction is more horizontal relative to “vertical” and does not represent that the structure needs to be completely horizontal, and instead, the structure may be slightly inclined. 
     In the description of the present disclosure, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly specified or defined, terms “arrange”, “mount”, “mutually connect” and “connect” should be understood in a broad sense. For example, the connection may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; or the connection may be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; or the connection may be a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediary, or internal communication between two components. Those of ordinary skill in the art may understand the specific meanings of the foregoing terms in the present disclosure according to specific situations. 
     EXAMPLE 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , the present example provides a fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge  100 , which includes a curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 , a resin tank sidewall  102 , and a curing inhibitor supply part. 
     Specifically, the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  is located at a bottom of the resin tank sidewall  102  such that the resin tank sidewall  102  and the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  enclose an enclosed resin tank  106 . The curing inhibitor supply part may provide a curing inhibitor (specifically referring to oxygen in the present example, as oxygen may be mixed with a resin to form an oxygen inhibition phenomenon) for the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 . The curing inhibitor keeps entering the resin in the resin tank  106  well and continuously from the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 . A part of the resin forming oxygen inhibition may not be cured. In such case, solid-liquid separation is implemented between the cured resin and the uncured resin, so that the drawing force is reduced remarkably, and the resin flows back faster. Therefore, the printing speed is improved remarkably. 
     The curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  is made of an oxygen-permeable light-transmitting material. In the present example, any material which has high oxygen permeability, high light transmittance and high mechanical performance and may be formed freely can be selected. The material of the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  is a silicon-based thin film material layer, including, but not limited to, DowCorning PDMS, which has oxygen permeability of 600 Barrer, UV transmittance of 95% and good mechanical performance and may be formed freely on many surfaces. 
     In the present example, the curing inhibitor supply part may be structured and arranged in many ways. For example, in an implementation mode of the present example, referring to  FIG. 1 , the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  may extend from the resin tank  106  along the bottom of the resin tank sidewall  102  to form a delivery layer extending part  107 . Specifically, the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  may extend from the resin tank  106  along a length and/or width direction of the resin tank  106 . The delivery layer extending part  107  is used as the curing inhibitor supply part. The delivery layer extending part  107  extends out from the resin tank  106  and thus may directly contact with the air with a large contact area. The air may freely enter the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  through the delivery layer extending part  107  so as to be diffused by the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  to keep entering the resin in the resin tank  106  well and continuously. 
     In another implementation mode of the present example, referring to  FIG. 2 , the curing inhibitor supply part includes a curing inhibitor supply bin  104 . The curing inhibitor supply bin  104  contacts with the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  to deliver the curing inhibitor to the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 . Therefore, the curing inhibitor may keep entering the resin in the resin tank  106  well and continuously. In the present implementation mode, the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  may be flush with the resin tank  106 , namely not extending out from the resin tank  106 . 
     In addition, in yet another implementation mode of the present example, referring to  FIG. 3 , the curing inhibitor supply part may include both the curing inhibitor supply bin  104  and the delivery layer extending part  107 . In such case, the curing inhibitor supply bin  104  directly contacts with the delivery layer extending part  107  and delivers the curing inhibitor. 
     Furthermore, the curing inhibitor supply part further includes a pressurization part (not shown in the figure) configured to pressurize and deliver the curing inhibitor to the curing inhibitor delivery layer. The pressurized delivery further ensures that the curing inhibitor is delivered into the resin well. The pressurization part may be arranged in many ways. For example, the delivery layer extending part  107  is sealed, and then oxygen or air is delivered to the sealed delivery layer extending part  107  by the curing inhibitor supply bin  104 , thereby delivering the curing inhibitor into the resin well by use of the pressure of the curing inhibitor. 
     In a practical printing process, referring to  FIG. 2 , it is necessary to fill the resin tank  106  with a resin to form a resin layer  200 . The resin layer  200  directly contacts with the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 . In the present example, the resin of the resin layer  200  is a free radical initiator photosensitive resin. 
     The resin of the resin layer  200  is partially mixed with the oxygen entering from the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  to form an oxygen inhibition phenomenon (i.e., an inhibition layer  201 ). The portion of the resin mixed with the oxygen may not be cured, and the other portion not mixed with the oxygen in the resin layer  200  is cured only on the inhibition layer  201 . In such case, solid-liquid separation is implemented between the cured resin and the uncured resin (i.e., the inhibition layer  201 ). Therefore, the drawing force may be reduced remarkably, the resin flows back faster than before, and the printing speed is improved remarkably. 
     In addition, in another implementation mode of the present example, a curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  is arranged on the upper surface of the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 . The curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  is located in the resin tank  106 . The curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  may diffuse the oxygen in the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  into the inhibition layer  201  well such that the oxygen keeps entering the resin continuously to form an oxygen inhibition effect. 
     In the present example, the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  is also made of an oxygen-permeable light-transmitting material. Any thin film with high oxygen permeability, high chemical resistance and high light transmittance may be used. The curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  may be an oxygen-permeable light-transmitting fluorine-containing thin film, including, but not limited to, a DuPont Teflon AF 2400 thin film, which has oxygen permeability of 990 Barrer, good chemical resistance and UV transmittance of 95%. 
     The curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  is arranged on the upper surface of the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  such that the oxygen passes through the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  at first and then enters the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103 . The curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  may deliver and store oxygen well. The curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  may diffuse oxygen well into the resin layer  200  evenly to form the oxygen inhibition effect. 
     In addition, in another implementation mode of the present example, an ultraviolet light-transmitting layer  105  is further arranged on one side of the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  away from the resin tank sidewall  102 . The ultraviolet light-transmitting layer  105  may be made of any material with excellent UV transmittance, which is required to be highly rigid, such as quartz and transparent acrylic. The ultraviolet light-transmitting layer  105  is highly rigid and thus may effectively support the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 , the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103 , the inhibition layer  201 , the resin layer  200  and the resin tank sidewall  102 , and effectively prevent the curing inhibition delivery layer  101  and the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  from being deformed under the gravity of the resin. In addition, the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  is arranged on the surface of the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 , and oxygen passes through the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  at first and then enters the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103 . Therefore, the condition that the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  is deformed under the pressure of oxidation may be alleviated effectively. Furthermore, the stability and precision between each layered structure in the present disclosure are ensured, and the error may further be effectively controlled within  10  micrometers. 
     A preparation method of the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge  100  provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is as follows. The ultraviolet light-transmitting layer  105  is taken as a bottom layer. The curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  is formed on the surface of the ultraviolet light-transmitting layer  105 . Before the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  is completely formed, the resin tank sidewall  102  is connected with the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  to form the enclosed resin tank  106 . In addition, before the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  is completely formed, the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103  is connected with the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 , so as to improve the chemical resistance of the resin tank and prolong the service life of the resin tank, and such that the curing inhibitor supply part contacts with the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 . After the resin tank  106  is manufactured, the resin layer  200  is formed by filling the resin tank  106  with a resin, and printing is started. In the whole printing process, the curing inhibitor (oxygen) in the curing inhibitor supply bin  104  keeps entering the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  continuously through a portion of the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101  contacting with the air, and then is distributed into the resin of the resin layer  200  by the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103 , so as to form an oxygen inhibition effect at a portion of the resin layer  200  close to the curing inhibitor distribution layer  103 . 
     In addition, an embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a 3D printer, which includes the above-mentioned fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge  100 . During a 3D printing process of the 3D printer, the resin tank  106  is filled with a resin to form the resin layer  200 , the resin in the resin layer  200  contacts with the curing inhibitor delivery layer  101 , and a portion of the resin contacting with the curing inhibitor delivery layer may be mixed with oxygen to form an inhibition layer  201 . Designs of other parts of the 3D printer may refer to an ordinary light-curing printer, and will not be elaborated in the embodiment of the present disclosure. According to the 3D printer, the resin flows back fast, and the printing speed is improved remarkably. 
     In summary, according to the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the oxygen-permeable light-transmitting curing inhibitor delivery layer is arranged at the bottom of the resin tank sidewall to form the resin tank, and the fast light-curing 3D printer cartridge has the curing inhibitor supply part configured to provide the curing inhibitor for the curing inhibitor delivery layer. The curing inhibitor supply part may keep providing the curing inhibitor (e.g., oxygen, air and the like) for the curing inhibitor delivery layer well and continuously, such that the curing inhibitor is continuously delivered into the resin tank. The resin between the lower surface of a new printed layer and the bottom surface of the cartridge contacts with the curing inhibitor during printing. Part of the resin is mixed with oxygen to form an oxygen inhibition phenomenon and has no curing reactions. Therefore, the lower surface of the new printed layer is unlikely to adhere to the bottom surface of the cartridge, a drawing force between the new printed layer and the bottom surface of the cartridge is low, the resin flows back faster, and the printing speed is improved remarkably. According to the 3D printer provided by the present disclosure, the resin flows back fast, and the printing speed is improved remarkably. 
     The above is only preferred examples of the present disclosure and not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements and the like made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.