Patent Description:
At present, AM (commonly known as 3D printing) technology has become a research hotspot at home and abroad. The technology has the characteristics of rapidity, high efficiency, flexibility, etc., and does not need traditional molds, tools and fixtures, but uses 3D design data to efficiently and accurately manufacture, on an AM device, parts with any complex shape and structure. The AM technology can process a wide range of raw materials. The AM technology of non-metallic materials (mainly organic polymer materials) has been relatively mature.

The document <CIT> discloses a 3D printing flexible material wire feeding mechanism, which comprises: a motor bracket, a motor, a wire feeding wheel, a passive bearing matched with a wire feeding wheel, a throat pipe, a heating block, a nozzle, a spring and a spring tab.

In the prior art, in order to prevent wire winding, a hook may be provided on the device for wire separation. But when a relatively soft flexible material such as a Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) material is printed, the position in contact with the hook is likely to cause temporary accumulation and then cake, which affects the progress of wire feeding, and even directly affects the printing effect.

In order to solve the above problem, the present invention discloses a wire feeding mechanism suitable for fused deposition AM of a flexible wire, which aims to solve the technical problem that when a flexible material is printed, the position in contact with a hook is likely to cause temporary accumulation and then cake.

In order to achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:.

A wire feeding mechanism suitable for fused deposition Additive Manufacturing (AM) of a flexible wire, comprising a support housing, a melting nozzle is arranged at the lower end of the support housing, a hook is connected to the inner wall of the top end of the support housing, a connecting rod is connected to the inner wall of one side of the support housing, a wire drawing mechanism is connected to one end of the connecting rod, the wire drawing mechanism is located below the hook, a limiting mechanism and a wire guide mechanism are connected to the inner wall of one side of the support housing, the limiting mechanism is located below the wire drawing mechanism, the wire guide mechanism is located below the limiting mechanism, the wire drawing mechanism comprises a support seat, the support seat is connected to the connecting rod, an electric chute is arranged in the inner wall of the top end of the support seat, an electric sliding block is movably connected to the inner wall of the electric chute in a clamped manner, a sixth bracket is connected to the outer wall of the top end of the electric sliding block, a plurality of third connecting shafts are arranged on the inner wall of the sixth bracket, a fourth roller is connected to the outer wall of each of the third connecting shafts in a sleeving manner, a wire is arranged on the hook, and the wire passes through the limiting mechanism and the wire guide mechanism in sequence.

A wire drawing mechanism is arranged. Since the wire is a flexible wire, when the wire is hung on the hook and conveyed to the position of a melting nozzle under the action of a wire guide mechanism, the position in contact with the hook is likely to cause temporary accumulation and then cake. A sixth bracket is driven via an electric sliding block in the wire drawing mechanism to move along an electric chute in a support seat. When the electric sliding block moves to a high position of the electric chute, a fourth roller just contacts the bottom end of the wire on the hook, and the movement of the wire may also drive the fourth roller to move, thereby acting on a joint between the wire and the hook and reducing the risk of wire caking. Meanwhile, the circulating movement of the electric sliding block in the electric chute also plays a role of assisting the wire to loosen the caking position. When the electric sliding block slides to the lower end of the electric chute, the electric sliding block may be disconnected from the wire, thus avoiding a situation of knotting caused by torsion of the wire driven by the circulating movement.

In a preferred solution, the wire guide mechanism comprises a limiting block, a third connecting rod is arranged at both sides of the limiting block, the third connecting rod is connected to the inner wall of the support housing, a third roller is arranged aside the limiting block, a plurality of rubber pads are arranged on the outer wall of the third roller at equal density, and the wire is located between the rubber pads and the limiting block.

The second pneumatic rod can be arranged, and a telescopic length of the second pneumatic rod can be controlled, so that the position between the limiting block and the rubber pad on the third roller can be further controlled. Accordingly, the wire guide mechanism is applicable to wires of different models for use. Meanwhile, through the arranged rubber pad, the wire with the material being a flexible wire can be protected from damage during wire guide while the third roller is ensured to tightly contact the wire, thus avoiding the wire from being deformed by extrusion of the third roller.

The second clamp block can be connected to the inner wall of the fifth bracket in a clamped manner, so that the position of the second gear is ensured, and the second gear can be ensured to be perfectly clamped with the gear. Meanwhile, the sliding block is connected into the top chute in a clamped manner, and the clamp strips on the two sides are connected into the clamp slots in a clamped manner, so that three orientations of the third roller can all be limited, it can be guaranteed that the third roller is not loosened and displaced during long-time use, the third roller can be avoided from being separated from a clamping position with the limiting block, and the service life of the wire feeding mechanism can be guaranteed.

The limiting mechanism is arranged and acts on the two sides of the wire, so that the wire can accurately enter the wire guide mechanism, and the wire can be avoided from dislocation to cause the wire guide mechanism incapable of normally guiding the wire. Meanwhile, the soft bumps are arranged on the outer wall of the second roller at equal density, so that when the wire is limited and contacts the soft bumps, the second roller may be driven to rotate. Under the action of the ball bearings, the friction subjected to by the second roller during rotation can be reduced. In a rotating process of the second roller, the soft bumps can be intermittently separated from the wire, so that the surface of wire can be avoided from abrasion caused due to long-term contact with the wire.

The working principle of the present invention is: when in use, the sixth bracket is driven via the electric sliding block in the wire drawing mechanism to move along the electric chute in the support seat. When the electric sliding block moves to a high position of the electric chute, the fourth roller just contacts the bottom end of the wire on the hook, and the movement of the wire may also drive the fourth roller to move, thereby acting on a joint between the wire and the hook and reducing the risk of wire caking. Meanwhile, the circulating movement of the electric sliding block in the electric chute also plays a role of assisting the wire to loosen the caking position. When the electric sliding block slides to the lower end of the electric chute, the electric sliding block may be disconnected from the wire, thus avoiding a situation of knotting caused by torsion of the wire driven by the circulating movement.

It can be seen from the above that the beneficial effects of the present invention are that:.

In the <FIG>, support housing; <NUM>, wire; <NUM>, melting nozzle; <NUM>, hook; <NUM>, wire drawing mechanism; <NUM>, connecting rod; <NUM>, limiting mechanism; <NUM>, wire guide mechanism; <NUM>, second connecting rod; <NUM>, bracket; <NUM>, connecting shaft; <NUM>, roller; <NUM>, clamp block; <NUM>, second connecting shaft; <NUM>, ball bearing; <NUM>, second bracket; <NUM>, pneumatic rod; <NUM>, second roller; <NUM>, soft bump; <NUM>, third connecting rod; <NUM>, limiting block; <NUM>, rubber pad; <NUM>, third roller; <NUM>, gear; <NUM>, motor; <NUM>, second clamp block; <NUM>, second gear; <NUM>, third bracket; <NUM>, clamp strip; <NUM>, fourth bracket; <NUM>, second pneumatic rod; <NUM>, clamp slot; <NUM>, top chute; <NUM>, fifth bracket; <NUM>, sliding block; <NUM>, support plate; <NUM>, connecting seat; <NUM>, sixth bracket; <NUM>, fourth roller; <NUM>, third connecting shaft; <NUM>, electric sliding block; <NUM>, electric chute; and <NUM>, support seat.

The present invention is further illustrated below in conjunction with the drawings and specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the following specific embodiments are merely used to illustrate the present invention and not to limit the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that the words "front", "back", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" used in the following description refer to directions in the drawings, and the words "inner" and "outer" respectively refer to directions toward or away from the geometric center of a particular component.

A wire feeding mechanism suitable for fused deposition AM of a flexible wire disclosed in the present invention is mainly applied to a scenario of 3D printing.

Referring to <FIG>, <FIG> and <FIG>, a wire feeding mechanism suitable for fused deposition AM of a flexible wire includes a support housing <NUM>. A melting nozzle <NUM> is arranged at the lower end of the support housing <NUM>, a hook <NUM> is connected to the inner wall of the top end of the support housing <NUM>, a connecting rod <NUM> is connected to the inner wall of one side of the support housing <NUM>, a wire drawing mechanism <NUM> is connected to one end of the connecting rod <NUM>, the wire drawing mechanism <NUM> is located below the hook <NUM>, a limiting mechanism <NUM> and a wire guide mechanism <NUM> are connected to the inner wall of one side of the support housing <NUM>, the limiting mechanism <NUM> is located below the wire drawing mechanism <NUM>, the wire guide mechanism <NUM> is located below the limiting mechanism <NUM>, the wire drawing mechanism <NUM> includes a support seat <NUM>, the support seat <NUM> is connected to the connecting rod <NUM>, an electric chute <NUM> is arranged in the inner wall of the top end of the support seat <NUM>, an electric sliding block <NUM> is movably connected to the inner wall of the electric chute <NUM> in a clamped manner, a sixth bracket <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of the top end of the electric sliding block <NUM>, a plurality of third connecting shafts <NUM> are arranged on the inner wall of the sixth bracket <NUM>, a fourth roller <NUM> is connected to the outer walls of the plurality of third connecting shafts <NUM> in a sleeving manner, a wire <NUM> is arranged on the hook <NUM>, and the wire <NUM> passes through the limiting mechanism <NUM> and the wire guide mechanism <NUM> at the same time.

Referring to <FIG>, in a preferred implementation, the wire guide mechanism <NUM> includes a limiting block <NUM>, a third connecting rod <NUM> is arranged at both sides of the limiting block <NUM>, the third connecting rod <NUM> is connected to the inner wall of the support housing <NUM>, the wire guide mechanism <NUM> includes a third roller <NUM>, a plurality of rubber pads <NUM> are arranged on the outer wall of the third roller <NUM> at equal density, and the wire <NUM> is located between the rubber pads <NUM> and the limiting block <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in a preferred implementation, a gear <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of one side of the third roller <NUM>, a second gear <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of the gear <NUM> in a clamped manner, a second clamp block <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of one side of the second gear <NUM>, and a motor <NUM> is connected to one end of the second clamp block <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in a preferred implementation, a fifth bracket <NUM> is movably connected to the inner wall of the second clamp block <NUM> in a clamped manner, a connecting seat <NUM> is arranged on the inner walls of two sides of the fifth bracket <NUM>, the connecting seat <NUM> is connected to the gear <NUM> and the third roller <NUM>, respectively, a third bracket <NUM> is arranged on the outer wall of one side of the fifth bracket <NUM>, the third bracket <NUM> is connected to the motor <NUM>, a fourth bracket <NUM> is movably connected to the outer wall of the fifth bracket <NUM>, a second pneumatic rod <NUM> is arranged on the inner wall of one side of the fourth bracket <NUM>, and the second pneumatic rod <NUM> is connected to the fifth bracket <NUM> at the same time. The second pneumatic rod <NUM> is arranged, and a telescopic length of the second pneumatic rod <NUM> is controlled, so that the position between the limiting block <NUM> and the rubber pad <NUM> on the third roller <NUM> can be further controlled. Accordingly, the wire guide mechanism <NUM> is applicable to wires <NUM> of different models for use. Meanwhile, through the arranged rubber pad <NUM>, the wire <NUM> with the material being a flexible wire can be protected from damage during wire guide while the third roller <NUM> is ensured to tightly contact the wire <NUM>, thus avoiding the wire <NUM> from being deformed by extrusion of the third roller <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in a preferred implementation, clamp strips <NUM> are arranged on the outer walls of the two sides of the fifth bracket <NUM>, clamp slots <NUM> are formed in the inner walls of the two sides of the fourth bracket <NUM>, and the fifth bracket <NUM> is movably connected to the fourth bracket <NUM> by interconnecting the clamp strips <NUM> and the clamp slots <NUM> in a clamped manner.

Referring to <FIG>, in a preferred implementation, a support plate <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of one side of the fifth bracket <NUM>, a sliding block <NUM> is arranged at the top end of the support plate <NUM>, a top chute <NUM> is connected to the top end of the fourth bracket <NUM>, and the sliding block <NUM> is movably connected into the top chute <NUM> in a clamped manner. The second clamp block <NUM> is connected to the inner wall of the fifth bracket <NUM> in a clamped manner, so that the position of the second gear <NUM> is ensured, and the second gear <NUM> can be ensured to be perfectly clamped with the gear <NUM>. Meanwhile, the sliding block <NUM> is connected into the top chute <NUM> in a clamped manner, and the clamp strips <NUM> on the two sides are connected into the clamp slots <NUM> in a clamped manner, so that three orientations of the third roller <NUM> can all be limited, it can be guaranteed that the third roller <NUM> is not loosened and displaced during long-time use, the third roller <NUM> can be avoided from being separated from a clamping position with the limiting block <NUM>, and the service life of the wire feeding mechanism can be guaranteed.

Referring to <FIG>, in a preferred implementation, the limiting mechanism <NUM> includes a bracket <NUM> and a second bracket <NUM>, a second connecting rod <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of one side of the bracket <NUM>, the second connecting rod <NUM> is connected to the support housing <NUM>, a connecting shaft <NUM> is arranged on the inner wall of the bracket <NUM>, and a roller <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of the connecting shaft <NUM> in a sleeving manner.

Referring to <FIG>, in a preferred implementation, ball bearings <NUM> are arranged on the inner walls of two sides of the second bracket <NUM>, a clamp block <NUM> is connected to the inner walls of the ball bearings <NUM> in a clamped manner, a second connecting shaft <NUM> is connected to one side of the clamp block <NUM>, a second roller <NUM> is connected to the outer wall of the second connecting shaft <NUM> in a sleeving manner, soft bumps <NUM> are arranged on the outer wall of the second roller <NUM> at equal density, a pneumatic rod <NUM> is connected to one side of the second bracket <NUM>, and the other side of the pneumatic rod <NUM> is connected to the support housing <NUM>. The limiting mechanism <NUM> is arranged and acts on the two sides of the wire <NUM>, so that the wire <NUM> can accurately enter the wire guide mechanism <NUM>, and the wire <NUM> can be avoided from dislocation to cause the wire guide mechanism <NUM> incapable of normally guiding the wire. Meanwhile, the soft bumps <NUM> are arranged on the outer wall of the second roller <NUM> at equal density, so that when the wire <NUM> is limited and contacts the soft bumps <NUM>, the second roller <NUM> may be driven to rotate. Under the action of the ball bearings <NUM>, the friction subjected to by the second roller <NUM> during rotation can be reduced. In a rotating process of the second roller <NUM>, the soft bumps <NUM> can be intermittently separated from the wire <NUM>, so that the surface of wire <NUM> can be avoided from abrasion caused due to long-term contact with the wire <NUM>.

Working principle: when in use, the sixth bracket <NUM> is driven via the electric sliding block <NUM> in the wire drawing mechanism <NUM> to move along the electric chute <NUM> in the support seat <NUM>. When the electric sliding block <NUM> moves to a high position of the electric chute <NUM>, the fourth roller <NUM> just contacts the bottom end of the wire <NUM> on the hook <NUM>, and the movement of the wire <NUM> may also drive the fourth roller <NUM> to move, thereby acting on a joint between the wire <NUM> and the hook <NUM> and reducing the risk of wire <NUM> caking. Meanwhile, the circulating movement of the electric sliding block <NUM> in the electric chute <NUM> also plays a role of assisting the wire <NUM> to loosen the caking position. When the electric sliding block <NUM> slides to the lower end of the electric chute <NUM>, the electric sliding block <NUM> may be disconnected from the wire <NUM>, thus avoiding a situation of knotting caused by torsion of the wire <NUM> driven by the circulating movement.

Claim 1:
A wire feeding mechanism suitable for fused deposition Additive Manufacturing (AM) of a flexible wire, comprising a support housing (<NUM>), wherein a melting nozzle (<NUM>) is arranged at the lower end of the support housing (<NUM>), characterised in that a hook (<NUM>) is connected to the inner wall of the top end of the support housing (<NUM>), a connecting rod (<NUM>) is connected to the inner wall of one side of the support housing (<NUM>), a wire drawing mechanism (<NUM>) is connected to one end of the connecting rod (<NUM>), the wire drawing mechanism (<NUM>) is located below the hook (<NUM>), a limiting mechanism (<NUM>) and a wire guide mechanism (<NUM>) are connected to the inner wall of one side of the support housing (<NUM>), the limiting mechanism (<NUM>) is located below the wire drawing mechanism (<NUM>), the wire guide mechanism (<NUM>) is located below the limiting mechanism (<NUM>), the wire drawing mechanism (<NUM>) comprises a support seat (<NUM>), the support seat (<NUM>) is connected to the connecting rod (<NUM>), an electric chute (<NUM>) is arranged in the inner wall of the top end of the support seat (<NUM>), an electric sliding block (<NUM>) is movably connected to the inner wall of the electric chute (<NUM>) in a clamped manner, a sixth bracket (<NUM>) is connected to the outer wall of the top end of the electric sliding block (<NUM>), a plurality of third connecting shafts (<NUM>) are arranged on the inner wall of the sixth bracket (<NUM>), a fourth roller (<NUM>) is connected to the outer wall of each of the third connecting shafts (<NUM>) in a sleeving manner, a wire (<NUM>) is arranged on the hook (<NUM>), and the wire (<NUM>) passes through the limiting mechanism (<NUM>) and the wire guide mechanism (<NUM>) in sequence.