CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL FUSED DEPOSITION MODELING HIGH-SPEED 3D PRINTER AND CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL METHOD

• US 20160167309A1
• Filed: 07/30/2014
• Published: 06/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panowin Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Panowin Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LIU, Haichuan, YUAN, Zhenguo, LIN, Jinfa
• Application Number:
  US14/908,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20160167309A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/106 using only liquids or viscous materials, e.g. depositing a continuous bead of viscous material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/118 using filamentary material being melted, e.g. fused deposition modelling [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 50/02 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes

Abstract

The present invention relates to a high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under a closed-loop control and a closed-loop control method thereof, and belongs to the technical field of 3D printing. Since the 3D printer has the grating module in which the grating scale is fixed on the machine frame and the grating reader moves along with the running mechanism, a precise mechanical displacement information of the extrusion spray head can be obtained. For the cross printing running mechanism, a precise movement compensation is realized through the compensation of the closed-loop control to improve the accuracy of the position of the extrusion spray head, and thus greatly improve the accuracy of 3D printing to be able to meet the technical requirements of high-accuracy printing. Moreover, the high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control of the invention has a relatively simple structure and low cost, and the control method of the invention is easy to implement and has a very wide range of application.

Claims

1. A high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control, comprising:

a machine frame;

a printing running mechanism connected to the machine frame;

a printing platform connected to the printing running mechanism;

an extrusion spray head connected to the printing running mechanism;

a drive module connected to and driving the printing running mechanism;

wherein, the high-speed 3D printer further comprises;

a grating module fixed to the machine frame and the printing running mechanism for detecting an actual displacement of the extrusion spray head; and

a control module for controlling the drive module according to a predetermined printing data and perform a compensating control according to an error between the actual displacement of the extrusion spray head and the printing data.

2. The high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control according to claim 1, wherein, the printing running mechanism is a crisscross printing running mechanism having an X axis and a Y axis that are perpendicular to each other;

and, the extrusion spray head is fixed at a position where the X axis and the Y axis intersect with each other and can be moved along the X axis and the Y axis under the control of the drive module.

3. The high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control according to claim 2, wherein, the grating module comprises:

an X axis grating scale fixed to the machine frame and in parallel with the X axis;

a Y axis grating scale fixed to the machine frame and in parallel with the Y axis;

an X axis grating reader, which is fixed to one end of the Y axis that is close to the X axis grating scale, and can be moved along the X axis grating scale along with the movement of the Y axis and connected with the control module for reading a data which is indicating the displacement of the extrusion spray head along the X axis in cooperation with the X axis grating scale; and

,

a Y axis grating reader, which is fixed to one end of the X axis that is close to the Y axis grating scale, and can be moved along the Y axis grating scale along with the movement of the X axis and connected with the control module for reading a data which is indicating the displacement of the extrusion spray head along the Y axis in cooperation with the Y axis grating scale.

4. The high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control according to claim 3, wherein, the drive module comprises:

an X axis motor, which is connected to the control module for driving the extrusion spray head to move along the X axis under the control of the control module; and

,

a Y axis motor, which is connected to the control module for driving the extrusion spray head to move along the Y axis under the control of the control module.

5. The high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control according to claim 4, wherein, the control module comprises a compensation control unit, and if both the X axis motor and the Y axis motor are step motors, the compensation control unit determines the number N′

of steps of the X axis step motor and the Y axis step motor which have been compensated according to the following formulas;

6. The high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control according to claim 3, wherein, at least one end of the X axis grating scale and/or the Y axis grating scale is fixed to the machine frame via a grating fine adjuster, and the grating fine adjuster comprises a fixed block and an adjusting block:

the fixed block is fixedly disposed onto the machine frame; and

,

the adjusting block is movably connected with the fixed block and further provided with an insertion groove for receiving the grating scale.

7. The high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control according to claim 2, wherein, the printing running mechanism is a dual-crisscross printing running mechanism having two parallel X axes and two parallel Y axes;

and, the X axes are perpendicular to the Y axes, and the extrusion spray head is fixed at a position where the two X axes and the two Y axes intersect.

8. The high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling under closed-loop control according to claim 2, wherein, the printing running mechanism further comprises a Z axis which is fixed to the machine frame and perpendicular to the X axis and the Y axis;

and, the printing platform is connected to the Z axis and moves along the Z axis perpendicularly.

9. A closed-loop control method for a printing running mechanism by using the high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling according to claim 1, wherein, the method comprises the following steps:

(1) the drive module controls a movement of the printing running mechanism according to the printing data;

(2) the grating module detects an actual displacement of the extrusion spray head;

(3) the control module compares the actual displacement with the printing data so as to determine the error;

(4) the control module controls the drive module to perform compensation according to the error.

10. The closed-loop control method for a printing running mechanism by using the high-speed 3D printer with fused deposition modeling according to claim 9, wherein the printing running mechanism is a crisscross printing running mechanism having an X axis and a Y axis that are perpendicular to each other, the drive module comprises an X axis step motor and a Y axis step motor, the control module comprises a compensation control unit, and the step (4) specifically comprises the following steps:

(41) the compensation control unit determines the number N′

of steps of the X axis step motor and the Y axis step motor which have been compensated according to the following formulas;

11. The closed-loop control method according to claim 9, wherein the printing running mechanism is a crisscross printing running mechanism provided with an X axis and a Y axis that are perpendicular to each other, the drive module comprises an X axis step motor and a Y axis step motor, the control module comprises a compensation control unit, and the step (3) further comprises steps of determining non-perpendicularity error of the X axis or Y axis in case that the cross axes formed by the X axis and the Y axis is deviated from an ideal position by an angle δ

, as follows;

(31) Merely controlling the X axis to move by a displacement S_x, wherein the single axis movement of the X axis will cause a corresponding offset of Y axis via the coupling of a central slider;

Δ

y=S_xg sin δ

(32) Detecting the offset of Y axis as the non-perpendicularity error of the Y axis for modifying the displacement of the Y axis in step (4); and

in the above steps, the X axis and the Y axis can be exchanged.