3D PRINTING DEVICE AND 3D PRINTING METHOD

Abstract

A 3D printing device having at least one printing nozzle for applying a print material intended for the manufacture of a component to be printed. In particular, the 3D printing device comprises at least one moisture sensor designed to produce a signal depending on a moisture content of the print material fed in the direction of the at least one printing nozzle.

Claims

1. A 3D printing device, comprising: at least one printing nozzle configured to apply a printing material for production of a component; and at least one moisture sensor configured to generate a signal depending on a moisture content of the printing material conveyed in a direction of the at least one printing nozzle.

2. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one moisture sensor generates the signal when the moisture content of the printing material conveyed in the direction of the at least one printing nozzle exceeds a threshold value.

3. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a conditioning device configured to adjust the moisture content of the printing material to be conveyed in the direction of the at least one printing nozzle, wherein the conditioning device is activated, in response to the signal being generated by the at least one moisture sensor, to change the moisture content of the printing material to be conveyed in the direction of the at least one printing nozzle.

4. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising an alarm device configured to receive the signal generated by the at least one moisture sensor and to generate an alarm or an entry in an electronic operating log of the 3D printing device.

5. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising: a conditioning device configured to adjust the moisture content of the printing material to be conveyed in the direction of the at least one printing nozzle; and at least one material line connecting between the conditioning device and the at least one printing nozzle (10).

6. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 5 further comprising at least one fill level sensor configured to generate a signal in response to which additional printing material is conveyed from the conditioning device or into the conditioning device.

7. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the conditioning device includes at least two separate conditioners.

8. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the separate conditioners are associated with different types of the printing material.

9. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one printing nozzle is at least two printing nozzles.

10. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 9 further comprising a conditioning device configured to adjust the moisture content of the printing material to be conveyed in the direction of the at least one printing nozzle, wherein the conditioning device includes at least two separate conditioners, and wherein select ones of the conditioners are assigned to exactly one of the printing nozzles in order to convey conditioned printing material from the select ones of the conditioners to the one of the printing nozzles.

11. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 10, wherein another of the conditioners is assigned to a plurality of the printing nozzles in order to convey conditioned printing material from the another conditioner simultaneously to the plurality of printing nozzles.

12. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 3 further comprising at least one raw material reservoir that is connected to the conditioning device and configured to automatically convey the printing material to the conditioning device for conditioning.

13. A 3D printing method comprising: supplying a printing material, for production of a component to be printed, to at least one printing nozzle; determining, via a sensor, a moisture content of the printing material; generating a signal from the sensor depending on the moisture content determined; and responsive to the signal, changing the moisture content of a portion of the printing material to be conveyed in a direction of the at least one printing nozzle with a conditioning device.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising: generating the signal responsive to the moisture content exceeding a threshold.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 further comprising: drying the portion of the printing material with the conditioning device responsive to the signal being generated.

16. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising: drying the portion of the printing material with the conditioning device.

17. The method as claimed in claim 13 further comprising: activating an alarm device in response to the signal being generated.

18. A 3D printing comprising: at least one printing nozzle (10) configured to apply a printing material; at least one moisture sensor configured to sense a moisture content of a portion of the printing material conveyed in a direction of the at least one printing nozzle and to generate a signal responsive to the moisture content exceeding a threshold; a conditioning device configured to dry the portion of the printing material; and control electronics configured to receive the signal and programmed to command the conditioning device to dry the portion responsive to the signal being received.

19. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the conditioning device includes at least one dryer.

20. The 3D printing device as claimed in claim 18 further comprising an alarm device, and wherein the control electronics is further programmed to active the alarm device responsive to the signal being received.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of a design variant of a proposed 3D printing device with the aid of which a design variant of a proposed 3D printing method may be implemented.

[0029] FIG. 2 schematically shows the interaction of different components in a design variant of a proposed 3D printing device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention that may be embodied in various and alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention.

[0031] FIG. 1 shows an example embodiment of a 3D printing device V. The 3D printing device V has a printhead 1, which may include a plurality of printheads 1a, 1b. The printhead 1 is configured to supply printing material for the printing of a three-dimensional component, e.g., applied layer-by-layer on a printing platform. To discharge the printing material, a printhead 1, 1a, 1b in each case has at least one printing nozzle 10. For example, the 3D printing device is set up and provided for the performance of fused deposition modelling (FDM for short).

[0032] In the illustrated embodiment, the 3D printing device V has the printhead 1 coupled to a conditioning device 2, via which specifically conditioned printing material may be conveyed to the printhead 1 (or else to one of the further printheads 1a or 1b). For the (motor-assisted) conveyance, for example a conveying device not illustrated in FIG. 1 is provided. Such a conveying device includes a screw conveyor, for example. The printing material to be conditioned in the conditioning device 2, e.g., dried, may include, for example, a plastic material, such as for example PA6, and/or be present in the form of granules.

[0033] The printhead 1 of the 3D printing device V is, for example, connected via a (main) feed line 11 to the conditioning device 2 so that printing material conditioned by the conditioning device 2 may be conveyed to the printhead 1 and its printing nozzle 10. Printing material from the conditioning device 2 is fed to the optionally additionally provided printheads 1a, lb via separate feed lines 11a, 11b. The 3D printing device V illustrated thus integrates a conditioning device 2, with which printing material to be used may be specifically conditioned, e.g., dried. The printing material may be dried to a predefined moisture content within the 3D printing device V and therefore integrated in the process.

[0034] For the automatic control of the conditioning device 2 and at least one conditioner, e.g., dryer(s) 21-24 of the conditioning device 2, the conditioning device 2 has control electronics 20. These control electronics 20 may receive a (control) signal s5 from a moisture sensor 5 of the 3D printing device V. This signal s5 is generated by the moisture sensor 5 if the conditioned printing material conveyed from the conditioning device 2 to the printhead 1 has a moisture content above a predefined threshold value. Depending on the signal s5 from the moisture sensor 5, with the aid of the control electronics 20 of the conditioning device 2, at least one dryer 21-24 of the conditioning device 2 is then activated in order to change a dryness of the printing material prepared therein. In this way, in response to the signal s5 from the moisture sensor 5, the moisture content of the printing material provided by the conditioning device 2 may be changed, e.g., automatically.

[0035] However, a signal generated by the moisture sensor 5 may also alternatively or additionally, for example, be transmitted as an (alarm) signal s5a to an alarm/logging device 6 of the 3D printing device V. If, with the aid of the moisture sensor 5, it is determined that conditioned printing material conveyed to the printhead 1 exceeds a stored threshold value for the moisture content, it is thus possible via the alarm/logging device for a visually and/or optically perceivable alarm signal and/or an entry in an electronic operating log of the 3D printing device V to be generated. Via an appropriate alarm signal s5A, for example, in such a way a user of the 3D printing device V may be informed about possible faulty charging of the printing nozzle 10 with printing material. Furthermore, in the course of quality assurance, via an electronic operating log it is possible to recheck the extent to which a three-dimensionally printed component was possibly at least partly printed with printing material, the moisture content of which had exceeded the stored threshold value.

[0036] In the design variant illustrated, the moisture sensor 5 is provided by way of example on the printhead 1. However, this is of course not imperative. The moisture sensor 5 and/or an additional moisture sensor may, for example, also be provided in the feed line 11.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 1, the conditioning device 2 has a plurality of conditioners 21-24 such as at least 3. For conditioning via these different conditioners, here in the form of dryers 21-24, different types of printing materials, such as printing materials that differ from one another with regard to their moisture content to be adjusted or the type of material, may be conditioned and conveyed to a printhead 1, 1a and/or 1b as needed. Thus, the flexibility of the 3D printing device V and the number of components to be produced hereby without extensive conversion may be increased considerably via a plurality of conditioners 21-24 integrated in the 3D printing device V.

[0038] A dryer 24 of the conditioning device 2 may otherwise also be kept as a reserve, for example, in order to intercept a possibly increased throughput of printing material and/or to compensate for the malfunction of another dryer 21, 22 or 23.

[0039] Provision may be made for a conditioner/dryer 21 of the conditioning device 2 to convey conditioned printing material into an intermediate container 2A, from which the conditioned printing material is conveyed to the one printhead 1 and/or the further printheads 1a, 1b via the feed line 11.

[0040] A fill level sensor 4, for example, may be provided on this intermediate container 2A. If a fill level in the intermediate container 2A falls below a defined fill level threshold value, a (fill level) signal s4 is transmitted to the control electronics 20 of the conditioning device 2. In response to this signal s4, printing material may then be conveyed in the direction of the intermediate container 2A, for example from the conditioner/dryer 21. Alternatively, new or additional charging of the conditioner/dryer 21 connected upstream of the intermediate container 2A may then be signaled.

[0041] In the FIG. 1 example, a fill level sensor 4 may alternatively or additionally be provided on the printhead 1 if there is a printhead reservoir for printing material to be kept for the printing nozzle 10 on the printhead 2. If the printing material kept in the printhead 1 falls below a fill level threshold value, it is also possible here for new printing material from the conditioning device 2 to be conveyed electronically via a (fill level) signal s4.

[0042] The 3D printing device V may additionally have a raw material reservoir 3. From this raw material reservoir 3, printing material may be conveyed via a conveying line 30 and corresponding feed lines 31-34 to the conditioners 21-24 of the conditioning device 2. For example, an adequate fill level of the conditioners 21-24 of the conditioning device 2 with unconditioned printing material may be ensured electronically and at least partly automatically, and therefore in turn an adequate flow of conditioned printing material to a printing nozzle 10 of one or more printheads 1, 1a, 1b may be ensured.

[0043] In order also to be able, if necessary, to supply raw material which needs no separate drying, one or more bypass lines may be provided. Via such a bypass line which, in FIG. 1, is illustrated by way of example as a bypass line 3 lb, 34b to the feed line 31 or 34, raw material from the raw material reservoir 3 may be led past the conditioners 21-24 to a printhead 1, la, lb.

[0044] In order always to ensure an adequate fill level in a conditioner 21-24 of the conditioning device 2, each conditioner 21-24 is equipped with a fill level sensor 210, 220, 230 or 240. In response to a (fill level) signal from a fill level sensor 210, 220, 230 or 240, raw material may automatically be conveyed electronically from the raw material reservoir 3.

[0045] With the 3D printing device V illustrated and for example the conditioning device 2 integrated herein and the at least one moisture sensor 5, a printing nozzle 10 of the 3D printing device V may not only be charged flexibly with different printing materials and differently conditioned printing materials. Rather, more extensive automation of a 3D printing process may also be achieved hereby in that, for example, control logic is provided in order to control a conditioning process for the printing material to be conveyed to the nozzle 10 by using a (control) signal s5 from the moisture sensor 5.

[0046] By using FIG. 2, basic effective relationships within a 3D printing device V from FIG. 1 are illustrated once more by way of example.

[0047] Here, by using arrows, firstly material flows from the raw material reservoir 3 to the conditioning device 2 and, if appropriate via the optional intermediate container 2A, from the conditioning device 2 to a printhead 1 are sketched. Secondly, by using further arrows, possible control signals s2 and s5 from the conditioning device 2 or the moisture sensor 5 may be seen. Here, the conditioning device 2 may request the conveyance of raw material or unconditioned printing material from the raw material reservoir 2 to the conditioning device 2 via a control signal s2 on the conditioner side. In addition, via the control signal s5 from the moisture sensor 5, the conditioning of the printing material to be conveyed to the printhead 1 may be influenced by the printhead 1 in order to ensure a moisture level of the printing material below a stored threshold value for the further processing at the printing nozzle 10 of the printhead 1.

[0048] The following is a list of reference numbers shown in the Figures. However, it should be understood that the use of these terms is for illustrative purposes only with respect to one embodiment. And, use of reference numbers correlating a certain term that is both illustrated in the Figures and present in the claims is not intended to limit the claims to only cover the illustrated embodiment.

LIST OF DESIGNATIONS

[0049] 1, 1a, 1b Printhead

[0050] 10 Printing nozzle

[0051] 11 (Main) feed line

[0052] 11a, 1b Feed line

[0053] 2 Conditioning device

[0054] 20 Control electronics

[0055] 21, 22, 23, 24 Dryer/conditioners

[0056] 210, 220, 230, 240 Fill level sensor

[0057] 2A Intermediate container

[0058] 3 Raw material reservoir

[0059] 30 Conveying line

[0060] 31, 32, 33, 34 Feed line

[0061] 31, 31b, 34b Bypass line

[0062] 4 Fill level sensor

[0063] 5 Moisture sensor

[0064] 6 Alarm/logging device

[0065] S2, s4, s5, s5a Signal

[0066] V 3D printing device

[0067] While exemplary embodiments are described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the features of various implementing embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the invention.