SYSTEM FOR EXTRUDING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL BEADS FOR AN ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING ROBOT

Abstract

The invention relates to a system for extruding cementitious material beads for a robot used for the additive manufacturing of architectural structures, comprising: a head for depositing beads of cementitious material, referred to as printhead (30), comprising an inlet mouth (31) and an outlet nozzle (34) configured to form beads of cementitious material; a feed circuit (20) for said printhead (30), comprising a reservoir (10) for storing cementitious material, a feed conduit (21) connecting said storage reservoir (10) to said printhead (30), and a booster pump (22) for said feed conduit (21), characterized in that it further comprises a sensor (33) for sensing the pressure rate of the cementitious material flowing in said printhead (30), and suitable for transmitting pressure/flow rate measurements to said booster pump (22), and in that the booster pump (22) is configured to control the boosting of the feed conduit (21) on the basis of the measurements transmitted by the sensor (33).

Claims

1. A system for extruding strands of cementitious material for a robot used for the additive manufacturing of architectural structures, comprising: a head for dispensing strands of cementitious material, referred to as a print head, comprising a mouth for the inlet of cementitious material and an outlet nozzle designed to form strands of cementitious material, a circuit for feeding cementitious material to said print head, comprising a cementitious material storage tank, a cementitious material feed pipe connecting said storage tank and said print head, and a pump for filling said feed pipe with cementitious material from said storage tank, a sensor for detecting the pressure/flow rate of said cementitious material flowing in said print head, which sensor is suitable for transmitting pressure/flow rate measurements to said filling pump, said filling pump being designed to control the filling of the feed pipe on the basis of said measurements transmitted by said sensor, characterized in that said dispensing head further comprises: a mixing chamber which is arranged upstream of said outlet nozzle and into which an admixing device leads which is suitable for injecting admixtures that modify the characteristics of the cementitious material before ejection of said strands of cementitious material through said outlet nozzle, a dynamic mixer designed to be able to mix said cementitious material and admixtures provided by said admixing device in said mixing chamber, an eccentric-screw metering pump designed to be able to convey the cementitious material from said inlet mouth of said print head to said mixing chamber.

2. The extrusion system according to claim 1, characterized in that said dynamic mixer comprises at least one shaft extending into the mixing chamber in a direction referred to as the longitudinal direction, and carrying radial fingers distributed along the shaft, and a motor designed to be able to rotate said shaft so as to be able to provide a homogeneous mixture of the cementitious material and the admixtures.

3. The extrusion system according to claim 2, characterized in that said admixing device comprises at least one admixing needle which leads into said mixing chamber in an admixing direction which forms an angle of between 0 and 90° with said longitudinal direction and is connected to an admixture barrel so as to be able to inject said admixtures from said admixture barrel into said mixing chamber in said admixing direction.

4. The extrusion system according to claim 3, characterized in that said admixing device comprises a plurality of needles leading into said mixing chamber in said admixing direction, each needle being connected to said admixture barrel by means of a volumetric feeder.

5. The extrusion system according to claim 4, characterized in that said admixing device comprises a peristaltic pump arranged between the admixture barrel and said volumetric feeders.

6. The extrusion system according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises a sensor for detecting the pressure of said cementitious material upstream of the mixing chamber, referred to as a safety sensor, which is designed to measure the pressure upstream of said mixing chamber so as to be able to prevent risks of the mixing chamber or the outlet nozzle clogging.

7. The extrusion system according t to claim 1, characterized in that said filling pump is an eccentric-screw pump so as to limit the pulsations in said feed pipe.

8. The extrusion system according to claim 1, characterized in that said storage tank of said feed circuit is a hopper comprising an upper opening for receiving batches of cementitious materials and a lower outlet connected to said feed pipe.

9. The extrusion system according to claim 8, characterized in that said hopper is provided with an agitator comprising a shaft carrying a plurality of lateral blades, and a motor for rotating the shaft so as to be able to stir the cementitious material of said hopper.

10. The extrusion system according to claim 1, characterized in that it has a constant cross section from the filling pump to the outlet nozzle so as to be able to convey the cementitious material without generating disturbance zones.

11. A robot used for the additive manufacturing of architectural structures, comprising: a positioning system, such as an articulated arm, controlled by a control unit, characterized, the positioning system comprising a system for extruding cementitious material comprising: a head for dispensing strands of cementitious material, referred to as a print head, comprising a mouth for the inlet of cementitious material and an outlet nozzle designed to form strands of cementitious material, a circuit for feeding cementitious material to said print head, comprising a cementitious material storage tank, a cementitious material feed pipe connecting said storage tank and said print head, and a pump for filling said feed pipe with cementitious material from said storage tank, a sensor for detecting the pressure/flow rate of said cementitious material flowing in said print head, which sensor is suitable for transmitting pressure/flow rate measurements to said filling pump, said filling pump being designed to control the filling of the feed pipe on the basis of said measurements transmitted by said sensor, characterized in that said dispensing head further comprises: a mixing chamber which is arranged upstream of said outlet nozzle and into which an admixing device leads which is suitable for injecting admixtures that modify the characteristics of the cementitious material before ejection of said strands of cementitious material through said outlet nozzle, a dynamic mixer designed to be able to mix said cementitious material and admixtures provided by said admixing device in said mixing chamber, an eccentric-screw metering pump designed to be able to convey the cementitious material from said inlet mouth of said print head to said mixing chamber.

Description

5. LIST OF FIGURES

[0048] Further aims, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reading the following description, which is provided solely by way of non-limiting example, and which refers to the accompanying figures, in which:

[0049] FIG. 1 is a functional schematic view of an extrusion system according to one embodiment of the invention,

[0050] FIG. 2 is a functional schematic view of an admixing device of an extrusion system according to one embodiment of the invention,

[0051] FIG. 3 is a functional schematic view of a print head of an extrusion system according to one embodiment of the invention,

[0052] FIGS. 4a and 4b are partial schematic views of needles of an admixing device which lead into a mixing chamber of an extrusion system according to one embodiment of the invention,

[0053] FIG. 5 is a schematic sectional view of a portion of the mixing chamber of an extrusion system according to one embodiment of the invention.

6. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ONE EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0054] For the sake of illustration and clarity, the scales and proportions are not strictly adhered to in the figures. Throughout the following detailed description with reference to the figures, unless otherwise indicated, each element of the extrusion system is described as arranged when the extrusion system is in the configuration of FIG. 1.

[0055] In addition, identical, similar or analogous elements are denoted using the same reference signs throughout the figures.

[0056] An extrusion system according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, as shown in FIG. 1, comprises a cementitious material storage tank 10, a print head 30, a circuit 20 for feeding cementitious material to the print head arranged between the storage tank 10 and the print head 30, and an admixing device 40 connected to the print head 30.

[0057] Each of the various elements of the system will now be described in detail.

[0058] Storage Tank

[0059] The storage tank 10 is preferably a hopper comprising an upper opening 11 suitable for receiving batches of cementitious materials and a lower outlet 12 connected to the feed circuit 20. The hopper further comprises an agitator 13 comprising a shaft 14 carrying a plurality of lateral blades 15 by means of axes perpendicular to the shaft 14, and a motor 16 for rotating the shaft 14. The motor 14 is for example an electric motor designed to be able to drive the shaft 14 of the agitator 13 at low speed, for example at a speed of 6 revolutions/minute. The use of a heat engine is of course possible without modifying the performance of the extrusion system according to the invention. The role of the agitator is to be able to maintain the cementitious material in the hopper at an almost constant rheological state before being guided to the print head by the feed circuit 20.

[0060] The cementitious material used is for example a premix made from cement with fine particles, which is hydrated and fluidized

[0061] Feed Circuit

[0062] The feed circuit 20 connects the storage tank 10 to the print head 30. Said circuit comprises a pipe 21 connecting the outlet 12 of the storage tank 10 to an inlet mouth 31 of the print head 30. The feed circuit 20 further comprises a filling pump 22. Said filling pump 22 is controlled in terms of pressure/flow rate by a pressure sensor 33 arranged in the vicinity of the inlet mouth 31 of the print head 30. Said filling pump 22 is for example an eccentric-screw pump so as to be able to convey the cementitious material to the print head 30 while minimizing pulsations. Said filling pump 22 is for example a pump marketed as Putzmeister®FP-V Mono. Of course, other pumps can be used without modifying the performance of the invention. The pressure/flow rate sensor 23 may be of any known type. It is for example a sensor marketed as ifm® PF2953. Of course, other sensors can be used without modifying the performance of the invention. The filling pump 22 is designed to follow a control law that is predetermined and can be set by an operator as required. For example, the control law is set to maintain the pressure of the cementitious material between 2 and 6 bar.

[0063] Print Head

[0064] The print head 30 comprises, as shown in FIG. 3, an inlet mouth 31 connected to the feed circuit 20 and an outlet nozzle 34 designed to form strands of cementitious material.

[0065] The print head further comprises a mixing chamber 35 which is arranged upstream of the outlet nozzle 34 and into which the admixing device 40, described below, leads. The mixing chamber 35 is provided with a dynamic mixer 36 suitable for being able to mix the cementitious material and the admixtures provided by the admixing device 40.

[0066] The dynamic mixer 36 comprises, as partially shown in FIGS. 4a and 5, a shaft 37 which extends longitudinally into the mixing chamber 35 and on which radial fingers 38 distributed along the shaft 37 are mounted. The dynamic mixer 36 also comprises a motor 39 designed to be able to rotate the shaft 37 so as to be able to provide a homogeneous mixture of the cementitious material and admixtures. This motor 39 may be an electric motor, a heat engine, and generally any type of motor. According to the embodiment in the drawings, the motor 39 is offset relative to the shaft 37 in order to minimize the disturbance of the mixture in the mixing chamber 35.

[0067] The print head 30 also comprises an eccentric-screw metering pump 51 designed to be able to convey the cementitious material from the inlet mouth 31 to the mixing chamber 35. Such a metering pump is for example a pump marketed as Viscotec® 3VMP36. Of course, other pumps can be used without modifying the performance of the invention.

[0068] According to another embodiment not shown in the figures, the metering pump 51 is replaced by a volumetric feeder designed to be able to ensure a constant flow rate over a predetermined operating range.

[0069] The print head 30 also comprises a safety pressure sensor 52 arranged upstream of the mixing chamber 35. This sensor is for example a sensor marketed as ifm® PF2953. Of course, other sensors can be used without modifying the performance of the invention. Said safety sensor 52 makes it possible to measure the pressure upstream of the mixing chamber 35 so as to be able to prevent risks of the mixing chamber 35 or the outlet nozzle 34 clogging. Said sensor may for example be connected to an automatic shutdown system of the extrusion system as soon as a pressure threshold is reached.

[0070] The outlet nozzle 34 of the print head is preferably removable so as to be able to adapt the shape of the outlet nozzle 34 to the part to be manufactured. In particular, the cross section of the outlet nozzle 34 can be adapted to each type of manufactured part, and can even be changed during printing to modify the cross section of the strands of particular zones of the manufactured part. To this end, the outlet nozzle comprises, for example, a threaded outer wall which engages with a threaded inner portion of the wall of the print head delimiting the mixing chamber 35. According to another variant, the outlet nozzle comprises a threaded inner wall which engages with a threaded outer portion of the wall of the print head.

[0071] Admixing Device

[0072] The admixing device 40 comprises, as shown in FIG. 2, a barrel 41 containing a plurality of admixtures, needles 42 connected to the barrel 41 by means of pipes 48, volumetric feeders 43 and a peristaltic pump 44. The volumetric feeders are, for example, the dispensers marketed as Viscotec® eco-PEN600. Of course, other feeders can be used without modifying the performance of the invention. The admixtures of the admixture barrel 41 can be of any type. These are admixtures designed to modify any physical property of the cementitious material (mainly its rheology, but also its surfactant strength, plasticity, stability, thixotropy, etc.).

[0073] The needles 42 lead into the mixing chamber 35, opposite the outlet nozzle 34, in an admixing direction which forms for example an angle of 45° with the main direction of the mixing chamber.

[0074] The admixing is thus carried out by means of volumetric feeders which allow the admixtures to be pumped in liquid form into the barrel 41 and guided at a constant pressure into the mixing chamber 35. Each volumetric feeder 43 is connected to a precision needle 42 by means of a Luer lock device 49. The arrangement of the needles 42 in an admixing direction which preferably forms an angle of 45° with the main direction of the mixing chamber, which is the flow direction of the cementitious material, makes it possible to obtain a homogeneous mixture of the cementitious material and the admixtures. Thus, the cementitious material at a constant flow rate, obtained by means of the filling pump which is controlled in terms of pressure, comes into contact with the admixtures at a constant flow rate, obtained by means of the volumetric feeders. The dynamic mixer of the print head makes it possible to homogenize the two fluids in contact.

[0075] The invention also relates to a robot used for the additive manufacturing of architectural structures, comprising a system for positioning the print head, which system is for example an articulated arm controlled by a control unit. The robot therefore comprises a system for extruding cementitious material according to the invention and is designed to move the print head of the extrusion system. The robot is not shown in the figures, but is well known to a person skilled in the art. The particularity of a robot according to the invention is that it implements an extrusion system according to the invention. To do this, the positioning system, such as an articulated arm, of the robot carries the print head of an extrusion system according to the invention and as shown in FIG. 3. Said print head is connected to an admixing device and to the feed circuit and to the storage tank of an extrusion system according to the invention.

[0076] The robot is for example a six-axis robot, optionally mounted on rails, optionally on a gantry. The robot may also be a cable robot or any type of robot of which the positioning system, such as an articulated arm, can be controlled by a computer.

[0077] A robot according to the invention can be used to manufacture all types of architectural parts. Such an architectural part may be a reinforcing part, a building, and generally any part made of cementitious material. The architectural parts manufactured using an extrusion system according to the invention may be of various scales. This may involve a portion of a post, an entire post, a wall, a slab element, a building, a piece of street furniture, a sculpture, etc.