CN112831806A

CN112831806A - A direct-writing metal electrochemical 3D printing device and printing method

Info

Publication number: CN112831806A
Application number: CN202011632841.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 钱宁开; 吴蒙华; 贾卫平; 于昇元; 佐姗姗
Original assignee: Dalian University
Current assignee: Dalian University
Priority date: 2020-12-31
Filing date: 2020-12-31
Publication date: 2021-05-25

Abstract

A direct-writing metal electrochemical 3D printing device and a printing method belong to the field of additive manufacturing. The direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device in the present invention is divided into: a control area A, an electrochemical printing area B, and a solution circulation area C according to functions. The control area A uses the computer to control the motor and the power supply controller to set the motion trajectory and current of the electrochemical printing area B. The invention has high localization, high printing efficiency, and easy realization of equipment, and at the same time increases the use period of the electrolyte solution.

Description

Direct-writing type metal electrochemical 3D printing device and printing method

Technical Field

The invention belongs to the field of additive manufacturing, and particularly relates to a direct-writing type metal electrochemical 3D printing device and a printing method.

Background

The metal 3D printing technology is a new technology for slicing and layering a metal part model and then stacking and manufacturing a solid layer by layer from bottom to top. The technology is widely concerned in the fields of spaceflight, medical treatment, biology and the like. However, the general metal 3D printing technology has many limitations in material selection, processing stability, and processing accuracy, which makes it impossible to be applied on a large scale. While some metal 3D printing techniques (e.g., selective laser melting and electron beam melting, etc.) can produce better parts than machining, they require complete melting of the material during the manufacturing process resulting in workpieces with high residual stresses. In the conventional metal 3D printing technology, metal powder is mostly melted by using a heat source, a large amount of energy is consumed in the process, and meanwhile, molten metal at a high temperature is easily oxidized, so that the working process of the conventional metal 3D printing equipment cannot be performed in the atmosphere mostly. The conventional metal 3D printing equipment is high in price due to the reasons, and energy consumption, high material consumption and high production cost are caused in the manufacturing process.

The metal electrochemical 3D printing technology deposits metal on the surface of a substrate in an atomic form through chemical reaction, the process can be carried out at normal temperature and in an atmospheric environment, and due to the fact that the process is a non-thermal process, thermal damage to materials is avoided, and high heating equipment and an inert gas environment are not needed. Meanwhile, the metal electrochemical 3D printing technology can deposit most conductive materials, including metals, metal alloys, conductive polymers, and even some semiconductors. In recent years, although some technologies for performing 3D printing by using a metal electrochemical deposition method have appeared in the art, the technology is not highly localized or complicated in structure, and is difficult to popularize in production.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention provides a direct-writing type metal electrochemical 3D printing device aiming at the defects, and aims to solve the problems of high cost, high energy consumption, thermal stress of workpieces and the like in the conventional metal 3D technical processing. The printing device and the printing method can realize the printing and forming of various metals, can also be optimized to print mixed pieces of various metals, do not generate harmful gas in the processing process, do not need a heat source, have high printing precision, can effectively save the cost of metal 3D printing, and improve the quality of the printed pieces.

The device for solving the technical problems is provided with a computer, wherein the computer is simultaneously connected with a power supply controller and a motor, one side of the motor is connected with the computer, the other side of the motor is connected with a base of an X-Y-Z three-coordinate support, a bedplate is arranged below the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support, a Z axis of the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support is connected with one side of an anode support, the other side of the anode support is connected with an anode clamp, a tool anode is arranged in the anode clamp, a workpiece is arranged below the tool anode, a printing substrate is arranged below the workpiece, a conductive polar plate is arranged below the printing substrate, the conductive polar plate is arranged in a 3D printing generation tank, and the 3D printing generation. One side of the power supply controller is connected with the computer, the other side of the power supply controller is provided with a positive pole and a negative pole, the positive pole is connected with one end of the anode of the tool, and the negative pole is connected with the conductive polar plate. The side of instrument positive pole links to each other with one side of peristaltic pump, and the peristaltic pump opposite side links to each other with solution, and in the stock solution box was arranged in to solution, 3D printed and taken place the groove side and be equipped with the back flow and print 3DD and take place unnecessary solution backward flow to stock solution box in the groove.

Further, a sleeve is arranged in the anode of the tool, one end of the sleeve is connected with a copper bar, the other end of the sleeve is connected with one end of a platinum wire, the other end of the platinum wire is connected with a flow guide pipe, fixed sleeves are arranged on the outer sides of the sleeve, the copper bar and the platinum wire for fixation, and a guide pipe joint is arranged on the side face of the fixed sleeve of the platinum wire section.

Furthermore, the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support can perform positive and negative movement in each axial direction under the driving of a motor, and the repeated positioning precision can reach +/-1 mu m.

Further, the power supply controller adopts a DA module of the singlechip to control voltage.

Furthermore, the upper part of the anode clamp is provided with a fixed sleeve for clamping the anode; the lower part is provided with a conduit joint and a flow guide pipe, the conduit joint is connected to the peristaltic pump by a conduit, so that the solution enters the conduit and flows into the clamp; the flow guide pipe enables the solution flowing into the clamp to flow to the printing substrate along the tail end of the anode at a certain flow speed.

Furthermore, the anode of the tool is a needle-shaped platinum wire electrode, the electrode consists of a needle-shaped platinum wire, a sleeve and a copper bar, the sleeve is convenient for being clamped by a clamp, and the copper bar is used for connecting an anode lead; the diameter of the upper part of the platinum wire is not more than 1mm, and the tail end of the platinum wire needs to be polished to ensure that the diameter of the platinum wire is not more than 30 mu m.

Further, the solution stored in the liquid storage box is an electrolyte solution of metal. And depositing the metal ions in the solution on the printing substrate under the action of the current, and reducing the metal ions.

The invention also discloses a printing method of the direct-writing type metal electrochemical 3D printing device, which comprises the following steps:

s1, drawing a solid model of a three-dimensional metal workpiece in a computer;

s2, carrying out layering processing on the three-dimensional entity by using layered slicing software to obtain section information, and planning an anode movement path;

s3, driving an X-Y-Z three-coordinate support to drive a tool anode on an anode support to move above the conductive printing substrate by using a motor, enabling the tool anode and the printing substrate to be in correct initial positions, enabling a metal ion solution to flow through an anode clamp from a liquid storage box under the action of a peristaltic pump, enabling the metal ion solution to slide to the printing substrate along the wall of a platinum wire electrode needle through a flow guide pipe, and forming a conductive path between the anode and the cathode;

s4, the power supply controller is used for connecting a positive electrode for the anode of the tool, and meanwhile, the conducting pole plate is connected with a negative electrode and controls output voltage and current to control the deposition speed of metal; the metal ions move towards the printing substrate under the action of current and obtain electrons to deposit a metal simple substance on the printing substrate;

s5, driving an X-Y-Z three-coordinate support to drive a tool anode on an anode support to move above the conductive printing substrate according to the layered section track of the current layer by using a motor, and printing the section of the current layer by the method in the step S4; if the printing metal needs to be replaced, only the peristaltic pump is stopped, and the solution in the liquid storage box is replaced.

And S6, driving the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support to drive the tool anode on the anode support to move upwards by a layer thickness distance by using a motor, and then repeating the steps S3 to S5 until the whole workpiece is printed.

Further, if multi-metal printing or composite material printing is to be performed, the liquid storage box needs to be replaced by a multi-groove type liquid storage box at the beginning of the step S5, the multi-groove type liquid storage box is connected to the anode clamp through a conduit, and different solutions respectively flow into a processing area according to requirements during printing.

Has the advantages that:

(1) according to the invention, the metal powder does not need to be heated to a melting point in the processing process as in the traditional metal 3D printing device, so that the printing energy consumption in the processing is low;

(2) the method is adopted to carry out metal 3D printing, so that the cost of metal 3D printing equipment can be greatly reduced, and meanwhile, the device is simple in structure, small in size, simple in operation and convenient to disassemble, assemble and maintain;

(3) the invention can print various metal materials and alloys, and has rich functions;

(4) the invention can print micron-sized metal parts by utilizing the tail end of the micron-sized anode, and has great potential in the fields of military industry, medical treatment, electronics and the like;

(5) compared with the equipment for metal 3D printing by adopting an electrochemical method, the method has the advantages that the localization is higher, the printing efficiency is higher, the equipment is easy to realize, and the service cycle of the electrolyte solution is prolonged;

(6) the invention greatly reduces the production cost of 3D printing metal parts and has great potential in the field of manufacturing industry.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a direct-writing metal electrochemical 3D printing device.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a tool anode in a direct-writing metal electrochemical 3D printing device.

The device comprises a computer, a power supply controller, an X-Y-Z coordinate support, an anode support, a tool anode, a positive clamp, a workpiece, a printing substrate, a conductive polar plate, a peristaltic pump, a solution storage box, a 13.3D printing generation groove, a platen, a motor, a copper rod, a sleeve, a conduit joint, a platinum wire, a flow guide pipe and a fixing sleeve, wherein the power supply controller is arranged in the computer 1, the power supply controller is arranged in the power supply controller 3, the X-Y-Z coordinate support is arranged in the anode support 4, the tool anode is arranged in the tool anode support 5.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be further described with reference to the following examples.

Example 1

The printing machine is provided with a computer 1, the computer 1 is simultaneously connected with a power supply controller 2 and a motor 15, one side of the motor 15 is connected with the computer 1, the other side of the motor 15 is connected with a base of an X-Y-Z three-coordinate support 3, a bedplate 14 is arranged below the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support 3, a Z axis of the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support 3 is connected with one side of an anode support 4, the other side of the anode support 4 is connected with an anode clamp 6, a tool anode 5 is arranged in the anode clamp 6, a workpiece 7 is arranged below the tool anode 5, a printing substrate 8 is arranged below the workpiece 7, a conductive polar plate 9 is arranged below the printing substrate 8, the conductive polar plate 9 is arranged in a 3D printing generation groove 13, and the 3D printing generation. One side of the power supply controller 2 is connected with the computer 1, the other side of the power supply controller 2 is provided with a positive pole and a negative pole, the positive pole is connected with one end of the tool anode 5, and the negative pole is connected with the conductive polar plate 9. The side of instrument positive pole 5 links to each other with one side of peristaltic pump 10, and peristaltic pump 10 opposite side links to each other with solution 11, and in liquid storage box 12 was arranged in to solution 11, 3D printed and taken place the groove 13 side and be equipped with the back flow pipe and print 3D and take place unnecessary solution backward flow to liquid storage box 12 in the groove 13. Wherein, a sleeve 17 is arranged in the tool anode 5, one end of the sleeve 17 is connected with a copper bar 16, the other end of the sleeve 17 is connected with one end of a platinum wire 19, the other end of the platinum wire 19 is connected with a flow guide tube 20, the outer sides of the sleeve 17, the copper bar 16 and the platinum wire 19 are provided with a fixed sleeve 21 for fixation, and the side surface of the fixed sleeve 21 at the section of the platinum wire 19 is provided with a guide tube joint 18. The X-Y-Z three-coordinate support 3 can perform positive and negative movement in each axial direction under the driving of the motor 15, and the repeated positioning precision can reach +/-1 mu m. The power supply controller 2 controls the voltage by adopting a DA module of the singlechip. The upper part of the anode clamp 6 is provided with a fixed sleeve 21 for clamping the anode; the lower part is provided with a conduit joint 18 and a flow guide pipe, the conduit joint 18 is connected to the peristaltic pump 10 by a conduit, so that the solution enters the pipe and flows into the clamp; the flow guide tube allows the solution flowing into the jig to flow toward the printing substrate 8 along the end of the anode at a certain flow rate. The tool anode 5 is a needle-shaped platinum wire 19 electrode, the electrode consists of a needle-shaped platinum wire 19, a sleeve 17 and a copper bar 16, the sleeve 17 is convenient for being clamped by a clamp, and the copper bar 16 is used for connecting an anode lead; the diameter of the upper part of the platinum wire 19 is not more than 1mm, and the tail end of the platinum wire 19 needs to be polished to ensure that the diameter is not more than 30 mu m. The solution 11 stored in the reservoir 12 is an electrolytic solution of metal. The metal ions in the solution 11 are deposited on the printing substrate 8 by the current, and the metal ions are reduced.

Example 2

The direct-writing type metal electrochemical 3D printing device described in this embodiment is divided into: a control area A, an electrochemical printing area B and a solution circulating area C. The control area A controls the motor 15 and the power supply controller 2 by the computer 1 to set the movement locus, current and the like of the electrochemical printing area B. In the electrochemical working area B, an anode support 4 is fixed on a Z axis of an X-Y-Z three-dimensional support 3 driven by a motor 15, an anode clamp 6 is connected to the tail end of the anode support 4, and a tool anode 5 is arranged in the anode clamp 6; the 3D printing generation tank 13 is arranged below the tool anode 5, a conductive polar plate 9 is arranged in the 3D printing generation tank 13, and the conductive printing substrate 8 is arranged on the conductive polar plate 9; the movement of the anode 5 is used to deposit a predetermined workpiece 7 on the printing substrate 8 under the action of an electric current and a conductive fluid. In the solution circulation area C, the solution 11 in the solution storage box 12 with the heat preservation function flows through the anode clamp 6 through the peristaltic pump 10, is sprayed to the printing substrate 8 along the anode 5, then is dripped into the 3D printing groove 13, and then flows back to the solution storage box 12 through the guide pipe.

Example 3

The embodiment relates to a printing method of a direct-writing metal electrochemical 3D printing device, which comprises the following steps:

s1, drawing an entity model of a three-dimensional metal workpiece 7 in a computer 1 by utilizing modeling software;

s2, carrying out layering processing on the three-dimensional entity by using layered slicing software to obtain section information, and carrying out anode movement path planning, wherein a support structure can be added in the process, and an invalid printing layer with a certain thickness needs to be reserved at the bottom of the model because current has certain diffusion on a substrate;

s3, driving the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support 3 by using a motor 15 to drive the tool anode 5 on the anode support 4 to move above the conductive printing substrate 8, so that the tool anode 5 and the printing substrate 8 are in correct initial positions, and simultaneously, under the action of a peristaltic pump 10, the metal ion solution 11 flows through the anode clamp 6 from the liquid storage box 12 and slides to the printing substrate 8 along the needle wall of a platinum wire 19 through a flow guide pipe 20;

s4, the power supply controller 2 is used for connecting a positive electrode to the tool anode 5, and meanwhile, the conducting plate 9 is connected to a negative electrode and controls output voltage and current to control the deposition speed of metal; the fluid enables the tool anode 5 and the printing substrate 8 to be conducted, the metal ions move towards the printing substrate 8 under the action of the current and obtain electrons, and a metal simple substance is deposited on the printing substrate 8;

s5, driving the X-Y-Z three-dimensional support 3 by using the motor 15 to drive the tool anode 5 on the anode support 4 to move above the conductive printing substrate 8 according to the layered cross section track of the current layer, and printing the cross section of the current layer by the method in the step S4; if the printing metal needs to be replaced, the peristaltic pump 10 is stopped, and the solution in the liquid storage box 12 is replaced.

S6, driving the X-Y-Z three-coordinate support 3 by using the motor 15 to drive the tool anode 5 on the anode support 4 to move upwards by a layer thickness, and then repeating the steps S3 to S5 until the whole workpiece is printed.

If the device is used for printing multi-metal or composite materials, the liquid storage box 12 is only required to be replaced by a multi-groove type liquid storage box. The corresponding solution was poured into the wells of the multi-well reservoir and connected to the peristaltic pump 10 with separate tubing. When printing, different solutions are sprayed to the printing substrate along the platinum wire 19 through the anode clamp 6 according to the requirement, and then the steps S3 to S5 are repeated to finish the printing.

The foregoing examples are provided for illustration and description of the invention only and are not intended to limit the invention to the scope of the described examples. Furthermore, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and that many variations and modifications may be made in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, which variations and modifications are within the scope of the present invention as claimed.

Claims

1. A direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device, characterized in that the device is provided with a computer (1), and the computer (1) is connected with a power supply controller (2) and a motor (15) at the same time, and the motor (15) One side is connected to the computer (1), the other side of the motor (15) is connected to the base of the X-Y-Z three-coordinate bracket (3), and the bottom of the X-Y-Z three-coordinate bracket (3) is provided with a platen (14), and the X-Y-Z three-coordinate bracket ( 3) Z-axis is connected to one side of the anode bracket (4), the other side of the anode bracket (4) is connected to the anode clamp (6), the anode clamp (6) is provided with a tool anode (5), and the tool anode (5) A workpiece (7) is arranged below the workpiece (7), a printing substrate (8) is arranged below the workpiece (7), a conductive electrode plate (9) is arranged below the printing substrate (8), and the conductive electrode plate (9) is arranged in the 3D printing generation groove (13). ), the 3D printing generation slot (13) is also arranged on the platen (14); one side of the power supply controller (2) is connected to the computer (1), and the other side of the power supply controller (2) is provided with a positive electrode and a negative electrode, The positive electrode is connected to one end of the tool anode (5), and the negative electrode is connected to the conductive electrode plate (9); the side surface of the tool anode (5) is connected to one side of the peristaltic pump (10), and the other side of the peristaltic pump (10) is connected to the solution (11). ) are connected, the solution (11) is placed in the liquid storage box (12), and a return pipe is provided on the side of the 3D printing generation tank (13) to return the excess solution in the 3D printing generation tank (13) to the liquid storage box (12).

2. A direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, a sleeve (17) is provided in the tool anode (5), and one end of the sleeve (17) is connected with a copper rod ( 16), the other end of the sleeve (17) is connected to one end of the platinum wire (19), the other end of the platinum wire (19) is connected to the guide tube (20), the sleeve (17), the copper rod (16), the platinum wire (19) The outer side is provided with a fixing sleeve (21) for fixing, and the side of the fixing sleeve (21) of the platinum wire (19) segment is provided with a conduit joint (18).

3. A direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device according to claim 1, wherein the X-Y-Z three-coordinate bracket (3) can perform positive and negative movements in each axis direction under the drive of the motor (15). , the repeat positioning accuracy can reach ±1μm.

4 . The direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device according to claim 1 , wherein the power supply controller ( 2 ) uses a DA module of a single-chip microcomputer to control the voltage. 5 .

5. A direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device according to claim 1, wherein the upper part of the anode clamp (6) is a fixed sleeve (21) for clamping the anode; the lower part is provided with a conduit joint ( 18) and a guide pipe, the pipe joint (18) is connected to the peristaltic pump (10) with a pipe, so that the solution enters the pipe and flows into the fixture; the guide pipe makes the solution flowing into the fixture flow along the anode end to the printing substrate (8). ).

6. A direct-writing metal electrochemical 3D printing device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tool anode (5) is a needle-shaped platinum wire (19) electrode, and the electrode is composed of needle-shaped platinum wire (19), The sleeve (17) is composed of a copper rod (16), the sleeve (17) is convenient for clamping, and the copper rod (16) is used to connect the anode wire; the diameter of the upper part of the platinum wire (19) does not exceed 1mm, and the platinum wire (19) The ends need to be ground so that the diameter is not more than 30μm.

7. The direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device according to claim 1, wherein the solution (11) stored in the liquid storage box (12) is a metal electrolyte solution; The metal ions are deposited on the printing substrate (8) under the action of current, and the metal ions are reduced.

8. A printing method using the printing device in claim 1, wherein the method steps are as follows:

S1. Utilize modeling software to draw the solid model of the three-dimensional metal workpiece (7) in the computer (1);

S2. Use layered slicing software to perform layered processing of three-dimensional entities, obtain cross-sectional information, and plan anode motion paths. In this process, support structures can be added. Since there is a certain diffusion of current on the substrate, it needs to be placed at the bottom of the model. Reserve a certain thickness of invalid printing layer;

S3. Use the motor (15) to drive the X-Y-Z three-coordinate bracket (3) to drive the tool anode (5) on the anode bracket (4) to move above the conductive printing substrate (8), so that the tool anode (5) and the printing substrate ( 8) In the correct initial position, at the same time, under the action of the peristaltic pump (10), the metal ion solution (11) flows from the liquid storage box (12), through the anode clamp (6), and through the guide tube (20) along the platinum The needle wall of the wire (19) slides toward the printing substrate (8);

S4. The power supply controller (2) connects the positive electrode for the tool anode (5), while the conductive electrode plate (9) connects the negative electrode and controls the output voltage and current to control the deposition rate of the metal; the fluid makes the tool anode (5) It is connected with the printing substrate (8), the metal ions move to the printing substrate (8) under the action of the current and obtain electrons, and the metal element is deposited on the printing substrate (8);

S5. Use the motor (15) to drive the X-Y-Z three-coordinate bracket (3) to drive the tool anode (5) on the anode bracket (4) to move above the conductive printing substrate (8) according to the layered cross-sectional trajectory of the current layer, and pass the steps The method described in S4 prints the cross section of the current layer; if the printing metal needs to be replaced, the peristaltic pump (10) needs to be stopped, and the solution in the liquid storage box (12) needs to be replaced;

S6. Use the motor (15) to drive the X-Y-Z three-coordinate bracket (3) to drive the tool anode (5) on the anode bracket (4) to move up a distance of a layer thickness, and then repeat steps S3 to S5 until the entire workpiece is printed.

9 . The method for printing a direct-write metal electrochemical 3D printing device according to claim 8 , wherein, to perform the printing of multi-metal or composite materials, the liquid storage box (12) needs to be replaced with a multi-slot type. 10 . Liquid storage box; Pour the corresponding solution into the tank of the multi-tank liquid storage box, and connect the tubes to the peristaltic pump (10) respectively; When printing, pass different solutions through the anode clamp (6) along the platinum wire (19) as needed Spray to the printing substrate, and then repeat the above steps S3 to S5 to complete the printing.