EP-4282623-B1 - 3D PRINTER COMPRISING A BELT TENSIONING MECHANISM

Inventors

• XIONG, Xianwu

Dates

Publication Date

20260506

Application Date

20220923

Claims (7)

1. A 3D printer comprising a belt tensioning mechanism, wherein the 3D printer comprises at least one lead screw arranged in a vertical direction and a printing bed sleeved on the at least one lead screw, and the belt tensioning mechanism comprises: a base (110) provided with a first sliding groove (111); a driving pulley (130) and at least one timing pulley (140A, 140B, 140C) mounted on the base (110) and connected in series with each other via a belt (120), wherein the at least one timing pulley (110) is configured to drive the at least one lead screw to rotate under the driving of the driving pulley (130) so as to enable the printing bed to be raised and lowered along the at least one lead screw relative to the base (110); a sliding block (150) mounted on the base (110) and capable of sliding along the first sliding groove (111); a tensioning pulley (160) mounted on the sliding block (150) and connected in series with the driving pulley (130) and the at least one timing pulley (140A, 140B, 140C) via the belt (120) so as to tension the belt (120); and a spring (170) configured to apply an elastic force to the sliding block (150) to make the sliding block (150) at a working position within the first sliding groove (111), wherein at the working position, the tensioning pulley (160) tensions the belt (120).
2. The 3D printer according to claim 1, wherein said belt tensioning mechanism further comprises: a tensioning pulley cover (180) fixedly mounted on the base (110) and provided with a second sliding groove (181) corresponding to the first sliding groove (111); and a locking screw (190) penetrating through the second sliding groove (181) and being in threaded connection with a threaded hole in the sliding block, such that the sliding block (150) is locked and fixed relative to the tensioning pulley cover (180).
3. The 3D printer according to claim 2, wherein the tensioning pulley cover (180) is fixedly connected to the base (110) by a screw (220).
4. The 3D printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spring (170) is a torsion spring.
5. The 3D printer according to claim 4, wherein the base (110) is further provided with a torsion spring fixing post (200) and a torsion spring limiting post (210), a torsion spring body (173) of the torsion spring is sleeved on the torsion spring fixing post (200), a first arm (171) of the torsion spring abuts against the torsion spring limiting post (210), and a second arm (172) of the torsion spring abuts against the sliding block.
6. The 3D printer according to claim 4, wherein the base (110) is further provided with a torsion spring limiting post (210), a first arm (171) of the torsion spring is fixed to the torsion spring limiting post (210), and a second arm (172) of the torsion spring abuts against the sliding block (150).
7. The 3D printer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the spring is a compression spring or a tension spring.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to three-dimensional (3D) printing technology, and in particular to a 3D printer comprising a belt tensioning mechanism. BACKGROUND A 3D printer, also known as a three-dimensional printer, is a machine that uses bondable materials such as powdered metals or plastics to construct a 3D object by layer-by-layer printing based on rapid prototyping technology. In the related art, during the printing process of a 3D printer, the printing bed, which supports the printing material, moves vertically under the action of the belt through lead screws and timing pulleys. In the related art, the timing belt requires manual tensioning by the user using bolts. Different users may set different tension positions, resulting in inconsistent belt tensions among different machines, which can lead to reduced precision in the vertical movement of the printing bed or increased machine wear. US 2009/0062046 A1 discloses a belt tensioning mechanism comprising a base provided with a first sliding groove; a driving pulley mounted on a drive motor and a further driven pulley mounted on a shaft. The driving pulley and the driven pulley are connected in series with each other via a belt, a sliding plate mounted on the base and capable of sliding along the first sliding groove; a tensioning pulley mounted on the sliding plate and connected in series with the driving pulley and the driven pulley via the belt (120) so as to tension the belt; and a spring configured to apply an elastic force to the sliding plate to make the siding plate at a working position within the first sliding groove, wherein at the working position, the tensioning pulley tensions the belt (120). CN 207161637 U discloses a 3D printer comprising a belt tensioning mechanism for a nozzle of a 3D printer comprising a base, two driving pulleys connected in series with each other via a belt, a tensioning pulley mounted on a rod on one end. On the opposite end of the rod, the rod is rotatably connected to the base. A torsion spring is arranged between the rod and the base and applies a torque on the rod, so that the tensioning pulley tensions the belt. US 2016144564 A1 discloses an apparatus for making three-dimensional objects comprising a movable dispensing head to dispense in a fluid state a supply of flexible strand of thermoplastic resin material. Two motors are provided for moving said dispensing head relative to a base member in an x, y plane in a predetermined sequence and pattern. SUMMARY It would be advantageous to provide a mechanism that alleviates, mitigates, or even eliminates one or more of the above-mentioned problems. According to an aspect of the present disclosure, provided is a 3D printer comprising a belt tensioning mechanism for a 3D printer, wherein the 3D printer comprises at least one lead screw arranged in a vertical direction and a printing bed sleeved on the at least one lead screw. The belt tensioning mechanism comprises: a base provided with a first sliding groove; a driving pulley and at least one timing pulley mounted on the base and connected in series with each other via a belt, wherein the at least one timing pulley is configured to drive the at least one lead screw to rotate under the driving of the driving pulley so as to enable the printing bed to move up and down relative to the base along the at least one lead screw; a sliding block mounted on the base and capable of sliding along the first sliding groove; a tensioning pulley mounted on the sliding block and connected in series with the driving pulley and the at least one timing pulley via the belt so as to tension the belt; a spring configured to apply an elastic force to the sliding block to make the siding block at a working position within the first sliding groove, wherein at the working position, the tensioning pulley tensions the belt; a tensioning pulley cover fixedly mounted on the base and provided with a second sliding groove corresponding to the first sliding groove; and a locking screw passing through the second sliding groove and being in threaded connection with a threaded hole in the sliding block, such that the sliding block is locked and fixed relative to the tensioning pulley cover. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Further details, features, and advantages of the present disclosure are disclosed in the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings: FIG. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of the belt tensioning mechanism for a 3D printer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the sliding block in FIG. 1 from an angle of view; andFIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the sliding block in FIG. 1 from another angle of view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the present disclosure, unless otherwise specified, the terms "first", "second", etc., are used for describing vario