3D Printer

3D printing has revolutionized several industries in recent years, and now it is transforming the textile production sector. The key role 3D printing technology is playing in the modern textile industry.
I. What is 3D printing?
3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, is an innovative manufacturing technology that has quickly become one of the most important manufacturing methods. In this process, products are built layer by layer based on a specific computer-aided design. Over the past few decades, several different types of 3D printing processes have been developed, including fused deposition modeling, stereolithography, selective laser sintering, selective laser melting, digital light processing, and fused filament manufacturing.
3D printing methods offer several advantages over traditional manufacturing, including cost effectiveness, short time, energy savings, significant reduction in material waste, and high design freedom. The use of these methods has been widely explored and 3D printing technologies have been widely implemented in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, aerospace, transportation, aerospace industry and construction.
How can 3D printing help the textile industry?
The field of 3D printed fabrics is in its infancy, and there are significant advantages to using 3D printing to produce textiles. The textile industry is a major consumer of water and material resources, adding a significant burden to the environment. The unsustainability of the global textile industry is now becoming increasingly evident, and scientists are constantly exploring new ways to transform the industry.
3D textile printing has the potential to dramatically reduce the amount of resources needed to produce fabrics for uses such as apparel and furniture. Processes can be streamlined, using fewer raw materials, chemicals and water.
In addition, the use of 3D printing methods can significantly reduce the amount of waste generated.
Other benefits include reduced energy requirements and carbon emissions, cost savings and enhanced design freedom.
Multi-material printing capabilities provide opportunities for advanced, innovative material designs that are not possible with traditional manufacturing techniques.
Another key innovation enabled by 3D printing is the creation of "smart" materials with embedded functionality and unique structures.
In short, 3D printing is a revolutionary solution for the textile industry.
3D printed textiles: flexibility and abrasion resistance issues
A key challenge with 3D printed textiles is their relative stiffness compared to conventionally manufactured textiles, which limits their abrasion resistance and comfort. Some 3D printed textiles have been introduced to the market in recent years, but the widespread commercial viability of these fabrics is limited by this issue.
Researchers have proposed solutions to overcome this limitation and make 3D printed fabrics stretchable, soft and flexible. The three main approaches are printing flexible structural units, printing fibers, and printing on textiles.
Several studies have explored this issue, offering different avenues for fully flexible and wearable 3D printed fabrics. For example, certain researchers have explored the development of fabrics with lockjaw structures, geometric structures, and bionic structures. Other researchers have explored the deposition of 3D printed polymers directly onto traditional fabrics to produce fabrics with unique structures and functions.
New Research on 3D Printed Fabrics
In recent years, knitwear has been produced around the world, but the process of producing garments using traditional knitting methods is very resource-intensive and significantly increases the carbon footprint of the textile industry. Research has been conducted on 3D knitwear, and companies such as New Industrial Order have developed machines that can 3D print single fibers. This technology promises to increase the recyclability of garment manufacturing. Clothes can be made to order, saving costs, materials, energy and waste. Seamless construction allows reuse of yarns to make new garments.
MIT's work on soft fabrics: MIT researchers develop soft fabrics with TPU. They focused on developing a new structure for printing materials. The researchers were inspired by collagen, one of the main proteins in biological organisms, which has an interwoven structure that provides enhanced flexibility and strength. The researchers propose that their innovation could be used in the textile industry as well as in the medical field, such as cardiovascular stents, surgical meshes and stents.
Producing 3D printed fabrics with enhanced cooling: Scientists at the University of Maryland have developed 3D printed materials with advanced cooling capabilities. The material's innovative structure, consisting of polyvinyl alcohol and boron nitride, maximizes thermal conductivity, drawing heat into the material in one way and out the other. In essence, this turns the fabric into a low-cost, non-powered air conditioner for sportswear and everyday clothing.
NASA's Scale Maille project: The field of space exploration needs materials that can handle harsh and extreme environments. NASA, which is at the forefront of 3D printing technology, has been seeking to develop fabrics that can enhance insulation and protect against the harsh environment of outer space. It is similar to scale maille, with enhanced thermal control, flexibility, foldability and strength. Geometric shapes and functions can be printed, and NASA scientists call it "4D printing".
Materials with enhanced protective properties: A study by Wang et al. used selective laser sintering to produce an innovative 3D printed protective material. The material consists of interlocking particles that can switch between a soft, pliable, wear-resistant state and a hardened, protective state. When pressure is applied, these particles interlock and form a stiff chain armor-like structure that is 25 times stiffer than its relaxed state. Analysis shows that in this hardened state, the material can withstand loads that exceed thirty times the weight of the material.
3D printed electronic material: Zhang et al. have used 3D printing to create a conductive material. The material consists of a conductive core of carbon nanotubes and a dielectric sheath of filamentous proteins. This smart material can be used in a variety of bioelectric harvesting fabrics for wearable electronic devices.
In summary
3D printing offers some innovative solutions for the textile industry and related fields. Although still in its infancy, many solutions have been provided for current commercial needs, thus demonstrating the potential of 3D printing in this field. As the field evolves, the manufacturing of 3D printed fabrics will undoubtedly continue to innovate to its fullest potential.
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1, fixed focus laser head; the use of new thermal technology, so that the laser head better heat dissipation, to ensure the service life of the laser head, while the maximum use of power can be achieved.
2, the main board chip;
Precision algorithm: the use of precision control chip, the response time can reach microsecond level
Faster speed: the carving can automatically skip the blank part, faster speed
Higher precision: clear engraving patterns, more delicate edges
3, manual lifting device: manual lifting device design, up and down range 0-55MM focus more simple, more accurate
4, aluminum alloy frame: metal aluminum alloy frame body, four corner chassis, good stability, carving does not shake
Fixed focus laser head
The use of new thermal technology, so that the laser head better heat dissipation, to ensure the service life of the laser head while being able to achieve greater power.
Main board chip
1) Precision algorithm: using a precision control chip, the
response time can reach microsecond level.
2) Faster speed: the carving can automatically skip the blank part, faster.
3) Higher precision: clear engraving pattern with more delicate edges.
Manual lifting device manual lifting device design, up and down range 0-55MM focus easier and more accurate.
Aluminum alloy frame metal aluminum alloy frame body, four corner chassis, good stability, carving does not shake.
Flying bear laserman is a fixed focus laser engraving machine, engraving area is very large, 400 * 450 mm. There are two laser head can choose, respectively, 5.5W and 10W. can carve wood, leather, density board, two-color plate, etc..the majority of consumers love it. You can use the flying bear laserman to carve cute cats, as a photo album, you can also carve a very nice pattern to decorate the house. Flying Bear's laser engraving machine also comes with an air filter, which can absorb 90% of the ash layer and smoke, so that when operating, it is more convenient to observe the carving situation and progress.
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Wood laser engraving machine is generally used for cutting and engraving of wood processing, wood material laser engraving form can be divided into cutting and engraving, concave mold engraving and convex mold engraving three. Laser engraving material removal principle is the same as laser cutting, multiple uncut grooves are connected together to form an area of material removal. Laser groove cross-section is "V" shape, the lower the cutting speed, the higher the laser current, the greater the groove width and depth, where the cutting speed and laser current on the groove depth than the groove width is much greater.
Chinese name wood laser engraving machine classification cutting engraving, cove engraving features lower cutting speed, the greater the laser current precautions when using please first connect the cooling water advantages than manual engraving more quickly, more exquisite
Catalog
1. Classification
Cutting engraving
Concave die engraving
Convex die engraving
2. Notes on use
The basic principle of laser engraving processing of wood materials is basically the same as laser cutting processing, both of which use a high energy density laser beam to convert into heat energy, which instantaneously causes thermal decomposition and charring of wood, thus removing part of the material. Laser cutting is to separate different parts of the wood material (mainly panels), while laser engraving is to process the required patterns, designs and text on the surface of the wood material. For the same board, laser cutting requires more energy, while laser engraving requires less energy because it does not need to cut through the workpiece. Laser engraving is a non-contact processing method, compared with traditional mechanical processing methods have no wood pollution, no tool wear and no need to replace the tool, no noise pollution (very low noise) and other advantages. Laser cutting head focusing lens will focus the laser to a very small spot, spot diameter is generally 0.1 ~ 0.5 mm. laser beam focus is located near the surface to be processed, to melt or vaporize the material being processed. At the same time, the airflow coaxial to the beam is ejected from the cutting head, and the melted or vaporized material is blown out from the bottom of the incision.
According to the different processing methods of laser engraving of wood materials, laser engraving of wood materials can be divided into the following three categories.
Cutting engraving
It is to use the cutting method to process the required pattern on the surface of the wood material, i.e. firstly, the pattern is decomposed into a number of lines, and then the laser cuts out these lines to obtain the pattern expressed by the cut lines.
Concave die engraving
The part of the pattern is excised, while the outer part of the pattern is left as it is on the surface of the wood. Here is divided into two cases, the first case is the same excision strength for each point on the pattern, the carved pattern mainly relies on the contour shape to reflect; the second case is according to the distribution of the pattern of light and darkness, contrast, etc., on the pattern of the "dark" part of more excision, on the pattern of the "light "dark" part of the pattern, and the "light" part of the pattern is less excised or even not excised. The former is suitable for carving patterns such as text, animals, plants, etc., which are mainly expressed in appearance, while the latter is more suitable for carving patterns with details such as facial expressions of people.
Convex mold engraving
Contrary to the concave die engraving, this form of engraving process only removes the material at the periphery of the pattern, and the intensity of removal at each point is the same, while the material of the pattern itself is not removed. This engraving method is suitable for the expression of text, graphic outline, etc. The latter two engraving methods of material removal is the way, the laser head on the removal surface every time you walk, cut a linear groove, and then after a small distance of translation before the next line of cutting. Usually the distance between the two grooves can be O.05-0.5mm, so that through multiple linear grooves, the area of material removal required by the two forms of engraving can be achieved. Of course, in the second form of cavity die engraving, the size of the grooves, especially the depth of the grooves, will vary according to the need in the same cutting line.
Instructions for use
First, when using please first connect the cooling water, using the principle of low into high, adjust the position of the outlet pipe to ensure that the cooling water is full of cooling tube, the tube can not have vapor bubbles, and then turn on the power. Requirements: cooling water using soft water (distilled water or pure water), and often pay attention to the cooling water temperature, the water temperature should be controlled at 25 ℃ -30 ℃ range, not too high or too low, especially in summer, once the water temperature is found to be too high, the cooling water should be replaced in a timely manner or shut down for a period of time: the cooling water in cold areas shall not freeze, especially after the laser shutdown, do not let the cooling water stored in the laser tube, so as not to cooling water freezing leads to blow up. (Special attention: the use of AC power users, cooling water tank must be grounded).
Second, the two support points of the laser tube to be in the laser tube 1/4 of the total length of the point, to ensure that the flow of cooling water in 2L-4L / min; otherwise the effect is not good, will cause jumping mode, the spot becomes a few points leading to a drop in power; cooling water return port in the water tank must be covered by water, otherwise each time the laser tube off and on when the cooling water filled with the phenomenon.
Third, pay attention to the protection of the output window of the laser, to avoid the work process (including the debugging process of the optical path) generated by the smoke spattered on the surface of the output window, to prevent the outer surface of the output window is contaminated, the power will drop, then available skim cotton or silk cloth dipped in anhydrous alcohol gently wipe the outer surface of the output window.
Fourth, in the debugging process, by adjusting the laser support point or rotate the laser orientation to achieve the best output effect, and then the laser fixed
Fifth, please be sure to note: to avoid the accumulation of dust near the high-voltage electrode, to keep dry, the high-voltage end as far away from the metal as possible to prevent high-voltage firing discharge.
Sixth, the laser in the use of the process, can not have scale formed in the cooling tube, so as not to cause the cooling water blockage, the heat dissipation effect becomes worse. Once found, available 20% dilute hydrochloric acid cleaning cooling tube to remove the scale.
Seven, the laser is a glass product, fragile. Installation and use, avoid local stress.
Eight, the rationalization of the application of laser tube, save laser energy, laser tube operating current best point at 16 mA.
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An important step in the 3D printing process is to convert the 3D design file to a 3D model file in .STL format. An .stl file is basically a 3D model defined with numerous triangles, so the file contains a complete list of the XYZ coordinates of the normals and vertices of all these triangles. If there are too many triangles defined in this file, the file will be too large and will be called a "bad" file. At this point, some clichés become quite important. Today, I'd like to share some notes on the steps to convert .stl file format, and the problems that may occur during the conversion of .
Matters to note in generating model files in .STL format: 1.
1. Common vertex rule
Every two adjacent triangle planes must and can only share two vertices. In other words, the vertex of one triangle plane cannot fall on the edge of any of the adjacent smaller triangle planes.
2. Orientation rule
For each small triangle plane, its normal vector must be directed outward, and the direction of the vector connected by 3 vertices is determined in the counterclockwise order (right-hand rule), and there must be no orientation contradiction for the adjacent small triangle planes.
3. Rules for taking values
The value of the vertex coordinate of each small triangle plane must be positive, zero and negative values will lead to failure.
4. Filling rule
All surfaces of the 3D model must be filled with small triangular planes without any omission.
5. Euler formula
The number of vertices V, the number of edges E, and the number of faces F in the STL file must conform to Euler's formula.
Possible defects in the conversion process of .STL format.
1. The presence of gaps, i.e., the loss of triangular face pieces.
This error occurs when triangulating surfaces with large curvature. On the displayed STL format model, there will be erroneous cracks or holes (where no triangles are present) that violate the fullness rule. In this case, a number of small triangular facets should be added at these cracks or holes along the edge.
2. distortion, that is, all sides of the triangle face piece are co-linear.
This defect usually occurs in the conversion algorithm from 3D solids to .STL files. The distortion of the triangular facets at the intersection lines is caused by the use of generating triangular facets to different entities at their intersection lines.
3. Overlap of triangular facets.
The overlap of the facets is mainly due to the rounding error of the values when triangulating the facets. The vertices of triangles are represented as floating point numbers in 3D space, not as integers. If the rounding error range is large, it will lead to the overlap of face slices.
4. ambiguity of topological relations.
According to the co-vertex rule, there exist only two triangles that share a side on either side. If there exist more than two triangles sharing this side, ambiguous topological relations arise. These problems can occur when triangulating planes with sharp corners, intersecting parts of different entities, or errors in control parameters when generating .STL files.
Because of these defects, we must check the validity of the model data of the .STL file in advance during the printing process, otherwise, a defective .STL file can lead to many problems during rapid prototyping system processing, such as geometric distortion of the prototype, and in severe cases, there will be a dead machine.
In response to such problems, many companies have designed software to modify the . For example, AFS in China and 3D System in USA have such software. However, it is not easy to find out the problems in .STL files and modify them, and not all the defects can be fixed.
It is also because of these problems that Microsoft has joined hands with many 3D printing companies to develop a new format file - .3MF, which claims to be directly usable by 3D printers (even without slicing) and most importantly can contain more information such as color and texture, which is what STL lacks.
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Classification of 3D printing materials 1. according to the physical state of the material classification Can be divided into liquid materials, sheet materials, powder materials, filamentary materials, etc. 2. According to the chemical properties of the material classification According to the different chemical properties of materials can be divided into resin materials, paraffin materials, metal materials, ceramic materials and their composite materials. 3. According to the classification of material forming method According to the different molding methods can be divided into: SLA material, LOM material, SLS material, FDM material, etc. Liquid material: SLA, photosensitive resin Solid powder: SLS Non-metal (wax powder, plastic powder, laminated ceramic powder, laminated sand, etc.) Metal powder (laminated metal powder) Solid state sheet: LOM Paper, plastic, ceramic foil, metallic platinum + binder Solid state filaments: FDM Wax filaments, ABS filaments, etc. Second, the basic properties of 3D printing materials 1. 3D printing general requirements for material properties. Facilitate rapid and accurate processing of prototype parts. Rapid prototyping parts should be close to the final requirements, should try to meet the requirements for strength, stiffness, moisture resistance, thermal stability performance, etc.. It should facilitate the subsequent processing process. 2. Requirements for material properties for different application goals. The four application targets of 3D printing: concept type, test type, mold type, and functional parts, have different requirements for molding materials. The concept type does not require high material molding accuracy and physical and chemical properties, and mainly requires fast molding speed. For example, for photosensitive resin, lower critical exposure power, larger penetration depth and lower viscosity are required. The test type has certain requirements for strength, stiffness, temperature resistance and corrosion resistance after molding to meet the test requirements. If used for assembly testing, the molded part is required to have certain accuracy requirements. Mold type requires materials to adapt to specific mold manufacturing requirements, such as strength and hardness. For example, for the prototype for disappearing mold casting, the material is required to be easy to remove, with less residue and ash after ablation. Functional parts, on the other hand, require materials with good mechanical and chemical properties. Third, 3D printing light-curing molding materials 1, 3D printing light-curing material applications Making various resin samples or functional parts for structural verification and functional testing. Making fine parts. Making parts with transparent effect. master moulds for rapid moulds, turning various rapid moulds. Replacing the vanishing mold in investment casting to produce metal parts. 2、Light-curing molding resin needs to have the following characteristics Low viscosity, which is conducive to the molding resin faster leveling, to facilitate rapid molding. Curing shrinkage is small, curing shrinkage leads to parts deformation, warping, cracking, etc., affecting the accuracy of molded parts, low shrinkage resin is conducive to molding out of high-precision parts. High wet-state strength, high wet-state strength can ensure that the post-curing process does not produce deformation, expansion and interlayer peeling. Small dissolution rise, the dissolution rise of the wet state molded parts in the liquid state resin causes the part size to be large. Less impurities, no odor in the curing process, less toxicity, conducive to the operating environment....
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