FI20195467A1 - Method and device for computer-aided production of a product - Google Patents

Abstract

The object of the invention is a method and an apparatus for the computer-aided manufacture of a product, in which the final product is manufactured on the basis of digital modeling made from it by utilizing a photopolymer material. The casting mold of the final product to be molded is made from a photopolymer material (F), which is first exposed (R) according to the modeling of the digitally controlled end product, followed by a photopolymer casting ).

Description

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for computer-aided manufacturing of a product according to the preambles of the independent claims relating thereto.

Firstly, in the case of traditional 'mechanical' manufacturing, in particular by requiring cost-effectiveness in the manufacture of the final product and good shape and dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the product to be manufactured, traditional casting has been used, such as conventional sand casting, which is widely used. in the manufacture of metal objects, but also for the needs of both art casting and industry. In addition, sand casting is also used to make, for example, decorative and utility items, tools and machine parts.

Sand casting mold sand is a finely divided sand binder mixture that reproduces details very accurately, depending naturally on the grain size of the sand and the mold filling method. The binder is typically a chemically curable resin. Especially when casting high melting point metals, such as steel, the mold surfaces are treated by painting them with a refractory coating to prevent the sand from sticking to the metal.

2 r The template for the part to be made for casting is typically a 30-piece, so that the lower and upper parts © of the mold can be made separately. The model is typically made of wood, plastic, light metal or e.g. foam plastic in accordance with the wear resistance and dimensional accuracy requirements required of the model. The template should be

la also strong enough to withstand twisting in mold making and storage. The lower part of the template is typically attached to a plate on which a mold frame is placed for mold making, i.e. for molding. The frame is filled with mold sand, which is sealed, for example, by vibrating tightly enough. The molds for the casting and gas ducts are also placed in the mold frame of the upper model part before filling.

Another possibility is to make the mold with a one-piece template, in which case the mold frame must be filled in two steps and the mold frame must be opened to remove the template after the sand in the upper mold part has hardened. For example, a disposable foam template can be burned off without opening the mold. If the casting to be manufactured is hollow, in addition to the mold, a sand core is produced, which is also hardened and, if necessary, covered. In a complex part, several cores are used if necessary. After the mold sand has hardened, the mold parts are removed from the template, after which the mold parts are covered, any cores are placed in place and the mold parts are fastened = to each other. The molten metal is then poured into the mold. After the casting has cooled, the mold is disassembled and the finished casting piece is removed. o = + 30 Another example of a casting technique is gypsum casting, which typically produces small and detailed metal objects. In the field of goldsmithing in particular, it has steadily increased its popularity as a cost-effective and fast manufacturing method.

A third example of a casting technique is a precision casting based on the use of a ceramic mold, which is generally used to cast particularly small and detailed metal objects. Today it is also used e.g. in the automotive industry. The main difference from ordinary casting is that the mold is grown on the surface of the wax model. The traditional casting techniques mentioned by Fde are laborious and cost-effective, especially in view of the current manufacturing requirements. On the other hand, “computer-aided” manufacturing has developed and become more widespread in recent years in various fields, such as sterolithography and 3D printing using photopolymer materials. Such methods are based on the computer-aided manufacture of a product by layer-by-layer addition and curing of a powdered or flowable photopolymer material.

However, such digitally controlled manufacturing methods are currently still slow in processing and expensive due to their material costs, which is further accentuated by the poor efficiency of the use of photopolymer materials due to unnecessarily high losses. = On the other hand, a sufficiently good surface quality of the final products to be produced for certain uses requires = the use of very thin layers of material, which further slows down the production and reduces the 30 cost efficiencies in manufacturing technology. The purpose of the method and the apparatus N according to the present invention is to provide a decisive improvement in the above-mentioned problems and thus to be substantially

increase the state of the art in the field.

To achieve this object, the method and apparatus according to the invention are mainly characterized by what is set forth in the characterizing parts of the independent claims directed to them.

The main advantages of the method and apparatus according to the invention are their simplicity and efficiency, in particular as they enable the enhancement of traditional casting techniques by means of computer-aided modeling and the production of a casting model.

When the invention is based on conventional digital 3D printing, in contrast to the production of a photopolymer material body physically equivalent to the final product by exposing the photopolymer material and removing the unexposed photopolymer material after exposure, it is also possible to significantly increase the cost of 3D manufacturing technology. for the production of planar, such as, for example, reusable casting matrices and three-dimensional disposable casting models.

Other preferred embodiments of the method and apparatus according to the invention are set out in the dependent claims. g O In the following description, the invention is illustrated = in detail while referring to the accompanying drawings, in which S 30 © Figures 1a and 1b, 3 show exemplary process diagrams of manufacturing processes utilizing the invention in a planar and functional manner.

in the manufacture of a three-dimensional final product, and Figures 2a and 2b 5 show an exemplary schematic view of an exposure arrangement of an apparatus embodying the invention and an enlarged detail of a raster pattern used in photopolymer material exposure.

The invention firstly relates to a method for the computer-aided manufacture of a product, in which the final product is manufactured on the basis of digital modeling made from it, utilizing a photopolymer material. The molding pattern of the final product T to be molded in the mold V is made of a photopolymer material material F, which is first exposed according to the modeling X of the digitally controlled final product, and then the photopolymer unexposed photopolymer material Y.

As a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the photopolymer material blank F ”is exposed to a solid, liquid or powdered photopolymer material material F on the basis of a stereographic description, gray scale and / or precision range measurement of the final product to be manufactured.

In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the shape and depth N of the photopolymer material blank F ”in the photopolymer material material F are adjusted by laser and UV exposure R.

A further preferred application of the method according to the invention in the exposure of the photopolymer material material F utilizes the rasterization according to Fig. 2b, whereby the shape of the photopolymer material blank F ”is produced by adjusting both the dot size used in the exposure and the laser and UV light output. In a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the photopolymer material model F 'is formed from two or more separately produced and interconnected casting model blanks, which makes it possible to produce photopolymer material models, in particular larger and / or complex shapes.

As a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, the desired shape of the mold is produced by exposing the photopolymer material F with one or more digitally controlled laser, Full HD, LED UV light sources R and / or a similar technique. As a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention, with reference to Figures 1a and 1b, the photopolymer material blank F ”is hardened and post-exposed by UVA and / or UVC exposure. The invention also relates, on the other hand, to an apparatus for the computer-aided manufacture of a product S, the purpose of which is to manufacture the final product on the basis of digital E 30 modeling thereof using a photopolymer material for the benefit of N. the apparatus is intended for the production of a casting model M 2 of a photopolymer material F in a mold V to be produced by casting in a mold V, wherein the apparatus comprises at least an exposure arrangement R, such as one or more digital displays, with reference to the accompanying drawings;

laser-guided laser, Full HD, LED UV light source R and / or the like, according to the model X of the final product for the exposure of the photopolymer material F, and a washing arrangement P for the product to be manufactured or one or more parts thereof physically corresponding to the casting; to provide a photopolymer material pattern F 'by removing unexposed photopolymer material material Y from the photopolymer material material F.

As a preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, with reference to Figure 2a, the exposure arrangement R comprises light sources R1, R2 illuminated on opposite sides of a solid, liquid or powdered photopolymer material F.

As a further preferred embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, it comprises, with reference to Figures 1a and 1b, a recovery arrangement TO of unexposed photopolymer material material Y, which makes it possible to minimize material loss.

In the figures, Figures 1a and 1b show exemplary process diagrams of manufacturing processes utilizing the invention on the one hand in the production of the planar plaque shown in the upper left corner of the above figures and on the other hand in the three-dimensional decorative body. Such processing can be carried out, for example, on the> exemplary principle shown in Fig. 2a, preferably with reference to an exposure arrangement R provided with a front and backlight unit R1, R2, the steps E30 shown in the process diagrams comprising the following steps:

O> - 1. Exposure 2 of the base part Fc of the casting model to be manufactured, eg with UVA backlight unit R2, LAMS (Laser Ablation s Mask System) with protective layer Fa and below

to a solid photopolymer material F with a polymer layer Fb, - 2. lasering of the photopolymer material F ”to the photopolymer material F on the basis of modeling X with a laser, Full HD and / or Led UV front light unit RI, - exposure of the 3rd protective layer Fa e.g. / or using UVA light with the front light unit RI, - 4. removal of unexposed photopolymer material material Y, e.g. by dissolving by means of a washing arrangement P, = 5. drying of the photopolymer material blank F ”, e.g. by thermal radiation arrangement, - 6. hardening and post-hardening of the photopolymer material blank FA. - and / or using UVC light with the front light unit R1, - 7. a photopolymer material model F 'physically corresponding to the final product, such as the uniform casting pattern shown in Figure 1a and the reusable casting matrix shown in Figure Ib, - 8. casting in a casting mold, and end product 1.

It is clear that the invention is not limited to the applications presented or described above, but can be modified within the framework of the basic idea in many ways depending on, for example, the final products to be manufactured in each case and their manufacturing materials. Contrary to the principle shown in Fig. 2a, it is also possible to use e.g. so-called e.g. unilateral exposure, a planar exposure surface or e.g. partially diffused or mobile light sources, etc. The exposure arrangement may also comprise, in contrast to the above-mentioned laser, Full 3 HD and UV light sources, other technology suitable for the corresponding N purpose. .

Claims (10)

Claims: A method for computer-aided manufacturing of a product, in which the final product is produced on the basis of digital modeling (X) using a photopolymer material, characterized in that a casting model physically equivalent to the final product (T) cast in the mold (V) is produced first by exposing the photopolymer in a digitally controlled manner, according to modeling (X) of the final product to be manufactured, after which a photopolymer material model (F ') physically corresponding to the final product to be manufactured or one or more parts thereof used in casting is obtained by removing unexposed photopolymer material (F) from the photopolymer material material (F). Method according to Claim 1, characterized in that the photopolymer material blank (F ') is exposed to a solid, liquid or powdered photopolymer material material (F) on the basis of a stereo description, gray scale and / or precision range measurement of D 25. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the shape E and the depth of the photopolymer material blank (F ”) in the photopolymer material material (F) are adjusted by laser and UV exposure. 3 3 S Method N according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 3, characterized in that rasterization is used in the exposure of the photopolymer material (F), wherein the shape of the photopolymer material blank (F ”) is produced by adjusting both the spot size used in the exposure and the laser and UV light output. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the photopolymer material template (F ') is formed from two or more separately molded and interconnected casting template blanks. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the desired shape of the casting pattern is produced in the exposure of the photopolymer material with one or more digitally controlled laser, Full HD, LED UV light sources and / or the like. Method according to one of the preceding claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the photopolymer material blank (F ') is hardened and post-exposed by UVA and / or UVC exposure. 8. An apparatus for the computer-aided manufacture of a product, the purpose of which is to manufacture the final product on the basis of digital modeling (X) using photopolymer material, characterized in that the apparatus is intended to cast N the final product (T) physically equivalent to - S for the production of a snowboard (M) by exposure to a photopolymer material (S), the apparatus comprising at least an exposure arrangement (R), such as one or more digitally controlled laser, Full HD, LED UV light sources and / or or the like, for exposing the photopolymer material material (F)> in a digitally controlled manner, according to the modeling (X) of the final product to be manufactured, and a washing arrangement (P) for casting the product to be manufactured or one or more parts thereof physically corresponding to the photopolymer material model (F) ') by removing the unexposed photopolymer from the photopolymer material (F) ether materials (Y). Apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the exposure arrangement (R) comprises light sources (R1, R2) illuminated on opposite sides of the solid, liquid or powdered photopolymer material (F). Apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the apparatus comprises a recovery arrangement (TO) for unexposed photopolymer material (Y). o O OF O <Q O oO I Jami a PP © + LO O o OF