CN117841365A

CN117841365A - System for synchronously monitoring coating quality of material in additive manufacturing and additive manufacturing equipment

Info

Publication number: CN117841365A
Application number: CN202410254387.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 请求不公布姓名
Original assignee: Yunyao Shenwei Jiangsu Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Yunyao Shenwei Jiangsu Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2024-03-06
Filing date: 2024-03-06
Publication date: 2024-04-09
Anticipated expiration: 2044-03-06
Also published as: CN117841365B

Abstract

The application relates to a system and an additive manufacturing device for synchronously monitoring material coating quality in additive manufacturing. The additive manufacturing apparatus involves building a three-dimensional object by selectively curing build material applied layer by layer over a material build area with an energy beam; the system comprises a light measuring unit arranged above the material building area and a control device connected with the light measuring unit; the light measuring unit gradually projects the generated light source to the surface of the building material coated on the material building area along with the progress of layer coating, and captures the light reflected by the surface to acquire three-dimensional information of the surface mapping of the building material; the control device calculates the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material in the mapping area according to the three-dimensional information and judges the coating quality of the material according to the height difference. The method and the device realize accurate monitoring of the material coating quality of the surface of the building material by utilizing the optical measurement technology, and effectively improve the coating quality and the printing precision in the additive manufacturing process.

Description

System for synchronously monitoring coating quality of material in additive manufacturing and additive manufacturing equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the field of additive manufacturing, in particular to a system and additive manufacturing equipment for synchronously monitoring the coating quality of materials in additive manufacturing.

Background

Additive manufacturing (Additive Manufacturing, AM) technology, otherwise known as 3D printing technology, is an advanced manufacturing method for building three-dimensional objects by stacking materials layer by layer. In this manufacturing process, the quality of the coating of the build material is critical to the quality of the final built object. Uniform material application and precise build-up directly affect the surface smoothness, structural integrity, and dimensional accuracy of the printed object.

However, during 3D printing, exposure to various factors such as debris splatter, uneven build-up, external environmental changes, equipment wear, etc., often results in build material coating quality anomalies including, but not limited to, layer thickness non-uniformity, voids or cavities, and increased surface roughness, which can create quality hazards to the final printed result.

In order to ensure the coating quality during printing, various techniques are currently used for monitoring the coating quality in real time, wherein, the material coating quality monitoring is realized by using a high-speed camera, however, the techniques have some limitations in application, such as the defects of being too sensitive to tiny impurities, limited in monitoring precision, poor in adaptability to different materials, and the like, and in addition, sometimes, the detection effect is poor, especially in the case of processing the coating speed to be higher or the material layer to be thicker.

Therefore, there is a need in the art to provide a more reliable and accurate material coating quality monitoring technique to improve the monitoring effect of the material coating quality and ensure the material coating quality and the final printing quality in the 3D printing process.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a system and additive manufacturing equipment for synchronously monitoring material coating quality in additive manufacturing, so as to improve the monitoring effect of the material coating quality and ensure the material coating quality and final printing quality in a 3D printing process.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the embodiment of the application adopts the following technical scheme:

in a first aspect, a system for enabling simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus for building a three-dimensional object using selective solidification of build material coated layer-by-layer over a material build area by a material applicator with an energy beam is provided, the system comprising: a light measuring unit disposed above the material construction area for gradually projecting the generated light source to a construction material surface coated on the material construction area as layer coating proceeds and capturing light reflected by the surface to acquire three-dimensional information of a construction material surface map; and a control device connected with the light measuring unit and configured to calculate whether the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material in the mapping area is within a preset interval according to the obtained three-dimensional information, and when judging no, send out an alarm, and/or generate height abnormality information and adjust coating parameters according to the height abnormality information so that the height difference enters the preset interval or is equal to a target value.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the light measuring unit is driven by a first movement means to move as the layer coating proceeds.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the first movement means is a driving source for driving the material applicator to perform a layer coating movement, wherein the light measuring unit is arranged on the material applicator and formed on at least one side of the material applicator in the coating direction.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the material applicator comprises a first applicator portion acting on the surface of the building material during the application process and a second applicator portion formed above the first applicator portion extending at least to at least one side of the application direction, wherein the light measuring unit is arranged at the second applicator portion such that the light measuring unit is spaced apart from the first applicator portion in the application direction.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the first movement means are arranged independently above the material building area, wherein the light measuring unit is arranged on the first movement means to move with the application direction of the material applicator under the drive of the first movement means.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the light measuring unit comprises a plurality of laser sensors arranged in an array for measuring height information of the light source to a plurality of locations of the building material surface, wherein the light measuring unit or the control device comprises a calculation unit configured to combine the height information with the locations of the light source to generate point cloud data characterizing three-dimensional information of locations of the building material surface.

In an alternative implementation of the first aspect, the light measurement unit comprises: one or more structured light emitters for emitting first structured light to form a specific pattern on the surface of the build material; one or more image capturers for capturing the second structured light reflected by the build material surface and resolving the pattern to obtain three-dimensional information of the build material surface.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the control device is further configured to control the material applicator to remove build material that has been applied to the material build area and to perform recoating at the material build area according to the adjusted application parameters, wherein the application parameters include at least one of application speed, application angle, application height, and application pressure.

In an optional implementation manner of the first aspect, the height anomaly information includes at least coordinates of an anomaly location and a height to be compensated, wherein the control device is further configured to generate a coating parameter for the anomaly location according to the height anomaly information.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the system comprises: a tripper comprising a cartridge having a nozzle and a driver for driving build material within the cartridge to release from the nozzle, the driver being connected to the control device; the second movement device is respectively connected with the control device and the blanking device and is used for driving the blanking device to move into the space above the abnormal position according to the instruction of the control device; wherein the driver is used for controlling the nozzle to release a specified amount of building material to the abnormal position according to the instruction of the control device.

In an optional implementation manner of the first aspect, the blanking device further includes a coating block, wherein the second movement device is further configured to drive the coating block to perform local coating at least in an area corresponding to the abnormal position according to an instruction of the control device, and make the abnormal position after coating consistent with the coating quality in an adjacent area or make the height difference between the abnormal position and the adjacent area be in the preset interval.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the tripper further comprises a aspirator connected to the control device, the aspirator being configured to aspirate and drain a specified amount of the build material at the anomaly into the cartridge according to instructions from the control device.

In an alternative embodiment of the first aspect, the material build area is located on a substrate stage, the light measurement unit is further configured to project the generated light sources onto the surfaces of the material applicator and the substrate stage, respectively, and capture light reflected by the respective surfaces to obtain three-dimensional information of the surface map of the material applicator and the substrate stage, wherein the control device is further configured to compare whether the surfaces of the material applicator and the substrate stage are in a parallel state, and to generate pose adjustment parameters for the material applicator if not determined.

In a second aspect, there is provided an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising the system of any of the first aspects.

In a third aspect, a method for enabling simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus for building a three-dimensional object using selective solidification of build material coated layer by layer over a material build area by a material applicator using an energy beam is provided, the method comprising: gradually projecting a light source generated by a light measuring unit to the surface of the building material coated on the material building area along with the progress of layer coating and capturing light reflected by the surface so as to acquire three-dimensional information of the surface mapping of the building material; and calculating whether the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material in the mapping area is in a preset interval according to the acquired three-dimensional information, and sending out an alarm when judging whether the height difference is in the preset interval, and/or generating height abnormality information and adjusting coating parameters according to the height abnormality information so that the height difference enters the preset interval or is equal to a target value.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a method for coating material in an additive manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising: applying one or more layers of build material onto a substrate stage or over at least a portion of the layers of a three-dimensional object that has been processed with the additive manufacturing apparatus using a material applicator at a work plane until a desired number of layers or thickness is reached; the additive manufacturing apparatus comprises a system for enabling simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of the additive manufacturing apparatus using light measurement, wherein the system performs the steps referred to in the third aspect at least during layer coating.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object in an additive manufacturing apparatus, the method comprising: coating build material layer by layer over the substrate platform with a material applicator; selectively curing the layer of coated build material using an optical path system; repeating the layer-by-layer coating and the selective curing until the three-dimensional object is produced; the additive manufacturing apparatus comprises a system for enabling simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of the additive manufacturing apparatus using light measurement, wherein the system performs the steps referred to in the third aspect at least during manufacturing of the three-dimensional object.

In a sixth aspect, there is provided an electronic device comprising: at least one processor; at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor and configured to store instructions for execution by the at least one processor, the instructions when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any one of the third to fifth aspects.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of the third to fifth aspects.

Based on the scheme, the embodiment of the application realizes accurate monitoring of the material coating quality of the surface of the building material by utilizing the photometry technology, and effectively improves the coating quality and the printing precision in the additive manufacturing process.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, implementations, and features described above, further aspects, implementations, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form a part of the specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the application and to enable a person skilled in the pertinent art to make and use the application.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the overall construction of a conventional additive manufacturing apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first application of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of partial zonal demarcation of a build material surface according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a second application schematic of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a third application schematic of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of one application of a light measurement unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of another application of a light measurement unit according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustration of an application of coated build material removal according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of an application of a tripper according to embodiments of the application;

FIG. 10 is a schematic view of a structure of a tripper according to embodiments of the application;

FIG. 11 is a schematic view of another application of a tripper according to embodiments of the application;

FIG. 12 is a fourth application schematic of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a flow chart of a method for implementing synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus using light measurement according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," and the like, as used in embodiments of the present application, are used for distinguishing between different objects and not for describing a particular sequential order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, software, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of steps or elements is not limited to only those listed steps or elements but may include other steps or elements not listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus.

Reference in the specification to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Those of skill in the art will explicitly and implicitly appreciate that the embodiments described herein may be combined with other embodiments.

In the embodiments of the present application, "at least one item(s)" or the like means any combination of these items, including any combination of single item(s) or plural item(s), meaning one or more, and plural means two or more.

For the purpose of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the embodiments of the present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

For ease of understanding, a brief description of conventional additive manufacturing apparatus will be provided.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of the overall configuration of a conventional additive manufacturing apparatus. As shown in fig. 1, the additive manufacturing apparatus 1, i.e. the 3D printing apparatus/3D printer, is intended to selectively cure build material 17 applied layer by layer to build a three-dimensional object 16. The build material 17 is generally in the form of solid particles, preferably metallic materials such as stainless steel, copper, titanium alloys, aluminum alloys, and the like. In addition to metallic materials, ceramics, plastics, and some composite materials, such as alumina (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Silicon nitride (Si) ₃ N ₄ ) And the like, plastics such as Polyamide (PA), polycarbonate (PC), and the like. The "selective solidification" described is, for example, selective sintering solidification or selective melt solidification. To build the three-dimensional object 16 in more detail, the additive manufacturing apparatus 1 selectively cures build material 17 applied layer by a material applicator 15 (e.g., doctor blade or roll) to an area above the substrate table 14, i.e., a material build zone 141, specifically by an energy beam 104 generated by the provided optical path system 10.

The additive manufacturing apparatus 1 mainly includes components such as an optical path system 10, a forming chamber 11, a construction cylinder 12, a material cylinder 13, a substrate stage 14, a material applicator 15, and a control device 21.

The optical path system 10 mainly includes optical components such as an energy beam generator 101, a galvanometer system 102, and a focusing mirror 103. The energy beam generator 101 (e.g., a laser) generates an energy beam 104 of high energy density to be incident on the galvanometer system 102, and the galvanometer system 102 is composed of a set of mirrors capable of controlling the irradiation direction and path of the energy beam 104 and a motor for driving the mirrors to deflect, which can be rotated in different directions rapidly and accurately to control the irradiation position and angle of the energy beam; the focusing mirror 103 focuses the energy beam 104 onto the surface of the material to effect curing of the material. These optical components cooperate to effect selective solidification of the build material 17 by adjusting the direction, intensity and focusing effect of the energy beam 104.

The forming chamber 11 provides an enclosed space for the printing operation of the energy beam 104 in the material build area 141, ensuring that the printing environment is isolated from the outside environment, thereby preventing foreign objects, dust or other contaminants from entering the forming area, and maintaining the cleanliness of the printing environment. The forming chamber 11 is usually filled with inert gas such as Ar (argon) to reduce oxidation and adverse reactions of materials and ensure the printing quality of the three-dimensional object 16.

The printing process of the three-dimensional object 16 occurs in the building cylinder 12, a first lifting mechanism 121 is arranged at the bottom of the building cylinder 12, and the substrate table 14 is installed in the building cylinder 12 and can be moved up and down along the inner wall of the building cylinder 12 by the driving of the first lifting mechanism 121 to promote the layer-by-layer addition of the building material 17 to build the desired three-dimensional object 16 in the building cylinder 12.

The cylinder 13 stores therein a build material 17 for 3D printing, which can be driven by a second elevating mechanism 131 disposed therebelow to overflow a portion of the build material 17 to the work plane 111, for the material applicator 15 located on the work plane 111 to uniformly apply the build material 17 overflowed on the work plane 111 to the material build zone 141. Furthermore, in a specific construction, the material cylinders 13 may be disposed on the right side of the construction cylinder 12 in addition to the left side of the construction cylinder 12 as shown in fig. 1, and may be provided in two so as to be disposed on the left and right sides of the construction cylinder 12, respectively (in this arrangement, the two material cylinders 13 may be the remainder collecting containers of each other).

Modeling software, such as Computer Aided Design (CAD) software, is used to create a three-dimensional model of the desired printed article prior to 3D printing. Then, the three-dimensional model is subjected to layering processing, divided into a plurality of planer sections, each planer section representing a layer to be printed, and corresponding layering data is generated. Layering data of a series of layers to be printed is generated by the layering process to describe the geometry and print path of each layer. The control means 21 (e.g. a computer control system) may control the operation of the other components of the additive manufacturing apparatus 1 based on these layered data, enabling selective curing layer by layer to build the complete three-dimensional object 16.

In order to achieve the foregoing objective of "providing a more reliable and accurate material coating quality monitoring technology to improve the monitoring effect of the material coating quality and ensure the material coating quality and the final printing quality in the 3D printing process", the embodiments of the present application provide a system applied in the additive manufacturing apparatus 1, which uses the optical measurement technology to achieve the synchronous monitoring of the material coating quality in the additive manufacturing apparatus 1. For example, the system may be constructed as part of the additive manufacturing apparatus 1 or used in conjunction with the additive manufacturing apparatus 1. In the former case, the system is considered to be part of the additive manufacturing apparatus 1, which covers components, i.e. components of the additive manufacturing apparatus 1, as well as some components covered by the additive manufacturing apparatus 1 may be used by the system of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first application of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 2, in some embodiments, the system 2 of the present application includes a light measurement unit 20 and a control device 21.

The light measuring unit 20 is used to obtain three-dimensional information of the surface of the build material 17 by means of optical measurements. More specifically, the light measuring unit 20 is disposed above the material build region 141 (substrate stage 14) and is capable of gradually projecting the generated light source to the surface of the build material 17 coated on the material build region 141 and capturing the light reflected by the surface as the layer coating proceeds to acquire three-dimensional information (e.g., data of shape, height, and structure of the surface) mapped to the surface of the build material 17.

The control device 21 is in communication connection with the light measuring unit 20 and is used for calculating and processing according to the acquired three-dimensional information so as to realize synchronous monitoring of the coating quality of the material. More specifically, the control device 21 can calculate whether the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material 17 in the mapping area is within a preset interval according to the obtained three-dimensional information, and if the height difference exceeds the preset interval, the control device 21 will issue an alarm or make corresponding adjustment (or both are performed synchronously) so as to realize synchronous monitoring and optimization of the coating quality of the material.

It should be understood that the description of "progress of layer coating" refers to a real-time state of coating the build material 17 layer by layer at the material build zone 141. When the additive manufacturing apparatus starts to operate, the material applicator 15 starts to move on the work plane 111 and the build material 17 deposited on the work plane 111 is covered on the material build area 141 layer by layer, the coating process of each layer is a stage, the start and end of the coating depend on the position of the material applicator 15 in the material build area 141, and during the coating process, the material applicator 15 moves on the material build area 141 covering the entire area until the coating of the layer is completed. Of course this process may also need to be performed multiple times to ensure that the thickness and uniformity of each layer are as desired. Wait until the three-dimensional object 16 is fully built and the entire coating is complete.

The light measuring unit 20 measures the surface of the coated build material 17 during additive manufacturing. As the material applicator 15 applies the build material 17 onto the material build area 141, the light measurement unit 20 will immediately project a light source onto the surface of the applied build material 17 and capture light reflected from the surface, i.e., measurement by the light measurement unit 20 is synchronized with the application process, without having to wait until each layer is applied to begin measurement in order to obtain three-dimensional information of the surface of the build material 17 in real time, thereby monitoring and adjusting the application process in time.

In one implementation, when the control device 21 performs calculation of the height difference according to the three-dimensional information provided by the light measuring unit 20, for each position of the surface of the building material 17, the control device 21 analyzes neighboring positions around it, calculates the height difference between the position and the surrounding position, and compares it with a preset interval to determine whether there is a quality problem. This can be achieved, for example, by treating each location as a data point, using mathematical methods such as differential operations or fitting curves. By calculating the height difference, the height difference between each location is obtained, which may be expressed as a positive value, a negative value or zero, indicating that the location is higher, lower or the same as the surrounding location, respectively. The predetermined interval is determined based on design requirements, production criteria, or experience, and defines an allowable range of height differences beyond which print quality of the three-dimensional object 16 may be affected. If the height difference is within the preset interval, it means that the coating quality is good, and the material applicator 15 can continue to operate normally. If the height difference exceeds a preset interval, an alarm may need to be raised to prompt the operator for inspection and adjustment, and/or to take steps to adjust the coating parameters to ensure that the coating quality is satisfactory.

Further, when calculating the height difference from the three-dimensional information, the control device 21 may also obtain a three-dimensional contour image representing the surface of the coated build material 17 by calculation, and determine whether the height difference between the positions is within a preset interval by analyzing the three-dimensional contour image. Three-dimensional contour images are a graphical representation for visualizing height variations in three-dimensional space by connecting points of different heights to form a series of continuous curves or line segments, thereby exhibiting areas of different height levels. In particular, in the present application, the three-dimensional contour image can clearly show the height variation of the surface of the building material 17, so as to intuitively understand the height difference between different positions, and by analyzing the three-dimensional contour image, the control device 21 can quickly and accurately determine whether the height difference between the positions is within the preset interval.

As an example, fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of partial zoning of a build material surface according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 3 (with reference to fig. 2), assuming that the surface of the build material 17 is divided into a grid-like region, the control device 21 analyzes the height in each grid based on the data supplied from the light measuring unit 20, and calculates the height difference from the surrounding grid. For example, one grid position is selected and marked as a point A1, four adjacent grid positions are arranged around the point A1 and marked as points A2-A5 respectively, and the control device calculates the height difference between the point A1 and the four points around the point A1 and then judges according to the calculation result. The calculated height difference is assumed to be as follows: the difference in height between A1 and A2 is +0.1mm, the difference in height between A1 and A3 is-0.05 mm, the difference in height between A1 and A4 is +0.2mm, the difference in height between A1 and A5 is-0.15 mm, the control means 21 compares these differences in height with a preset interval, assuming a preset interval of +0.1mm, from which it can be concluded: the height difference between A1 and A2 exceeds a preset interval and needs to be adjusted; the height difference between A1 and A3 is in a preset interval, and the quality is good; the height difference between A1 and A4 exceeds a preset interval and needs to be adjusted; the height difference between A1 and A5 is in a preset interval, and the quality is good. Based on these analyses, the control device 21 may take corresponding measures, such as adjusting the coating parameters, to ensure that the coating quality of the surface of the build material 17 is satisfactory.

It should be understood that the above example is only an example of a simpler case, and in a practical case, the control device 21 may use a more complex algorithm, such as a method based on the nearest neighbor rule, to consider the overall shape of the surface of the building material 17, and calculate whether the height of each position is within a preset interval by determining nearest neighbor points around the position and taking the height having the most uniform height value as a reference, so as to more comprehensively consider the variation of the overall shape, thereby more accurately judging whether the height of each position meets the requirement.

In practice, each location of the surface of build material 17 may be considered a point or a face, and the size of each location may be the same or different. In performing the height difference calculation, if each position is regarded as one point, the height difference may be determined by comparing the height values between the points; if each location is considered a surface, the average height of the surface may be calculated to determine the height difference.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a second application of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 4, in some embodiments, the light measurement unit 20 is driven by the first movement device 22 to move as the layer coating proceeds, i.e., the light measurement unit 20 moves as the coating of the build material 17 proceeds to capture three-dimensional information of the surface of the build material 17 in real time. By moving synchronously with the coating process, the light measuring unit 20 is able to accurately track the changes in the surface of the build material 17 and to transmit the acquired data to the control device 21 in time to achieve an immediate monitoring and adjustment of the coating quality.

The first movement means 22 refers to a power driving means capable of driving the light measuring unit 20 to move in the forming chamber 11 (the working plane 111/the space above the material build area 141). Which is arranged in the forming chamber 11 and is in communication with the control device 21, can control the light measuring unit 20 to perform a precise movement and positioning in three dimensions according to the instructions issued by the control device 21, so that the light measuring unit 20 can cover all positions of the material construction area 141.

The first movement means 22 may be implemented in different configurations. For example, an automated rail system may be employed, wherein the rail system is movable along X, Y and Z-axes, driven by motors to achieve precise movement of the light measurement unit 20 in three dimensions. Furthermore, a robotic arm structure or a linear motor system, for example, may be employed for the purpose of moving the light measuring unit 20 in three dimensions, thereby enabling a comprehensive monitoring of the surface of the build material 17.

In some embodiments, the first movement means 22 is independently arranged above the material build zone 141 (substrate stage 14), i.e. the first movement means 22 is configured for driving movement of the light measuring unit 20 only. The light measuring unit 20 is mounted on the first moving means 22 to move with the coating direction of the material applicator 15 under the driving of the first moving means 22. In this example of an arrangement, the control device 21 is required to coordinate the movement speeds of the first movement device 22 and the material applicator 15, for example in a movement control in the X-axis direction, the movement speed of the first movement device 22 driving the light measuring unit 20 may be the same as the speed of the material applicator 15 in the work plane 111 (covering the material build zone 141), but a slight delay is required to ensure that the light measuring unit 20 is able to timely measure the coated build material 17 surface, which delay may be adjusted according to the coating speed and material properties. Another way is to set the speed of movement of the light-measuring unit 20 slightly lower than the speed of the material applicator 15 to ensure that the light-measuring unit 20 has enough time to take an accurate measurement of the surface of the build material 17.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a third application of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 5 (with simultaneous reference to fig. 1-2), in some embodiments, the first movement device 22 refers to a driving source for driving the material applicator 15 to perform a layer coating movement, and the first movement device 22 drives the material applicator 15 to perform a layer coating movement at the material build zone 141, i.e., controls the moving direction, speed, and position of the material applicator 15. In this process, the material applicator 15 applies the build material 17 uniformly onto the substrate table 14 or the previous layer of build material 17, forming a material coating for each layer. The light measuring unit 20 is installed on the material applicator 15 to follow the movement thereof, and the movement control of the first movement means 22 directly affects the movement trace and speed of the material applicator 15, thereby affecting the measuring effect of the light measuring unit 20 on the surface of the construction material. By sharing the first movement means 22 by the light measuring unit 20 and the material applicator 15, the movement trajectories of the light measuring unit 20 and the material applicator 15 can be synchronized, thereby ensuring coordination of the measuring and coating processes.

In a specific configuration, the light measuring unit 20 is formed at least one side of the coating direction of the material applicator 15. For example, the light measuring unit 20 may be disposed on the left or right side of the material applicator 15 in the X-axis direction, and may be disposed on both sides to achieve measurement at the time of bidirectional coating. The choice of which arrangement strategy mainly refers to which cylinder 13 arrangement strategy is chosen by the additive manufacturing apparatus 1, for example in the additive manufacturing apparatus 1 if the arrangement of the cylinders 13 is the same as shown in fig. 1, i.e. on the left side of the build cylinder 12, such that the material applicator 15 is applying the build material 17 from left to right, then in this case the light measuring unit 20 should be arranged on the left side of the material applicator 15, i.e. forming the first light measuring unit 20a. In contrast, if the material cylinder 13 is arranged on the right side of the construction cylinder 12 such that the material applicator 15 applies the construction material 17 from right to left, the light measuring unit 20 should be arranged on the right side of the material applicator 15, i.e. form the second light measuring unit 20b. If the material cylinders 13 are arranged on the left and right sides of the construction cylinder 12, it is conceivable to provide the light measuring units 20 on both the left and right sides of the material applicator 15, i.e. to form the first light measuring unit 20a and the second light measuring unit 20b, respectively, so that the light measuring unit 20 can follow its movement regardless of whether the applicator 15 is applying a coating from left to right or from right to left, enabling an omnidirectional monitoring of the coating process.

In order to match the above arrangement of the light measuring unit 20, the material applicator 15 is provided to include a first applicator portion 15a and a second applicator portion. The first applicator portion 15a is the main body portion of the material applicator 15 and is responsible for making contact with the surface of the build material 17 during the coating process to uniformly coat it on the material build area 141. The second device portion is a portion formed above the first device portion 15a and extending to at least one side in the coating direction, and may be detachably coupled to the first device portion 15a or may be integrally formed.

In this arrangement, the light measuring unit 20 is mounted on the second applicator portion of the material applicator 15 such that the light measuring unit 20 is spaced a distance from the main body portion (first applicator portion 15 a) of the material applicator 15 to ensure that the light measuring unit 20 is able to accurately measure three-dimensional information of the surface of the build material 17.

It will be appreciated that which direction the second portions extend in particular also depends on the above-described arrangement of the light measuring unit 20. If the light measuring unit 20 is arranged at the left side of the material applicator 15 (i.e., the first light measuring unit 20a is provided at the left side of the material applicator 15), the second portion extends to the left side to form a second portion i 15b at the left side of the first portion 15a (the first light measuring unit 20a is mounted at the second portion i 15 b); if the light measuring unit 20 is arranged on the right side of the material applicator 15 (i.e., the second light measuring unit 20b is provided on the right side of the material applicator 15), the second portion extends to the right to form the second portion ii 15c on the right side of the first portion 15a (the second light measuring unit 20b is mounted on the second portion ii 15 c); if the light measuring units 20 are disposed at both left and right sides of the material applicator 15 (i.e., the first light measuring unit 20a and the second light measuring unit 20b are provided at both left and right sides of the material applicator 15), the second units extend to the left and right sides, respectively, to form the second units i 15b and ii 15c at both left and right sides of the first unit 15a (the first light measuring unit 20a is mounted at the second unit i 15b, and the second light measuring unit 20b is mounted at the second unit ii 15 c).

In some embodiments, the second applicator portion may be a mounting bracket for the material applicator 15, such as a doctor blade. When the material applicator 15 employs a doctor blade, the doctor blade holder is a member for supporting and fixing the doctor blade. One end of the doctor blade holder is fixed to the first movement means 22 (typically in the Y-axis direction) so that the doctor blade holder can be moved by the first movement means 22 to maintain synchronous coating with the material build zone 141. By mounting the light measuring unit 20 on the doctor blade holder, it is ensured that the light measuring unit 20 is always located above the doctor blade and that data of the surface of the build material 17 can be acquired in time. In addition, the doctor blade holder can be adjusted as needed to accommodate the size and shape of different material applicators 15, thereby flexibly mounting and adjusting the light measuring unit 20.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an application of a light measurement unit according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 6 (with simultaneous reference to fig. 1, 2, 5), in one example of an arrangement, the light measuring unit 20 comprises a plurality of laser sensors 201 arranged in an array, the laser sensors 201 being configured at the bottom (view angle reasons, not visible in the figures) of the second sections i 15b and ii 15c for measuring the height information of the light source to a plurality of locations on the surface of the build material 17.

The laser sensors 201 are arranged in a direction (Y-axis) perpendicular to the coating direction (X-axis) to cover the width of the entire material build area 141, ensuring that the width of the entire material build area 141 can be covered during coating. For example, the widths measured by adjacently disposed laser sensors 201 meet to form a measurement range of the entire width of the material build region 141, so that a full height information measurement can be obtained regardless of whether the build material 17 is applied in a narrower or wider width, thereby achieving full monitoring and control of the coating quality. In addition, the arrangement of the laser sensors 201 along the Y-axis may be adjusted, for example, to specific coating requirements and dimensions of the material build region 141, to ensure that the laser sensors 201 are capable of accommodating different sizes and shapes of build material 17, as well as different coating processes and requirements.

As the layer coating proceeds, these laser sensors 201, after having measured the height information of the light source to a plurality of locations on the surface of the build material 17, transmit it to a computing unit, which combines the height information with the location of the light source to generate point cloud data 211 characterizing the three-dimensional information of each location on the surface of the build material 17.

Wherein the calculation unit may be configured as part of the light measurement unit 20 as well as part of the control device 21. If the calculation unit is part of the light measurement unit 20, it may be provided inside the light measurement unit 20 for receiving and processing the height information acquired from the laser sensor 201 and transmitting the processed point cloud data 211 to the control device 21; on the other hand, if the calculation unit is part of the control device 21, the control device 21 is configured to receive the height information from the laser sensor 201 and for further data processing to obtain the point cloud data 211.

In the configuration execution of the calculation unit, in addition to receiving the height information from each laser sensor 201, position data of the light source, that is, the position of the laser sensor 201 itself, is obtained, the light source is generated by the laser sensor 201 and irradiated to the surface of the build material 17, and the height information of the surface of the build material 17 is obtained by measuring the reflection of the light. The calculation unit combines the position data of the light source, for example comprising the coordinates of the laser sensor 201 in space and its orientation information, with the height information, by associating the position information of the light source with each height data, the calculation unit can determine the spatial position of each measuring point. In this way, the computing unit generates a series of points, i.e. point cloud data 211, each representing a position of the surface of the build material 17 and having its coordinates in three-dimensional space.

As an example, assuming a light measuring unit 20 having 3 laser sensors 201 (sensor 1, sensor 2 and sensor 3, respectively), each laser sensor 201 is used to measure a portion of the surface of the build material 17, and these laser sensors 201 are uniformly distributed in the Y-axis direction, the height information measured by each laser sensor 201 and its position in space can be expressed as:

1. sensor 1 position: (x 1, y1, z 1), height information: h1;

2. sensor 2 position: (x 2, y2, z 2), height information: h2;

3. sensor 3 position: (x 3, y3, z 3), height information: h3;

assuming that it is desired to generate a point cloud 211 to characterize the three-dimensional information of the surface of the build material 17, it is necessary to combine the position of each laser sensor 201 with its measured height information to form a three-dimensional coordinate point:

1. point 1 coordinates: (x 1, y1, z1-h 1);

2. point 2 coordinates: (x 2, y2, z2-h 2);

3. point 3 coordinates: (x 3, y3, z3-h 3);

by combining the points into one point cloud data 211, three-dimensional information is included for each location of the surface of the build material 17.

In this way, the control device 21 can calculate whether the height difference between the positions on the surface of the building material 17 is within the preset interval based on the acquired point cloud data 21. In addition, in one possible implementation, the control device 21 may also extract key information about the surface of the build material 17 (e.g., surface shape, roughness, geometric features, etc.) from the point cloud data 21, and evaluate the quality of the material coating (e.g., flatness, uniformity, defects, defective areas, etc. of the surface of the build material 17) based on the analysis results. By comparing the coating quality obtained by analysis with a preset quality standard, real-time monitoring and adjustment of the coating quality of the material can be realized, so that the coating quality and the final printing quality in the 3D printing process are ensured to meet the expected requirements.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of another application of a light measurement unit according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 7 (refer to fig. 1-2 and 5 together), in one arrangement example, the light measuring unit 20 includes a structural light emitter 202 and an image capturer 203, and the structural light emitter 202 and the image capturer 203 are configured at the bottoms of the second sections i 15b and ii 15c (may also be arranged only at the bottom of the second section i 15b or ii 15 c). The structured light emitter 202 is configured to emit first structured light 204 such that it forms a specific pattern on the surface of the build material 17; the image capturer 203 (e.g., a camera) is configured to capture the second structured light 205 reflected by the surface of the build material 17 and to resolve the pattern to obtain three-dimensional information of the surface of the build material 17.

Structured light measurement is based on the principle of optical triangulation, using projecting specific light structures (e.g. gratings, fringes, etc.) onto a target surface, and inferring the shape and profile of the target surface by observing the distortion or deformation of the light structures by the target surface.

Specifically, the structured light emitter 202 projects a pattern onto the surface of the build material 17 by emitting a specific first structured light 204 (e.g., a pattern of gratings or stripes, etc.). The second structured light 205 (distorted or deformed pattern) reflected by the surface of the build material 17 is then captured and resolved by the image capturer 203. By analyzing the deformation and displacement of the pattern on the surface of the build material 17, the shape and contour of the surface of the build material 17 can be deduced by the image capturer 205. Thus, by a combination of structured light projection and capture, the light measurement unit 20 is able to accurately obtain three-dimensional information of the surface of the build material 17, providing a reliable data base for subsequent quality monitoring and analysis.

Where the structured light emitters 202 may be one or more, such as a plurality, the structured light emitters 202 may be arranged at different angles or positions to cover the width or specific area of the entire material build area 141, ensuring adequate projection of the entire surface. While the image capturer 203 may be one or more, such as a plurality, the image capturer 203 may be mounted at different angles or positions to ensure full coverage and accurate capture of the surface of the build material 17 to obtain accurate three-dimensional information.

In some embodiments, the control device 21 can calculate whether the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material 17 in the mapping area is within the preset interval according to the obtained three-dimensional information, and if there is a condition that the height difference exceeds the preset interval, the control device 21 will issue an alarm or make a corresponding adjustment (or make both the same) to achieve the adjustment described in the synchronous monitoring and optimization of the coating quality of the material, for example, generate height abnormality information for the control device 21 and adjust the coating parameters according to the height abnormality information so that the height difference enters the preset interval or is equal to the target value.

The coating parameters include at least one of coating speed, coating angle, coating height, and coating pressure.

The coating speed refers to the speed at which the material applicator 15 moves over the material build zone 141. Higher coating speeds may increase printing speed, but may reduce coating quality because the material applicator 15 may not effectively cover the build area 141 surface or cause uneven material build-up; lower coating speeds may improve the accuracy and uniformity of coating, but may increase printing time.

The coating angle refers to the angle of the material applicator 15 relative to the surface of the build material 17. Different coating angles may affect the way the materials are superimposed and the adhesion between the coating layers; by adjusting the coating angle, the manner in which the materials are superimposed and stacked can be optimized, thereby improving the structural integrity and surface quality of the printed object.

The coating height refers to the distance of the material applicator 15 from the surface of the build material 17. Adjustment of the coating height can affect the thickness and compaction of the build material 17. A larger coating height may result in uneven build-up or missing coating of material, while a smaller coating height may increase friction of the material applicator 15 with the build material 17, affecting coating uniformity and flatness.

The coating pressure refers to the pressure applied by the material applicator 15 to the build material 17. Proper coating pressure ensures good contact between the material applicator 15 and the build material 17, thereby improving coating uniformity and accuracy; too high a coating pressure may damage the surface of the build material 17 or cause excessive extrusion, while too low a coating pressure may result in a gap between the material applicator 15 and the build material 17, affecting coating quality.

The control device 21 generates height abnormality information such as content covering position information, height difference, abnormality type, and coating parameter state. The position information may indicate a position (expressed in coordinates) where the height abnormality is found, including a position within the material build zone 141 and a relative position to the material applicator 15. The height difference is as described above. The anomaly type may indicate the nature of the height difference, such as whether the coating is over or under, or whether it is a localized depression or protrusion, etc. The coating parameter status may indicate a current status of each coating parameter when a height anomaly is detected.

Specifically, when the control device 21 generates the height abnormality information, it is possible to determine a specific area and a position where the height abnormality occurs during the coating process based on the height abnormality information, analyze the cause of the height abnormality, such as the coating speed being too fast or too slow, the coating pressure being insufficient or too large, the coating angle being incorrect, and the like, and adjust the coating parameters accordingly based on the analysis result. For example, if a large difference in height is detected, it may be necessary to reduce the coating speed or increase the coating pressure to increase the thickness of the coating layer; conversely, if the height difference is small, it may be necessary to increase the coating speed or decrease the coating pressure to decrease the thickness of the coating layer. While adjusting the coating parameters, the surface height of the build material 17 during the coating process is monitored in real time, and the coating parameters are continuously adjusted until the height difference enters a preset interval or equal to a target value.

In some embodiments, the control device 21 is further configured to control the material applicator 15 to remove build material 17 that has been applied to the material build zone 141 and to perform a recoating at the material build zone 141 according to the adjusted application parameters.

In one implementation, for example, the control device 21 identifies problematic areas and locations in the coated build material 17 by analyzing the height anomaly information and other monitoring data, and then issues instructions to control the material applicator 15 to remove the entire coated build material 17 from the material build zone 141. After the material build area 141 is emptied, the control device 21 issues instructions to control the material applicator 15 to recoat the material build area 141 based on the adjusted coating parameters, which may include adjusting coating speed, coating pressure, coating angle, etc. to ensure that the recoated build material 17 meets the preset quality criteria. In this way, the control device 21 is able to control the coating process entirely, including removing the coated build material 17 entirely and recoating, and to adjust the coating parameters according to the real-time monitoring data, so as to achieve simultaneous monitoring and optimization of the quality of the material coating.

Fig. 8 is a schematic illustration of an application of coated build material removal according to an embodiment of the present application. As in the example shown in fig. 8, the control device 21 recognizes that P1 to P4 (P1, P2, P3, and P4) are areas of abnormal quality (the height difference exceeds the preset interval) in the build material 17 that has been coated in the material build region 141, and then the control device 21 issues a command to control the material applicator 15 to move back to remove the coated build material 17 entirely from the material build region 141, after which the control device 21 issues a command to control the material applicator 15 to recoat the material build region 141 according to the adjusted coating parameters.

In some embodiments, the height anomaly information comprises at least coordinates of the anomaly location and the height to be compensated, the control means 21 being further configured to generate coating parameters for the anomaly location from the height anomaly information.

The coordinates of the abnormal position indicate a specific position of the abnormal position in the material construction area 141, and the height to be compensated represents a height value to be adjusted for the position. The control device 21 generates coating parameters for the abnormal positions based on these height abnormality information to achieve local coating compensation. For example, the control device 21 analyzes the height data by the acquired three-dimensional information to identify an abnormal position, generates a coating parameter for the position according to the coordinates of the abnormal position and the height to be compensated, and applies the generated coating parameter to the coating compensation of the abnormal position.

In addition, in some embodiments, the height anomaly information also includes the shape and area of the anomaly location, and in combination with the height information, a corresponding amount of material to be compensated for is generated.

In more detail, the control device 21 may calculate the area of the abnormal region by processing the three-dimensional information acquired by the light measuring unit 20 to analyze the shape and size of the abnormal position, determine the boundary of the abnormal position by analyzing the height data around the abnormal position, for example, and infer the shape and area of the abnormal region therefrom. In this way, the control device 21 can calculate the amount of material to be compensated based on the density of the material and the height to be compensated of the abnormal position. In general, the density of the material is known, so that the required volume of material can be calculated from the area of the anomaly and the height to be compensated. The control device 21 applies the calculated amount of material to be compensated to the coating compensation of the abnormal position. In this way, the control device 21 can calculate the required amount of compensation material according to the shape, area and height information of the abnormal position, and perform corresponding compensation in the coating process, thereby realizing adjustment and optimization of local height and improving consistency and precision of printing quality.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an application of the blanking device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 9, in some embodiments, the system further comprises a tripper 23 and a second motion device 24. The blanking device 23 is arranged in the space above the work plane 111, i.e. above the substrate stage 14, for movement above the substrate stage 14 for blanking against abnormal positions. The second moving device 24 is in communication connection with the control device 21 and is in driving connection with the blanking device 23, and is used for driving the blanking device 23 to move into a space above the abnormal position according to the instruction of the control device 21 so as to perform blanking for the abnormal position. The second motion device 24 may be implemented in a similar manner to the first motion device 22, such as an automated rail system, a robotic arm structure, a linear motor system, and the like. For example, when the control device 21 recognizes the abnormal position, a command is sent to the second movement device 24, and the tripper 23 is required to move to above the abnormal position. After receiving the instruction, the second movement device 24 controls the movement of the blanking device 23 to accurately position the blanking device to the space above the abnormal position so as to execute blanking operation.

The discharger 23 is composed of a cylinder 231 having a nozzle 232 at the bottom thereof, and a driver 233 for driving the cylinder 231 to discharge a specified amount of the build material 17 from the nozzle 232 to an abnormal position according to an instruction of the control device 21. In addition, the blanking device further has a coating block 234, and the second moving device 2 drives the coating block 234 to perform partial coating at least in the region corresponding to the abnormal position according to the instruction of the control device 21, and keeps the abnormal position after coating consistent with the coating quality in the adjacent region or makes the height difference between each other be in a preset section.

It should be appreciated that the powder fall and the partial coating constitute the coating compensation described hereinbefore. Powder fall and partial coating are two important steps of coating compensation. Powder falling refers to releasing a proper amount of building material 17 at an abnormal position to fill or repair the height difference of the abnormal position; the local coating is to perform a local coating operation at an abnormal position by using the coating block 234 according to the instruction of the control device 21, so as to ensure that the coating quality at the abnormal position is consistent with that of the surrounding area.

With continued reference to fig. 9, for example, for the N1 st layer of build material 17 coated on the substrate table 14, the control device 21 determines the abnormal positions where C1 and C2 are depressions by analyzing the three-dimensional information. Subsequently, the control device 21 calculates a specified amount (e.g., a material volume) required to fill C1 and C2, and sends a command to the second movement device 24 to move the tripper 23 over C1. When the tripper 23 is positioned exactly above the C1 position, the control device 21 causes the cartridge 231 to release a specified amount of build material 17 from the nozzle 232 to the C1 position by sending a command to the actuator 233. The same operation is also applicable to the C2 position to ensure that all outliers are effectively filled and repaired.

After finishing the blanking work of any or all of the abnormal positions of the depressions, the control device 21 also performs the coating work on C1 and C2 by sending a command to the second moving device 24 to drive the coating block 234 mounted on the blanking device 23. Before moving the coating block 234 above C1 or C2, the control device 21 needs to adjust parameters of the coating block 234 (achieved by controlling the second movement device 24) such as coating speed, coating pressure, etc. according to actual conditions. The control device 21 then, by controlling the second movement device 24, drives the coating block 234 to perform a coating operation (for example involving a plurality of trips) on the surface of the filled anomaly C1 and C2, respectively, to ensure an even distribution and coverage of the build material 17. During the coating process, the control device 21 monitors the difference in height between the abnormal position and the adjacent area and adjusts according to a preset height range to ensure that the difference in height between the abnormal position and the adjacent area after coating is within an acceptable range.

Fig. 10 is a schematic structural view of a blanking device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 10, in some embodiments, the driver 233 is configured to be composed of a screw 237 and a drive motor 236 for driving the screw 237 to rotate. One end of the screw 237 is connected to a driving motor 236, and the other end of the screw 237 extends downward through the cartridge 231 by a distance, and the extending section of the screw 237 serves to convey and push the material, so that the driving motor 236 can drive the screw 237 to rotate, and the screw 237 drives the building material stored in the cartridge 231 to move downward in a rotating state and is released from the nozzle 232. And the coating block 234 is installed at one side of the cartridge 231 with its bottom lower than the nozzle 232 in the Z-axis direction so that accurate coating can be achieved.

Fig. 11 is a schematic diagram of another application of a tripper according to embodiments of the application. As shown in fig. 11, in some embodiments, the drop feeder 23 further includes a suction device 235 connected to the control device 21, the suction device 235 being mounted on the cartridge 231 and having a downwardly extending suction port, the suction device 235 being configured to absorb and drain a specified amount of build material 17 at an abnormal location into the cartridge 231 through the suction port upon command of the control device 21.

More specifically, the aspirator 235 is composed of, for example, a aspirator, a tube, and a driving system connected to the tube. The suction device 235 uses the negative pressure principle to suck in air and create a low pressure area at the suction opening, so that the surrounding build material 17 is sucked onto the suction opening of the suction device 235 and then guided into the cartridge 231. The suction port is designed to be downward, and the pipe is connected to the cylinder 231. When the control device 21 recognizes the abnormal position of the protrusion (C3 and C4 as shown in fig. 11), it sends a command to the suction device 235, requesting it to perform a suction operation on the abnormal position. Upon command, the suction device 235 activates the drive system and lowers the suction port to close to the anomaly (via lowering of the second motion device 24) and then sucks a specified amount of build material 17. After sucking the build material 17, the aspirator 235 drains the build material into the cartridge 231 through the tubing. In this way, the aspirator 235 can effectively aspirate the build material 17 at the abnormal location of the protrusion and drain it into the cartridge 231, thereby achieving the treatment of the abnormal location of the protrusion. After the suction is completed, the abnormal position of the original bump may be flattened by the coating block 234. For example, the control device 21 sends an instruction to the second movement device 24 to move the coating block 234 to the corresponding position for laying (i.e., a representation of coating) so as to be consistent with the coating quality of the surrounding area or so as to have the height difference between them be within a preset section, based on the position information after the suction is completed.

In addition, in practice, in order to avoid that the suction device 235 sucks the building material at other positions around the periphery by mistake, measures may be taken, such as adjusting the size and position of the suction opening of the suction device 235 to cover only the abnormal position, or by adjusting the suction force, ensuring that the sucked building material comes only from the abnormal position. In addition, a boundary protection device may be provided around the abnormal position to prevent the suction device 235 from erroneously sucking the surrounding build material. In addition, since the construction material is usually a metal material, in a possible implementation, a magnetic attraction manner may be considered, for example, an electromagnetic attraction device may be used instead of the suction device 235.

Fig. 12 is a fourth application schematic of a system for enabling synchronized monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. It will be appreciated that during actual printing, the deformation or displacement of the material applicator 15 may cause the coating plane to change, which in turn causes the coated surface of the build material 17 to tilt or deform, affecting the final forming accuracy and quality. To solve this problem, the relative parallel relationship of the material applicator 15 and the substrate stage 14 needs to be calibrated before starting to apply the material. As shown in fig. 12, in some embodiments, the light measurement unit 20 is further configured to project the generated light sources onto the surface of the material applicator 15 and the surface of the substrate stage 14, respectively, and capture the light reflected by the respective surfaces to obtain three-dimensional information mapped by the surface of the material applicator 15 and the surface of the substrate stage 14, respectively, wherein the control device 21 is further configured to compare whether the surface of the material applicator 15 and the surface of the substrate stage 14 are in a parallel state, and generate pose adjustment parameters for the material applicator 15 when it is determined as no.

Specifically, the light measuring unit 20 further acquires three-dimensional information of the surface of the material applicator 15 and the surface of the substrate stage 14, compares the acquired three-dimensional information of the surface of the material applicator 15 with the three-dimensional information of the surface of the substrate stage 14, and particularly, the control device 21 focuses on whether the surface of the material applicator 15 and the surface of the substrate stage 14 are in a parallel state, and if the control device 21 determines that the surface of the material applicator 15 and the surface of the substrate stage 14 are in a non-parallel state, generates corresponding pose adjustment parameters including, for example, a rotation angle, an inclination angle, a position adjustment amount, or the like of the material applicator 15, and the specific adjustment may be accomplished by controlling a driving source (such as the first moving device 22) of the material applicator 15 or a mechanical part of an adjustment apparatus to ensure that the surface of the material applicator 15 is kept in a parallel state with the surface of the substrate stage 14.

In the actual printing process, the flatness of the coating plane is changed, so that the alignment of the focusing plane and the coating plane of the optical path system is also influenced, distortion is generated, and the final forming precision and quality are influenced.

To solve this problem, referring to fig. 1 and 12, in a possible implementation, after acquiring the three-dimensional information of the surface of the material applicator 15, the control device 21 may also calculate the coating plane formed by the material applicator 15 at the time of actual coating, for example, calculate the inclination angle of the coating plane formed by the material applicator 15 in the actual coating motion according to the three-dimensional information of the surface of the material applicator, and adjust the pose state of the optical path system 10 accordingly so that the focusing plane of the energy beam 104 of the adjusted optical path system 10 is parallel to the coating plane.

The focal plane of the energy beam 104 refers to a plane or near-plane area, i.e., a focal plane, formed by the beam being focused to a focal point by the various optical components of the optical path system 10. In 3D printing, it is important to control the focal plane of the energy beam 104, which directly affects the curing and shaping process of the build material, to keep the focal plane parallel to the desired shaping plane (i.e., the coating plane), so that the correct positioning and shape of the build material during curing can be ensured, and the print quality can be ensured.

The control device 21 calculates the pose adjustment that the optical path system 10 needs to perform, for example, operations related to translation, rotation, tilting, etc. of the optical path system 10 to ensure that the focal plane of the energy beam 104 of the optical path system 10 is parallel to the coating plane. In the pose adjustment process, the control device 21 sends an adjustment instruction (for example, including information of an adjusted direction, an adjusted amplitude, an adjusted speed, etc.) to the multi-angle adjustment device, so as to instruct the multi-angle adjustment device to perform corresponding pose adjustment on the optical path system 10 until the focusing plane of the energy beam 104 of the adjusted optical path system 10 is parallel to the coating plane.

The multi-angle adjusting device can be, for example, an inclination angle platform or a spherical parallel manipulator, is installed above the forming chamber 11 through a bracket, and is in driving connection with the optical path system 10. It should be understood that the adjustment of the optical path system 10 by the multi-angle adjustment device does not refer to adjustment of each optical component of the optical path system 10, but rather refers to adjustment of the entire optical path system 10, for example, the optical path system 10 has a housing capable of accommodating each optical component therein, the housing fixing the positions and interrelationships of optical elements in space, and the multi-angle adjustment device implements adjustment of the posture state of the optical path system 10 in space by mechanically driving the housing. For example, the control device 21 detects that the coating plane is inclined or misplaced with the focusing plane of the optical path system 10, and the multi-angle adjusting device receives corresponding instructions and adjusts the housing of the optical path system 10 to realize the overall adjustment of the optical path system 10.

It should be noted that, in the actual coating process, the specific three-dimensional structure may require a change in the coating height in the adjacent area to achieve the optimal printing effect, which may occur on a component that needs to achieve a complex shape or a specific function, such as a supporting structure, a suspended portion, or surface details. In this case, the control device may adjust the coating height of the adjacent areas according to design requirements to suit specific construction requirements. In this case, therefore, no coating compensation is required for a particular anomaly, since the change in coating height is intended for this, with the aim of achieving a specific object structure.

As previously described, the system of the present embodiments may be considered part of an additive manufacturing apparatus, which encompasses components that are also part of the additive manufacturing apparatus, and thus, the present embodiments also protect an additive manufacturing apparatus, which encompasses the system of the present embodiments in addition to the components shown in fig. 1.

Fig. 13 is a flow chart of a method for implementing simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus using light measurement according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 13, the embodiment of the present application further provides a method for implementing synchronous monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing device by using optical measurement on the basis of the foregoing additive manufacturing device, including steps a), b) and c).

a) Gradually projecting a light source generated by a light measuring unit to the surface of the building material coated on the material building area along with the progress of layer coating and capturing light reflected by the surface so as to acquire three-dimensional information of the surface mapping of the building material;

b) Calculating whether the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material in the mapping area is in a preset interval or not according to the obtained three-dimensional information, and executing the step c) when judging that the height difference is not in the preset interval;

c) And (3) sending out an alarm, and/or generating height abnormality information and adjusting coating parameters according to the height abnormality information so that the height difference enters the preset area or is equal to a target value.

It will be appreciated that since the method constituted by steps a), b), c) is applied in an additive manufacturing apparatus, it can also be included with the process of material coating, forming a method for coating material in an additive manufacturing apparatus comprising such steps a), b), c). And the described method of coating a material comprises: one or more layers of build material are applied to the substrate table or over at least a portion of the layers of the three-dimensional object that have been processed with the additive manufacturing apparatus using the material applicator at the work plane until a desired number of layers or thickness is achieved. The system of the embodiment of the application performs the steps a), b) and c) at least during layer coating, so as to achieve the aim of improving the monitoring effect of the material coating quality and ensuring the material coating quality and the final printing quality in the 3D printing process.

It will be appreciated that since the method of steps a), b), c) is applied in an additive manufacturing apparatus, it can also be included with the manufacturing process of a three-dimensional object, forming a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object comprising the method of steps a), b), c). And the described method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object comprises: coating build material layer by layer over the substrate platform with a material applicator; selectively curing the layer of coated build material using an optical path system; repeating the layer-by-layer coating and the selectively curing until the three-dimensional object is produced. The system of the embodiment of the application executes the steps a), b) and c) at least during the manufacturing of the three-dimensional object, so as to achieve the purposes of improving the monitoring effect of the material coating quality and ensuring the material coating quality and the final printing quality in the 3D printing process.

Fig. 14 is a schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 11, in some embodiments, the electronic device 300 includes a processor 301 and a memory 302 (where the number of processors 301 and memory 302 may be one or more). The memory 302 is coupled to the processor 301 and is used to store instructions that are executed by the processor 301, which when executed by the processor 301, cause the electronic device 300 to perform the method described in any of the preceding claims, e.g., perform steps comprising: a method for simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus, a method for coating material in an additive manufacturing apparatus, a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object using light measurements.

The processor 301 is in communication with a memory 302, which memory 302 may include read only memory and random access memory, providing instructions and data to the processor 301. In addition, a portion of the memory 302 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM). In the memory 302, there are stored operating instructions, executable modules, data structures, or a subset thereof, and even an extended set thereof. These operational instructions cover various operations for carrying out the various operations.

The above-described method described in the embodiments of the present application may be applied to the processor 301 or implemented by the processor 301. The processor 301 may be any suitable computer processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a programmable logic device (FPGA), or the like. In the embodiments of the present application, the processor 301 is responsible for executing the various steps of the methods described above.

In some embodiments, the present application also provides a computer readable storage medium storing a computer program which when executed by a processor implements the method described in any of the preceding claims.

The computer readable storage medium refers to a medium that can be read by a computer system, such as a hard disk, a solid state disk, an optical disk, a flash memory drive, and the like. In some embodiments of the present application, a computer-readable storage medium stores a set of computer programs that are executed by a processor to implement the various steps and functions described in the methods above. These computer programs may include operating systems, embedded software, applications, etc. for controlling and managing the processes of the methods. The computer system can effectively implement the above-described method by reading and executing a program stored on a computer-readable storage medium.

The foregoing embodiments have been provided for the purpose of illustrating the embodiments of the present application in further detail, and it should be understood that the foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of the embodiments of the present application and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, and any modifications, equivalents, improvements, etc. made on the basis of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application are included in the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A system for simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus for building three-dimensional objects by selective solidification of build material coated layer by layer over a material build area by means of a material applicator using an energy beam, characterized in that,

the system comprises:

a light measuring unit disposed above the material construction area for gradually projecting the generated light source to a construction material surface coated on the material construction area as layer coating proceeds and capturing light reflected by the surface to acquire three-dimensional information of a construction material surface map; and

and the control device is connected with the light measuring unit and is configured to calculate whether the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material in the mapping area is in a preset interval according to the acquired three-dimensional information, and send out an alarm when the height difference is not in the preset interval, and/or generate height abnormality information and adjust coating parameters according to the height abnormality information so that the height difference enters the preset interval or is equal to a target value.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the light measuring unit is driven by a first movement means to move as the layer coating proceeds.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the first movement means is a driving source for driving the material applicator to perform a layer coating movement, wherein the light measuring unit is disposed on the material applicator and formed on at least one side of a coating direction of the material applicator.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the material applicator comprises a first applicator portion which acts on the surface of the building material during the application process and a second applicator portion which is formed above the first applicator portion and extends at least to at least one side in the application direction, wherein the light measuring unit is arranged at the second applicator portion such that the light measuring unit is spaced apart from the first applicator portion in the application direction.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the first movement means are independently arranged above the material build area, wherein the light measuring unit is arranged on the first movement means to move with the coating direction of the material applicator under the drive of the first movement means.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the light measuring unit comprises a plurality of laser sensors arranged in an array for measuring height information of the light source to a plurality of locations of the surface of the build material, wherein,

the light measurement unit or the control device comprises a calculation unit configured to combine the height information with the position of the light source to generate point cloud data characterizing three-dimensional information of each position of the building material surface.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the light measurement unit includes:

one or more structured light emitters for emitting first structured light to form a specific pattern on the surface of the build material;

one or more image capturers for capturing the second structured light reflected by the build material surface and resolving the pattern to obtain three-dimensional information of the build material surface.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the control device is further configured to control the material applicator to remove build material that has been applied to the material build area and to perform a recoating at the material build area according to the adjusted application parameters, wherein,

The coating parameters include at least one of a coating speed, a coating angle, a coating height, and a coating pressure.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the height anomaly information comprises at least coordinates of an anomaly location and a height to be compensated, wherein the control device is further configured to generate a coating parameter for the anomaly location from the height anomaly information.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the system comprises:

a tripper comprising a cartridge having a nozzle and a driver for driving build material within the cartridge to release from the nozzle, the driver being connected to the control device; and

the second movement device is respectively connected with the control device and the blanking device and is used for driving the blanking device to move into the space above the abnormal position according to the instruction of the control device;

wherein the driver is used for controlling the nozzle to release a specified amount of building material to the abnormal position according to the instruction of the control device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the blanking device further comprises a coating block, wherein the second movement device is further used for driving the coating block to carry out local coating at least in the area corresponding to the abnormal position according to the instruction of the control device, and enabling the coated abnormal position and the coating quality in the adjacent area to be consistent or enabling the height difference of the abnormal position and the coating quality in the adjacent area to be located in the preset interval.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the blanking device also comprises a suction device connected with the control device, and the suction device is used for absorbing and draining the construction material at the abnormal position into the charging barrel according to the instruction of the control device.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the system further comprises a controller configured to control the controller,

the material build region is located on a substrate platform,

the light measurement unit is further configured to project the generated light sources to the surfaces of the material applicator and the substrate stage, respectively, and capture light reflected by the respective surfaces to obtain three-dimensional information of the surface map of the material applicator and the substrate stage, wherein the control device is further configured to compare whether the surfaces of the material applicator and the substrate stage are in a parallel state, and generate pose adjustment parameters for the material applicator when it is determined that the surfaces are not in a parallel state.

14. An additive manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that,

the additive manufacturing apparatus comprising the system of any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A method for simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of an additive manufacturing apparatus for building a three-dimensional object by selective solidification of build material coated layer by layer over a material build area by means of a material applicator using an energy beam, characterized in that,

The method comprises the following steps:

gradually projecting a light source generated by a light measuring unit to the surface of the building material coated on the material building area along with the progress of layer coating and capturing light reflected by the surface so as to acquire three-dimensional information of the surface mapping of the building material; and

and calculating whether the height difference between the positions of the surface of the building material in the mapping area is in a preset interval or not according to the obtained three-dimensional information, and sending out an alarm when judging whether the height difference is in the preset interval or not, and/or generating height abnormality information and adjusting coating parameters according to the height abnormality information so that the height difference enters the preset interval or is equal to a target value.

16. A method for coating a material in an additive manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that,

the method comprises the following steps:

applying one or more layers of build material onto a substrate stage or over at least a portion of the layers of a three-dimensional object that has been processed with the additive manufacturing apparatus using a material applicator at a work plane until a desired number of layers or thickness is reached;

the additive manufacturing apparatus comprises a system for enabling simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of the additive manufacturing apparatus using light measurement, wherein the system performs the following steps at least during layer coating:

17. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object in an additive manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that,

the method comprises the following steps:

coating build material layer by layer over the substrate platform with a material applicator;

selectively curing the layer of coated build material using an optical path system;

repeating the layer-by-layer coating and the selective curing until the three-dimensional object is produced;

the additive manufacturing apparatus includes a system for enabling simultaneous monitoring of material coating quality of the additive manufacturing apparatus using optical measurements, wherein,

the system performs the following steps at least during the manufacture of the three-dimensional object:

18. An electronic device, comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory coupled to the at least one processor and configured to store instructions for execution by the at least one processor, the instructions when executed by the at least one processor, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any one of claims 15-17.

19. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the method according to any one of claims 15 to 17.