Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/02—Positioning or observing the workpiece, e.g. with respect to the point of impact; Aligning, aiming or focusing the laser beam
  • B23K26/03—Observing, e.g. monitoring, the workpiece
  • B23K26/034—Observing the temperature of the workpiece
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
  • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
  • B33Y10/00—Processes of additive manufacturing
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B22—CASTING; POWDER METALLURGY
  • B22F—WORKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; APPARATUS OR DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR METALLIC POWDER
  • B22F3/00—Manufacture of workpieces or articles from metallic powder characterised by the manner of compacting or sintering; Apparatus specially adapted therefor ; Presses and furnaces
  • B22F3/10—Sintering only
  • B22F3/105—Sintering only by using electric current other than for infrared radiant energy, laser radiation or plasma ; by ultrasonic bonding
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/08—Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
  • B23K26/082—Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/08—Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
  • B23K26/083—Devices involving movement of the workpiece in at least one axial direction
  • B23K26/0853—Devices involving movement of the workpiece in at least in two axial directions, e.g. in a plane
  • B23K26/0861—Devices involving movement of the workpiece in at least in two axial directions, e.g. in a plane in at least in three axial directions
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/08—Devices involving relative movement between laser beam and workpiece
  • B23K26/0869—Devices involving movement of the laser head in at least one axial direction
  • B23K26/0876—Devices involving movement of the laser head in at least one axial direction in at least two axial directions
  • B23K26/0884—Devices involving movement of the laser head in at least one axial direction in at least two axial directions in at least in three axial directions, e.g. manipulators, robots
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/12—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring in a special atmosphere, e.g. in an enclosure
  • B23K26/1224—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring in a special atmosphere, e.g. in an enclosure in vacuum
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/12—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring in a special atmosphere, e.g. in an enclosure
  • B23K26/127—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring in a special atmosphere, e.g. in an enclosure in an enclosure
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/34—Laser welding for purposes other than joining
  • B23K26/342—Build-up welding
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B23—MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • B23K—SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; WELDING; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM
  • B23K26/00—Working by laser beam, e.g. welding, cutting or boring
  • B23K26/70—Auxiliary operations or equipment
  • B23K26/702—Auxiliary equipment
  • B23K26/703—Cooling arrangements
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B33—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
  • B33Y—ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVE AGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING, STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING
  • B33Y30/00—Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor

Definitions

• the object of the invention relates to a method for producing a 3- dimensional metal object, particularly a 3-dimensional solid metal object.
• the object of the invention also relates to an apparatus for producing a 3- dimensional metal object, particularly a 3-dimensional solid metal object.
• Three-dimensional printing is a revolutionary technology of recent decades that may transform the structure of industry in the near future (fourth industrial revolution).
• Three-dimensional printing is a so-called additive production process, in other words the objects to be manufactured are produced by placing layers of material on top of one another, as opposed to conventional methods, during which the superfluous material is separated from one or more larger pieces and the remaining part will be the finished product.
• 3-dimensional printing it is even possible to create complex shapes and small-series components (e.g. prototypes) that cannot be made or made economically using conventional machining processes.
• SLM selective laser melting
• DMLS direct metal laser sintering
• a closed chamber is first filled with an inert gas (such as argon) in order to minimise oxidation of the metal powder.
• an inert gas such as argon
• a thin layer of metal powder is distributed on the work platform, then a high-output laser scans and melts the metal particles to conform with the shape of the object to be printed, in this way producing the first layer.
• the work platform moves downwards by a distance equal to the thickness of one layer and the recoater distributes another thin layer of metal powder on the top. The process is repeated until the metal object is finished. Any superfluous powder is removed when the system has cooled to room temperature.
• a major disadvantage of the aforementioned processes is that, as a homogenous metal powder is used, it is not possible to use them to produce metal objects consisting of various metals or metal alloys.
• a further disadvantage is that the metal powder used is extremely expensive, for example, 1 kilogram of stainless steel (316L) costs 350 to 450 dollars, in addition, as a result of the unique characteristics of the technology, a significant proportion of the powder used goes to waste.
• 316L stainless steel
• the metal powder particles do not receive the same magnitude of energy impulses from the laser due to the obstructions, as a result of this the temperature of the melted particles will not be homogenous and so they do not solidify evenly, and do not create a material with a homogenous structure.
• Components printed from metal powder contain voids (microscopic air bubbles), due to which their uses are limited.
• Patent document number CN 107282925 presents an apparatus and method for the printing of 3-dimensional metal objects, which apparatus contains an airtight protective case delimiting a work chamber, a dispensing head for feeding the metal wire and a work platform that can be moved in space relative to each other, as well as a laser source for producing a laser beam adapted for melting the end of the metal wire in the work chamber.
• the printing of the metal object takes place in an inert gas.
• the laser output necessary for printing is achieved by preheating the metal raw material.
• the disadvantage of preheating is that in this way the metal raw material is near to its annealing temperature, which may lead to the deterioration of the structural characteristics of the printed finished product.
• Another disadvantage is that the finished product will not be free of voids due to the inert gas or air present in the work chamber.
• Patent documents numbers CN 106363920, CN 104384514 and CN 104874794 present further 3-dimensional metal printing methods.
• the invention is based on the recognition that by using one or more metal wires as building raw material instead of metal powder, and by melting the one or more metal wires in a vacuum with a laser, a void-free, 3-dimensional metal object can be produced even from several types of metal or metal alloy in a shorter time and with lower costs than in the case of the current solutions.
• the aforementioned heat transmitted by the laser can be dissipated by regulating the temperature of the work platform in contact with the metal object, and the temperature of the metal object can be maintained at the value optimal from the point of view of printing.
• the object of the invention is to provide a method for producing a 3- dimensional metal object, and to provide an apparatus for producing a metal object that is free of the disadvantages of the solutions according to the state of the art.
• the object of the invention is solved by the method according to claim 1 .
• the object of the invention is also solved with the apparatus according to claim 4 for producing a 3-dimensional metal object, particularly a 3-dimensional solid metal object.
• Figure 1 a depicts a schematic perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention
• Figure 1 b depicts a schematic perspective view of a second exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention
• Figure 1 c depicts a schematic perspective view of a third exemplary embodiment of an apparatus according to the invention
• Figure 2 depicts a schematic view of an exemplary embodiment of a dispensing head according to the invention
• Figure 3 depicts a schematic side view of an exemplary embodiment of a heating-cooling module according to the invention.
• Figure 1 a shows a schematic perspective view of a first exemplary embodiment of an apparatus 10 according to the invention.
• the apparatus 10 serves to create 3-dimensional metal objects 100, particularly a 3-dimensional solid metal object 100.
• metal object 100 is understood to mean practically any hollow or solid structured 3-dimensional shape made from one or metals or metal alloys (e.g. machine components, decorative objects, etc.).
• the apparatus 10 contains a vacuum chamber 14 delimiting a sealed work space 12, in the vacuum chamber 14 a dispensing head 18 for feeding one or more metal wires 16 and a work platform 20 are arranged so that they may move in space relative to each other.
• the vacuum chamber 14 is preferably made from solid, hermetically sealing panels, such as metal, plastic, glass, etc.
• the vacuum chamber 14 delimiting the work space 12 is made at least partly to be transparent or translucent to visible light, which makes it possible for the operator of the apparatus 10 to observe the work space 12.
• the vacuum chamber 14 does not contain transparent or translucent parts permitting observation of the work space 12. In this case observation of the work space 12 may be performed in another way, such as with one or more cameras located in the work space 12.
• a manipulation opening 13 is formed on the vacuum chamber 14 enabling manipulation preferably in the work space 12, such as insertion of the metal wire 16 or removal of the finished metal object 100.
• the vacuum chamber 14 is for maintaining the vacuum created in the work space 12.
• vacuum is understood to mean an evacuated volume that only contains a practically negligible amount of material, therefore the pressure in it is substantially lower than normal air pressure.
• the metal wire 16 may be made from pure metal (e.g. aluminium, titanium, etc.) or from a metal alloy (e.g. steel, aluminium alloy, etc.).
• the metal wire 16 may have a circular, rectangular or any desired cross-section, and the size of its diameter may extend in a range from a tenth of a millimetre or even less than that up to several millimetres.
• the metal wire 16 has a free end 16’ and is preferably wound up in the form of a reel. The length of the metal wire 16 may even be as long as several metres.
• the metal wire 16 is dispensed with the dispensing head 18 arranged in the sealed work space 12, which may be, for example, a roller device similar to the wire feeders used in welding technology, as known to those skilled in the art.
• the dispensing head 18 is formed so as to be adapted for feeding several metal wires 16, as it can be seen in figure 2, for example. The advantage of this will be explained in detail below. Feeding of the metal wire 16 is understood to mean the intermittent or continuous forwards movement of the end 16’ of the metal wire 16, and, preferably, its unwinding from the reel.
• the dispensing head 18 preferably contains one or more electric motors, with which the feeding of the metal wire 16 may be controlled remotely.
• the work platform 20 according to the invention arranged in the work space 12 is made from a material of appropriate strength, with a suitably high melting point, preferably with good heat conductance, preferably metal (such as steel, titanium, etc.).
• the work platform 20 has a planar surface 20’ in contact with the metal object 100 to be printed for providing support for it.
• the planar surface 20’ may have a rectangular, circular, etc. shape, for example.
• the apparatus 10 contains a laser source 30 for producing a focussed laser beam 31 adapted for melting the end 16’ of the metal wire 16 located in the work space 20.
• the laser source 30 is preferably created as a solid-state impulse laser known in the art, such as those used in laser welding (e.g. YAG or Fiber laser) or as a gas laser (e.g. CO2 laser).
• the laser source 30 is arranged inside the vacuum chamber 14, in the work space 12 (see figure 1 a, for example).
• the laser source 30 is configured so that the focus point of the laser beam 31 produced falls substantially at the end 16’ of the metal wire 16, in its immediate environment.
• the laser beam 31 is capable of transmitting sufficient energy to the metal wire 16 so that the end 16’ melts.
• the output of the laser source 30 may be controlled, due to this the laser output may be adjusted to comply with the various qualities of the metal wire 16 material (e.g. aluminium, steel, copper, lead, etc.), optionally to comply with the various melting temperatures of the metal wires 16. Accordingly, the maximum output of the laser source 30 is selected so that the generated laser beam 31 is able to melt the material of the one or more metal wires 16 used.
• the laser source 30 is arranged outside the vacuum chamber 14, and the vacuum chamber 14 is provided with a window 15 that lets through the laser beam 31 emitted by the laser source 30 and allows the laser beam 31 to penetrate the sealed work space 12.
• the window 15 may be made from a special glass that transmits at the frequency of the laser source 30 (such as gallium arsenide in the case of a CO2 laser, or Sl- glass in the case of a YAG laser), as is obvious for a person skilled in the art.
• the dispensing head 18 and work platform 20 of the apparatus 10 are movable in 3-dimensional space relative to one another.
• the apparatus 10 contains a second moving device 42 connected to the work platform 20 for moving the work platform 20 relative to the dispensing head 18 in 3-dimensional space.
• the moving device 42 may be formed as any known (e.g. rail, roller, robot arm, etc.) moving device that is adapted for the precise movement of the work platform 20, preferably with a degree of precision of a tenth of a millimetre.
• the moving device 42 preferably contains one or more actuators (such as an electric motor, piezoelectric stepper motor, etc.) with which the movement of the work platform 20 can be remotely controlled.
• the dispensing head 18 may even be fixed relative to the other parts of the apparatus 10, such as to the wall of the vacuum chamber 14, as in this case the spatial movement of the dispensing head 18 and the work platform 20 relative to each other may only be implemented by moving the work platform 20.
• the apparatus 10 contains a first moving device 41 connected to the dispensing head 18 adapted for moving the dispensing head 18 relative to the work platform 20 in 3- dimensional space.
• the first moving device 41 may be formed, for example, as a moving device known in the art (e.g. rail, roller, robot arm, etc.) similar to the second moving device 42.
• the moving device 41 is created to be adapted for the 3-dimensional spatial movement of the dispensing head 18, embodiments are conceivable in the case of which the work platform 20 is fixed relative to the other parts of the apparatus 10, such as the wall of the vacuum chamber 14, and the spatial movement of the dispensing head 18 and the work platform 20 relative to each other is implemented only by moving the dispensing head 18.
• the moving device 41 preferably contains one or more electric actuators (such as an electric motor, piezoelectric stepper motor, etc.), with which the movement of the dispensing head 18 may be controlled remotely.
• the laser source 30 is configured in such a way that the focus point of the laser beam 31 produced substantially falls on the end 16’ of the metal wire 16 currently being used for the printing of the 3-dimensional metal object 100.
• This may be implemented with the fixed arrangement of the laser source 30 and the dispensing head 18 relative to each other, as it may be seen in figure 1 a, for example.
• the laser source 30 contains a third moving device 43 for changing the direction of the laser beam 31 , with which the movement of the end 16’ of the metal wire 16 can be tracked by the focus point of the laser beam 31 .
• the moving device 43 preferably contains one or more actuators, and, optionally, one or more mirrors, such as a galvo scanner commonly used for deflecting laser beams, and is also created to be controlled remotely.
• dispensing head 18 and of the moving devices 41 , 42, 43 are preferably controlled by a computer (not shown in the figures), configured to handle the file formats commonly used in 3-dimensional printing (e.g. STL, VRML), as is obvious for a person skilled in the art.
• a computer not shown in the figures
• STL 3-dimensional printing
• VRML 3-dimensional printing
• the apparatus 10 has a cooling-heating module 22 for regulating the temperature of the work platform 20.
• cooling-heating module 22 is understood to mean a device that is capable of raising or lowering the temperature of the work platform 20 by heat conduction.
• the cooling heating module 22 is configured as a thermoelectric Peltier element. Depending on the direction of the direct current passing through it, the Peltier element heats up or cools down, as is known to a person skilled in the art. It is, of course, also possible to use a cooling-heating module 22 operating on a different principle, for example in which a cooled or heated liquid is circulated in the cooling-heating module 22, for example.
• the apparatus 10 contains an electromagnetic moving means 50 that has a first position connecting the cooling heating module 22 to the work platform 20, and a second position taking the cooling heating module 22 away from the work platform 22.
• An exemplary embodiment of the moving means 50 may be seen in figure 3.
• the moving means 50 contains one or more spring pieces 52 separating the work platform 20 from the cooling-heating module 22, and one or more electromagnets 51 .
• the one or more electromagnets 51 are in switched off state, in other words when the moving means 50 is in its second position, the one or more spring pieces 52 push the cooling heating module 22 away from the work platform 20, thereby preventing their direct contact (see figure 3).
• the moving means 50 By switching on the one or more electromagnets 51 , in other words with the moving means 50 in its first position, an attractive force is created between the electromagnets 51 , which pushes the spring pieces 52 together, through this the work platform 20 and the cooling-heating module 22 come into contact with each other, and in this way heat exchange can start between them.
• the advantage of the moving means 50 is that the exchange of heat between the work platform 20 and the cooling-heating module 22 can be terminated very quickly, which may be required because of the finite thermal inertia of the cooling-heating module 22.
• the apparatus 10 contains a vacuum pump 45 for evacuating the work space 12 of the apparatus 10.
• the vacuum pump 14 may be any known commercially available vacuum pump 14, as is known to a person skilled in the art.
• the object of the invention also relates to a method for producing a 3- dimensional metal object 100, particularly a 3-dimensional solid metal object 100.
• a method for producing a 3- dimensional metal object 100 particularly a 3-dimensional solid metal object 100.
• the metal object 100 is produced according to the following in a vacuum using one or more metal wires 16 with different material qualities and having ends 16’.
• a sealed work space 12 enclosing the work platform 20 is provided. In the case of a preferred embodiment, this takes place with the apparatus 10 according to the invention.
• the end 16’ of the one or more metal wires 16, optionally with different material qualities, required to form the metal object 100 is then inserted into the work space 12.
• the insertion of the one or more metal wires 16 preferably takes place manually through the manipulation opening 13.
• the metal wire 16, in the form of a reel, for example, is inserted into the dispensing head 18, then the manipulation opening 13 is closed.
• the dispensing head 18 is configured to feed a plurality of metal wires 16 of different material quality.
• the ends 16’ of the metal wires 16 may be, for example, arranged next to one another, as is shown in figure 2.
• a vacuum is created in the work space 12 with the operation of the aforementioned vacuum pump 45, for example, in other words the air is substantially removed from the work space 12.
• the end 16’ of the metal wire 16 to be used is positioned above the work platform 20, above its planar surface 20’ to be precise, using the moving devices 41 and/or 42. It should be noted that placing above includes the case when the end 16’ comes into contact with the planar surface 20’ of the work platform 20. After the end 16’ is set into the appropriate position, the end 16’ of the metal wire 16 is melted in the work space 12 with the laser beam 31 , thereby producing a molten metal unit 17.
• the metal wire 16 is pushed forwards with a portion corresponding to size of the molten metal unit 17.
• the end 16’ is understood to mean the unmelted solid end of the metal wire 16. It should be noted that the melted molten metal unit 17 may be physically break off (become separated from) the metal wire 16 during printing, such as in the case of switching between the metal wires 16 of different quality.
• a 3-dimensional metal object 100 in contact with the work platform 20 is built on the work platform 20 from the continuously solidifying molten metal units 17 by moving the work platform 20 and the end 16’ of the metal wire 16 relative to each other.
• the metal object 100 is created from the molten metal units 17.
• the end 16’ is moved, and the solid end 16’ of the metal wire 16 is melted again with the laser beam 31 so that the next separating molten metal unit 17 solidifies on coming into contact with the previously separating, not yet solidified molten metal unit 17. In this way the metal object 100 is built substantially continuously.
• the metal wires 16 of various material quality are changed by the dispensing head 18 to correspond with the structure of the metal object 100.
• a part of the metal object 100 is printed using a metal wire 16 made of steel, then after the part is completed it is replaced with a metal wire 1 6 made of copper, then the rest of the metal object 100 is printed using this metal wire 16.
• the metal wire 16 With the use of the metal wire 16, as opposed to metal powder, no waste is produced, in other words the melted part of the metal wire 16 is substantially completely built into the metal object 100. It was recognised that by printing the metal object 100 in a vacuum, the same melting performance can be achieved with the use of a smaller output laser, or faster printing or the use of a metal wire 16 with a larger diameter becomes possible with a laser of the same output. Therefore, this may result in a saving of time and money. On the other hand, by using a vacuum it is also possible to print a metal object 100 that contains metals or metal alloys that cannot be alloyed to each other at atmospheric pressure.
• the temperature of the semi-finished in other words as yet unfinished metal object 100 in contact with the work platform 20 is maintained at the highest possible temperature by regulating the temperature of the work platform 20 in such a way that the temperature of the semi-finished metal object 100 does not exceed the annealing temperature of the semi-finished metal object 100 at a given point substantially anywhere (in other words with the exception of the immediate vicinity of the melted molten metal unit 17).
• Annealing temperature is understood to mean that material-quality-dependent temperature above which the metal alloy gradually changes from the non-balanced state (from a hardened or partially hardened state) to the balanced state as time progresses, in other words its hardness drops, its malleability increases, loses brittleness, etc., as is known to a person skilled in the art.
• This process is known as annealing in metallurgy, which generally is not a desirable phenomenon, as it substantially degrades the material structure properties of the metal object 100.
• the annealing temperature in the case of steel, for example, is 400 to 650 Celsius degrees depending on the type of steel.
• the temperature of the work platform 20 is regulated using the cooling-heating module 22.
• the work platform 20 Before printing the metal object 100, the work platform 20 is heated to a temperature close to but not exceeding the annealing temperature of the material of the metal wire 16 to be used for starting the printing. Due to this, a smaller laser output is sufficient during printing to melt the end 16’ of the metal wire 16 used, furthermore a metal object 100 with more homogenous properties can be created, as optimal temperature conditions are ensured from the start of the printing.
• the work platform 20 is able to conduct heat to or away from the metal object 100 through the planar surface 20’.
• the temperature of the work platform 20 (and so of the metal object 100) is correspondingly reduced.
• the temperature in the vicinity of the melted end 16’ in other words in the immediate vicinity of the melted molten metal unit 17, in all cases exceeds the annealing temperature of the material of the metal wire 16, as in the case of a given material the melting point is always higher than the annealing temperature.
• this area is negligibly small as compared to the dimensions of the metal object 100, and that the annealing process takes time, during which the area in question has time to cool down to under the annealing temperature, this does not cause any problems in practice.

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• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
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• 2018
  • 2018-06-12 HU HU1800205A patent/HU231144B1/hu unknown
• 2019
  • 2019-06-12 EP EP19820497.6A patent/EP3807032A4/de active Pending
  • 2019-06-12 WO PCT/HU2019/050029 patent/WO2019239169A1/en unknown

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