JP2010132961A - Lamination forming device and lamination forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the production efficiency of a molding with respect to a lamination forming device. <P>SOLUTION: The lamination forming device 1 includes: a powder layer forming part 4 feeding material 3 to a shaping plate 23 so as to form a powder layer 31; and a light beam irradiation part 5 wherein the prescribed part of the powder layer 31 is irradiated with a light beam L to melt and solidify the powder layer 31 so as to form a solidified layer 32. The powder layer forming part 4 includes: a chamber 43 which has a window 44 allowing the light beam L to pass through, on the upper surface, and whose lower part is opened to cover the powder layer 31; and a gas feed opening for an inert gas performing the removal of fume in the chamber 43 and the treatment of window cleaning. The chamber 43 has a movement plate 45 for pressing-out fume. The volume of the part holding the fume in the chamber 43 is made small by the movement of the movement plate 45, thus the removal of the fume and window cleaning can be swiftly performed, and the production efficiency of the molding is improved. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an additive manufacturing apparatus and additive manufacturing method for forming a three-dimensional object by irradiating a material powder with a light beam.

  Conventionally, a solidified layer is formed by irradiating a powder layer formed of a material powder with a light beam, and a solidified layer is formed by forming a new powder layer on the solidified layer and irradiating the light beam. An additive manufacturing apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object by repeating this is known. In such a layered modeling apparatus, when the light beam is irradiated in the atmosphere, the solidified layer is oxidized and the strength of the modeled object is weakened. It is housed in and sintered or melted and solidified in an inert gas. However, the fumes generated from the powder layer by the irradiation of the light beam are filled in the chamber, and if the window provided in the chamber for transmitting the light beam L is clouded by the fumes, the irradiation output of the light beam is reduced. There is a possibility that sintering or melt solidification cannot be performed sufficiently.

  Further, there is known a layered manufacturing apparatus that blows compressed air into a chamber to remove fumes in the chamber, and then supplies an inert gas into the chamber (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

However, in such a layered modeling apparatus, since the volume in the chamber is large, it takes time to remove the fume and the manufacturing efficiency of modeling is poor.
JP 2006-124732 A

  An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and to provide a layered modeling apparatus and method capable of quickly removing fumes in a chamber and cleaning a window of a chamber and having high manufacturing efficiency of modeling. .

  In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention of claim 1 includes a powder layer forming means for supplying a material powder to a modeling plate to form a powder layer, and a predetermined portion of the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming means. Light beam irradiation means for forming a solidified layer by irradiating a light beam to sinter or melt-solidify the powder layer, and a plurality of solidified layers are integrated by repeating the formation of the powder layer and the solidified layer. In the additive manufacturing apparatus for modeling a three-dimensional shaped object, the base surrounds the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming means and has a plane having the same height as the upper surface of the powder layer, and the base A chamber having a window on the upper surface through which the light beam irradiated from the light beam irradiation means is transmitted and having a lower opening that covers the powder layer; Machine And a processing means for performing at least one of removal of fumes in the chamber and cleaning of the window of the chamber, and the processing by the processing means is performed when the pressure-extraction mechanism is pressurizing the gas in the chamber. Is.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the additive manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect, the press-out mechanism is a moving plate that slides in the chamber to press out the gas in the chamber.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the additive manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect, the press-out mechanism has a partition plate protruding from the base in the chamber, and the chamber has the base with respect to the partition plate. The gas in the chamber is squeezed out by sliding and moving.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the additive manufacturing apparatus according to the first aspect, the extruding mechanism is a projecting portion that projects into the chamber and extrudes gas in the chamber.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, further comprising cutting means for cutting a surface layer and an unnecessary portion of the modeled object.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a powder layer forming step of supplying a material powder to a modeling plate to form a powder layer, and a window that transmits a light beam to a predetermined portion of the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming step. A light beam irradiation step of forming a solidified layer by irradiating a light beam through a chamber having an upper surface on the upper surface and opening the lower surface and covering the powder layer to sinter or melt and solidify the powder layer. In the layered manufacturing method for forming a three-dimensional shaped object in which a plurality of solidified layers are integrated by repeating the forming step and the light beam irradiation step, a pressurizing step for extruding gas in the chamber, and And a processing step of performing at least one of removal of fumes in the chamber and window cleaning of the chamber, and gas in the chamber is being pumped out by the pressurizing step In which to perform the process steps.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the processing by the processing means is performed when the gas in the chamber is being pressurized or after the volume of the portion holding the fumes in the chamber is reduced by the pressing mechanism, the processing can be performed quickly. This can improve the manufacturing efficiency of modeling.

  According to the invention of claim 2, since the gas in the chamber is pressurized by the moving plate, the processing by the processing means can be easily performed.

  According to the invention of claim 3, since the gas in the chamber is discharged by the movement of the chamber, the processing by the processing means can be easily performed.

  According to the invention of claim 4, since the gas in the chamber is pressed out by the protruding portion, the processing by the processing means can be easily performed.

  According to the invention of claim 5, since the surface layer and unnecessary part of the modeled object are cut during modeling, the dimensional accuracy of the modeled object is improved.

  According to the invention of claim 6, the same effect as that of claim 1 can be obtained.

  An additive manufacturing apparatus (hereinafter referred to as the present apparatus) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a configuration of the apparatus according to the present embodiment, and FIG. 2 shows a configuration of a modeling unit and a powder layer forming unit of the apparatus. The apparatus 1 includes a modeling unit 2 in which a three-dimensional modeled object is modeled, a powder layer forming unit (powder layer forming unit) 4 that supplies a material powder 3 to form a powder layer 31, and a powder layer 31. A light beam irradiation unit (light beam irradiation means) 5 that forms a solidified layer 32 by irradiating and solidifying the light beam L, and a control unit 6 that controls the operation of each unit are provided. In addition, the apparatus 1 includes a gas tank 71 that supplies an inert gas to the powder layer forming unit 4 and a gas recovery device 72 that recovers the inert gas.

  The modeling unit 2 includes a machining base 21 as a base of the apparatus 1, a modeling table 22 provided on the machining base 21, and a modeling plate 23 that is set on the modeling table 22 and on which a powder layer 31 is laid. have. The material powder 3 is, for example, a spherical iron powder having an average particle diameter of 20 μm. The modeling plate 23 may be a material similar to the material powder 3 or a material that is in close contact with the melted and solidified material powder 3.

  The powder layer forming unit 4 includes a base 41 surrounding the modeling table 22, a powder supply unit 42 that holds the material powder 3, and a chamber 43 that covers the powder layer 31 from above. The powder supply unit 42 and the chamber 43 are provided adjacent to each other.

  The base 41 has a flat upper surface, on which the powder supply unit 42 and the chamber 43 slide and move in the A direction. The base 41 holds the material powder 3 supplied to the modeling table 22 from the periphery. The powder supply unit 42 has a supply port 42a that opens downward, and a blade 42b is provided in the sliding direction of the supply port 42a. When the powder supply unit 42 moves on the modeling table 22, the powder supply unit 42 supplies the material powder 3 from the supply port 42 a to the modeling table 22 and leveles the material powder 3 with the blade 42 b to form the powder layer 31.

  The chamber 43 has a window 44 that transmits the light beam L on its upper surface. The material of the window 44 is, for example, zinc selenium or the like when the light beam L is a carbon dioxide laser, and quartz glass or the like when the light beam L is a YAG laser. The lower portion of the chamber 43 is open, and the size of the opening is larger than the area of the powder layer 31. When the light beam L is applied to the powder layer 31, the chamber 43 moves to a position that covers the powder layer 31. In the present specification, the position where the powder layer 31 is irradiated with the light beam L is referred to as an irradiation position.

  When the chamber 43 is at the irradiation position, the inside of the chamber 43 is filled with an inert gas, and oxidation of the material powder 3 is prevented. The inert gas is, for example, nitrogen gas or argon gas. Further, a reducing gas may be used instead of the inert gas. The inert gas is supplied into the chamber 43 from an air supply port (processing means) 73 provided in the base 41, and the inert gas in the chamber 43 is exhausted from an exhaust port 74 provided in the chamber 43. The air supply port 73 is provided at a position where the material powder 3 does not enter when the powder layer 31 is formed by the blade 42b. The air supply port 73 is connected to the gas tank 71 by a supply pipe (not shown), and the exhaust port 74 is connected to the gas recovery device 72 by an exhaust pipe (not shown).

  The chamber 43 has a moving plate (pressing mechanism) 45 that can move in the A direction in the chamber 43 and a driving device (not shown) that moves the moving plate 45. The moving plate 45 is provided so as to partition the inside of the chamber 43, and the gas in the chamber 43 is discharged as the moving plate 45 moves through the chamber 43.

  The light beam irradiation unit 5 includes a light beam oscillator 51 that oscillates the light beam L, two rotatable scanning mirrors 52 that reflect the light beam L from the light beam oscillator 51, and angle control of rotation of the scanning mirror 52. And a scanner 53 for performing the above. The control unit 6 adjusts the rotation angle of the scanning mirror 52 via the scanner 53 and causes the light beam L to scan on the powder layer 31. The light beam oscillator 51 is, for example, a carbon dioxide laser or YAG laser oscillator. The powder layer forming unit 4 and the light beam irradiation unit 5 are moved up and down by a lifting device (not shown), and the height from the modeling table 22 is adjusted.

  A modeling operation by the control unit 6 of the present apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the modeling plate 23 is set on the modeling table 22, and the powder layer forming unit 4 and the light beam irradiation are performed so that the upper surfaces of the modeling plate 23 and the base 41 have a level difference Δt. The part 5 is raised with respect to the modeling part 2. The chamber 43 is filled with an inert gas supplied from the air supply port 73. Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the powder supply unit 42 and the chamber 43 are slid on the base 41 in the A1 direction. The material powder 3 is supplied onto the modeling plate 23 from the supply port 42a of the powder supply unit 42, and the material powder 3 is leveled by the blade 42b to form the powder layer 31. The step of forming the powder layer 31 shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B constitutes the powder layer forming step.

  Next, as shown in FIG.3 (c), the powder supply part 42 and the chamber 43 are slid to A2 direction, and the chamber 43 is moved to an irradiation position. In this state, the material powder 3 is melted and solidified by scanning the light beam L at an arbitrary position of the powder layer 31 with a scanning mirror. Thereby, the solidified layer 32 integrated with the modeling plate 23 is formed. At this time, the inert gas is supplied into the chamber 43 from the air supply port 73, and the supplied inert gas is exhausted from the exhaust port 74. The supply of the inert gas is adjusted, for example, so that the oxygen concentration in the chamber 43 is lower than a predetermined value. At this time, fumes are generated from the powder layer 31 by the irradiation of the light beam L, and the chamber 43 is filled with the fumes. This step of irradiating with a light beam constitutes a light beam irradiation step.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, the moving plate 45 is moved in the A3 direction. Thereby, the fumes and inert gas in the chamber 43 are pressed by the moving plate 45 and are discharged from the exhaust port 74. The step of moving the moving plate 45 to press out the gas in the chamber 43 constitutes a press-out step.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 3 (e), after the above-described pressurizing step is completed, an inert gas is supplied from the air supply port 73 and exhausted from the exhaust port 74, whereby the fumes in the chamber 43. Is removed. At this time, the window 44 may be cleaned by devising the shape of the moving plate 45 and the arrangement of the exhaust ports so that the supplied inert gas is exhausted after hitting the window 44. The process of removing the fumes in the chamber 43 by this inert gas and cleaning the window 44 constitutes a processing process. This processing step may be performed in parallel with the extruding step, so that the processing step can be performed even faster.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the processing step is performed efficiently by performing the processing step after the gas in the chamber 43 is compressed or after the volume of the portion holding the fumes in the chamber is reduced by the moving plate 45. Can be performed quickly, and the manufacturing efficiency of modeling is improved.

(First modification)
Hereinafter, various modifications of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. FIG. 4 shows the configuration and time series operation of this apparatus in the first modification. This apparatus includes a partition plate (pressing mechanism) 46 protruding from the base 41 in the chamber 43. The base 41 is provided with air supply ports 73a and 73b. First, as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4C, the solidified layer 32 is formed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. In FIG. 4C, fumes are generated from the powder layer 31 by irradiation with the light beam L, and the chamber 43 is filled with fumes.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, when the powder supply unit 42 and the chamber 43 are slid and moved on the base 41 in the A1 direction, the fumes and the inert gas in the chamber 43 are pressed by the partition plate 46. And is discharged from the exhaust port 74. After such a pressure-out process is completed, as shown in FIG. 4E, the inert gas is supplied from the supply port 73b and exhausted from the exhaust port 74, and the fumes in the chamber 43 are removed.

  In this embodiment, when the chamber 43 moves, the fumes in the chamber 43 are pressed out, and the volume of the portion holding the gas in the chamber 43 is reduced by the movement of the chamber 43. The fume removal and window cleaning can be easily performed. In addition, the powder layer 31 may be formed when the powder supply unit 42 and the chamber 43 are slid in the drawings (d) and (e), and the manufacturing time can be shortened by doing so.

(Second modification)
FIG. 5 shows the configuration and time-series operation of the apparatus according to the second modification. This apparatus includes a protruding portion (pressing mechanism) 81 that protrudes into the chamber 43. FIG. 5A shows a state in which the solidified layer 32 is formed by the light beam irradiation process, and the chamber 43 is filled with fumes. The protrusion 81 is provided on the base 41 and is moved up and down by the cylinder 82. The base 41 is provided with air supply ports 73a and 73b.

  After the solidified layer 32 is formed, as shown in FIG. 5B, the chamber 43 is slid in the A1 direction and moved to a position where the protruding portion 81 is provided. Next, the protruding portion 81 rises and enters the chamber 43, and the fumes in the chamber 43 are discharged from the exhaust port 74. Then, the inert gas is supplied from the air supply port 73b in a state where the protruding portion 81 protrudes into the chamber 43, and the exhaust gas is exhausted from the exhaust port 74, and the inert gas is replaced to remove the fumes. As described above, in this modification, the fumes in the chamber 43 are pressed out when the protruding portion 81 rises, and the volume in the chamber 43 is reduced by the protruding portion 81. Window cleaning can be performed easily.

(Third Modification)
FIG. 6 shows a third modification. The apparatus 1 in this modification includes a cutting portion (cutting means) 9 that cuts the surface layer and unnecessary portions of the modeled object. The cutting unit 9 includes a cutting tool 91 for cutting a modeled object and a milling head 92 for rotating and holding the cutting tool 91. The milling head 92 is fixed to the Z axis 92z, and moves in a normal direction and a direction parallel to the irradiation plane of the light beam L by the Z axis 92z, the X axis 92x, and the Y axis 92y. During modeling, when the powder layer forming process and the light beam irradiation process are repeated and the solidified layer 32 reaches a predetermined thickness, the chamber 43 moves to a position where the powder layer 31 is not covered, and the cutting tool 91 has a Z-axis 92z, It moves around the modeled object by the X axis 92x and the Y axis 92y, and cuts the surface layer and unnecessary part of the modeled object. Thus, in this modification, since the surface layer and unnecessary part of a model are cut during modeling, the dimensional accuracy of the model is improved.

(Fourth modification)
FIG. 7 shows a fourth modification. In the present modification, the modeling table 22a moves up and down without the powder layer forming unit 4 and the light beam irradiation unit 5 moving up and down. Therefore, the modeling unit 2 includes a modeling table 22a that can be moved up and down and a lifting unit 22b that moves the modeling table 22a up and down. The modeling table 22a is lowered by the elevating part 22b, and a step is provided between the upper surfaces of the base 41 and the modeling plate 23. In this state, the powder layer 31 and the solidified layer 32 are stacked in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment. . In this way, in this modification, the modeling table 22 is raised and lowered without raising and lowering the powder layer forming unit 4 and the light beam irradiating unit 5, so that the structure of the apparatus is simplified and the cost is reduced.

(Fifth modification)
FIG. 8 shows the configuration and time series operation of this apparatus in the fifth modification. As shown in FIG. 8A, this apparatus includes a powder supply base 47 in the base 41 instead of the powder supply unit 42 in the fourth modified example, and supplies powder adjacent to the slide direction of the chamber 43. A chamber 48 is provided. The powder supply table 47 can be moved up and down, holds the material powder 3, and is moved up and down by the lifting unit 49. The powder supply chamber 48 is open at the bottom and has a blade 48a for leveling the material powder 3 in the sliding direction. The powder supply chamber 48 is filled with an inert gas and exhausted from an exhaust port 48b disposed on the upper surface. The exhaust port 48b is connected to the gas recovery device 72 by an exhaust pipe (not shown).

  As for the modeling operation of this apparatus, first, as shown in FIG. 8A, the modeling plate 23 is set on the modeling table 22a, and modeling is performed so that the upper surfaces of the modeling plate 23 and the base 41 are steps Δt. The base 22a is lowered by the elevating part 22b. The powder supply base 47 is raised by the elevating part 49, and the material powder 3 that is supplied to the modeling plate 23 is raised above the upper surface of the base 41. The chamber 43 and the powder supply chamber 48 are filled with an inert gas from the air supply ports 73a and 73b.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the powder supply chamber 48 and the chamber 43 are slid in the A1 direction on the base 41. The blade 48 a carries the material powder 3 supplied by the powder supply table 47 a to the modeling table 22 a and forms the powder layer 31 on the modeling plate 23.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, the powder supply chamber 47 and the chamber 43 are slid in the A2 direction, and the chamber 43 is moved to the irradiation position. The light beam L is scanned on the powder layer 31, and the material powder 3 is melted and solidified to form a solidified layer 32. At this time, an inert gas is supplied into the chamber 43 from the air supply port 73 b, and the supplied inert gas is exhausted from the exhaust port 74. The chamber 43 is filled with fumes generated from the powder layer 31 by the irradiation of the light beam L.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8D, the moving plate 45 is moved in the A3 direction, and the fumes in the chamber 43 are pressed by the moving plate 45 and discharged from the exhaust port 74, as in the above-described embodiment. In addition, fume removal and window cleaning are performed. Thereafter, the formation of the powder layer 31 and the solidified layer 32 is repeated to form a three-dimensional shaped object.

  As described above, in this modification, the powder supply unit 47 for supplying the material powder 3 is provided on the base 41 so that the powder supply unit 42 does not have to be slid. it can.

  In addition, this invention is not restricted to the structure of the said embodiment and modification, A various deformation | transformation is possible in the range which does not change the meaning of invention. For example, the powder layer may be sintered without melting and solidifying with a light beam. The material powder may be a material other than iron, for example, a resin, or may include a plurality of materials.

The block diagram of the additive manufacturing apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. The block diagram of the modeling part and powder layer formation part of the apparatus. (A) thru | or (e) is a figure which shows operation | movement of the apparatus in time series. (A) thru | or (e) is a figure which shows the structure and operation | movement of the modeling part and powder layer formation part of an apparatus in the 1st modification of this embodiment. (A) And (b) is a figure which shows the structure and operation | movement of the modeling part and powder layer formation part of an apparatus in a 2nd modification. The block diagram of the apparatus in a 3rd modification. The block diagram of the modeling part and powder layer formation part of the apparatus in a 4th modification. (A) thru | or (d) is a figure which shows the structure and operation | movement of the modeling part and powder layer formation part of an apparatus in a 5th modification.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Layered modeling apparatus 23 Modeling plate 3 Material powder 31 Powder layer 32 Solidified layer 4 Powder layer formation part (powder layer formation means)
41 Base 43 Chamber 44 Window 45 Moving plate (Pressure mechanism)
46 Partition plate (pressing mechanism)
5 Light beam irradiation part (light beam irradiation means)
73, 73a, 73b Air supply port (processing means)
81 Protrusion (Pressure mechanism)
9 Cutting part (cutting means)
L Light beam

Claims (6)

A powder layer forming means for supplying a material powder to the modeling plate to form a powder layer, and a predetermined portion of the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming means is irradiated with a light beam to sinter or melt the powder layer In an additive manufacturing apparatus for forming a three-dimensional shaped object in which a plurality of solidified layers are integrated by repeating formation of the powder layer and the solidified layer by light beam irradiation means for solidifying to form a solidified layer ,
A base that surrounds the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming means from the surroundings and has a plane that is flush with the upper surface of the powder layer;
A chamber on the base and having a window on the upper surface for transmitting the light beam emitted from the light beam irradiating means and having a lower opening that covers the powder layer;
An extruding mechanism for extruding gas in the chamber;
Processing means for performing at least one of removal of fumes in the chamber and window cleaning of the chamber,
The additive manufacturing apparatus is characterized in that the processing by the processing means is performed when the pressurizing mechanism pressurizes the gas in the chamber.   2. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressurizing mechanism is a moving plate that slides in the chamber and extrudes gas in the chamber.   The pressurizing mechanism has a partition plate protruding from the base in the chamber, and the chamber slides and moves on the base with respect to the partition plate, thereby pumping out gas in the chamber. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1.   The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressurizing mechanism is a projecting portion that projects into the chamber and extrudes gas in the chamber.   The additive manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a cutting unit that cuts a surface layer and an unnecessary portion of the modeled article. A powder layer forming step of supplying a material powder to the modeling plate to form a powder layer, and a window for transmitting a light beam at a predetermined portion of the powder layer formed by the powder layer forming step on the upper surface and the lower surface A light beam irradiation step of irradiating a light beam through a chamber that opens and covers the powder layer to sinter or melt and solidify the powder layer to form a solidified layer, the powder layer forming step and the light beam irradiation In the additive manufacturing method for forming a three-dimensional shaped object in which a plurality of solidified layers are integrated by repeating the process,
An extruding step of extruding gas in the chamber;
A process step of performing at least one of removal of fumes in the chamber and window cleaning of the chamber, and
The additive manufacturing method, wherein the processing step is performed when the gas in the chamber is being pressed out by the pressing step.

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