KR101793573B1 - Apparatus for recording location of forming in 3D printer and 3D printer having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for processing a 3D molded article and, more specifically, to an apparatus for recording a location of molding in a 3D printer, which is provided in an apparatus for processing a 3D molded article using raw material powder and monitors processes, comprising: a light information obtaining unit obtaining information with respect to light generated from a point in which raw material powder is molded; a coordinate information transmitting unit transmitting coordinate information of a molding point to process the 3D molded article; and an image storing unit receiving the coordinate information with respect to the molding point generating light information obtained from the light information obtaining unit from the coordinate information transmitting unit and making the light information and the coordinate information into an image to store the same, and to a 3D printer having the same.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer, and more particularly,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer for manufacturing a three-dimensional molded article, and more particularly to a molded position recording apparatus used in a three-dimensional printer having a metal powder as an object to be molded and a three-

Conventionally, conventional processing methods such as casting and forging have been used to produce three-dimensional molded articles. Also, in order to maintain the quality of the product when using such a manufacturing method, a skilled worker had to perform it.

In recent years, three-dimensional printers have begun to be used as apparatuses for processing three-dimensional molded products. 3D printers are gradually replacing traditional processing methods because of the advantage that non-specialists can easily produce three-dimensional molded parts.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2009-0049608 is disclosed as a technique for a three-dimensional printer. The important thing about these 3D printers is that they can work quickly and improve the quality of products.

In particular, a three-dimensional printer in which metal powder is sintered or melted to form each layer has no method for inspecting the interior of the printer if a problem occurs during the molding process. Accordingly, even if the molded product does not satisfy the desired quality, it is difficult to find a problem in which part.

If problems can be easily identified, measures can be taken quickly, which can contribute to speeding up work and improving product quality. Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus that makes it easy to identify a problematic part.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2009-0049608 (2009.05.18)

The present invention relates to coordinate information of a position where a light is generated in image information acquired from light generated by irradiation of a raw material powder with a processing beam in a molding process of a three-dimensional molded product, Dimensional printer and a three-dimensional printer including the three-dimensional printer are disclosed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for processing a three-dimensional molded product using raw material powder, the apparatus comprising: A coordinate information transfer unit for transferring coordinate information of a forming point for processing the three-dimensional molded product, and a control unit for transferring the coordinate information for the forming point, which has generated the optical information acquired by the optical information acquiring unit, And an image storage unit that receives the optical information and the coordinate information received from the information transmission unit and stores the optical information and the coordinate information in an image.

Wherein the optical information acquiring unit includes a high-speed camera and acquires optical information by photographing a photograph of a point at which the raw material powder is formed using the high-speed camera, and the image storage unit stores the optical information corresponding to the photograph The coordinate information on the point may be received from the coordinate information transmitting unit and stored in the photograph of the forming point.

In addition, the image storage unit may include an image processing module for converting the photographed photographing point into a photograph represented by a color corresponding to the intensity of light, an image processing module for converting the coordinate information transmitted from the coordinate information transmitting unit into an equivalent color And an image synthesis module for displaying the color information converted by the coordinate processing module in the image converted by the image processing module.

On the other hand, a molding position recording apparatus having a high-speed camera reads the photograph and judges that there is an abnormality when the flame generated at the forming point is less than or equal to a certain size, or is displayed with a brightness of less than or equal to a certain brightness, And an abnormality determination unit for storing the coordinate information.

And a display unit for displaying an abnormal point on a screen, wherein the display unit comprises: an image display module for displaying a progressed state of molding the three-dimensional molded article or a molded three-dimensional molded article as an image; And a coordinate display module for receiving the coordinate information of the molding point where the abnormality occurs and displaying the coordinates at a position corresponding to the coordinates of the image displayed by the image display module.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for processing a three-dimensional molded product, the apparatus comprising: a chamber section for shaping; a raw material supply section for supplying powdered raw material to the chamber section; A raw material moving part for pushing and moving the raw material, a forming part for forming a raw material on which the raw material moved by the raw material moving part is placed, a laser for irradiating and melting the raw material placed on the forming part, And a control unit for controlling the forming position recorder to monitor the forming process by the laser beam and the control unit to process the entire three-dimensional molded product by causing the forming unit to move down after the line processed by the laser is processed .

According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to determine an abnormality from the image information among the images obtained in the molding process, and it is easy to specify in which part the abnormality occurs due to the coordinate information, so that it is possible to quickly take measures against the abnormality.

In addition, it is possible to know precisely which position the image obtained in the molding process is obtained, and to arrange the images at the correct position based on the position, and to obtain an image of the correct machining plane and a three-dimensional image of the accurate molded product.

In addition, it can display the accurate image of the finished molded part and the exact position of the problematic part in this image, so it can be used as data that can guarantee quality without acquiring CT or X-ray data.

The effects of the present invention will be clearly understood and understood by those skilled in the art, either through the specific details described below, or during the course of practicing the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is an exploded perspective view of a chamber portion of a three-dimensional printer according to the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a molded position recording apparatus employed in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1; FIG.
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of output from the display unit of the molded position recording apparatus of Fig. 3. Fig. 4 (a) is a view showing an image and coordinates of one molding point, Fig.
Fig. 5 is a view showing an example of a molded article, which is an example of output from the display unit of the molded position recording apparatus of Fig. 3; Fig.
6 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the operation of the three-dimensional printer according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, It will be possible. The present invention is capable of various modifications and various forms, and specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, is intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A three-dimensional printer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the present specification, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components in different embodiments, and the description thereof is replaced with the first explanation.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a chamber part of a three-dimensional printer according to the embodiment shown in FIG.

A three-dimensional printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber 1, a raw material supply unit 2, a raw material moving unit 3, a molding unit 4, a laser beam 5, 6, a control unit 7, and a raw material collection unit 8.

The chamber part 1 is a part where the product is molded. The raw material supply part 2, the raw material moving part 3, the molding part 4, the laser beam 5 and the control part 7 are connected to the chamber part 1 to insert and form the raw material.

The chamber part 1 is composed of a chamber 11 and a chamber cover 12 and a chamber block 13 and the chamber cover 12 is hinged to the chamber 11 to open the chamber 11 . Two slits 111 are formed in one side wall of the chamber 11, and the connecting member 323 of the raw material moving part 3 is passed through the slit 111.

Three holes are formed in the chamber block 13 and are connected to the raw material supplying portion 2, the forming portion 4 and the raw material collecting portion 8 (see FIG. 6) from the right side to the left side in FIG. In the raw material collecting portion 8, the raw material moving portion 3 is filled with the remaining portion of the raw material.

The raw material supplying section 2 is connected to the bottom surface of the chamber section 1 and pushes the raw material into a hole formed in the bottom surface of the chamber section 1 to supply the raw material.

The raw material supply unit 2 is coupled to the housing 22 having a space therein so that the insertion plate 21 is in close contact with the inner wall of the housing 22. [ The plate can also be raised and lowered by a driver such as a linear motor.

The powdery raw material is placed on the charging plate 21 and the charging plate 21 rises to supply the raw material into the chamber 11 through the holes formed in the chamber block 13.

The throwing plate 21 raises a certain distance each time the laser 5 works to form the cross-section line of the product, and supplies a certain amount of raw material into the chamber 11. [

The raw material moving section 3 moves the raw material supplied from the raw material supply section 2 and spreads it on the working area of the forming section 4 by thinly spreading it. The raw material moving section 3 includes a blade 32 and applies the raw material to the working region of the forming section by the movement of the blade 32. [

2, an actuator 321 is provided outside the chamber 11 and the belt 322 is rotated by the driving of the actuator 321 so that the movement of the belt 322 is transmitted to the slit 111 of the chamber 11 And is transmitted to the blade 32 through the connecting member 323 passing therethrough so that the blade 32 moves along the horizontal direction of the chamber 11. [

The actuator 321 and the belt 322 for moving the blade 32 can be installed in a separate auxiliary chamber 14 so as to be hermetically closed.

The forming part 4 is a part for actually processing a product and is provided with a forming plate 41 which is coupled to the bottom surface of the chamber part 1 and can move up and down, Once the line is formed, the forming plate 41 can be lowered to form the next section line.

The forming unit 4 is coupled to the housing 42 having a space therein in the same manner as the raw material supplying unit 2 so that the forming plate 41 is in close contact with the inner wall of the housing 42. Further, the forming plate 41 can be raised and lowered by a driver such as a linear motor.

The powdery raw material moved by the raw material moving part 3 is placed on the forming plate 41 and the cross-section line of the molded product is formed by the laser beam 5.

The shaping plate 41 makes it possible to form one section line corresponding to the position by lowering a certain distance each time the laser 5 works to form the section line of the product.

The laser welding unit 5 melts the powdery raw material placed on the forming unit 4 to form a cross-section line of the product.

Referring to the drawings, the laser apparatus 51 of the laser machining apparatus 5 is disposed outside the chamber unit 1, which makes it possible to make the chamber 11 small and to create a low-oxygen environment, The laser processing head can be disposed in a clean environment by positioning the laser processing head outside the chamber 1. [

Figs. 3 to 5 relate to a molded position recording apparatus.

The molded position recording apparatus 6 according to the embodiment of the present invention is provided in an apparatus for processing a three-dimensional molded product using raw material powder to monitor the process. The apparatus includes an optical information acquisition unit 61, Unit 62 and an image storage unit 63,

The optical information acquiring unit 61 acquires information about light generated at the point where the raw material powder is molded. As described above, the laser beam 5 is formed by melting the raw material powder placed on the molding part 4. [ Heat and light are generated by the high energy at the point where the molding is performed. The optical information acquisition unit 61 serves to capture or sense the light.

Here, the optical information acquiring unit 61 is equipped with a high-speed camera and can acquire optical information by photographing a photograph of a point where the raw material powder is molded using a high-speed camera. A high-speed camera can adopt one capable of shooting about 10,000 frames per second. The photographed photograph can be a form in which a raw material powder is molded and a flame is generated.

On the other hand, the optical information acquiring unit 61 may include a photosensor to acquire the presence / absence of light and the intensity of light as optical information. The optical information acquiring unit 61 may include a conversion module for converting the acquired optical information into a digital signal.

The coordinate information transmitting unit 62 transmits coordinate information of the forming point for processing the three-dimensional molded product to the image storing unit. At this time, the coordinate information of the forming point is simultaneously transmitted to the laser 5.

The coordinate information can use the information included in the machining data for machining the three-dimensional workpiece. For reference, the coordinate information may be at least one of laser data or scan data as data for activating the laser 5 to form an accurate position.

The image storage unit 63 receives the coordinate information of the forming point that generated the optical information obtained by the optical information obtaining unit 61 from the coordinate information transmitting unit 62 and converts the optical information and the coordinate information into an image .

When the coordinate information is simultaneously transmitted to the image storage unit 63 and the laser 5, the coordinate data transmitted to the image storage unit 63 and the optical information of the forming point generated at the transmission time of the coordinate data They have a corresponding relationship with each other. Specifically, the coordinate information transmitted to the image storage unit 63 may correspond to the image information of the optical information acquisition unit 61, which is generated later, with the transmission time of the coordinate data as the start signal. Thus, the formed image at a specific coordinate can be specified. On the other hand, widely known signal processing techniques such as synchronization and error checking can be employed in the correspondence between coordinate information and image information.

When the optical information acquiring unit 61 includes a high-speed camera, the image storing unit 63 receives the coordinate information of the forming point corresponding to the photograph taken by the high-speed camera from the coordinate information transmitting unit 62, The point can be stored in the photographed picture.

For example, the image storage unit 63 receives the photographed photograph of the moment when the molding is performed from the high-speed camera, receives the information indicating the coordinates at the molding time from the coordinate information transfer unit 62, The image storage unit 63 may process and store each photographed image, and this process may be performed in approximately 30 mu s.

By displaying the coordinates on the molding photograph as described above, it can be used for monitoring the molding process. In other words, when an abnormality is found from a molding photograph, it is possible to check the coordinates to find out what part (coordinate) of the molding has caused the problem. Also, it is possible to confirm the abnormality by continuously displaying the image of the molding point stamped on the molding photograph along the molding path and finding the change of the size or intensity of the light.

Meanwhile, the image storage unit 63 may include an image processing module, a coordinate processing module, and an image combining module.

The image processing module converts the photographed photograph of the forming point into a color-marked photograph according to the intensity of the light. For example, the color of a photographed flame is generally yellow, which can be expressed as a color temperature. At this time, the temperature may be measured by using a temperature sensor or the like.

The coordinate processing module converts the coordinate information transmitted from the coordinate information transmitting unit 62 into equivalent color information. In other words, the coordinate information can be processed as a binary number and displayed in a color that can represent the binary number.

The coordinates can be represented by X and Y coordinates. The X coordinate and the Y coordinate are represented by 8 bits and two binary numbers, respectively, with [00000000] [00000000] being black, [11111111] [11111111] Or light gray to display the coordinate values in the picture as a color. Coordinate values expressed in color can be converted to actual coordinates.

The image compositing module displays the converted color information in the coordinate processing module on the converted photograph in the image processing module. The converted picture and the color information into which the coordinate information is converted are all incorporated as one image as the image information.

Referring to FIG. 4A, color information indicating coordinate information is indicated by four points on the upper left of the photograph. Of the four points, the first two points (X) on the left side represent the x coordinate, and the two third points (Y) represent the y coordinate. Thus, the color information indicating the coordinate information can be displayed in the left or right corner. On the other hand, the rightmost point (P) indicates whether the laser is abnormal in the laser of the study. For this purpose, a photo sensor for detecting laser on / off may be provided. When the laser is turned on, it can be displayed in black if it is turned off white.

As described above, the image storage module includes the image processing module, the coordinate processing module, and the image synthesizing module, and the formed image and the coordinate information are imaged and synthesized, so that the size of the data can be reduced and the transmission can be facilitated.

On the other hand, when a picture is read in the molding position recording device 6, if the flame generated at the forming point is less than or equal to a certain size, or is displayed with a color having a brightness of less than or equal to a certain brightness, the coordinate information of the corresponding forming point is stored, And an abnormality judging unit 64 for judging whether or not an abnormality has occurred. If an error occurs, a warning sound or a warning light can inform the operator or the control center.

And may further include a display unit 65 for displaying an abnormal point on the screen. The display unit 65 is provided with an image display module and a coordinate display module. The image display module displays an image of the progressed state or the molded three-dimensional molded product in the image display module, The coordinate information of the forming point where the anomaly occurs is received and displayed at a position corresponding to the corresponding coordinates of the image displayed by the image display module. 4 and 5 show an example of a screen displayed on the display unit 65. Fig. Accordingly, it is possible to provide an output that can be confirmed by an operator or a control center.

When the optical information acquiring unit 61 includes a photosensor instead of a high-speed camera, the intensity of the photosensor is converted into an image and used as optical information, and the above-described high-speed camera can be applied.

The molded position recorder thus configured can determine the adequacy of the energy applied to the forming point and can monitor whether the forming process is being performed correctly and the data obtained therefrom can be used for CT or X-ray It can be utilized as data that can guarantee quality without acquiring data.

On the other hand, the control unit 7 controls the laser 3 to process the entire three-dimensional molded product by moving the forming unit 4 downward after the work 5 has processed one line. Actually, the control unit 7 controls the operation of the chamber 1, the raw material supply unit 2, the raw material moving unit 3, the molding unit 4, the laser irradiation unit 5, and the molding position recording unit 6, .

The three-dimensional printer configured as above operates as follows.

5 is a conceptual diagram showing the operation of the three-dimensional printer according to the embodiment shown in FIG. The three-dimensional printer 100 of the present invention can be represented by a simplified structure as shown.

The operation of the three-dimensional printer 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is substantially the same as the operation of a conventional three-dimensional printer.

The raw material (10) in the form of a metal powder is placed in a supply part of the raw material (10) and supplied to the chamber (11) by the rise of the supply plate.

When the raw material 10 is supplied to the chamber 11, the blade 32 of the raw material moving part 3 moves and moves the raw material 10 to the forming part 4. [ The blade 32 allows the raw material 10 to be stretched thinly, for example, on the order of 10 mu m to 200 mu m so as to be placed on the forming plate 41 of the forming part 4.

The raw material 10 supplied to the forming section 4 and then left is passed through the forming section 4 and recovered in the collecting section 9.

In this state, the raw material (10) is irradiated with a laser (L) to form the raw material (10) by sintering or melting.

Through this process, the section line of the molded article 20 is formed, and the portion of the raw material 10 in which the laser L is not irradiated remains as the powder.

During the molding by the molding part 4, the molding position recording device 6 combines the optical information of the molding part and the coordinate information at this time and stores the combined information.

Since the molded portion may have a rough portion, the blade 32 is returned to the initial position and passes through the forming portion 4 to flatten the rough portion.

Thereafter, the raw material 10 is fed again, and the raw material 10 is thinned by the blade 32 and then collected in the collecting section 9 while the next section line is formed in the forming section 4, And then moved to the initial position to repeat planarization and pressurization. By repeating these operations several times, a three-dimensional molded article can be produced.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

1: chamber part
11: chamber 111: slit
12: chamber cover 13: chamber block 14: auxiliary chamber
2: raw material supply part 21: input plate 22: housing
3: Eastern raw material
31: Powder application device
32: moving part 321: actuator 322: belt 323:
4: forming part 41: forming plate 42: housing
5: Laser Studying 51: Laser Equipment
6: forming position recording device
61: optical information acquisition unit 62: coordinate information transfer unit 63:
64: abnormality judgment section 65: display section
7:
8: raw material collection unit
10: raw material 20: molded article
L: Laser X: x coordinate point Y: y coordinate point P: right point A: abnormal point
100: 3D printer

Claims (6)

An apparatus for processing a raw material powder in a device for processing a three-dimensional molded product by melting the raw material powder with a laser irradiated by a laser,
An optical information acquiring unit that acquires information about light generated at a point where the raw material powder is molded,
A coordinate information transmitting unit for transmitting coordinate information of a forming point for processing the three-dimensional molded product,
An image storage unit which receives coordinate information on a forming point generated by the optical information obtaining unit and transmits the optical information and the coordinate information as an image,
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the optical information acquiring unit includes a high-speed camera, acquires optical information by photographing a photograph of a point where the raw material powder is formed using the high-speed camera, transmits the photograph to the image storage unit,
The coordinate information transmission unit transmits the coordinate information of the forming point to the laser source and the image storing unit at the same time so that the coordinate data transmitted to the image storing unit and the optical information of the forming point generated at the transmission time of the coordinate data To have a corresponding relationship,
Wherein the image storage unit receives a photograph of a point at which the forming is performed from the optical information obtaining unit and receives information indicating the coordinates of the forming point from the coordinate information transmitting unit, The information is converted into color information and is synthesized and stored in the photograph of the corresponding forming point
A forming position recording apparatus for a three - dimensional printer. delete The method according to claim 1,
The image storage unit stores,
An image processing module for converting the photographed photographed point into a photographed color image according to intensity of light,
A coordinate processing module for converting the coordinate information transmitted from the coordinate information transmitter into equivalent color information representing the coordinate information;
An image synthesis module for displaying the color information converted by the coordinate processing module in the image converted by the image processing module,
Dimensional position information of the three-dimensional printer. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising an abnormality judging section for judging that there is an abnormality when a spark occurring at the molding point is read out of the photograph and the mark is less than or equal to a certain size or is displayed at a certain brightness or less or more, A forming position recording device for a 3D printer. 5. The method of claim 4,
And a display unit for displaying a point having an abnormality on the screen,
The display unit includes:
An image display module for displaying the progressed state of molding the three-dimensional molded article or the molded three-dimensional molded article as an image,
A coordinate display module for receiving coordinate information of a forming point where an anomaly occurs from the anomaly judgment section and displaying the coordinate information at a point corresponding to the coordinates of the image displayed by the image display module;
Dimensional position information of the three-dimensional printer. An apparatus for processing a three-dimensional molded article,
A chamber part in which shaping is performed,
A raw material supply unit for supplying a powdery raw material to the chamber unit,
A raw material moving section for pushing and moving the raw material input from the raw material supply section,
A molding part in which the raw material moved by the raw material moving part is placed and the raw material is molded,
A laser for irradiating and melting a raw material placed on the forming part to form a laser is provided.
Wherein the laser monitors the molding process by studying, and the molding position recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
And a controller for controlling the laser processing unit to process the entire three-dimensional molded product by causing the forming unit to move down after machining a line to be studied,
Wherein the printer is a three-dimensional printer.

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