KR102300827B1 - 3D printer using selective laser sintering - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for stacking a three-dimensional structure using selective laser sintering, and more particularly, to an apparatus for stacking a three-dimensional structure using selective sintering to efficiently perform a post-processing process of an apparatus for stacking a three-dimensional structure and recycling of materials. It relates to a three-dimensional structure stacking device using selective laser sintering, which adopts a detachable structure for a building bed on which structures are stacked, and can prevent safety accidents that may occur due to pressure inside the chamber.
A three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus using selective laser sintering of the present invention includes a building bed in which a three-dimensional structure is stacked by selective laser sintering, and a material for supplying powder material provided on one side of the building bed for selective laser sintering to the building bed A recoater module for forming a powder layer of a certain thickness on the building bed by moving the material provided in the supply unit and the material supply unit while pushing it to the building bed, and the shape of the three-dimensional structure among the powder layers formed on the building bed. A laser module that irradiates a laser to selectively sinter according to the present invention, a recovery part that is provided on the other side with the material supply part and the building bed interposed therebetween and the recoater module forms a powder layer on the building bed and recovers the remaining powder material; , the building bed, the material supply unit, the recovery unit, the recoater module, and the laser module are blocked from the outside and made including a chamber filled with an inert gas preset at a constant pressure therein, the chamber is the building bed, the material supply unit, the recovery It is characterized in that it includes a chamber opening and closing portion that is opened to be exposed at one time.
The apparatus for stacking a three-dimensional structure using selective laser sintering of the present invention can efficiently perform a post-processing process and recycling of materials after lamination of a three-dimensional structure, and by sensing the pressure inside the chamber and controlling the opening and closing of the chamber, the pressure It can prevent safety accidents caused by cars, and it can fundamentally prevent misalignment when attaching and detaching a building bed for post-processing and recycling of materials, and can block UV rays at the opening and closing of the chamber. There is an effect that can check the progress of the lamination process by providing

Description

Three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus using selective laser sintering {3D printer using selective laser sintering}

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus for stacking a three-dimensional structure through sintering using a laser. More specifically, it relates to a three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus that efficiently performs post-processing after stacking in a chamber for stacking three-dimensional structures and more efficiently recycles powder materials used for stacking.

Conventionally, three-dimensional structures, ie, mechanical parts or plastic products, have been manufactured through cutting processing or injection molding. Recently, the popularization of 3D printers for manufacturing such 3D structures by stacking cross-sectional layers is gradually spreading.

3D printers are divided into several types depending on the lamination method. SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), which selectively sinters powdered materials with a laser, FDM (Fused Deposition Modeling), which hardens materials after laminating by melting filaments, and photocuring materials There are various methods such as SLA (Stereolithography), which is cured by irradiating light, and each method has strengths and weaknesses depending on the shape, material, and strength of the 3D structure to be laminated.

Early 3D printers were usually used for rapid prototyping (RP, Rapid Prototype) to simply show or prototype a designed shape, or to create custom structures for users.

Recently, SLS-type 3D printers, which are used to manufacture customized products that individuals order by attaching an image online, or selectively sintered and laminated metal powder, are difficult to manufacture through conventional processing methods such as cutting or polishing. It is applied to high-strength aviation parts and custom-made implants.

The 3D printer of the SLS method places a material supply part containing metal powder on one side, forms a thin layer through a blade, etc. way of forming it.

The SLS-type 3D printer uses very small metal powder and sinters by applying high-temperature heat through a laser. For sintering, the SLS-type 3D printer has a very high chance of causing a fire while irradiating the laser on the metal powder layer. is usually stacked in a state in which the chamber is filled with an inert gas.

In addition, unlike other 3D printers, even if the three-dimensional structure is laminated by selective sintering, the stacked three-dimensional structure is surrounded by unsintered metal powder, so a post-processing process for taking out the three-dimensional structure is required.

Conventionally, as the space where the three-dimensional structure is stacked and the space where the post-processing is performed are made in the same chamber, the post-treatment process is very complicated and inconvenient, and it is difficult to recover and recycle the powder material not used for sintering, and the efficiency of recycling I've had this very falling problem. In particular, in the case of a 3D stacking device using expensive metal powder, it is very important to increase the recycling efficiency because the efficiency of recycling is directly related to the manufacturing cost of the 3D structure. am.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, such as a building bed in which a three-dimensional structure is stacked so that the post-treatment process of an apparatus for stacking a three-dimensional structure using selective sintering and recycling of materials can be efficiently performed. To provide a three-dimensional structure stacking device using selective laser sintering that can adopt a detachable structure and prevent safety accidents that may occur due to pressure inside the chamber.

In order to achieve the above object, a three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus using selective laser sintering of the present invention includes a building bed in which a three-dimensional structure is laminated by selective laser sintering, and one side of the building bed for selective laser sintering on the building bed. A material supply unit for supplying a powder material provided in the refrigerator, a coater module for forming a powder layer of a certain thickness on the building bed by moving the material provided in the material supply unit while pushing it to the building bed, and minutes formed on the building bed A laser module irradiating a laser to selectively sinter according to the shape of a three-dimensional structure among Malay, and the material supply unit and the building bed are provided on the other side, and the recoater module forms a powder layer on the building bed. A recovery unit for recovering powder material, and a chamber for blocking the building bed, the material supply unit, the recovery unit, the recoater module, and the laser module from the outside and filling the inside with a preset inert gas at a constant pressure, the chamber is characterized in that it includes a chamber opening and closing part that is opened so that the building bed, the material supply part, and the recovery part are exposed at once.

In addition, the building bed is provided with guide rails to be individually coupled to the material supply and recovery units provided on both sides of the building bed, and the material supply and recovery units also have a docking groove coupled to the guide rails provided in the building bed. characterized in that it is provided.

In addition, the guide rails provided on both sides of the building bed are custom-coupled with the docking grooves provided in the material supply unit and the recovery unit, and the guide rails on the material supply side and the guide rails on the recovery unit have different shapes.

In addition, the material supply unit and the recovery unit provided on both sides of the building bed and the building bed are integrally formed, and guide rollers are provided on the side surfaces of the material supply unit and the recovery unit so that attachment and detachment from the chamber is smoothly performed, and coupled with the chamber side roller rail. characterized.

In addition, the guide rollers installed in the material supply unit and the recovery unit are custom-coupled with the roller rails provided in the chamber, and have different shapes to prevent erroneous coupling of the left and right sides.

In addition, the chamber opening and closing unit includes a safety lock module, and a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure inside the chamber is installed in the chamber. It is characterized in that it is controlled so that opening and closing is not made.

In addition, the chamber opening and closing portion is provided so that the entire front portion of the chamber is opened,

The chamber opening and closing part is provided with a viewing window for observing the inside of the chamber including the stacking status of the building bed, the viewing window is characterized in that it includes a blocking film for blocking the laser in the ultraviolet region.

The present invention having the above configuration has the effect of efficiently performing post-treatment process and material recycling after lamination of the three-dimensional structure.

In addition, there is an effect of preventing a safety accident due to a pressure difference by controlling the opening and closing of the chamber after sensing the pressure inside the chamber.

In addition, there is an effect that can fundamentally prevent misalignment when attaching and detaching a building bed for the post-treatment process and recycling of materials.

In addition, there is an effect that can check the progress of the lamination process by providing a viewing window that can block ultraviolet rays and the like in the chamber opening and closing part.

1 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus using selective laser sintering according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a front view of a building bed according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a front view in which the material supply unit, the building bed, and the recovery unit are integrated according to a second embodiment of the present invention;
4 is a front view of a three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus using selective laser sintering according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a three-dimensional structure lamination apparatus using selective laser sintering according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1 is a perspective view of a three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus using selective laser sintering according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a building bed according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. A front view of the material supply unit, the building bed, and the recovery unit are integrated according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a view showing the chamber opening and closing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The three-dimensional structure stacking apparatus using the selective laser sintering of the present invention forms a thin metal powder layer on the building bed 100 using a metal powder recoater module 400, and irradiates a laser to 3D through selective sintering. It is a device for stacking structures.

The three-dimensional structure stacking device using selective laser sintering of the present invention is a metal powder element to supply a metal powder material to the building bed 100 and the building bed 100 in which the three-dimensional structure to be laminated is stacked by laser sintering. is stored and when the metal powder layer is formed on the building bed 100, the material supply unit 200 and the recoater module 400 that push up a certain amount of the metal powder material so that the recoater module 400 can push a certain amount of the metal powder. ) forms a metal powder layer on the building bed 100 and pushes the metal powder of the recovery unit 300 and the material supply unit 200 for recovering the remaining metal powder material to form a thin metal powder layer on the building bed 100 A chamber 10 and a chamber 10 filled with an inert gas to accommodate the recoater module 400, the building bed 100, the material supply unit 200, the recovery unit 300, and the like, and to prevent fire during sintering. ) is provided on the front side and comprises a chamber opening/closing unit 500 in which the building bed 100, the material supply unit 200, and the recovery unit 300 are all opened when opened.

The building bed 100 of the present invention has a configuration in which a three-dimensional structure is stacked, and the recoater module 400 pushes the metal powder supplied from the material supply unit 200 to form a thin layer on the top of the building bed 100, and to form a three-dimensional It is a configuration in which a laser is selectively irradiated and sintered according to the cross section of the structure. After the recoater module 400 forms a layer in the building bed 100 and selective sintering is performed, the building bed 100 moves downward by the thickness of the layer to form the next layer, and the material supply unit 200 ) rises by a certain thickness to supply the metal powder material. The recoater module 400 reciprocates from the upper part of the material supply unit 200 to the recovery unit 300 through the building bed 100 . In this way, the recoater module 400 passes the building bed 100 and the recovery unit 300 moves to form a thin powder layer on the building bed 100 and pushes the remaining metal powder into the recovery unit 300 . After the stacking is made in the building bed 100, in the conventional case, a post-treatment process of the stacked three-dimensional structure is performed, such as removing the material around the three-dimensional structure in the stacked chamber 10. In this case, the material recovery Since the process is not performed smoothly, there is a problem in that the recovery rate of the material is low, and the material is scattered in the chamber 10, so cleaning or maintenance inside the chamber 10 is complicated and difficult. In order to solve this conventional problem, the first embodiment of the present invention separates the building bed 100 from the device after lamination is made in the building bed 100 and transfers it to a separate facility for processing the post-treatment process. to process it

In order to smoothly process the separation of the building bed 100, guide rails 110 and 120 coupled with the material supply unit 200 and the recovery unit 300 located on both sides are provided on both sides of the building bed 100, and the material supply unit Docking grooves 210 and 310 coupled to the guide rails 110 and 120 are provided in the 200 and the recovery unit 300 . The guide rails 110 and 120 and the docking grooves 210 and 310 are configured to have a shape that is custom-coupled to each other. For example, when the material supply unit 200 is located on the left side of the building bed 100 and the recovery unit 300 is provided on the right side, the guide rail 110 provided on the left side of the building bed 100 is the material supply unit 200 . The guide rail 120 provided on the right side is fit-coupled with the side docking groove 210 and is custom-coupled with the docking groove 310 on the recovery part 300 side. In particular, the guide rails 110 and 120 provided on the left and right sides of the building bed 100 are configured in different shapes to prevent erroneous coupling when the building bed 100 is reinstalled after post-processing, thereby fundamentally preventing erroneous coupling. do. For example, by forming the left and right guide rails 110 and 120 male and female, it is possible to prevent them from being coupled to the opposite side. In addition, since the weight of the building bed 100 is considerable when combined, a roller may be installed in the guide rails 110 and 120 or the docking grooves 210 and 310 to enable smooth attachment and detachment.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, the material supply unit 200, the building bed 100, and the recovery unit 300 are integrally formed, and the material supply unit 200, the building bed 100, and the recovery unit ( 300) at once. Unlike the first embodiment, since both the material supply unit 200 and the recovery unit 300 move, it is difficult to attach and detach for post-processing in terms of weight or volume, but materials that have not yet been used and materials after use can be processed at once. The material recycling rate is high and the material supply unit 200 is filled with material for reuse, the material in the recovery unit 300 is filtered, and the post-processing process and pre-work for lamination are performed at once, such as supplying the material to the material supply unit 200 . There are advantages to handling.

In the second embodiment of the present invention, guide rollers 220 and 320 are provided on the left and right sides for attaching and detaching the integrated material supply unit 200 , the building bed 100 , and the recovery unit 300 . On the chamber 10 side, roller rails 12 and 14 are provided so as to be fitted with the guide rollers 220 and 320 . Similar to the first embodiment, the guide rollers 220 and 320 are configured differently in shape to prevent misalignment, and rollers may be installed to smoothly perform attachment and detachment.

In addition, in the first and second embodiments, power for vertical movement is transmitted to the building bed 100 , the material supply unit 200 , and the recovery unit 300 , or power for heating the building bed 100 is supplied. When attaching and detaching the chamber 10, a combination for supplying driving force and power may be required, and the combination for such driving force and power may provide a configuration that is coupled with one touch at a certain position so that no separate operation is required after attachment and detachment. .

The chamber 10 is configured to surround a space in which the three-dimensional structure is stacked, including the building bed 100 , the material supply unit 200 , and the recovery unit 300 . In general, as the size of the metal powder is very small and sintering is performed by irradiating a high-temperature laser to the powder, the possibility of a fire inside is very high. Therefore, the chamber 10 is filled with an inert gas (argon, etc.) to prevent such a fire, and a constant pressure is maintained. However, as described above, there is a need to attach and detach the building bed 100 or the integrated material supply unit 200 and the recovery unit 300 for smooth processing of the post-treatment process. Conventionally, as the post-processing process is performed inside the chamber 10, the chamber is opened to cover the upper end of the building bed 100, but the chamber 10 of the present invention includes the material supply unit 200, the building bed 100, It includes a chamber opening/closing unit 500 whose front is opened so that the recovery unit 300 is all opened at once. A safety lock module 510 is installed in the chamber opening and closing part 500. As described above, an inert gas of a certain pressure is filled inside the chamber 10 to prevent fire during sintering. can In order to prevent such an accident, a pressure sensor 530 for detecting the pressure inside the chamber 10 is provided, and when the pressure inside the chamber 10 detected by the pressure sensor 530 is equal to or greater than a certain pressure, the safety lock module 510 ) controls the chamber opening and closing part 500 not to open. In addition, in order to check the situation where the three-dimensional structure is stacked in the chamber 10 or the situation inside the chamber 10, the examination window is located at an appropriate location in the chamber opening and closing part 500 that can check the building bed 100, etc. at once. (520) can be provided. However, the chamber 10 may further include a blocking film for blocking the laser in the UV wavelength band as much as the laser is irradiated.

Chamber: 10 Building bed: 100
Material supply unit: 200 Recovery unit: 300
Recoater module: 400 Chamber opening and closing part: 500

Claims (7)

In an apparatus for stacking a three-dimensional structure using selective laser sintering,
A building bed in which a three-dimensional structure is laminated by selective laser sintering,
A material supply unit provided on one side of the building bed for selective laser sintering to the building bed and supplying a powder material;
A recoater module for forming a powder layer of a certain thickness on the building bed by moving the material provided in the material supply unit while pushing it to the building bed;
A laser module irradiating a laser to selectively sinter according to the shape of a three-dimensional structure among the powder layers formed on the building bed;
a recovery unit provided on the other side with the material supply unit and the building bed interposed therebetween and the recoater module forms a powder layer on the building bed and recovers the remaining powder material;
The building bed, the material supply unit, the recovery unit, the recoater module, and the laser module are blocked from the outside and are made including a chamber filled with an inert gas preset at a constant pressure inside,
The chamber includes a chamber opening and closing part that is opened so that the building bed, the material supply part, and the recovery part are exposed at once,
The chamber opening and closing portion is provided on the entire front portion of the chamber, and is opened so that the entire front portion of the chamber is exposed when opened,
The building bed is provided with guide rails to be individually coupled to the material supply and recovery units provided on both sides of the building bed, and the material supply and recovery units are also provided with docking grooves coupled to the guide rails provided in the building bed. ,
The guide rails provided on both sides of the building bed are custom-coupled with the docking grooves provided in the material supply unit and the recovery unit, and the guide rails on the material supply side and the guide rails on the recovery unit have different shapes,
The three-dimensional structure stacking device using selective laser sintering, characterized in that the material supply unit, the building bed or the recovery unit is detachably attached to the front part opened through the chamber opening and closing part.
delete delete delete delete In claim 1,
A safety lock module is installed in the chamber opening and closing unit, and a pressure sensor detecting the pressure inside the chamber is installed in the chamber;
The safety lock module is a three-dimensional structure stacking device using selective laser sintering, characterized in that the chamber opening and closing is controlled not to be made when the internal pressure of the chamber detected by the pressure sensor is equal to or higher than a predetermined pressure.
In claim 6,
The chamber opening and closing portion is provided so that the entire front portion of the chamber is opened,
3 using selective laser sintering, characterized in that the chamber opening and closing part is provided with a viewing window for observing the inside of the chamber including the stacking status of the building bed, and the viewing window includes a blocking film for blocking the laser in the ultraviolet region Dimensional Structure Laminator.

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