KR20180003312A - Three-dimensional object - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer to manufacture the three-dimensional sculpture. More specifically, the present invention relates to the three-dimensional printer having an inert gas supply unit extended from the outside of a chamber to a worktable where a shaping work is performed to directly supply inert gas to a work portion to optimize a work environment to increase accuracy and stability of an output.

Description

[0001] THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECT [0002]

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional printer for manufacturing three-dimensional sculptures, and more particularly, to a three-dimensional printer for manufacturing three-dimensional sculptures. More particularly, the present invention relates to a three- Dimensional printer capable of improving the accuracy and stability of output.

Generally, a device that creates a real model, such as a three-dimensional machine part, is printed on a computer file designed by a CAD program. The device is called a 3D printer.

In the three-dimensional printer method, SLA (Stereo Lithographic Apparatus) which uses the principle that the scanned portion is cured by injecting laser light to the photo-curable resin and functional polymer or metal powder instead of photo-curable resin in SLA are used, SLS (Selective Laser Sintering), which uses the principle of solidification by injection, and Laminated Object Manufacturing (LOM), which cuts glue-coated paper using a laser beam in a desired cross-section, , And BPM (Ballistic Particle Manufacturing) using Ink-Jet printer technology. Laser-based methods were developed at the University of Texas at UOT in Austin, USA in the early 1980's / early 1990's and are known as 3D printing or selective laser sintering.

SLS technology has enabled the direct production of three-dimensional articles with high resolution and dimensional accuracy from a variety of powder materials including conventional polymer powders. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) is described in U.S. Patent No. 4,863,568, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Selective laser sintering was commercialized by DTM Corporation. Selective laser sintering involves spreading a thin layer of powder on a flat surface.

The powder is spread on a worktable using a tool developed for use in a selective laser sintering process known in the art as a counter-rolling mechanism or a counter-roller. Continuous powder layers are sieved on a layer that has already been formed using a counter-roller and then sintered or melted with a laser. After the powder layer is deposited on the surface, the laser energy is applied to the powder in a predetermined two-dimensional pattern using a laser. The laser sinter or melt the powder together in the region where the laser beam energy impinges. The powder may be a plastic, a metal, a polymer, a ceramic or a composite.

Thus, when the powder material is laminated to the bed through the laser, oxygen is formed inside the working space. Such oxygen has a problem that the laser for performing the heat treatment interferes with the fusion of the powder material.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensional printer capable of increasing the accuracy and stability of an output by providing an inert gas supply unit capable of supplying an inert gas to a work table on which an operation is performed, in order to solve the above- .

According to an aspect of the present invention,

A chamber defining a work space;

A laser device for dissolving powder material;

An XY table moved in X and Y directions so that the laser is irradiated to a desired position on the laser device;

A work table placed on the XY table and stacked with a powder material for a molding operation;

An output bed for receiving the powder material to be stacked on the work table and the work table; And

An inert gas supply device extending into the chamber to supply an inert gas into the work space; .

In the three-dimensional printer including the inert gas supply device according to the present invention, the end of the flow path portion can move along the portion irradiated with the laser supplied from the laser device.

The three-dimensional printer including the inert gas supply device according to the present invention may include a filling part for filling the inert gas and a flow path part for supplying the inert gas from the filling part to the inside of the chamber of the 3D printer.

In the three-dimensional printer including the inert gas supply device according to the present invention, the inert gas may be nitrogen, argon, or the like.

The three-dimensional metal printer according to the present invention not only prevents the oxidation of the metal powder by supplying an inert gas containing nitrogen to the working portion to which the laser is supplied for sintering the metal powder, Is prevented from being oxidized.

In addition, by sufficiently supplying nitrogen to the inside of the work space, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the work space is reduced, soot is generated in the powder material, or an error of the laser focus is prevented from occurring due to the fly phenomenon of the powder material.

1 is a view showing a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a view showing a state in which the nitrogen supply device is mounted on the three-dimensional printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order that the present invention can be easily carried out by those skilled in the art. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts that are not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the entire specification.

In addition, terms and words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventor should properly define the concept of the term to describe its invention in the best way. It should be construed as meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a three-dimensional printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a view showing a state where a nitrogen supply device is mounted on the three-dimensional printer shown in FIG.

1 and 2, a three-dimensional printer according to the present invention includes a chamber 100, a laser device 200, an XY table 300, a bed 400 and a nitrogen supply device 500, .

The chamber 100 forms a work space.

The laser apparatus 200 is comprised of a print head 220 located in the chamber 100 and including a laser generator 210 and a reflector 221.

The laser generator 210 generates a high-power Co2 laser for melting the powder material. The mounting structure for fixing the laser generator 210 is possible in various embodiments. The laser generator 210 is connected to a cable for receiving external power, and the cable is accommodated in a flexible cable guide. A galvano scanning laser marking system may be used for laser scanning.

The print head 220 causes the laser material whose path is changed by the reflecting mirror 221 to be irradiated on the powder material so that the powder material is sintered. The print head 220 may be installed to be adjustable in angle by a hinge or the like, and a plurality of reflectors 221 may be installed to change the path of the laser.

The XY table 300 freely moves the position of the print head 220 in the XY direction by using a screw guide (actuator) (not shown) so that the laser can be accurately irradiated at a desired position.

The bed 400 is installed so as to be vertically movable in the Z-axis direction by using the piston 410. In addition, when the powder material placed on the upper surface of the bed 400 is sintered by the laser, a new powder material can be stacked on the powder material sintered down vertically by the piston 410 to a certain thickness. In addition, a heater 420 for raising the temperature of the bed 400 and a controller (not shown) for controlling the temperature of the heater may be installed in the bed 400. A halogen heater can be used as the heater 420, and the control device controls the temperature of the heater 420 so that the bed 400 can be heated to the correct temperature.

The nitrogen supply device 500 is installed on the inner wall of the chamber 100 to supply the filled nitrogen into the work space. Although the nitrogen supplying device 500 is shown and exemplified as the inner wall of the chamber 100 as shown in the drawing, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to supply nitrogen and supply nitrogen to the laser device 200 side. Location.

The nitrogen supply device 500 supplies nitrogen into the chamber 100 due to oxygen which interferes with fusion when the powder material is deposited on the bed 400. [ Thus, the inside of the chamber 100 is made inactive, and when the powder material is stacked, the atmosphere is changed so that fusion can be easily performed, thereby reducing the time required for forming the shape of any desired object. To this end, the nitrogen supply device 500 may include a filling part (not shown) and a flow path part (not shown). Here, the filling part may be filled with nitrogen, and the flow path part may be formed with a nitrogen flow path from the filling part to the nitrogen supplying device 500.

Meanwhile, the three-dimensional printer according to the present invention may include a computer. The computer can be formed integrally with the three-dimensional printer. Since the computer stores data on various types of three-dimensional objects, a three-dimensional printer can produce various objects such as foundry sand.

As described above, according to the three-dimensional printer according to the present invention, nitrogen is introduced into a laser spot to prevent oxidation, and the metal itself is oxidized by oxygen to prevent burning.

Also, by supplying nitrogen to the inside of the work space, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the work space is reduced, soot is generated in the powder material, and the laser focus error is prevented from occurring due to the fly phenomenon of the powder material.

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

100: chamber
200: laser device
210: laser generator
220: print head
221: reflector
300: XY table
400: Bed
410: Piston
420: heater
500: nitrogen supply device

Claims (4)

A chamber defining a work space;
A laser device for dissolving powder material;
An XY table moved in X and Y directions so that the laser is irradiated to a desired position on the laser device;
A work table placed on the XY table and stacked with a powder material for a molding operation;
An output bed for receiving the powder material to be stacked on the work table and the work table; And
And an inert gas supply device extending inwardly of the chamber to supply an inert gas into the work space.
The method according to claim 1,
The inert gas supply device includes:
A filling part for filling nitrogen; And
A flow path extending from the filling part to the inside of the chamber of the three-dimensional printer to supply an inert gas; Wherein the printer is a three-dimensional printer.
3. The method of claim 2,
And the end of the channel portion moves along a portion irradiated with the laser supplied from the laser device
Three-dimensional printer.
3. The method of claim 2,
And the flow path portion has a shape branched by a plurality of ends
Three-dimensional printer.

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