NL2013866B1

NL2013866B1 - System for managing production of objects by means of additive manufacturing as well as a related apparatus.

Info

Publication number: NL2013866B1
Application number: NL2013866A
Authority: NL
Inventors: Anthonius Johannus Kersten Daniël; Wintermans Jonas
Original assignee: Additive Ind Bv
Priority date: 2014-11-24
Filing date: 2014-11-24
Publication date: 2016-10-11

Abstract

System for managing production of objects by means of additive manufacturing, said system comprising a plurality of apparatuses for producing an object by means of additive manufacturing, each of said apparatuses comprising a process chamber for receiving a bath of material which can be solidified, a solidifying device for solidifying a selective part of the material for producing said object, a control device for controlling said apparatus for producing said object based on a print job, and interface means arranged for receiving said print job over a public network; wherein each of said plurality of apparatuses are connected to each other via said public network, and wherein said system comprises a central server arranged for determining geographical location information of said plurality of apparatuses, for acquiring a print job, for selecting at least one of said plurality of apparatuses based on said geographical location information of said apparatuses and for transmitting said print job to said selected apparatus.

Description

Title

System for managing production of objects by means of additive manufacturing as well as a related apparatus.

Background

The invention relates to an apparatus for producing an object by means of additive manufacturing, comprising a process chamber for receiving a bath of material which can be solidified by exposure to electromagnetic radiation; a support for positioning the object in relation to the surface level of the bath of material; and a solidifying device for solidifying a layer of the material on the surface level by means of electromagnetic radiation. 3D printing or additive manufacturing refers to any of various processes for manufacturing a three-dimensional object. Traditional techniques like injection molding can be less expensive for manufacturing, for example, polymer products in high quantities, but 3D printing or additive manufacturing can be faster, more flexible and less expensive when producing relatively small quantities of three-dimensional objects.

It is anticipated that additive manufacturing becomes more and more important in the future, as the increasing competitive pressure forces companies to not only manufacture more economically with a constant high product quality but also to save time and costs in the area of product development. The life span of products is continuously shortened. In addition to product quality and product costs, the moment of market introduction is becoming increasingly important for the success of a product.

The three-dimensional object may be produced by selectively solidifying, in a layer-like fashion, a powder, paper or sheet material to produce a three-dimensional, 3D, object. In particular, a computer controlled additive manufacturing apparatus may be used which sequentially sinters a plurality of layers to build the desired object in a layer-by-layer fashion. Primarily additive processes are used, in which successive layers of material are laid down under computer control. These objects can be of almost any shape or geometry, and are produced from a 3D model or other electronic data source.

In order to print a three-dimensional object, a printable model is to be created with a computer design package or via a 3D scanner, for example. Usually, the input is a 3D CAD file such as an STL file, a STEP file or a IGS file. Before printing the object from a CAD file, the file is to be processed by a piece of software, which converts the model into a series of thin subsequent layers. Further, apparatus settings and vectors are generated for controlling the creation of each of the subsequent layers. A laser comprised in the computer controlled additive manufacturing apparatus follows these settings and vectors to solidify successive layers of material to built the 3D object from a series of cross sections. These layers, which correspond to the virtual cross sections from the CAD model, are during this process joined or fused at the same time to create the final 3D object.

One of the disadvantages of these apparatuses is their limited capacity in producing the three dimensional objects as well as their limited capability in flexibility for producing the objects.

As such, one of the challenges in the manufacturing of three dimensional objects using a computer controlled additive manufacturing apparatus is to fully utilize the capacity of the apparatus.

It is an object to provide for an system for managing production of objects by means of additive manufacturing, which system is arranged for providing the possibility to manage a plurality of apparatuses for producing said objects by means of additive manufacturing.

It is another object to provide for an apparatus for producing an object by means of additive manufacturing, which apparatus is suitable for operation in said system.

In a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for managing production of objects by means of additive manufacturing, said system connected to, or comprising, a plurality of apparatuses for producing an object by means of additive manufacturing, each of said apparatuses comprising: a process chamber for receiving a bath of material which can be solidified, a solidifying device for solidifying a selective part of the material for producing said object, and a control device for controlling said apparatus for producing said object based on a print job, interface means arranged for receiving said print job over a public network; wherein each of said plurality of apparatuses are connected to each other via said public network, and wherein said system comprises a central server arranged for determining geographical location information of said plurality of apparatuses, for acquiring a print job, for selecting at least one of said plurality of apparatuses based on said geographical location information of said apparatuses and for transmitting said print job to said selected apparatus.

It was the insight of the inventors that the digital processes, i.e. the generation of the designs for the objects to be produced as well as the corresponding print jobs, can be decoupled from the actual physical processes, i.e. the production of the object by an apparatus based on a print job. The system according to the present invention supports such a subdivision of processes as each of the apparatuses are connected to each other via the public network.

The improved system according to the present invention is based on the concept that the total capacity for producing objects is increased by connecting multiple apparatuses to each other thereby creating a cluster of apparatuses, each of which may be, at least partly, controlled by the central server. As such, a distributed manufacturing system is provided.

The inventors found that the decision to which apparatus a print job is to be sent should at least be based on the geographical location information of the apparatuses.

The geographical location information may be any of Global Positioning System, GPS, coordinates, country, city, area code, postal code, Internet Protocol, IP, address ranges, static sales information, or the like. The geographical location information of the apparatuses may be considered static information, for example pre-stored in a database of the central server, or may be regarded as more dynamic information such that an apparatus needs to inform the central server about its geographical location information.

The apparatus may then be arranged to transmit its geographical location information periodically, for example yearly, monthly, or the like, or may transmit its geographical location information only once a change of location has been detected by the apparatus.

One of the advantages of the system is that the total production lead time of objects, i.e. three dimensional objects, may be minimized in case apparatuses combine forces, i.e. work together. The inventors noted that it may be more efficient to distribute the total amount of objects to be produced, or print jobs, over each of the available apparatuses such that more capacity is obtained for producing these objects.

In accordance with the present invention, the total amount of objects, or print jobs, to be produced by the system may be evenly distributed among all of the apparatuses, or among a subset of the plurality of apparatuses. In an alternative, each object, or print job, to be produced may be provided with a priority status. The priority statuses of each object or print job may then be used, by the central server, as an further input for selecting one of the plurality of apparatuses.

In the context of the present invention, the material used may be any type of material suitable for additive manufacturing such as, but not limited to liquid, powder, paper or sheet material like stainless steels or other types of alloys.

According to the present invention, different physical sizes of apparatuses may exist, for example having a relatively small process chamber suitable for producing three dimensional objects having a size comparable to a pen, telephone, cup, etc, or having a relatively large process chamber suitable for producing three dimensional objects having a size comparable to a desk, chair, or even larger. In case the central server, according to the present invention, is faced with multiple three dimensional objects, or multiple print jobs, ranging from a relatively small size to a relatively large size, the central server may decide to further select apparatuses based on their specific capability.

According to the invention, the central server is arranged for acquiring a print job. The print job may, for example, be received by the central server, from an engineer or designer, via the public network. The print job may also be located in a print queue designated in the central server.

Further advantageous embodiments are described in the depending claims. Some of these will be elucidated below.

In an example, the server comprises a database, wherein said database comprises identifications and corresponding geographical location information of each of said plurality of apparatuses.

One of the advantages hereof is that the security of the database is under control of the system itself.

In another example, the plurality of apparatuses are connected to each other via said central server.

The plurality of apparatuses may have a direct connection to the central server comprised by the system, for example for exchanging process data or the like. However, according to the present invention, it is not necessary for the plurality of apparatuses to directly communicate, or exchange data, to each other over the public network.

In an example, the server is arranged for receiving process information from any of the apparatuses, the process information being any of a type of material said apparatuses are able to process, object size said apparatuses are able to produce, capability of said apparatuses for producing objects, accuracy of objects, speed at which objects are produced, material properties for objects to be produces, detail size of objects to be produced, and wherein said server is further arranged for selecting said at least one of said plurality of apparatuses based on said process information.

Selecting the at least one of the plurality of apparatuses may then further be based on the available process information for each of the apparatuses. For example, a print job requiring a certain type of material, and a certain size of process chamber, needs to be sent to an apparatus capable of processing such a print job.

In a further example, the apparatuses are connected to said server via a private network across said public network.

The advantage hereof is that it enables an apparatus to receive and/or send data across said public network as if it was directly connected to the private network, while benefiting from the functionality, security and management policies of the private network. For example, A Virtual Private Network, VPN, is created by establishing a virtual point-to-point connection through the use of dedicated connections, virtual tunneling protocols, or traffic encryptions.

In an example, the print job comprises geographical location information to which an object is to be shipped, and wherein said selecting at least one of said plurality of apparatuses comprises: - selecting at least one of said plurality of apparatuses having geographical location information in a geographical proximity of said geographical location information to which said object is to be shipped.

The inventors found that it may be advantageous if the production location of the object, i.e. location of the selected apparatus, and the geographical location information whereto the object is to be shipped, are matched to each other. For example, it may be advantageous to produce an object in the Netherlands in case the object is to be shipped to the Netherlands, as this reduces the transport time, as well as the corresponding transportation costs, required for transporting a produced object. As such, an apparatus is selected which is geographically oriented closely to the destination location of the object to be produced.

The central server may further be arranged to select an apparatus from said plurality of apparatuses based on costs and/or carbon footprint of the object to be produced.

In a further example, the central server comprises occupancy information of each of said plurality of apparatuses, and wherein said selecting at least one of said plurality of apparatuses comprises: selecting at least one of said plurality of apparatuses based on said occupancy information.

The advantage hereof is that print jobs may be distributed over the available plurality of apparatuses such that the total amount of work load for producing the objects is also distributed among these apparatuses. Besides taking into account the geographical location information of the apparatuses, the central server may select apparatuses for the print jobs such that the print jobs are evenly distributed over the apparatuses.

In an example, the object comprises a plurality of print jobs, and wherein said server is arranged for selecting at least one of said apparatuses for transmitting at least one of said plurality of print jobs such that a total production lead time of said object is minimized.

The inventors noted that in some cases a three dimensional object is comprised by a plurality of print jobs, i.e. a plurality of different parts to construe the three dimensional model. The total production lead time, i.e. the time required for producing the complete three dimensional object, may be reduced in case each of the parts are created by a different apparatus.

In a further example, at least one of said apparatuses is arranged for transmitting, to said central server, its geographical location information, for example periodically or on request by the central server.

The at least one of said apparatuses may further possess a network address, and the at least one of said apparatuses may be arranged for determining its geographical location information by deducing said geographical location information from said network address.

In an example, the central server is arranged for storing process information for said print jobs. The process information may be any of design, process settings, layer deposition strategy, simulation data, production data, measurement data, or the like. The central server may store such a data in its secure database. The process information may also be transmitted to the apparatuses along with corresponding print jobs.

In a further example, the public network is the internet.

In another example, a print job comprises at least one of a print model of an object, one or more series of subsequent layers of said object, apparatus settings and vectors for said object, wherein said apparatus settings may comprise any of type of material, temperature settings, accuracy settings.

In a second aspect of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for producing an object by means of additive manufacturing, said apparatus suitable to be used in a system according to any of the claims 1-13, wherein said apparatus comprises: a process chamber for receiving a bath of material which can be solidified, a solidifying device for solidifying a selective part of the material for producing said object, and a control device for controlling said apparatus for producing said object based on a print job, interface means arranged for receiving said print job over a public network.

The expressions, i.e. the wording, of the different aspects comprised by the apparatus according to the present invention should not be taken literally. The wording of the aspects is merely chosen to accurately express the rationale behind the actual function of the aspects.

In accordance with the present invention, different aspects applicable to the above mentioned examples of the system, including the advantages thereof, correspond to the aspects which are applicable to the apparatus, according to the present invention.

The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of the invention will be best understood from the following description referring to the attached drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals denote identical parts or parts performing an identical or comparable function or operation.

The invention is not limited to the particular examples disclosed below in connection with a particular type of computer controlled additive manufacturing apparatus.

Figure 1 is an overview of an apparatus according to the present invention for additive manufacturing an object.

Figure 2 discloses an overview of a system for managing production of objects by means of additive manufacturing according to the present invention.

Figure 1 shows an overview of an apparatus 1 for producing an object 2 by means of additive manufacturing. The apparatus 1 is build from several frame parts 11, 12, 13. The apparatus comprises a process chamber 3 for receiving a bath of material 4 which can be solidified. In a lower frame part 11, a shaft is formed, wherein a support 5 is provided for positioning the object 2 in relation to the surface level L of the bath of material 4. The support 5 is movably provided in the shaft, such that after solidifying a layer, the support 5 may be lowered, and a further layer of material may be solidified on top of the part of the object 2 already formed. In a top part 13 of the apparatus 1, a solidifying device 7 is provided for solidifying a selective part of the material. In the embodiment shown, the solidifying device 7 is a laser device, which is arranged for producing electromagnetic radiation in the form of laser light, in order to melt a powdered material provided on the support, which then, after cooling forms a solidified part of the object to be produced. However, the invention is not limited to the type of solidifying device. As can be seen, the electromagnetic radiation 71 emitted by the laser device 7 is deflected by means of a deflector unit 74, which uses a rotatable optical element 75 to direct the emitted radiation 71 towards the surface L of the layer of material 4. Depending on the position of the deflector unit 74, radiation may be emitted, as an example, according to rays 72, 73.

Figure 2 discloses an overview of a system 105 for managing production of objects by means of additive manufacturing. The system 105 comprises a plurality of apparatuses 102, each of which connected to a public network. The apparatuses 102 are suitable for producing an object by means of additive manufacturing, wherein each apparatus 102 comprises a process chamber for receiving a bath of material which can be solidified, a solidifying device for solidifying a selective part of the material for producing the object, a control device for controlling the apparatus for producing the object based on a print job, and interface means arranged for receiving the print job over a public network 101.

The system 105 further comprises a central server 103, which central server has a database 104 for storing geographical location information of the plurality of apparatuses 102. The geographical location information may be manually inputted in the database 104 once an apparatus has been sold, or the geographical location information may be automatically updated in the database by the central server 103, for example every time the central server 103 receives updated geographical location information from any of the plurality of apparatuses 102.

The central server 103 is responsible for distributing print jobs over the plurality of apparatuses 102. Hereto, the central server 103 selects one of the apparatuses 102 to be used for producing the corresponding object. The selection process is at least based on the geographical location information of the plurality of apparatuses 102.

It will be clear to those skilled in the art, that the invention is described above by means of several embodiments. However, the invention is not limited to these embodiments. The desired protection is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

A system for managing the production of objects by means of additive manufacturing, the system being connected to a plurality of devices for manufacturing an object by means of additive manufacturing via a public network, each of the devices comprising: - a process chamber for receiving a bath of material that can be solidified, - a solidification device for solidifying a selective part of the material for manufacturing the object, - a control device for controlling the device for manufacturing the object on basis of a print order, and - interface means adapted to receive the print order over the public network; and wherein the system comprises a central server configured to determine geographic location information of the plurality of devices, to obtain a print job, to select at least one of the plurality of devices based on the geographic location information of the devices and for sending the print job to the selected device.

The system of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a database, wherein the database comprises identifications and geographic location information of each of the plurality of devices.

A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the server is arranged to receive process information from the devices, wherein the process information can process the devices from any type of material, object size the devices can manufacture, suitability of the devices for manufacture of objects, accuracy of objects, speed at which objects are manufactured, material properties of objects to be manufactured, detail size of objects to be manufactured, and in which the server is further adapted to select the at least one of the plurality of devices based on the process information.

The system of claim 3, wherein the server further selects the at least one of the plurality of devices based on the received process information.

A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the devices is connected to the server via a private network over the public network.

A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the print order comprises geographic location information to which an object is to be transported, and wherein selecting at least one of the plurality of devices comprises: - selecting at least one of the plurality of devices with geographical location information in a geographical proximity of the geographical location information to which the object is to be transported.

A system according to any preceding claim, wherein the central server comprises occupancy rate information of each of the plurality of devices, and wherein selecting at least one of the plurality of devices comprises: - selecting at least one of the plurality of establishments based on capacity utilization information.

The system of claim 7, wherein an object comprises a plurality of print jobs, and wherein the server is configured to select at least one of the devices for sending at least one of the plurality of print jobs such that a total production lead time of the object is minimized.

A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein at least one of the devices is adapted to send, to the central server, its geographic location information.

The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one of the devices comprises a network address, and wherein the at least one of the devices is adapted to determine its geographic location information by deriving the geographic location information from the network address information.

A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the central server is arranged for storing process information for the print jobs.

The system of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the public network is the internet.

A system according to any of the preceding claims, wherein a print command comprises at least one of a print model of an object, one or more series of successive layers of the object, device settings, and vectors for the object.

The system of claim 13, wherein the device settings include material type, temperature settings, accuracy settings.

Device for manufacturing an object by means of additive manufacturing, wherein the device is suitable for use in a system according to one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the device comprises: - a process chamber for receiving a bath of material that can be solidified; - a solidifying device for solidifying a selective part of the material for manufacturing an object, and - a controlling device for controlling the device for manufacturing the object on the basis of a print order, - interface means adapted to receive the print job over a public network.

Device for manufacturing an object by means of additive manufacturing according to claim 15, wherein the interface means are further adapted to send process information from the device, wherein the process information is one of a type of material the device can process, object size device can manufacture, suitability of the device for manufacturing objects, accuracy of objects, speed at which objects are manufactured, material properties for objects to be manufactured, detail size of objects to be manufactured, to the central server.