TWI681832B - Raw material source, selective laser melting molding equipment, manufacturing method of raw material source, and selective laser melting molding method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a raw material source, a selective laser melting molding equipment and method including the raw material source. The raw material source includes a plurality of raw material layers sequentially arranged along the feed direction, the multiple raw material layers include powder, and the average particle diameter of the powder of the plurality of raw material layers decreases along the feed direction. Therefore, by using the raw material source for an additive manufacturing process such as a selective laser melting process, the mechanical properties and surface quality of the resulting product can be improved.

Description

Raw material source, selective laser melting molding equipment, manufacturing method of raw material source, and selective laser melting molding method

The invention relates to a raw material source, a selective laser melting molding equipment and method including the raw material source.

Additive Manufacturing (Additive Manufacturing) is a technology that uses the method of gradually accumulating materials for manufacturing. In the additive manufacturing technology, a selective laser melting (SLM) technology is proposed. That is, powders such as metals or metal alloys are selectively melted under the action of lasers and then cooled and solidified to form. The particle size of the powder and the distribution of powders with different particle sizes have a very significant effect on the mechanical properties of the product obtained by SLM technology. If the selected particle size is improper, it may cause defects such as pores and cracks in the final product, which reduces the density of the product, which may seriously affect the mechanical properties of the product, such as strength, elongation, fatigue and long-term performance , And also affect the surface quality of the product.

The present invention aims to solve the above-mentioned and/or other technical problems, and thus provides a raw material source that can improve the mechanical properties and surface quality of products obtained by the additive manufacturing process, and a selective laser melting molding equipment and method including the raw material source.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a raw material source is provided, the raw material source including a plurality of raw material layers sequentially arranged along a feeding direction, the plurality of raw material layers including powder, and the powder of the plurality of raw material layers The average particle size decreases along the feeding direction. In an additive manufacturing process such as a selective laser melting process, the raw material source may provide the powder as a raw material in such a manner that the average particle diameter continuously increases. Therefore, fatal defects of the resulting product can be prevented, and the mechanical properties and surface quality of the resulting final product can be improved.

N。例如，所述多個原料層包括四個原料層，其中，第1原料層包括的粉體的粒徑在10微米至50微米的範圍內，第2原料層包括的粉體的粒徑在20微米至60微米的範圍內，第3原料層包括的粉體的粒徑在30微米至70微米的範圍內，第4原料層包括的粉體的粒徑在40微米至80微米的範圍內。或者，所述多個原料層包括四個原料層，其中，第1原料層包括的粉體的平均粒徑為30微米，第2原料層包括的粉體的平均粒徑為40微米，第3原料層包括的粉體的平均粒徑為50微米，第4原料層包括的粉體的平均粒徑為60微米。此外，所述原料源的粉體包括適用於選擇性雷射熔化的金屬或金屬合金，例如，Inconel 718合金(IN718)。因此，所述原料源可以更加充分的使 用各種粒徑的粉末，從而減少了原料，節約成本。 The plurality of raw material layers include a first raw material layer to an N-th raw material layer that are sequentially arranged, wherein the minimum value of the range of the particle diameter of the powder included in the i-th raw material layer is greater than that included in the i-1th raw material layer The minimum value of the range of the particle size of the powder, and less than or equal to the maximum value of the range of the particle size of the powder included in the i-1th raw material layer, where 1<i

N. For example, the plurality of raw material layers includes four raw material layers, wherein the particle size of the powder included in the first raw material layer is in the range of 10 to 50 microns, and the particle size of the powder included in the second raw material layer is 20 In the range of microns to 60 microns, the particle size of the powder included in the third raw material layer is in the range of 30 microns to 70 microns, and the particle size of the powder included in the fourth raw material layer is in the range of 40 microns to 80 microns. Alternatively, the plurality of raw material layers includes four raw material layers, wherein the average particle diameter of the powder included in the first raw material layer is 30 μm, and the average particle diameter of the powder included in the second raw material layer is 40 μm, and the third The average particle diameter of the powder included in the raw material layer is 50 μm, and the average particle diameter of the powder included in the fourth raw material layer is 60 μm. In addition, the powder of the raw material source includes a metal or metal alloy suitable for selective laser melting, for example, Inconel 718 alloy (IN718). Therefore, the raw material source can more fully use powders of various particle sizes, thereby reducing raw materials and saving costs.

According to another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a selective laser melting molding apparatus including a laser molding apparatus and a raw material source as described above, the raw material source configured to provide raw materials to the laser molding apparatus . Therefore, when the selective laser melting molding apparatus performs the selective laser melting molding operation, the raw material source may provide the powder as the raw material in a manner that the average particle diameter continuously increases. Therefore, fatal defects of the resulting product can be prevented, and the mechanical properties and surface quality of the resulting final product can be improved. For example, the raw material source is configured to sequentially supply the powders included in the plurality of raw material layers to the laser forming device along the feed direction during the selective laser melting forming process.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method of manufacturing a raw material source, the method comprising: providing a plurality of raw material layers in a raw material accommodating space of the raw material source, so that the plurality of raw material layers are sequentially arranged along a feeding direction , Wherein the plurality of raw material layers include powders, and the average particle diameter of the powders of the plurality of raw material layers decreases in the feeding direction.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a selective laser melting molding method, characterized in that the method comprises: sequentially providing powders in a plurality of raw material layers included in a raw material source to a feed direction to Laser forming device, wherein a plurality of raw material layers are sequentially arranged in the raw material source along the feeding direction, and the average particle size of the powder of the multiple raw material layers decreases along the feeding direction; The powder is subjected to a selective laser melting molding process. Furthermore, according to still another exemplary embodiment, a product manufactured by the selective laser melting molding method as above is provided.

According to an exemplary embodiment, when performing an additive manufacturing process such as a selective laser melting process, a powder layer with a smaller average particle diameter may be molded first, and then a powder layer with a larger average particle diameter may be formed Molding, so that the deviation between the powder layer and the actual product layer obtained due to high-temperature melting shrinkage can be reduced. In addition, because the average particle size of the provided powder gradually increases, the above deviation can be prevented from gradually increasing with the increase in the number of product layers (or the height of the product), thereby preventing fatal defects in the final product and improving The mechanical properties and surface quality of the final product. In addition, the raw material source according to the exemplary embodiment can more fully use powders of various particle sizes, thereby reducing raw materials and saving costs.

1, 2, ..., N‧‧‧ raw material layer

100‧‧‧Raw material source

300‧‧‧Selective laser forming equipment

310‧‧‧Raw material source

311‧‧‧ Raw material cylinder

313‧‧‧ feeding piston

315‧‧‧Feeding roller

330‧‧‧Laser forming device

331‧‧‧forming cylinder

333‧‧‧forming piston

335‧‧‧Laser

The following drawings are only intended to schematically illustrate and explain the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a raw material source according to an exemplary embodiment; FIG. 2 is a diagram showing FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a selective laser melting molding apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

In order to have a clearer understanding of the technical features, purposes and effects of the present invention, the specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a raw material source according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the raw material source 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may include a plurality of raw material layers, for example, a first raw material layer 1, a second raw material layer 2, ..., an N-th raw material layer N.

The raw material source 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may be a raw material source for an additive manufacturing process or equipment. Therefore, the plurality of raw material layers 1, 2, ..., N may include powder. In an exemplary embodiment, the raw material source 100 may be a raw material source used in a selective laser melting (SLM, Selective Laser Melting) process or equipment. For example, the powders included in the plurality of raw material layers 1, 2, ..., N may include metals or metal alloys suitable for selective laser melting, for example, Inconel 718 alloy (IN718). IN718 is a precipitation hardening nickel-chromium-iron alloy containing niobium and molybdenum. IN718 has high strength, good toughness and high temperature resistance. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and the powder included in the raw material source may also be other materials having high strength and high temperature resistance.

The multiple raw material layers 1, 2, ..., N can be sequentially arranged along the feeding direction, as shown in FIG. Meanwhile, the average particle diameters of the powders included in the plurality of raw material layers 1, 2, ..., N may be different from each other, for example, may be reduced in the feeding direction. As such, when the raw material source 100 according to the exemplary embodiment is used for the additive manufacturing or SLM process, the powder in the first raw material layer with the smallest average particle diameter can be first provided along the feeding direction. Then, the powder in the second raw material layer to the Nth raw material layer having an average particle diameter larger than the first raw material layer is provided. That is, the raw material source 100 according to the exemplary embodiment may provide the powder as the raw material in such a manner that the average particle diameter continuously increases. Therefore, as will be described in detail below, when performing an additive manufacturing process such as a selective laser melting process, the powder layer with a smaller average particle diameter is first molded, and then the powder with a larger average particle diameter is formed The body layer is formed so that the deviation between the powder layer and the actual product layer resulting from the high-temperature melting shrinkage can be reduced. In addition, because the average particle size of the provided powder is gradually increased, the above deviation can be prevented from gradually increasing with the increase of the number of product layers (or the height of the product), thereby preventing fatal defects in the final product and improving The mechanical properties and surface quality of the final product obtained. In addition, the raw material source according to the exemplary embodiment can more fully use powders of various particle sizes, thereby reducing raw materials and saving costs.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the distribution of the raw material layer and the particle diameter of the powder according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the average particle diameter of the powder of the plurality of raw material layers 1, 2, ..., N decreases in the feeding direction. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of raw material layers 1, 2, ..., N may include four raw material layers 1, 2, 3, 4, wherein the first raw material layer includes The average particle diameter of the powder is 30 microns, the average particle diameter of the powder included in the second raw material layer is 40 microns, the average particle diameter of the powder included in the third raw material layer is 50 microns, and the powder included in the fourth raw material layer The average particle size of the volume is 60 microns.

N。 For this reason, each raw material layer may include powder having a particle size within a certain range. For example, in the first raw material layer to the Nth raw material layer, the minimum value of the range of the particle diameter of the powder included in the i-th raw material layer may be larger than the particle diameter of the powder included in the i-1 raw material layer The minimum value of the range, and may be less than or equal to the maximum value of the range of the particle size of the powder included in the i-1th raw material layer, where 1<i

N.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of raw material layers 1, 2, ..., N may include four raw material layers 1, 2, 3, 4. The particle size of the powder included in the first raw material layer may be in the range of 10 to 50 microns, the particle size of the powder included in the second raw material layer may be in the range of 20 to 60 microns, and the particle size of the third raw material layer The particle size of the powder may be in the range of 30 microns to 70 microns, and the particle size of the powder included in the fourth raw material layer may be in the range of 40 microns to 80 microns.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the distribution of the powders with different particle sizes included in each raw material layer may have a relationship that can conform to the normal distribution. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and in other exemplary embodiments, powders with different particle sizes included in each raw material layer may have various distribution forms, or, the powders included in each raw material layer The particle size can be substantially the same.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a selective laser melting (SLM) molding apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 3, the selective laser melting molding apparatus 300 according to an exemplary embodiment may include a raw material source 310 and a laser molding apparatus 330.

The raw material source 310 may be the raw material source according to the exemplary embodiment described above. The raw material source 310 may supply raw materials to the laser forming device 330.

Specifically, the raw material source 310 may include a supply raw material cylinder 311, a supply piston 313, and a supply roller 315. The feed piston 313 is provided in the raw material cylinder 311 and can move in the raw material cylinder 311. Therefore, the raw material cylinder 311 and the feed piston 313 together define the raw material accommodation space. A plurality of raw material layers can be sequentially arranged in the raw material accommodating space, and the average particle diameter of the powder of the plurality of raw material layers can be reduced along the feeding direction. The feed roller 315 may be provided at the raw material supply port of the raw material 311. When the feed piston 313 moves in the raw material cylinder 311 so that part or all of the raw material layer closest to the raw material supply port among the multiple raw material layers is exposed outside the raw material cylinder 311 through the raw material supply port, the feed roller 315 may push the exposure Raw materials to provide or transport the exposed raw materials to the laser forming device 330.

The laser forming device 330 may include a forming cylinder 331 and a forming piston 333. The molding plug 333 is provided in the molding cylinder 331 and can move in the molding cylinder 331. Therefore, the molding 331 and the molding piston 333 together define the molding space. In addition, the laser forming device 330 may further include a laser 335. The laser 335 can produce a laser beam and irradiate the generated laser to the molding space.

The operation of the selective laser melting molding apparatus 300 according to an exemplary embodiment is briefly described below.

First, the feed piston 313 may move in the raw material cylinder 311 so that a part or all of the raw material layers closest to the raw material supply port among the plurality of raw material layers are exposed outside the raw material cylinder 311 through the raw material supply port. Then, the feed roller 315 may push the exposed raw material to supply or transport the exposed raw material to the laser forming device 330 to fill the forming space defined by the forming cylinder 331 and the forming piston 333 together.

Then, the laser 335 may irradiate the laser beam to the raw material in the molding space, thereby selectively melting and solidifying the irradiated raw material into a desired pattern. Then, the forming piston 333 moves in the forming cylinder 331 to form a new forming space in the forming cylinder 333.

The above operation can be repeated until the desired molded product is finally obtained.

As described above, the raw material source 310 may include a plurality of raw material layers sequentially arranged along the feeding direction, and the average particle diameter of the powder of the multiple raw material layers may be reduced along the feeding direction. Therefore, in the above-mentioned selective laser forming process, the raw material source 310 can sequentially supply the powders included in the multiple raw material layers to the laser forming device along the feeding direction. In other words, the raw material source 310 according to the exemplary embodiment may provide the powder as the raw material in such a manner that the average particle diameter continuously increases. Specifically, in the selective laser melting molding method according to the exemplary embodiment, first, the raw material source 310 may provide the powder with the smallest average particle diameter included in the first raw material layer to the laser molding device 330, and The powder with the smallest average particle diameter is subjected to a laser forming process by the laser forming device 330. Then, after all the powders included in the first raw material layer are supplied to the laser forming apparatus 330, the raw material source 310 may increase the average particle size of the second raw material layer to be greater than the average particle size of the powder in the first raw material layer The powder of the diameter is supplied to the laser forming device 330, and the laser forming device 330 performs the laser forming process. Finally, the raw material source 310 may provide the powder with the largest average particle size included in the N-th raw material layer to the laser forming device 330, and the laser forming device 330 performs the laser forming process, thereby finally obtaining the exemplary embodiment according to Products manufactured by the selective laser melting molding method.

The raw material source 310 according to the exemplary embodiment may be manufactured by a method in which a plurality of raw material layers may be provided in the raw material accommodating space of the raw material source 310 so that the multiple raw material layers are sequentially arranged along the feeding direction, Wherein, the plurality of raw material layers include powders, and the average particle size of the powders of the plurality of raw material layers decreases along the feeding direction. For example, the powder with the smallest average particle diameter may be first filled into the raw material accommodating space of the raw material source 310 to form the N-th raw material layer adjacent to the raw material supply port of the raw material source 310. Then, powder having an average particle diameter larger than that of the powder of the N-th raw material layer may be filled into the raw material accommodating space of the raw material source 310 to form an N-1 raw material layer adjacent to the N-th raw material layer. Finally, the powder having the largest average particle diameter is filled into the raw material accommodating space of the raw material source 310 to form the first raw material layer, thereby obtaining the raw material source 310 according to the exemplary embodiment. However, the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first raw material layer to the N-th raw material layer may be sequentially arranged in a direction opposite to the feeding direction to obtain the raw material source 350 according to the exemplary embodiment.

Therefore, according to an exemplary embodiment, when performing an additive manufacturing process such as a selective laser melting process, a powder layer with a smaller average particle diameter can be molded first, and then a powder with a larger average particle diameter can be formed The layer is formed so that the deviation between the powder layer and the actual product layer due to high-temperature melting shrinkage can be reduced. In addition, because the average particle size of the provided powder gradually increases, the above deviation can be prevented from gradually increasing with the increase in the number of product layers (or the height of the product), thereby preventing fatal defects in the final product and improving The mechanical properties and surface quality of the final product. In addition, the raw material source according to the exemplary embodiment can more fully use powders of various particle sizes, thereby reducing raw materials and saving costs.

It should be understood that although this specification is described according to various embodiments, not every embodiment contains only an independent technical solution. This description of the specification is only for clarity, and those skilled in the art should use the specification as a Overall, the technical solutions in the embodiments can also be appropriately combined to form other implementations that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

The above are only schematic specific embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any equivalent changes, modifications and combinations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept and principles of the present invention shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

1, 2, ..., N‧‧‧ raw material layer

100‧‧‧Raw material source

Claims (9)

A raw material source (100, 310), characterized in that the raw material source includes a plurality of raw material layers sequentially arranged along a feeding direction, the multiple raw material layers include powders, and the powders of the multiple raw material layers The average particle size decreases along the feeding direction. The raw material source according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of raw material layers include a first raw material layer to an N-th raw material layer arranged in sequence, wherein the minimum value of the range of the particle diameter of the powder included in the i-th raw material layer Is greater than the minimum value of the range of the particle size of the powder included in the i-1 raw material layer, and less than or equal to the maximum value of the range of the particle size of the powder included in the i-1 raw material layer, where 1 <i

N. The raw material source according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of raw material layers includes four raw material layers, wherein the particle size of the powder included in the first raw material layer is in the range of 10 to 50 μm, and the second raw material layer includes The particle size of the powder is in the range of 20 microns to 60 microns, the particle size of the powder included in the third raw material layer is in the range of 30 microns to 70 microns, and the particle size of the powder included in the fourth raw material layer is 40 In the range of microns to 80 microns. The raw material source according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of raw material layers includes four raw material layers, wherein the average particle diameter of the powder included in the first raw material layer is 30 μm, and the average value of the powder included in the second raw material layer The particle size is 40 μm, the average particle size of the powder included in the third raw material layer is 50 μm, and the average particle size of the powder included in the fourth raw material layer is 60 μm. The raw material source according to claim 1, wherein the powder includes a metal or metal alloy suitable for selective laser melting. A selective laser melting molding equipment, characterized in that The preparation includes: a laser forming device (330); and a raw material source (310) according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is configured to supply raw materials to the laser forming device. The selective laser melting molding apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the raw material source is configured to sequentially provide the powders included in the plurality of raw material layers along the feeding direction during the selective laser melting molding process To the laser forming device. A method for manufacturing a raw material source, characterized in that the method includes: providing a plurality of raw material layers in a raw material accommodating space of the raw material source, so that the multiple raw material layers are sequentially arranged along the feeding direction, wherein the multiple Each raw material layer includes powder, and the average particle diameter of the powder of the plurality of raw material layers decreases along the feeding direction. A selective laser melting molding method, characterized in that the method includes sequentially supplying powders in a plurality of raw material layers included in a raw material source to a laser molding device along a feeding direction, wherein a plurality of raw materials The layers are sequentially arranged in the raw material source along the feeding direction, and the average particle size of the powder of the plurality of raw material layers decreases along the feeding direction; selective laser melting molding is performed on the powder provided to the laser molding device Craftsmanship.

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