WO2019036573A1

WO2019036573A1 - Additive manufacturing system

Info

Publication number: WO2019036573A1
Application number: PCT/US2018/046855
Authority: WO
Inventors: Anand A. Kulkarni; Kyle I. STOODT; Mark R. BURHOP; Ahmed Kamel
Original assignee: Siemens Energy, Inc.
Priority date: 2017-08-18
Filing date: 2018-08-17
Publication date: 2019-02-21

Abstract

A method of additively manufacturing or repairing a part includes selecting a powder bed from one of a plurality of available powder beds, positioning a powdered metal within a space defined by the powder bed, selecting an energy source from one of a plurality of available energy sources, and selecting a robot from one of a plurality of available robots. The method also includes generating a 3-D model of the part within a design system and directly initiating the manufacture of the part using the selected powder bed, energy source, and robot from within the design system with operating instructions in G-Code or 3MF machine code language.

Description

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure is directed, in general, to additive manufacturing system, and more specifically to a design system for use in additive manufacturing.

BACKGROUND

[0002] Additive manufacturing has grown and evolved into a number of different processes that can use any number of different pieces of equipment to form parts. For any given part, there are optimum or desired processes and equipment choices that make the production of that part more efficient. Thus, each part made or required through additive manufacturing techniques requires the design of a complete system.

SUMMARY

[0003] An additive manufacturing system for manufacturing or repairing a part includes a powder bed selected from one of a plurality of available powder beds, the powder bed defining a space that contains a quantity of powdered metal for use in forming the part, and an energy source selected from one of a plurality of available energy sources, the energy source operable to selectively melt a portion of the powdered metal within the powder bed to form the part. A robot is selected from one of a plurality of available robots and is operable to move one of the powder bed, the energy source, and the part to facilitate the manufacturing of the part, and a design system is capable of generating a 3-D model of the part and directly initiating the manufacture of the part using the selected powder bed, the selected energy source, and the selected robot. The design system selects a first interface to control the operation of the selected powder bed, a second interface to control the operation of the selected energy source, and a third interface to control the operation of the selected robot, and wherein each of the first interface, the second interface, and the third interface are selected from a plurality of available interfaces stored within the design system. The available interfaces include interfaces for each of the plurality of available powder beds, the plurality of available energy sources, and the plurality of available robots.

[0004] In another construction, a method of additively manufacturing or repairing a part includes selecting a powder bed from one of a plurality of available powder beds, positioning a powdered metal within a space defined by the powder bed, selecting an energy source from one of a plurality of available energy sources, and selecting a robot from one of a plurality of available robots. The method also includes generating a 3-D model of the part within a design system and directly initiating the manufacture of the part using the selected powder bed, energy source, and robot from within the design system.

[0005] The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the technical features of the present disclosure so that those skilled in the art may better understand the detailed description that follows.

Additional features and advantages of the disclosure will be described hereinafter that form the subject of the claims. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that they may readily use the conception and the specific embodiments disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also realize that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the disclosure in its broadest form.

[0006] Also, before undertaking the Detailed Description below, it should be understood that various definitions for certain words and phrases are provided throughout this specification and those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such definitions apply in many, if not most, instances to prior as well as future uses of such defined words and phrases. While some terms may include a wide variety of embodiments, the appended claims may expressly limit these terms to specific embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of a design system operable to design a part and to provide machine instructions for the manufacture of that part. [0008] Fig. 2 is a perspective view of an additive manufacturing system.

[0009] Fig. 3 is a schematic illustration of an additive manufacturing part selection process within the design system.

[0010] Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of parts set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0011] Various technologies that pertain to systems and methods will now be described with reference to the drawings, where like reference numerals represent like elements throughout. The drawings discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably arranged apparatus. It is to be understood that functionality that is described as being carried out by certain system elements may be performed by multiple elements. Similarly, for instance, an element may be configured to perform functionality that is described as being carried out by multiple elements. The numerous innovative teachings of the present application will be described with reference to exemplary non-limiting embodiments.

[0012] Also, it should be understood that the words or phrases used herein should be construed broadly, unless expressly limited in some examples. For example, the terms "including," "having," and "comprising," as well as derivatives thereof, mean inclusion without limitation. The singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further, the term "and/or" as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. The term "or" is inclusive, meaning and/or, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The phrases "associated with" and "associated therewith," as well as derivatives thereof, may mean to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be communicable with, cooperate with, interleave, juxtapose, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have, have a property of, or the like.

[0013] Also, although the terms "first", "second", "third" and so forth may be used herein to refer to various elements, information, functions, or acts, these elements, information, functions, or acts should not be limited by these terms. Rather these numeral adjectives are used to distinguish different elements, information, functions or acts from each other. For example, a first element, information, function, or act could be termed a second element, information, function, or act, and, similarly, a second element, information, function, or act could be termed a first element, information, function, or act, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0014] In addition, the term "adjacent to" may mean: that an element is relatively near to but not in contact with a further element; or that the element is in contact with the further portion, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Further, the phrase "based on" is intended to mean "based, at least in part, on" unless explicitly stated otherwise. Terms "about" or "substantially" or like terms are intended to cover variations in a value that are within normal industry manufacturing tolerances for that dimension. If no industry standard as available a variation of 20 percent would fall within the meaning of these terms unless otherwise stated.

[0015] Fig. 1 illustrates an integrated design system 10 for use in the design and manufacture, or repair of parts, devices, or components. The design system 10 is a single program, system, or application that allows a designer to quickly and efficiently move through the various steps in the design and manufacturing processes. The design system 10 of Fig. 1 is arranged to facilitate the manufacture of the part using additive manufacturing processes.

[0016] Fig. 2 illustrates a simple additive manufacturing system 15 which includes a powder bed 20, an energy source 25, and a robot 30. The powder bed 20 may include a chamber or space 35 that is arranged to contain powdered metal 40 for use in forming a desired part 45. The size of the powder bed 20 as well as its construction will vary depending on the part 45 being manufactured. Thus, there are a plurality of different powder beds 80 available and the designer must select the most appropriate powder bed 20 for use depending on the part 45 being made, the specific process desired, the material being used, and other design considerations.

[0017] The energy source 25 is selected from one of a plurality of different energy sources 85 to complete the manufacture of the part 45. Again, a plurality of different energy sources 85 are available and the designer must select the most appropriate energy source 25 based on the desired process to be used, the material being used, the cost of the energy source 25, and other design considerations. The energy source 25 is selected to allow for the selective melting of the powdered metal 40 within the powder bed 25 to form a layer for the part 45. In one construction, a laser is used as the energy source 25 and the energy source 25 is arranged to control the width and power level or intensity of the laser during the manufacturing process.

[0018] The robot 30 is provided to manipulate one or more of the powder bed 20, the part 45 being manufactured, and the energy source 25 to facilitate the manufacture of the part 45. In the construction of Fig. 2, the robot 30 is capable of moving the energy source 25 in at least three axes to direct an energy beam at a desired location within the powder bed 20. The powder bed 20 is also movable vertically to move the part 45 down as each layer is completed. In some constructions, a single robot 30 accomplishes this movement with other constructions employing two or more robots 30 to achieve the necessary motion. In still other constructions, a second robot or the single robot 30 supports the part 45 being manufactured to adjust the part's position and orientation during manufacture. As with the energy source 25 and powder bed 20, the designer must select the desired types and quantity of robots 30 to manufacture the part from a plurality of robots 90.

[0019] If the part 45 is a new part or component, the designer first generates a 3-D model 50 of the part 45 using computer aided design (CAD) software 56 as shown in Fig. 1. The CAD software 56 is part of the design system 10 or is a module within the design system 10. The design system 10 could also include modules or analysis tools that could be used to analyze and review the 3-D model 50. For example, one module performs a finite element analysis of the 3- D model 50.

[0020] If additive manufacturing techniques are planned for use with the part 45, the next step is to generate 2-D slices 55 of the part 45. The slices 55 are generated directly from the 3-D model 50 such that the edges maintain the level of accuracy provided in the 3-D model 50. A slicing module 57 is provided in the design system 10 to generate the necessary 2-D slices 55 without the need to transfer or convert files. Prior art techniques required that the 3-D model 50 be sliced into 2-D slices 55 in a different software package that was unable to maintain the accuracy of the 3-D model 50. For example, in the present system, a circular edge is defined by the equation for the circle and is therefore accurate at any point on the arc. However, prior art systems defined the same circular edge using a plurality of straight lines. Depending on the number of straight lines employed, large errors could be introduced. Any errors created at this step are directly transferred to the finished part 45 and must be corrected using post processing operations such as machining, grinding, and the like before the part 45 is completed.

[0021] Once the 2-D slices 55 are available, the design system 10, or a designer must define an infill pattern 60 for the energy beam to follow while forming the solid portions of the part 45 for each slice 55. For example, if the part is a hollow thin- walled structure, the infill pattern 60 might simply be one or a few passes around the perimeter. However, if the slice 55 is solid, the perimeter as well as the entire volume within the perimeter may need to be covered by the infill pattern 60. The design system 10 can define the most efficient infill pattern 60 or can vary the width of the energy beam, but designer intervention is often required to adjust the infill pattern 60 based on experience or other manufacturing concerns.

[0022] The infill pattern 60 is defined in an infill module 61 and must be performed for each slice 55 made during the slicing process. However, the design system 10 can use infill patterns 60 defined in previous slices 55 to automate or assist the designer in completing subsequent slices 55.

[0023] Once the infill patterns 60 are defined for each slice 55, the infill patterns 60 are converted to instructions for the robot 30, the energy source 25, and the powder bed 20

(collectively referred to as devices 20, 25, 30). The design system 10 includes a code module 65 that performs this step internally to again eliminate the need for generating new computer files or for switching to a new program. In most constructions, the instructions are generated in machine readable code such as G-Code or 3MF code. The robot 30, the energy source 25, and the powder bed 20 operate in response to the provided code to manufacture the part 45. A simulation module 70 can be provided in the design system 10 to simulate the manufacturing process and look for potential problems or inefficiencies with the defined infill patterns 60.

[0024] In some constructions, a closed loop feedback element such as a camera 75 (shown in Fig. 2) or other sensor is provided to measure or observe the manufacturing process and provide feedback or measurements to the design system 10 to allow for the real time adjustment of the process.

[0025] As discussed earlier, there are a plurality of powder beds 80, a plurality of energy sources 85, and a plurality of robots 90 9collectively referred to as manufacturing tools 80, 85, 90) that could be used in the manufacture of parts 45. These manufacturing tools 80, 85, 90 are produced by many different providers and because of this, operate using different software or systems. In prior art systems, the selection of the various devices 20, 25, 30 often required the creation or implementation of additional software to allow the various devices 20, 25, 30 to operate together.

[0026] Fig. 3 schematically illustrates the selection of the powder bed 20 from the plurality of powder beds 80, the energy source 25 from the plurality of energy sources 85, and the robot 30 from the plurality of robots 90. Each device 20, 25, 30 also includes an interface 95 that allows the particular device 20, 25, 30 to operate properly. Because the devices 20, 25, 30 are often manufactured by different providers and are different from one another, the interfaces 95 are often different and sometimes incompatible. The design system 10 includes the interfaces 95 required for each of the plurality of powder beds 80, the plurality of energy sources 85, and the plurality of robots 90 to allow the designer to simply select the most appropriate devices 20, 25, 30, while allowing the design system 10 to integrate the interfaces 95 to assure that the generated instructions (e.g., G-Code) are correct for the selected device 20, 25, 30. In preferred

constructions, the design system 10 includes a database 100 that contains the interfaces 95 for each of the plurality of manufacturing tools 80, 85, 90.

[0027] It should be noted that the system 10 described with regard to Figs. 1-3 could also be used to repair a part. In the case of the repair, the design steps may be different but the manufacturing steps from the formation of 2-D slices 55 forward is substantially the same as just described. The design may employ a scanned point cloud as the 3-D model 50, for example. [0028] In use, the user or designer first designs the part to be manufactured or produces the 3-D model 50 of the part 45 to be repaired. The design system 10 includes 3-D CAD tools that are well-suited to these tasks. Based on the size and shape of the part 45, the desired materials being used, and other factors, the designer next selects the devices 20, 25, 30 to be used in the manufacture. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the design system 10 includes a plurality of manufacturing tools 80, 85, 90 from which the designer can select for each of the main devices (i.e., the powder bed 20, the energy source 25, and the robot 30). The choices of these devices 20, 25, 30 may have an effect on the 2-D slices 55 and more particularly on the infill pattern 60 selected for forming the actual layers in the part 45.

[0029] The designer next generates the 2-D slices 55 based on the process being employed and the particular devices 20, 25, 30 selected for manufacturing. For example, some laser systems may be able to form layers no greater than 0.1 mm thick while other laser systems may be capable of forming layers 1 mm thick. The 2-D slices 55 should be selected to match the layers that are capable of being formed by the selected energy source 25 or the other selected devices 20, 25, 30.

[0030] Next, the infill patterns 60 for each 2-D slice 55 are defined. Again, the infill patterns 60 are a function of the energy source 25 selected and are also limited by the robot 30 selected. For example, the selected energy source 25 may be capable of only a narrow beam, thereby requiring multiple passes while another energy source 25 might be capable of a wider beam that can reduce the number of passes. Similarly, the speed and direction of movement of the robot 30 may limit or enhance the ability to manufacture the designed part 45.

[0031] Once the infill patterns 60 are defined for each of the 2-D slices 55 the design system 10 generates the necessary instructions for the energy source 25, the powder bed 20, and the robot 30. The instructions are generated using the interfaces 90 of the selected devices 20, 25, 30 to assure that the final code generated produces the desired operation of the energy source 25, the powder bed 20, and the robot 30. As noted, the code generated is preferably G-Code or 3MF code as may be required. [0032] The design system 10 can transmit or otherwise deliver the code directly to the energy source 25, the powder bed 20, and the robot 30 to further automate the process and eliminate the need to move computer files between devices 20, 25, 30.

[0033] It should be noted that the devices 20, 25, 30 represent a simplified additive

manufacturing system 15 that performs the necessary functions to manufacture the part 45.

Other components, or systems may be required and are capable of incorporation using the described design system 10. For example, the robot 30 is meant to encompass all the devices required to provide the necessary movement to manufacture the part 45. Thus, one or more robots may be employed. However, simple actuators or movable support members should also be considered part of the robot 30. Similarly, most powder beds include other components such as feeder systems, screeders, vibration systems etc. that should be included in the powder bed 20.

[0034] Although an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure has been described in detail, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, substitutions, variations, and improvements disclosed herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure in its broadest form.

[0035] None of the description in the present application should be read as implying that any particular element, step, act, or function is an essential element, which must be included in the claim scope: the scope of patented subject matter is defined only by the allowed claims.

Moreover, none of these claims are intended to invoke a means plus function claim construction unless the exact words "means for" are followed by a participle.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An additive manufacturing system for manufacturing or repairing a part, the system comprising:

a powder bed selected from one of a plurality of available powder beds, the powder bed defining a space that contains a quantity of powdered metal for use in forming the part;

an energy source selected from one of a plurality of available energy sources, the energy source operable to selectively melt a portion of the powdered metal within the powder bed to form the part;

a robot selected from one of a plurality of available robots, the robot operable to move one of the powder bed, the energy source, and the part to facilitate the manufacturing of the part; and

a design system capable of generating a 3-D model of the part and directly initiating the manufacture of the part using the selected powder bed, the selected energy source, and the selected robot, wherein the design system selects a first interface to control the operation of the selected powder bed, a second interface to control the operation of the selected energy source, and a third interface to control the operation of the selected robot, and wherein each of the first interface, the second interface, and the third interface are selected from a plurality of available interfaces stored within the design system, the available interfaces include interfaces for each of the plurality of available powder beds, the plurality of available energy sources, and the plurality of available robots.

2. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, further comprising a closed loop feedback element coupled to one of the selected powder bed, the selected energy source, and the selected robot and operable to measure a feature of the part being manufactured and transmit that measurement to the design system during the manufacture of the part.

3. The additive manufacturing system of claim 2, wherein the closed loop feedback element includes a camera.

4. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1 , wherein the robot includes a first robot operable to manipulate the energy source and a second robot operable to manipulate one of a position and an orientation of the part as it is being formed.

5. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the energy source includes a laser operable in a selective laser additive manufacturing system.

6. The additive manufacturing system of claim 1, wherein the design system is operable to convert the 3-D model to a plurality of 2-D slices.

7. The additive manufacturing system of claim 6, wherein the design system includes an interface to facilitate the addition of an infill pattern for each 2-D slice.

8. The additive manufacturing system of claim 7, wherein the design system uses the first interface, the second interface, and the third interface to generate operating instructions for each of the selected powder bed, the selected energy source, and the selected robot.

9. The additive manufacturing system of claim 8, wherein the operating instructions are in the form of one of G-Code instructions and 3MF code instructions.

10. A method of additively manufacturing or repairing a part, the method comprising:

selecting a powder bed from one of a plurality of available powder beds;

positioning a powdered metal within a space defined by the powder bed;

selecting an energy source from one of a plurality of available energy sources;

selecting a robot from one of a plurality of available robots; and

generating a 3-D model of the part within a design system and directly initiating the manufacture of the part using the selected powder bed, energy source, and robot from within the design system.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising selecting using the design system a first interface to control the operation of the powder bed, a second interface to control the operation of the energy source, and a third interface to control the operation of the robot, and wherein each of the first interface, the second interface, and the third interface are selected from a plurality of available interfaces stored within a database, the available interfaces include interfaces for each of the plurality of available powder beds, the plurality of available energy sources, and the plurality of available robots.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising operating the energy source to selectively melt a portion of the powdered metal within the powder bed to form a layer of the part.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising operating the robot to move one of the powder bed, the energy source, and the part to facilitate the manufacture of the part.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the robot includes a first robot and a second robot, the method further including operating the first robot to manipulate the energy source and operating the second robot to manipulate one of a position and an orientation of the part as it is being formed.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the energy source includes a laser operable in a laser additive manufacturing system.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising converting the 3-D model to a plurality of 2-D slices within the design system.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising defining an infill pattern for each 2-D slice within the design system.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating operating instructions for each of the selected powder bed, the selected energy source, and the selected robot using the first interface, the second interface, and the third interface.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating the operating instructions in the form of one of G-Code instructions and 3MF code instructions.