WO2008128502A2

WO2008128502A2 - Apparatus for the production of three-dimensional objects

Info

Publication number: WO2008128502A2
Application number: PCT/DE2008/000554
Authority: WO
Inventors: Frank Herzog
Original assignee: Cl Schutzrechtsverwaltungs Gmbh
Priority date: 2007-04-18
Filing date: 2008-04-02
Publication date: 2008-10-30
Also published as: WO2008128502A3; DE102007018601B4; DE102007018601A1

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for producing three-dimensional objects (2) by successively compacting layers of a structural material (8), which can be compacted using radiation, at the points corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object (2). Said apparatus (1) comprises a housing, a mounting container (4) which is accommodated therein and inside which a supporting device is arranged for supporting the object (2) by means of a support (6), an applicator (7) for applying layers of the structural material (8) to the supporting device (5) or a previously formed layer, a metering device (9) for feeding the structural material (8), and a radiation device (10) for irradiating layers of the structural material (8) at the points corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object (2). The housing (3) of the apparatus (1) has a housing section (I), inside which the mounting container (4) is located during the construction process. A removing station (12) and a handling zone (11) are provided. A conveying mechanism (13) is disposed within the protective gas atmosphere sealed by means of the housing (3) of the apparatus (1), including the handling zone (11). Said conveying mechanism (13) is equipped with a conveying element (14) at the feeding end (E) while being at least temporarily connected to at least one metering or storage container (15, 16) of the apparatus and/or being positioned above a metering or storage container (15, 16) located within the protective gas atmosphere at the discharge end (A). The conveying element (14) of the conveying mechanism (13) can be manually or indirectly, by means of a control device (35) that penetrates a wall (37) of the handling zone (11), guided by intervening in the handling zone (11).

Description

DESCRIPTION

Device for producing three-dimensional objects

The invention / innovation relates to an apparatus for producing three-dimensional objects by successively solidifying layers of a radiation-hardenable building material at the respective cross-section of the object corresponding locations, with a housing, a building container housed therein, in which a carrying device for supporting the object with a carrier, an applicator for applying layers of the building material to the support device or a previously formed layer. Furthermore, the apparatus has a metering device for supplying the building material and an irradiation device for irradiating layers of the building material at the locations corresponding to the respective cross section of the object. The housing of the device is provided with a housing portion in which the construction container is located during the construction process, as well as with a removal station and a handling area.

Devices for producing three-dimensional objects by successive solidification of metal powder by means of the prior art

Laser radiation known. Such devices can - as from

Publication DE 10 2004 057 866 Al known - have a plurality of housing sections, wherein a first housing portion receives a space, while a further housing portion is designed as a removal station. In addition, it is described that a glove box can be placed over the removal opening, whereby both in the first and in the second housing section a

Protective gas atmosphere can be maintained.

The invention / innovation is based on the object, an apparatus for producing three-dimensional objects with the features of the preamble of the claim

1 such that a simple, fast and safe powder handling within the production machine, i. is allowed within a space filled with protective gas. In addition, it is an object of the invention a simple

To allow refitting of the building material and give the operator of such a machine thereby a high ease of use. This object is solved by the features of claim 1, advantageous developments of the invention emerge from the dependent claims 2-34.

As a core of the invention / innovation, it is considered that in the sealed by the housing of the device including the handling area a conveyor is arranged on the input side has a manually engageable by engaging in the handling area conveyor element and the output side at least temporarily with at least one storage and / or dosing of the device connected and / or disposed above a storage or dosing, which is disposed within the inert gas atmosphere. Such a conveyor within the protective gas atmosphere can be used, on the one hand, to selectively remove powder from a storage container via the input side of the conveyor and to supply it to the dosing container in a simple manner. On the other hand, the entrance side of the conveyor may be used to conveniently remove building material residues from the support or building material residues left over or adhering to the object after the building process. The building material collected via the conveyor can be required either via a closed connection or by arranging the output side of the conveyor above a storage or dosing container in this. In this case, the building material is always within a protective gas atmosphere.

The handling area can comprise both a machine conveying element and a glove box. In particular, the use of a glove box allows the operator to intervene in an unproblematic way directly manually in the handling area and not negatively affect the inert gas atmosphere. The use of operable outside of the handling area operating devices for guiding the conveying element, such as gripping arms, alone or in combination with a glove box for the handling area makes sense, as this is an advantageous embodiment of a human-machine interface without adversely affecting the Inert gas atmosphere and without contamination of the machine operator allows.

Especially with regard to ever finer processing material is the health of the operator by its isolation from the powder a great advantage. It has proven particularly advantageous to design the conveyor as a suction device and / or the conveyor element as a suction element. In particular, the suction allows easy handling of the building material, it can be easily sucked off and transported into a storage or dosing through a for example, manually passed over the construction of a finished object suction, adhering to the object or resting residual building material. Especially with a dimensioning small trained suction it is possible even in hard to reach areas of a finished object there to remove residual building material.

It has proved to be particularly advantageous to arrange a removal lock in the area of the handling area or an adjacent housing section, which can be filled with inert gas after a removal operation. So it is e.g. it is possible to transfer the completed object located on the support from a first housing section into a second housing section (handling area) from which the object can be freed from the remaining building material and through the intervention of an operator via the glove box or a machine conveyor a removal lock arranged in the vicinity of the handling area can be introduced. By the removal lock the finished building object can be removed without influencing the inert gas atmosphere of the rest of the device from this. Also, the removal lock the contamination-free work is supported because the operator only has to remove the already freed from the residual powder, finished component.

According to an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the lock chamber and / or the handling area is provided with an electronic latch such that an opening can be made only after completion of the construction process. This is to prevent that during the construction process any errors that could result from incorrect operation of the lock chamber are excluded from the outset.

In order to be able to keep the inert gas atmosphere enclosed in the device within a defined quality range, it is advantageous to arrange a residual O ₂ analyzer within the housing which prevents a start of the building process until, within the inert gas atmosphere, the residual O ₂ content is below a predefinable threshold value has dropped. - A -

Furthermore, it is proposed to arrange a plurality of storage containers within the inert gas atmosphere, the contents of which can be überfuhrbar either directly or through the conveyor into the dosing. By the majority of the storage container, it is possible in both its particle size, as well as in its material composition different building material without affecting the inert gas atmosphere of the device in a metering over, this can be done either manually via the glove box, as well as special mechanical conveyors, in particular a suction device whose end area transports building material to a metering chamber. It would also be conceivable to store in a first reservoir new unused building material and already stored in a further reservoir from a previous building process sucked non-baked building material and by means of a conveyor with two inputs a targeted mixing ratio of already used building material and "fresh "Siphon building material from the storage containers and to transfer them into a metering chamber in order to achieve homogeneous material properties of the building material, despite the use of already used building material.

In a preferred embodiment, the building material consists of pulverulent material and is stored within a plurality of storage containers, wherein different building materials are stored in different storage containers. For better filling of the reservoir, it is expedient, this with removable

Cover to provide at least one cover at least one

Has opening corresponding to a arranged on the output side of the conveyor Abfuhrschlauchende. This allows the

To fill reservoir quickly, without a swirl in the rest of the room

Create handling area.

Furthermore, it has proved to be advantageous if the suction device is designed as a cyclone. With the use of a centrifugal separator as an essential part of the suction device, it is possible in a simple manner to achieve a separation of the solid or optionally liquid particles contained in the Absauggut.

According to further embodiments of the invention, the manually feasible suction is designed as a suction lance. Such a suction lance can be slim be built and next to the suction simultaneously or offset to this act on the suction with a gas stream. This is achieved in that the suction lance is provided with, for example, a nozzle near its Absaugöffhung. By the effluent from the suction lance gas local turbulence in the suction can be achieved in which the building material is fluidized and thus easier by the suction opening of the suction lance from the suction can be deduced.

Preferably, a screening device is arranged on the output side of the conveyor, which is equipped for example with a vibrating screen. The filtrate of Rüttelsiebs can be collected in a separate container. The sieve device serves to classify the excavated building material and to assign a defined maximum grain size to the construction material supplied from the conveyor back into the building process. It should thus be avoided that partially baked building material (lumps) is not promoted back into a dosing or storage tank.

In connection with the use of a cyclone for the conveyor, it has proven to be advantageous to arrange an emptying module on the output side of the cyclone, is collected in the sucked material and phase-emptied. This has the advantage that not constantly small amounts of aspirated and conveyed by the cyclone material is transported into the storage and dosing and thus generates a certain constant turbulence in the dosing and storage containers, but phasing a larger amount of abgesaugtem material metering and reservoir is returned, whereby the turbulence is limited in time.

A further advantageous measure is to arrange the conveyor on or in a cover plate of the handling area. By fixing the conveyor on or in a cover plate of the handling area disturbing fixing elements in the lower part of the handling area, which is crucial for the handling of the building material, avoided. Another advantageous structural measure is to arrange the drive element of the conveyor outside the inert gas atmosphere.

In the sense of an additional function, it may be provided that the first housing section, in which the building container is located during the building process, of a second Housing section can be separated by a gas-tight wall, which can be opened to overflow of the building container from the first housing section in the second housing section, wherein disposed on the second housing portion of the handling area. This at least in one end position gas-tight mobile wall can be moved in a conventional manner and / or shared and reassembled.

In addition, it may be advantageous to find in the first housing section a different from the second housing portion inert gas atmosphere. This will be achieved in that the two housing sections are so separated from each other gas-tight and optionally have appropriate lock sections at their interfaces.

It has proved to be advantageous if the metering container can be moved together with the construction container in the removal area. By coupling the dosing with the building container - for example as a module - and the common arrangement, at least in an end position, for example, in the removal position can be easily freed from the residual material by the operator both the dosing, as well as the building container. This can be further improved in that the conveying element of the conveyor is designed for emptying the dosing. A specific design of the conveying element for emptying the dosing would be, for example, in the case of a suction for emptying the dosing temporarily switchable, increased suction of the conveyor element or the suction lance, which allows within a very short time and larger amounts of building material from a dosing - da in these are usually stored in larger quantities of building material - to be transported away.

The handling of, for example, powdery building material in the reservoir can be positively influenced by the fact that in the Öffhungsbereich the reservoir are arranged by vibratory stimulable ramps. In the Öffhungsbereich the reservoir lying building material is made possible on the one hand by the inclined plane of the ramp, as well as by the vibration of an additional transport of building material into the reservoir.

The movement of the building container in the first and in the second housing section and back again preferably takes place automatically. In order to further increase the efficiency of the device according to the invention, it is advantageous to provide a third housing section in which at least temporarily a second construction container is arranged, which can temporarily be transferred into the removal region. This makes it possible, for example, to arrange two construction areas and one removal area within a device, wherein the removal area can be used both for removing finished components of the first and the third housing section. Since the construction process takes more time compared to the removal process, a first object can be built with the example device in a first housing section, while another object constructed from the one in the third housing section can be removed in the second housing section.

Moreover, it is advantageous for the handling area and / or the scanning unit of the irradiation device to be arranged movably on a common or separate sliding guide of the irradiation device above the building container (s). Thus, it is possible, without having to move the building container, to process the object built up in it by moving the scanner unit and then arranging the handling area through the handling area, freeing it of residual material and / or removing it from the device via a lock.

It has proved to be expedient to operate the device with a fiber laser and / or a disk laser, wherein the laser is preferably guided over fiber optic cable at least in sections. By guiding the laser via fiber optic cable, more design freedom is granted in the construction and arrangement of the various components of the device, since, for example, the laser can be arranged at any location and the beam emitted by it can be conducted via the fiber optic cable.

The essential components of the device can be provided in almost any number of ways, for example the device can have at least two handling areas and / or at least two scanning units. This makes it possible to carry out several construction processes and / or several processing or extraction phases simultaneously. This is particularly advantageous when the at least two handling areas and / or the at least two scanning units are rotatably mounted relative to the building containers, virtually in the manner of a revolver rotate the building containers.

To make the build process even safer, it is advantageous if the first, second and / or third housing section is provided with a pressure compensation device, which is preferably fed with inert gas. With such pressure compensation devices, for example, by a suction device (cyclone) caused pressure differences can be counteracted and thus a "quieter" sealed atmosphere can be achieved.

The invention will be explained in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments in the drawing figures. These show

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the device with two

Housing sections, wherein a housing portion is shown open;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view according to FIG. 1 with a closed second housing section; FIG.

Fig. 3 is a full sectional view of the free end portion of a suction lance;

4 shows a schematic representation of a device with three housing sections;

Fig. 5 is a schematic representation of a device with movable

Device components;

Fig. 6 is a schematic representation of the handling area with gloves and operating device.

The device 1 for producing a three-dimensional object 2 comprises a housing 3, with a housing container 4 accommodated therein, in which a

Carrying device 5 is arranged for carrying the object 2 with a carrier 6, on.

Furthermore, the device comprises an applicator 7 for applying

Layers of building material on the support device 5 or a previously formed

Layer, a metering device 9 for supplying the building material 8 and an irradiation device 10 for solidifying the building material to construct the corresponding object in layers. The application device 7 can be designed as a contact coater (not shown), which touchingly applies the building material 8 from the metering device 9 to the construction surface or as a screen coater, which applies the building material to the construction surface in a manner similar to a powdered sugar spreader.

In a preferred embodiment according to drawing figure 1, the device is divided into two housing sections A ₅ B- In the first housing section A is the building container 4 during the construction process. In a further housing section B, a handling area 11 is provided and arranged in the range of a removal station 12. The handling area 11 is under a protective gas atmosphere (cf., for this purpose, FIG. 2). In particular, from drawing figure 1 within the handling area 11, a conveyor 13 is arranged on the input side E by engaging in the handling area 11 manually feasible conveyor element 14 and output side A at least, as shown, is temporarily in operative connection with the dosing 15 and thus the over Input side E of the conveyor 13 taken from a reservoir 16 building material 8 can be transported in a dosing 15.

In the preferred embodiment, the conveyor 13 is designed as a suction device 17 and the conveying element 14 as a suction element 18. The suction device 17 is formed as a cyclone 19 and further includes a vacuum conveyor 20 and various filter elements.

In drawing figure 2, the handling area 11 is covered and comprises a glove box 21 and a removal lock 22, which are part of the removal station 12 and are filled with protective gas. The device 1 shown in drawing figure 1 has two reservoirs 16 which are arranged within the protective gas atmosphere. Their contents can be either directly by hand or glove through the

Glove box, by means of the glove box operated aids or else by the conveyor 13 into the dosing 15 überfuhrt.

The suction element 18 is preferably designed as a suction lance 23 which has in the immediate vicinity of its Absaugöffhung 24 ventilation nozzles 25, with which the suction region 26 can be acted upon and localized building material 8 swirled up and finally sucked. It should be noted that the volume flow of the suction at least equal to or greater than the flow rate of is out of the suction lance gas. In order to ensure that the residual O ₂ content within the inert gas atmosphere is within a predefinable threshold value, a residue O ₂ analyzer 28 is arranged within the device 1. Furthermore, the conveyor 13 is at least partially secured via fastening means 21 or directly on the outer housing in the device 1.

The drive elements (for example vacuum conveyor 20) of the conveyor 13 are arranged outside the protective gas atmosphere. In a preferred embodiment, the metering container 15 is formed together with the carrier 6 or the building container 4 as a structural unit 34 which is movable in the removal region 12.

In the opening region 30 of the reservoir 16 sloping ramps 33 are arranged obliquely to the inner region of the reservoir 16, which are additionally movable by vibration elements.

In a further embodiment according to drawing figure 4, the device 1 has three housing sections I, II, III and two building containers 4, 4 ', wherein a housing section II acts as a removal area 12 and the remaining housing sections I, III each serve to construct the objects 2.

The apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 5 has a sliding guide 32 on which the handling area 11 and / or the scanner unit 33 (laser, scanner, optionally applying device 7) together or on a further sliding guide 32 above the building container (s) 4 , 4 'are arranged movable. In addition to the linear displaceability and rotating solutions, such as a turret principle to be considered as belonging to the invention.

The handling area 11 is shown in FIG. 6 both with a glove 36 and with an operating device 35, which passes through the wall 37 of the housing 3, in the form of a mechanical gripper 38. It is both possible to provide only gloves 36 of a glove box 21, as well as only one operating device 35 for handling the conveying element 14. The operating device 35 is operated from outside the housing 3 either manually or computer-controlled. LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

1 device

2 object

3 housing

4, 4 'construction container

5 carrying device

6 carriers

7 application device

8 construction material

9 metering device

10 irradiation device

11 handling area

12 removal station

13 conveyor

14 conveying element

15 dosing tank

16 reservoir

17 suction device

18 suction

19 cyclone

20 vacuum conveyors

21 glove box

22 withdrawal lock

23 suction lance

24 suction opening

25 air vents

26 suction area

27 gas flow

28 O2 analyzer

29 fasteners

30 opening area

31 ramps

32 sliding guide

33 scanner unit

34 unit

35 operating device

36 glove of 21

37 wall of 3

38 grippers

1,1I ₅ III housing section

E entrance of 13

A output of 13

Claims

Device (1) for producing three - dimensional objects (2) by successively solidifying layers of a radiation - hardenable building material (8) to the respective cross section of the

Object (2) corresponding points, with a housing (3), a building container housed therein (4), in which a carrying device for supporting the object (2) with a support (6) is arranged, an applicator

(7) for applying layers of the building material (8) on the support device (5) or a previously formed layer, a metering device

(9) for supplying the building material (8) and an irradiation device

(10) for irradiating layers of the building material (8) at the locations corresponding to the respective cross section of the object (2), the housing (3) of the device (1) having a housing section (I) in which the building container (4 ) during the construction process, as well as a

Removal station (12) and a handling area (11) are provided,

characterized in that

in the through the housing (3) of the device (1) including the

Arranged on the input side (E) by an intervention in the handling area (11) manually or indirectly, by a one wall (37) of the handling area (11) by cross-control device (35), having feasible conveying element (14) and the output side (A) at least temporarily connected to at least one metering or storage container (15, 16) of the device and / or above a dosing or storage container (15, 16) is arranged within the inert gas atmosphere is arranged.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1,

characterized in that

the handling area (11) comprises a glove box (21).

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that

the conveying device (13) is designed as a suction device (17) and / or the conveying element (14) as a suction element (18).

4. Device according to one of claims 1 - 3,

characterized in that

in the region of the handling area (11) or an adjacent housing section (I, II), a removal lock (22) is arranged, which can be filled with protective gas after a removal operation.

5. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

a plurality of storage containers (16) is arranged within the protective gas atmosphere, the contents of which either directly or through the

Conveying device (13) in the metering chamber (15) is überfuhrbar.

6. Device according to one of claims 3 - 5,

characterized in that

the suction device (17) is designed as a cyclone (19).

7. Device according to one of claims 3 - 6,

characterized in that

the manually rotatable suction element (18) is designed as a suction lance (23).

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that

with the suction lance (23), simultaneously or offset from the suction, a suction region (26) with a gas stream (27) can be acted upon.

9. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

On the output side (A) on the conveyor (13) a screening device is arranged.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9,

characterized in that

the screening device is equipped with a vibrating screen.

11. The device according to claim 10,

characterized in that

the filtrate of the vibrating screen is collected in a separate container.

12. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the conveyor (13) comprises an emptying module, is collected in the sucked material (8) and phase-emptied.

13. Device according to one of claims 2 - 12,

characterized in that

the removal lock (22) on one of the walls of the handling area (11) is arranged and the finished object (2) manually and / or automatically in the removal lock (22) can be überfuhrbar.

14. Device according to one of claims 2 - 13,

characterized in that

the removal lock (22) and / or the handling area (11) is provided with an electronic lock such that an opening can be made only after completion of a construction process.

15. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

within the housing (3) a residual O ₂ analyzer (28) is arranged, which inhibits a start of the construction process until, within the inert gas atmosphere, the residual O ₂ content has dropped below a predefinable threshold value.

16. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the conveyor (13) is arranged on or in a cover plate of the handling area (11).

17. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

Drive elements (20) of the conveyor (13) are arranged outside the protective gas atmosphere.

18. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that the first housing section (I) in which the building container (4) is located during the building process is separable from a second housing section (II) by a gas-tight wall, which is used to transfer the building container from the first housing section (I) into the second housing section (II ) can be opened, wherein on the second housing portion (II) of the handling area (11) is arranged.

19. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

in the first housing section (I) a different from the second housing section (II) inert gas atmosphere is adjustable.

20. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the metering container (15) together with the building container (4) in the removal area (12) is movable.

21. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the conveying element (14) of the conveying device (13) is designed for emptying the metering container (15).

22. Device according to one of claims 5 - 21,

characterized in that

within the plurality of reservoir (16) different powdery building materials (8) are arranged.

23. Device according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that

the storage containers (16) can be covered with covering hoods, wherein at least one covering hood has at least one opening which corresponds to a discharge hose end arranged on the outlet side (A) of the conveying device (14).

24. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

in the opening region (30) of the reservoir (16) by means of vibration elements can be excited ramps (31) are arranged.

25. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the building container (4) in the second housing section (II) is automatically transferred.

26. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

a third housing section (III) is provided, in which at least temporarily a second building container (4 ') is arranged, which is temporarily in the removal area (12, II) can be transferred.

27. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

Handling area (11) and / or scanner unit (33) of the irradiation device on a common or separate sliding guide (32) of

Irradiation device on the / the building container (s) (4, 4 ') movable are arranged.

28. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the device is operated with a fiber laser and / or disk laser.

29. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the laser is guided over fiber optic cable at least in sections.

30. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the device has at least two handling areas (11) and / or at least two scanner units (33).

31. The device according to claim 30,

characterized in that

the at least two handling areas (11) and / or the at least two scanner units (33) are rotatably mounted relative to the building containers.

32. Apparatus according to claim 30 or 31,

characterized in that

the handling area (s) (11) and / or the scanner unit (s) (33) can be moved in the manner of a revolver over the building containers (4, 4 ').

33. Device according to one of the preceding claims,

characterized in that

the first, second and / or third housing portion (I, II, III) having a

Pressure equalization device is provided.

34. Apparatus according to claim 33,

characterized in that

the pressure compensation device is supplied with inert gas.