Construction of a 3D printing device for producing components

• US 10,213,831 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2013
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Voxeljet AG
• Original Assignee: Voxeljet AG
• Inventors: Ederer, Ingo, Hartmann, Andreas Dominik, Schmid, Dominik
• Primary Examiner(s): Ochylski, Ryan M
• Application Number:
  US14/443,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20150290881A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/14 by jetting of binder onto a bed of metal powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/73 of powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/55 Two or more means for feeding material
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 1/001 Rapid manufacturing of 3D objects by additive depositing, agglomerating or laminating of material selective deposition modelling of metallic powder B22F10/00; rapid manufacturing of 3D objects in general and in particular of plastics B29C64/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/141 using only solid materials
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/165 using a combination of solid and fluid materials, e.g. a powder selectively bound by a liquid binder, catalyst, inhibitor or energy absorber
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/35 Cleaning
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/357 Recycling
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2105/251 Particles, powder or granules expandable particles B29K2105/046
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 10/00 Processes of additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 30/00 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B33Y 40/00 Auxiliary operations or equipment, e.g. for material handling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

The invention relates to a device for producing three-dimensional models, comprising a coater, which includes an ejection opening, at least one print head, which is mounted on a print axis, the ejection opening of the coater being disposed toward the top in the coating direction, and the print head being disposed counter to the coating direction with the opposite orientation on the printing axis behind the coater in the coating direction; the invention also relates to a method for producing three-dimensional models.

Claims

1. A device for producing three-dimensional models, comprising:

a coater having an ejection opening for layer-wise depositing a particulate material on a build surface having an incline; and

at least one print head;

wherein the print head is mounted on an inclined print axis,

wherein the coater deposits the particulate material only while the coater moves in a coating direction up an incline in advance of the print head,

the ejection opening of the coater being disposed toward the top in the coating direction, and

the print head prints on the deposited layer of the particulate material only after reaching a top region of the incline until reaching a bottom region of the incline, while moving in advance of the coater.

2. The device according to claim 1, comprising a coater cleaning unit, a coater filling unit, a central particulate material supply unit, a conveyor belt, an inspection unit, a print head cleaning unit with a spitting station, a capping station, a drop barrier, a front collecting hopper, a conveyor line for waste, a collecting hopper in an unpacking area, or one or multiple channels.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device includes coater peripheral units including a coater cleaning unit, a coater filling unit, and a central particulate material supply unit, wherein the coater peripheral units are disposed toward the top in the coating direction.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the coater peripheral units are disposed behind a build space of the device.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device includes print head periphery units including an inspection unit, a print head cleaning unit with a spitting station, and a capping station, wherein the print head periphery units are disposed toward the bottom in the coating direction.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the print head periphery units are disposed below a build space of the device.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device includes a central particulate material conveyor disposed above a build space for automatically constructing a start feedstock.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coater applies layers of a particulate material on a build space and the device includes a front collecting hopper disposed toward a front of the build space and below the build space for collecting an excess of the particulate material.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the coater applies layers of a particulate material on a build space and a conveyor line for excess particulate material is disposed on a bottom of the build space.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein

the coater applies layers of a particulate material on a build space and the device includes a front collecting hopper disposed toward a front of the build space and below the build space for collecting an excess of the particulate material;

the conveyor line has a central conveyor section, which is used to empty front collecting hoppers on the front side and a collecting hopper in the unpacking area.

11. The device according to claim 1, comprising a coater cleaning unit, a coater filling unit, a central particulate material supply unit, a conveyor belt, an inspection unit, a print head cleaning unit with a spitting station, a capping station, a drop barrier, a front collecting hopper, a conveyor line for waste, a collecting hopper in an unpacking area, and one or multiple channels.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device includes coater peripheral units, including the coater cleaning unit, the coater filling unit, and the central particulate material supply unit, wherein the coater peripheral units are disposed toward the top in the coating direction.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein the device includes print head periphery units including, the inspection unit, the print head cleaning unit with the spitting station, and the capping station, wherein the print head periphery units are disposed toward the bottom in the coating direction.

14. The device according to claim 13, wherein the central particulate material conveyor is disposed above a build space for automatically constructing a start feedstock.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the coater applies layers of a particulate material on a build space and the device includes the front collecting hopper disposed toward a front of the build space and below the build space for collecting an excess of the particulate material.

16. The device according to claim 15,

wherein the coater applies layers of a particulate material on a build space and the device includes the conveyor line for excess particulate material disposed on a bottom of the build space.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein the conveyor line has a central conveyor section, which is used to empty the front collecting hopper and the collecting hopper in the unpacking area.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the peripheral coater units are disposed behind a build space of the device;

and the print head periphery units are disposed below the build space of the device.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the print head travels downward in a meandering pattern where the print head prints a row while moving along a print axis and then moves along a print head positioning axis for printing a next row.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the print head has a width that is about the same as a width of the build surface and the print head prints on the deposited layer of the particulate material only while moving in a printing direction down the incline in advance of the coater.

21. A device for producing three-dimensional models, comprising:

a coater having an ejection opening for layer-wise depositing a particulate material on a build surface having an incline; and

at least one print head;

wherein the print head is mounted on a print head positioning axis that travels on an inclined print axis,

wherein the coater is mounted on a coater axis orthogonal to the inclined print axis and deposits the particulate material only while the coater moves in a coating direction up the inclined print axis,

the ejection opening of the coater being disposed toward the top in the coating direction, and

the print head prints on the deposited layer of the particulate material only after reaching a top of the incline until reaching a bottom of the incline;

wherein the ejection opening and the print head have opposite orientations with the election opening oriented above the coater axis in an inclined direction and the print head oriented below the print head positioning axis in the inclined direction.