Device for the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects from powdery construction material

• US 10,603,847 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 03/31/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Concept Laser GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: Concept Laser GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Herzog, Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Del Sole, Joseph S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hohenbrink, Jr., Lawrence D.
• Application Number:
  US15/312,175
• Publication Number:
  US 20170087770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 425135, 425375, 4251744
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/00 Additive manufacturing of workpieces or articles from metallic powder apparatus or devices therefor B22F12/00
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/47 characterised by structural features
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/64 by thermal means control of energy beam parameters for post heating B22F10/364
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/66 by mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/80 Data acquisition or data processing
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/85 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/222 for motion along a direction orthogonal to the plane of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/224 for motion along a direction within the plane of a layer
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/30 Platforms or substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/38 Housings, e.g. machine housings
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/82 Combination of additive manufacturing apparatus or devices with other processing apparatus or devices
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/90 Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2035/0838 using laser
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0805 using electromagnetic radiation
• 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 64/20 Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/259 Interchangeable
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/386 Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/393 for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 : Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• 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: B33Y 50/02 : for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

A device for the additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects from powdery construction material by introducing radiation energy, in particular a laser sintering and/or laser melting device, comprising at least one housing having a process chamber, in which process chamber a construction space or an exchangeable container having a vertically movable construction platform is arranged, to which construction platform the powdery construction material provided for solidification by radiation energy can be applied, characterized by a memory chip, which can be removed from the process chamber of the device with the exchangeable container and/or the constructed object and which can be read out by an electronic reading device and on which production data, which belong to the additive manufacturing process, and/or subsequent processing steps and/or processing stations for automatically controlling processing apparatuses and/or transport paths and/or storage positions and/or data from controlling active elements of the exchangeable container itself are stored.

Claims

1. A system for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, the system comprising:

a laser sintering and/or laser melting device comprising a process chamber defined by at least one housing; and

an exchangeable container disposed within the process chamber, the exchangeable container comprising a memory chip that can be read by an electronic reading device, the memory chip comprising manufacturing data configured to automatically control, based at least in part on an object built or to be built using the laser sintering and/or laser melting device;

operation of one or more active elements of the exchangeable container; and

/or

operation of one or more transporting paths, the one or more transporting paths configured to move the exchangeable container into or out of the process chamber and/or to or from one or more other processing stations and/or to or from one or more storage positions.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the operation of the one or more active elements of the exchangeable container is performed in connection with;

an additive manufacturing process and/or one or more subsequent processing steps, and/or

one or more other processing stations associated with the additive manufacturing process and/or the one or more subsequent processing steps, and/or

movement of the exchangeable container along the one or more transporting paths; and

/or

operation of one or more transporting paths is performed in connection with movement of the exchangeable container along the one or more transporting paths.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising:

a programming device for the memory chip.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more transporting paths is configured to move the exchangeable container to the one or more other processing stations.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the memory chip is integrated within the exchangeable container or detachably or undetachably fastened to the exchangeable container, and/or disposed within a portion of unsolidified building material within the exchangeable container, and/or connected to or integrated within a building plate disposed within the exchangeable container.

6. The system of claim 1, comprising:

one or more electronic reading devices configured to interact with the memory chip, the one or more electronic reading devices being arranged;

on or in the device;

at or in the one or more other processing stations; and

/or

on or at sections of the one or more transporting paths, the one or more transporting paths being disposed between the device and the one or more other processing stations.

7. The system of claim 1, comprising:

at least one sensor element disposed on or within the exchangeable container, wherein the memory chip is communicatively coupled to at least one processor configured to interact with the at least one sensor element.

8. The system of claim 1, comprising:

one or more diverting devices provided along the one or more transporting paths, the one or more diverting devices respectively configured to move the exchangeable container to a respective one of the one or more other processing stations along a respective one of the one or more transporting paths, the one or more diverting devices configured to be electronically controlled by the manufacturing data of the memory chip.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the manufacturing data comprises:

a first processing sequence to be performed on the object within the process chamber and/or in connection with at least one of the one or more other processing stations; and

/or

a second processing sequence to be performed on the object, the second processing sequence comprising a thermal treatment, a mechanical surface treatment, an optical measurement, surface irradiation treatment, an inscription treatment, a cooling treatment, and/or exposure to a cooling atmosphere.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more other processing stations comprise:

a thermal irradiating station, an inscription station, a laser surface processing station, a measuring station, a cooling station, and/or a removal station.

11. The system of claim 1, comprising:

the one or more transporting paths connecting the device to an additional device configured according to claim 1 and/or to the one or more other processing station, the one or more transporting paths configured to move the exchangeable container between the device and the additional device, between the device and the one or more other processing station, and/or between the additional device and the one or more other processing station.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more transporting paths comprises a plurality of branches provided therein, and wherein movement of the exchangeable container is controlled at a respective one of the plurality of branches by the manufacturing data of the memory chip.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the exchangeable container comprises a servomotor or a drive motor, the servomotor or the drive motor configured to be controlled by the manufacturing data on the memory chip.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the exchangeable container comprises a height-adjustable building platform, and the servomotor or the drive motor is configured to control the height adjustment of the building platform.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the exchangeable container comprises a heating device, wherein the heating device is configured to be controlled by the manufacturing data of the memory chip.

16. An exchangeable container for use with a device for additive manufacturing of three-dimensional objects, the device comprising a process chamber defined by at least one housing, and the exchangeable container comprising a memory chip that can be read by an electronic reading device, the memory chip comprising manufacturing data configured to automatically control, based at least in part on an object built or to be built using the device:

operation of one or more active elements of the exchangeable container; and

/or

operation of one or more transporting paths, the one or more transporting paths configured to move the exchangeable container into or out of the process chamber and/or to or from one or more other processing stations and/or to or from one or more storage positions;

wherein the memory chip is integrated within the exchangeable container or detachably or undetachably fastened to the exchangeable container, and/or disposed within a portion of unsolidified building material within the exchangeable container, and/or connected to or integrated within a building plate disposed within the exchangeable container.

17. The exchangeable container of claim 16, wherein the one or more active elements of the exchangeable container comprise a drive motor, a heating element, a cooling element, a ventilating motors, and/or a suction extraction equipment.

18. A method of additively manufacturing an object, the method comprising:

moving an exchangeable container along at least one of one or more transporting paths into a process chamber of a device for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects;

additively manufacturing an object using the device;

moving the exchangeable container along at least one of the one or more transporting paths out of the process chamber and to another processing station and/or to a storage position; and

controlling automatically using manufacturing data on a memory chip, operation of one or more active elements of the exchangeable container based at least in part on the object built or to be built using the device and/or operation of at least one of the one or more transporting paths based at least in part on the object built or to be built using the device;

wherein the operation of the one or more active elements and/or the operation of the one or more transporting paths are controlled in connection with additively manufacturing the object and/or moving the exchangeable container along at least one of the one or more transporting paths; and

wherein the memory chip is integrated within the exchangeable container or detachably or undetachably fastened to the exchangeable container, and/or disposed within a portion of unsolidified building material within the exchangeable container, and/or connected to or integrated within a building plate disposed within the exchangeable container.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the one or more active elements of the exchangeable container comprise a drive motor, a heating element, a cooling element, a ventilating motors, and/or a suction extraction equipment.