SELECTIVELY OPENABLE SUPPORT PLATEN FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

• US 20170072466A1
• Filed: 09/16/2016
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Materials Incorporated
• Inventors: Zehavi, Raanan, Ng, Hou T., Patibandla, Nag B.
• Application Number:
  US15/267,772
• Publication Number:
  US 20170072466A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 10/30 Process control
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/36 of energy beam parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/38 to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/47 characterised by structural features
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/66 by mechanical means
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/73 of powder
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/13 to preheat the material
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/30 Platforms or substrates
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/33 translatory in the deposition plane
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/55 Two or more means for feeding material
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/63 Rollers
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/67 Blades
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/90 Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2207/20 Cooperating components
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2999/00 Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0086 welding for purposes other than joining, e.g. built-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 15/0093 characterised by the properties of the materials to be welded
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/03 Observing, e.g. monitoring, the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/082 : Scanning systems, i.e. devices involving movement of the laser beam relative to the laser head
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0853 : Devices involving movement of the workpiece in at least in two axial directions, e.g. in a plane
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/144 : the fluid stream containing particles, e.g. powder
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/147 : Features outside the nozzle for feeding the fluid stream towards the workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 : Build-up welding
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/702 : Auxiliary equipment
• 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 64/153 : using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/245 : Platforms or substrates support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/357 : Recycling
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/40 : Structures for supporting 3D objects during manufacture and intended to be sacrificed after completion thereof
• 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 10/20 : Recycling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

An apparatus for forming an object includes a platform to support the object. The platform includes a first support plate including first holes and a second support plate arranged below the first support plate and including second holes. The second support plate is movable relative to the first support plate between an aligned configuration and a misaligned configuration. The apparatus further includes a dispensing system overlying the support plate to dispense a powder over the top surface of the first support plate and an energy source to apply energy to the powder dispensed on the top surface of the first support plate to form a fused portion of the powder. In the aligned configuration, the first holes are aligned with the second holes such that unfused powder can pass through the first holes into the second holes. In the misaligned configuration, the first holes are misaligned with the second holes.

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing apparatus for forming an object, the additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:

a platform to support the object being formed, the platform comprising

a first support plate comprising a plurality of first holes,

a second support plate arranged below the first support plate and comprising a plurality of second holes, the second support plate being movable relative to the first support plate in a plane parallel to a top surface of the first support plate between an aligned configuration and a misaligned configuration;

a dispensing system overlying the support plate to dispense a powder over the top surface of the first support plate; and

a energy source to apply energy to the powder dispensed on the top surface of the first support plate to form a fused portion of the powder,

wherein, in the aligned configuration, the plurality of first holes are aligned with the plurality of second holes such that unfused powder can pass through the first holes into the second holes, and wherein, in the misaligned configuration, the plurality of first holes are misaligned with the plurality of second holes.

2. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an actuator to move the second support plate relative to the first support plate, and|

a controller coupled to the actuator, the energy source and the dispenser.

3. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to:

cause the dispenser to dispense at least a first layer of the powder across the platform while the first support plate and second support plate are in the misaligned configuration,

fuse a portion of the at least a first layer of powder, and

after fusing the portion, cause the actuator to move the first support plate and the second support plate to the aligned configuration such that the unfused powder dispensed on the top surface of the first support plate travels through the plurality of first holes and the plurality of second holes.

4. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the dispenser to dispense at least a second layer of the powder after dispensing the at least the first layer of powder and while the first support plate and second support plate are in the aligned configuration.

5. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to cause the dispensing system to dispense the powder over the top surface of the first support plate when the second support plate is in the misaligned configuration.

6. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a channel connected to the plurality of second holes, wherein the dispensing system is configured to collect the unfused powder through the channel and to dispense the unfused powder to form the object.

7. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 6, wherein the dispensing system comprises a reclaiming module configured to detect a particle size of the unfused powder such that the dispensing system dispenses only particles of the unfused powder having a particle size less than a predetermined threshold size.

8. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the second support plate contacts a bottom surface of the first support plate.

9. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of holes are narrower than the second plurality of holes.

10. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of holes are wider than the second plurality of holes.

11. The additive manufacturing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the narrower of the first plurality of holes and the second plurality of holes have a width between 1 and 100 millimeters.

12. A method of additive manufacturing for forming an object, the method comprising:

dispensing a powder over a first and second support plate;

applying an energy to the powder to form a fused portion of the powder; and

moving the first support plate relative to the second support plate arranged below the first support plate to cause unfused powder to pass through the second support plate.

13. The method of claim 12, comprising dispensing the unfused powder on the first support plate.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein moving the first plate relative to the second support plate comprises moving the first plate from a misaligned configuration in which a plurality of first holes in the first plate are misaligned with a second plurality of holes in the second support plate to an aligned configuration in which the plurality of first holes in the first plate are aligned with the second plurality of holes in the second support plate.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein dispensing the powder comprises dispensing the powder in a first step while the first and second support plate are in the misaligned configuration to form at least a first layer of a plurality of layers.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein dispensing the powder comprises dispensing the powder in a second step while the first and second support plate are in the aligned configuration to form at least a second layer of the plurality of layers.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first layer comprises a disposable support layer and the second layer comprises a portion of the object being fabricated.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein moving the first support plate relative to the second support plate comprises holding the first support plate in a fixed position and moving the second support plate.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second support plate is moved in a direction parallel to a top surface of the first support plate that supports the powder.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein the powder is a metal powder.