SYNCHRONOUS POWDER-FEEDING SPACE LASER MACHINING AND THREE-DIMENSIONAL FORMING METHOD AND DEVICE

• US 20170232518A1
• Filed: 09/09/2014
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Soochow University (Jiangsu Education Department)
• Original Assignee: Soochow University (Jiangsu Education Department)
• Inventors: SHI, Shihong, SHI, Tuo, FU, Geyan, ZHU, Gangxian, SHI, Jianjun, LEI, Dingzhong, MENG, Weidong
• Application Number:
  US15/502,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20170232518A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/25 Direct deposition of metal particles, e.g. direct metal deposition [DMD] or laser engineered net shaping [LENS]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/30 Process control
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/322 of the gas flow, e.g. rate or direction
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/385 Overhang structures
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/53 Nozzles
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 3/105 by using electric current other than for infrared radiant energy, laser radiation or plasma B22F3/11 takes precedence; by ultrasonic bonding B22F3/115 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 5/10 of articles with cavities or holes, not otherwise provided for in the preceding subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 7/062 involving the connection or repairing of preformed parts
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/0884 in at least in three axial directions, e.g. manipulators, robots
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/144 the fluid stream containing particles, e.g. powder
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/1476 Features inside the nozzle for feeding the fluid stream through the nozzle
• CPC Class Codes: B23K 26/342 Build-up welding
• 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: Y02P 10/25 Process efficiency

Abstract

A method for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming includes: dividing a three-dimensional solid into a plurality of forming units according to a form simplification and nozzle cladding scanning accessibility principle, and dividing each forming unit into a plurality of layers; employing a single-beam gas-carried power-feeding mode in a hollow annular laser; controlling a mechanical arm (7) to drive an in-laser powder-feeding nozzle (1) to move and scan along a predetermined trajectory in a filling area and a boundary area of the layer; and sequentially conducting cladding and stacking formation of the layer for the entire unit. A device includes an inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle (1), a laser generator (6), a mechanical arm (7), a control module (4), a transmission optical fiber (5), a gas-carried powder feeder (3) and a gas source (2).

Claims

1. A method for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming, comprising the following steps:

(1) dividing a multi-branch complex three-dimensional solid expected to be formed into at least one forming unit based on the principle of body simplification and nozzle cladding scanning accessibility, and selecting the forming sequence of each unit in turn, with each forming unit having a respective optimal forming growth direction and rule;

(2) dividing the forming unit obtained in the step (1) into a number of layers in the stacking accumulating direction, each layer including at least one of a filling region and a boundary region;

(3) using the hollow annular laser inside-laser single-beam gas-carried powder-feeding method to control a mechanical arm to drive an inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle to scan and move in the boundary region and the filling region of a layer along a predetermined track, so as to complete cladding, accumulating and forming of this layer, respectively;

in scanning forming, the laser-powder spray axis of the inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle is always along the normal direction of the layer;

when the filling region and the boundary region are inconsistent in the layering direction, i.e., the layers are not parallel to each other, the nozzle needs to be deflected to complete cladding forming of different regions, respectively;

(4) after cladding forming of a layer, the nozzle retreats by a distance of thickness of one layer along the growth direction of a next layer, and completes scanning cladding forming of a new layer according to the step (3);

repeating in this way, until the stacking accumulation of the entire forming unit is completed;

wherein the nozzle needs to continuously change its position for each layer in forming the boundary of a curved surface, with the stacking forming always done along the bending direction of the boundary; and

(5) after completing a forming unit, controlling the mechanical arm to move the inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle to the start position of a next forming unit, so as to repeat the steps (2), (3) and (4) for stacking accumulating forming of a new forming unit;

repeating in this way, until completing all the unit accumulation of the entire three-dimensional solid.

2. The method for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming according to claim 1, wherein in step (2), all the layers in the filling region, parallel to each other, are parallel to the base surface;

when the boundary region is layered, it is sliced along the vertical direction of the boundary face;

when the boundary face is straight faced, the layers are parallel to each other and equal in thickness;

when the boundary face is a curved surface, the layers are neither parallel to each other nor equal in thickness.

3. A device for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming, which characterized in, comprising an inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle, a laser generator, a mechanical arm, a control module, a transmission fiber, a gas-carried powder feeder and a gas source;

the control module is connected with the mechanical arm, the laser generator, and the gas-carried powder feeder, respectively, the inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle is fixed at the front end of the mechanical arm, and the laser output of the laser generator is connected via the transmission fiber to the upper end of the inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle;

a gas-supplying branch of the gas source is in communication with the gas-carried powder feeder, which is in communication with a powder spray tube in the inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle, with a collimating gas tube sleeved outside the powder spray tube;

another gas-supplying branch of the gas source is in communication via a tube with the collimating gas tube in the inside-laser powder-feeding nozzle.

4. The device for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming according to claim 3, wherein the pressure of the gas-carried powder sprayed out of the powder spray tube is between 0 to 0.2 Mpa.

5. The device for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming according to claim 3, wherein the pressure of the annular collimating gas sprayed out of the collimating gas tube is between 0.05 to 0.3 Mpa.

6. The device for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming according to claim 3, wherein the ratio of the diameters of the powder spray tube and the collimating gas tube is 1:

2 to 1;

6.

7. The device for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming according to claim 3, wherein the outlet of the powder spray tube extends beyond the outlet of the collimating gas tube by a length of 0 to 20 mm.

8. The device for synchronous powder-feeding space laser cladding and three-dimensional forming according to claim 3, wherein the gas outputted from the gas source is an inert gas.