Rapid prototyping system
First Claim
1. A model building method comprising delivering thin, continuous feedstock of materials which have various profiles with opposite flat sides and fusing the feedstock by adhesion or welding a flat side with an energy source to a flat side of a previous layer, while keeping the feedstock cross-section in substantially original shape.
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Abstract
A model making method and apparatus projects a linearly polarized laser beam from a laser source onto a mirror for circularly polarizing the beam and directing the circularly polarized beam vertically toward a rectilinearly movable stage for fusing a rectangular wire to a substrate or a previously fused wire layer on the stage. The circularly polarized beam projects through a center of a spool and a rotary stage and a support for the rotary stage and a rotary arm which is mounted on the rotary stage. The rotary arm supports a stepper feeder which draws the wire from the spool and pushes the wire through a nozzle, which radiuses the wire so that it lies flat and releases the wire near a focused spot of the circularly polarized laser beam. The rotating arm carries a lens mount on a pivot so that the lens which focuses the beam may traverse the wire for cutting the wire. Movement of the rectilinearly movable stage in a X-Y direction is controlled by a computer and stepper motors to follow a predetermined pattern of a cross-section of the model. The rotary arm turns on the rotary stage to release the wire tangentially to curvatures in the model outline. After each complete layer, the stage is stepped downward one wire thickness and the next layer is formed. The nozzle includes a gas jet passage for flooding the wire with inert gas as it is fused.
142 Citations
29 Claims
- 1. A model building method comprising delivering thin, continuous feedstock of materials which have various profiles with opposite flat sides and fusing the feedstock by adhesion or welding a flat side with an energy source to a flat side of a previous layer, while keeping the feedstock cross-section in substantially original shape.
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6. A 3-D model building method comprising feeding through a feedstock dispensing nozzle to a desired location, a thin feedstock of metal and nonmetal materials which have various profiles with opposite flat sides, fusing the feedstock with an energy source of a size and power density for producing a limited local heat input sufficient for a reliable spot or continuous welding of a flat side of the feedstock to a flat side of a previous layer, while keeping the feedstock cross-section in substantially original shape, whereby a 3-D model with dimensional stability and a good surface quality is produced.
- 7. A model building method comprising fusing thin feedstock of materials which have various profiles by adhesion or welding with an energy source to a previous layer, while keeping the feedstock cross-section in substantially original shape, further comprising moving in X-Y directions a substrate on which the layer is produced on a plane transverse to the energy source and tracing the boundary and interior of each cross-sectional region of a desired part beneath the feeding of the feedstock, rotating the feedstock dispensing nozzle around an axis of the energy source, and continuously positioning a delivery axis of the feedstock in a direction tangential to the boundary curvature at a point where the feedstock is being fused to a previous layer.
- 12. A model building method comprising fusing thin feedstock of materials which have various profiles by adhesion or welding with an energy source to a previous layer, while keeping the feedstock cross-section in substantially original shape, further comprising tracing the boundary and interior of each cross-sectional region of a desired part in an X-Y plane, further comprising rotating a feedstock dispensing nozzle around the energy source.
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14. A model building method comprising delivering thin, continuous feedstock of materials which have various profiles and fusing the feedstock by adhesion and/or welding with an energy source, to a previous layer, while keeping the feedstock cross-section in substantially original shape, wherein the feedstock materials comprise alternating metal and nonmetal materials as multiple feedstock materials within a cross-section for fabricating composite material parts.
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15. A model building method comprising delivering thin, continuous feedstock of materials which have various profiles and fusing the feedstock by adhesion or welding with an energy source to a previous layer, while keeping the feedstock cross-section in substantially original shape, wherein the feedstock materials comprise a combination of metal and nonmetal materials as a single feedstock material for fabricating composite material parts.
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16. A model building method comprising delivering a continuous flat wire feedstock to a previous layer and fusing the feedstock to the previous layer while keeping the feedstock substantially in its original solid cross-section, wherein the delivering further comprises delivering the feedstock through a delivery nozzle and rotating the delivery nozzle about a point of impingement of the energy beam with the previous layer for providing tracing of desired model shapes without feedstock melting.
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17. A model building method comprising fusing solid feedstock materials, with various profiles, to a substrate by adhesion using an energy source such that the feedstock substantially maintains its solid cross-section, further comprising rotating a feedstock delivery nozzle about a fusing point of contact of the energy source with the feedstock, such that the solid feedstock is controllably deformed about the fusing point of contact and accurate complex shapes in an X-Y plane are generated without transforming the solid cross-section of the feedstock.
- 18. A model buildings apparatus comprising a frame, a laser beam source mounted on the frame, a mirror mounted on the frame, and a feedstock delivery module support mounted on the frame, a rotary stage mounted on the feedstock delivery module support and a rotary arm mounted on the rotary stage, a feedstock feeder mounted on the rotary arm and a laser beam focusing lens mounted on the rotary arm, a feedstock storing spool mounted on the rotary arm and a flat wire feedstock stored on the spool, a feedstock nozzle connected to the rotary arm for receiving feedstock from the spool and feeder and for extending feedstock from a tip of the nozzle, the tip of the nozzle being aligned with a laser beam projected from the laser source to the mirror and through the support, rotating arm and rotary stage and lens, a rectangularly movable stage positioned beneath the nozzle for receiving feedstock in a predetermined pattern according to relative movement of the stage in an X-Y direction in relation to the frame for receiving the feedstock extending from the nozzle tip and for fusing the feedstock to a substrate or to a previously fused layer of the feedstock for constructing a model by depositing and fusing successive layers of the feedstock.
- 26. A model building method comprising delivering a continuous preformed flat wire feedstock to a previous layer, directing an energy beam to the feedstock and fusing a flat surface of the feedstock to a flat surface of the previous layer, while keeping the feedstock substantially in its original preformed solid cross-section.
Specification