Apparatus and method for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object

• US 8,137,739 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems
• Original Assignee: EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems
• Inventors: Philippi, Jochen, Halder, Thomas, Mattes, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahmed, Shamim
• Application Number:
  US11/628,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20070196561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,225 Days
• Field of Search: 427/8
• US Class Current: 427/8
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 35/0288 Controlling heating or curing of polymers during moulding, e.g. by measuring temperatures or properties of the polymer and regulating the process controlling or regulating chemical, physical or physico- chemical processes in general B01J19/0006
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 64/153 using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting
• 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

Provision is made of an apparatus and a method for the manufacture of three-dimensional objects (3) by local solidification of layers of a building material at positions corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object (3), by exposure to electromagnetic or particle radiation. The apparatus comprises a temperature measuring assembly (13) for non-contact measurement of the temperature of the building material in a measurement region (14) which is a partial region of the layer of the building material, and comprises further a position adjustment device (15) for altering the position of the measurement region (14) of the temperature measuring assembly (13) independently of the alteration of the position of the region exposed to the radiation energy. This apparatus can be used to actively access a not exposed region of the surface for measuring the temperature of each layer and to detect a temperature distribution by altering the position of a measurement region (14) in a layer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object by solidifying layers of a building material at the positions corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object, by the action of electromagnetic or particle radiation, the apparatus comprising:

a temperature measuring assembly for non-contact measurement of the temperature of the building material in a measurement region, which is a partial region of a layer of the building material, wherein the apparatus further comprises a position adjustment device for changing a position of the measurement region of the temperature measuring assembly independently of an alteration of the position of the region upon which said electromagnetic or particle radiation is acting,

wherein the position adjustment device comprises a swivelling device for changing an angular position of the temperature measuring assembly in relation to the layer of the building material, and the apparatus further comprises a control device, wherein the control device is configured to control the swivelling device such that the angular position of the temperature measuring assembly is modified individually for each layer.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the temperature measuring assembly is a point pyrometer.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control device, which controls the acting electromagnetic or particle radiation in dependence of the temperature measured by the temperature measuring assembly.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a heating device for the building material and a control device, which controls the output of the heating device for the building material in relation to the temperature measured by the temperature measuring assembly.

7. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a laser sintering apparatus.

2. An apparatus for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object by solidifying layers of a building material at the positions corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object, by the action of electromagnetic or particle radiation, the apparatus comprising:

a temperature measuring assembly for non-contact measurement of the temperature of the building material in a measurement region, which is a partial region of a layer of the building material, wherein the apparatus further comprises a position adjustment device for changing a position of the measurement region of the temperature measuring assembly independently of an alteration of the position of the region upon which said electromagnetic or particle radiation is acting,

wherein the position adjustment device comprises a mechanics, which can be used to move the temperature measuring assembly across the layer of the building material, and the apparatus further comprises a control device, wherein the control device is configured to control the movement of the position adjustment device such that the position of the measurement region is modified individually for each layer.

17. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control device, which controls the position adjustment device such that the measurement region of the temperature measuring assembly does not overlap with the region of the layer, upon which said electromagnetic or particle radiation is acting at the moment.

18. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control device, which controls the acting electromagnetic or particle radiation in dependence of the temperature measured by the temperature measuring assembly.

19. An apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a heating device for the building material and a control device, which controls the output of the heating device for the building material in relation to the temperature measured by the temperature measuring assembly.

3. An apparatus for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object by solidifying layers of a building material at the positions corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object, by the action of electromagnetic or particle radiation, the apparatus comprising:

a temperature measuring assembly for non-contact measurement of the temperature of the building material in a measurement region, which is a partial region of a layer of the building material, wherein the apparatus further comprises a position adjustment device for changing a position of the measurement region of the temperature measuring assembly independently of an alteration of the position of the region upon which said electromagnetic or particle radiation is acting,

wherein the position adjustment device comprises an optical system, which can be used to display the thermal radiation emitted from the measurement region in the temperature measuring assembly and to alter the position of the measurement region, and the apparatus further comprises a control device, wherein the control device is configured to control the optical system such that the position of the measurement region is modified individually for each layer.

8. A method for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

(a) applying a layer of a building material to be solidified through electromagnetic or particle radiation, onto a base or a layer solidified before;

(b) solidifying the layer of the building material that was applied in step (a) by exposure to electromagnetic or particle radiation at the positions in the layer that are corresponding to the cross-section of the object;

(c) repeating the steps (a) and (b) until the three-dimensional object has been completed,

wherein the temperature of the building material is measured in a measurement region, which is a partial region of the applied layer by means of a temperature measuring assembly in a non-contact manner, wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered by means of a position adjustment device independently of any alteration of the position of the region upon which the electromagnetic or particle radiation acts in step (b), wherein the position adjustment device comprises a swivelling device for changing the angular position of the temperature measuring assembly in relation to the layer of the building material,

wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered by means of the position adjustment device such that the measurement region does not overlap with a region in the layer that is being simultaneously solidified.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered by means of a position adjustment device such that the measurement region does not overlap with a region in the layer that has been solidified before in the layer.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered such that the measurement region does not overlap with a region in the layer that is still to be solidified.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the building material is heated and the heating output used to this end is regulated depending on the temperature measured by the temperature measuring assembly.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the temperature of the building material in a layer is measured in a plurality of measurement regions that are different from each other.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the building material is heated in a plurality of heating regions allocated to the plurality of measurement regions in a region-dependent manner, and the heating output for the various heating regions is regulated or controlled depending on the temperature of the measurement regions allocated.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein the local energy introduction of radiation energy for solidifying the layer is regulated depending on the temperature measured by the temperature measuring assembly.

15. A method according to claim 8, wherein the adjustment of the position of the measurement region is furthermore achieved such that the measurement region is spaced apart from the previously solidified regions in and underneath the uppermost layer by a predetermined distance.

16. A method according to claim 8, wherein use is made of a powder building material as well as of a laser as the source of radiation.

20. A method for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

(a) applying a layer of a building material to be solidified through electromagnetic or particle radiation, onto a base or a layer solidified before;

(b) solidifying the layer of the building material that was applied in step (a) by exposure to electromagnetic or particle radiation at the positions in the layer that are corresponding to the cross-section of the object;

(c) repeating the steps (a) and (b) until the three-dimensional object has been completed,

wherein the temperature of the building material is measured in a measurement region, which is a partial region of the applied layer by means of a temperature measuring assembly in a non-contact manner, wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered by means of a position adjustment device independently of any alteration of the position of the region upon which the electromagnetic or particle radiation acts in step (b), wherein the position adjustment device comprises a mechanics, which can be used to move the temperature measuring assembly across the layer of the building material,

wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered by means of the position adjustment device such that the measurement region does not overlap with a region in the layer that is being solidified at the same time.

21. A method for the manufacture of a three-dimensional object, comprising the steps of:

(a) applying a layer of a building material to be solidified through electromagnetic or particle radiation, onto a base or a layer solidified before;

(b) solidifying the layer of the building material that was applied in step (a) by exposure to electromagnetic or particle radiation at the positions in the layer that are corresponding to the cross-section of the object;

(c) repeating the steps (a) and (b) until the three-dimensional object has been completed,

wherein the temperature of the building material is measured in a measurement region, which is a partial region of the applied layer by means of a temperature measuring assembly in a non-contact manner, wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered by means of a position adjustment device independently of any alteration of the position of the region upon which the electromagnetic or particle radiation acts in step (b), wherein the position adjustment device comprises an optical system, which can be used to display the thermal radiation emitted from the measurement region in the temperature measuring assembly and to alter the position of the measurement region,

wherein the position of the measurement region is adjusted or altered by means of a position adjustment device such that the measurement region does not overlap with a region in the layer that is being solidified at the same time.