Apparatus for additive manufacturing

• US 9,950,366 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Arcam Ab (Danaher Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Arcam Ab (Danaher Corporation)
• Inventors: Ackelid, Ulf
• Primary Examiner(s): ZHAO, XIAO SI
• Application Number:
  US15/371,617
• Publication Number:
  US 20170080494A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 118641
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/068 using ionising radiations (gamma, X, electrons)
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 1/18 Non-metallic particles coated with metal
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/20 Direct sintering or melting
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/28 Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM]
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/32 of the atmosphere, e.g. composition or pressure in a building chamber
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 10/36 of energy beam parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/49 Scanners
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/52 Hoppers
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 12/55 Two or more means for feeding material
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2202/01 Use of vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2998/10 Processes characterised by the sequence of their steps
• CPC Class Codes: B22F 2999/00 Aspects linked to processes or compositions used in powder metallurgy
• 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: 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 70/00 Materials specially adapted for additive manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/00 Coating by vacuum evaporation, by sputtering or by ion implantation of the coating forming material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/223 specially adapted for coating particles
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/00 Chemical coating by decomposition of gaseous compounds, without leaving reaction products of surface material in the coating, i.e. chemical vapour deposition [CVD] processes reactive sputtering or vacuum evaporation C23C14/00
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4417 : Methods specially adapted for coating powder
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/25 : Process efficiency

Abstract

Various embodiments provide a method and apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of a powder bed provided on a work table in an additive manufacturing machine, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article. The method comprises the steps of: applying a layer of predetermined thickness of powder particles on the work table, applying a coating on at least a portion of the powder particles, which coating is at least partially covering the powder particles, and fusing the powder particles on the work table with an electron beam.

Claims

1. An apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of a powder bed applied onto a work table, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, said apparatus comprising:

a powder container for storing powder particles;

a coating device for coating at least a portion of said powder particles while said powder particles are inside the powder container with a coating material having at least one material characteristic that differs from a corresponding material characteristic of said powder particles;

a powder build tank adjacent to the powder container comprising a work table;

a powder distributor for distributing a layer of coated powder particles from said powder container as a powder bed on top of said work table; and

an energy beam source for fusing the layer of powder particles on said work table.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the at least one material characteristic of the coating material is an electrical conductivity.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said electrical conductivity of said coating material is higher than an electrical conductivity of the powder particles.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said work table comprises a vibrator, said vibrator being activated while coating said powder on said work table.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said coating device is selected from the group consisting of:

a sputtering device, a chemical vapor deposition device, a physical vapor deposition device, a laser ablation device, a device for resistive melting of a target, a laser beam melting of a target, and electron beam melting of a target.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said work table and said coating device are provided in a vacuum chamber.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises a control unit, said control unit being configured to at least manipulate an electron beam emitted from said energy beam source.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the electron beam is configured, via the manipulation imposed by the control unit, for fusing the layer of powder particles on said work table.

9. An apparatus for forming a three-dimensional article through successive fusion of parts of at least one layer of a powder bed applied onto a work table, which parts corresponds to successive cross sections of the three-dimensional article, said apparatus comprising:

a powder container for storing powder particles with a bottom opening;

a coating device located adjacent to said bottom opening for coating the powder particles as the powder particles exit the opening via free fall with a coating material having at least one material characteristic that differs from a corresponding material characteristic of said powder particles;

a powder build tank comprising a work table;

a powder distributor for distributing a layer of coated powder particles from said powder container as a powder bed on top of said work table; and

an energy beam source for fusing the layer of powder particles on said work table.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the at least one material characteristic of the coating material is an electrical conductivity.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said electrical conductivity of said coating material is higher than an electrical conductivity of the powder particles.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said work table comprises a vibrator, said vibrator being activated while coating said powder on said work table.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said coating device is selected from the group consisting of:

a sputtering device, a chemical vapor deposition device, a physical vapor deposition device, a laser ablation device, a device for resistive melting of a target, a laser beam melting of a target, and electron beam melting of a target.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said work table and said coating device are provided in a vacuum chamber.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said apparatus further comprises a control unit, said control unit being configured to at least manipulate an electron beam emitted from said energy beam source.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the electron beam is configured, via the manipulation imposed by the control unit, for fusing the layer of powder particles on said work table.