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US-12617019-B2 - AM apparatus

US12617019B2US 12617019 B2US12617019 B2US 12617019B2US-12617019-B2

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a structure for replenishing a powder material to a material supply device during fabrication using the AM technique. According to one aspect, an AM apparatus is provided. This AM apparatus includes a DED nozzle configured to eject a powder material, a gantry mechanism configured to move the DED nozzle, and a powder supply device configured to supply the powder material to the DED nozzle. The gantry mechanism includes a Y-axis member movable in a horizontal X direction and extending in a horizontal Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. The DED nozzle and the material supply device are mounted on the Y-axis member of the gantry mechanism. The gantry mechanism includes a Y-axis movement mechanism for moving the DED nozzle and the material supply device along the Y direction on the Y-axis member.

Inventors

  • Junki Asai

Assignees

  • EBARA CORPORATION

Dates

Publication Date
20260505
Application Date
20220204
Priority Date
20210319

Claims (15)

  1. 1 . An AM apparatus comprising: a DED nozzle configured to eject a powder material; a gantry mechanism configured to move the DED nozzle; and a powder supply device configured to supply the powder material to the DED nozzle, wherein the powder supply device includes a container for holding the powder material and a cap attached to an upper end of the container, and wherein the cap includes an opening in communication with an inside of the container a closing member movable between a closing position, at which the closing member closes the opening, and an opening position, at which the closing member opens the opening, and an elastic member configured to bias the closing member to the closing position, wherein the gantry mechanism includes a Y-axis member movable in a horizontal X direction and extending in a horizontal Y direction perpendicular to the X direction, wherein the DED nozzle and the powder supply device are mounted on the Y-axis member of the gantry mechanism, and wherein the gantry mechanism includes a Y-axis movement mechanism for moving the DED nozzle and the powder supply device along the Y direction on the Y-axis member.
  2. 2 . The AM apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the gantry mechanism includes a Z-axis movement mechanism for moving the DED nozzle in a Z direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction.
  3. 3 . The AM apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a powder replenishment tube insertable in the opening of the cap, wherein the powder replenishment tube includes a powder passage configured to allow the powder material to pass therethrough, and a gas passage different from the powder passage, the gas passage being configured to allow gas to pass therethrough.
  4. 4 . The AM apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the powder replenishment tube includes a tapered surface on a distal end side inserted in the opening of the cap, and a powder port for supplying the powder material to the container is formed on a side surface adjacent to a lowest position of the tapered surface.
  5. 5 . The AM apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a weight sensor configured to measure a weight of the powder material supplied from the powder supply device to the DED nozzle.
  6. 6 . The AM apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the Y-axis movement mechanism is configured to control a movement of the powder supply device in such a manner that a horizontal acceleration applied to the weight sensor is kept equal to or lower than a predetermined value.
  7. 7 . The AM apparatus according to claim 5 , further comprising an acceleration sensor configured to measure an acceleration applied to the weight sensor.
  8. 8 . The AM apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the weight sensor is configured to measure the weight of the powder supply device only when the material supply device is stopped or is in a uniform motion.
  9. 9 . The AM apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising: a powder supply tube configured to supply the powder material from the powder supply device to the DED nozzle; and a sensor configured to measure an amount of the powder material that passes through the powder supply tube.
  10. 10 . The AM apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein at least a part of the powder supply tube is made of a transparent tube that is optically transparent, and wherein the AM apparatus further includes a light source configured to irradiate the transparent tube with light, and a light-receiving element configured to receive the light transmitted through the transparent tube.
  11. 11 . The AM apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the transparent tube is made from an anti-static member.
  12. 12 . The AM apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the powder supply tube is coupled with a gas source on an upstream side of the transparent tube.
  13. 13 . The AM apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the AM apparatus is configured in such a manner that an inner surface of the transparent tube has a surface roughness equal to or lower than a half of an average particle diameter of the powder material.
  14. 14 . The AM apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the powder supply device includes a container for holding the powder material, and wherein the AM apparatus further includes a light source configured to irradiate an inside of the container with light at a first height of the container, and a light-receiving element configured to receive the light transmitted through the inside of the container at the first height.
  15. 15 . The AM apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the powder supply device is configured in such a manner that a vibration is provided to the powder supply device when the powder material is supplied to the powder supply device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present application relates to an AM apparatus. The present application claims priority under the Paris Convention to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-46034 filed on Mar. 19, 2021. The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-46034 including the specification, the claims, the drawings, and the abstract is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND ART There are known techniques for directly fabricating a three-dimensional object based on three-dimensional data on a computer that expresses the three-dimensional object. Known examples thereof include the Additive Manufacturing (AM) technique. As one example thereof, Direct Energy Deposition (DED) is available as the AM technique employing the deposition method. DED is a technique that carries out fabrication by melting and solidifying a metal material together with a base material using an appropriate heat source while supplying the metal material locally. Further, Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) is available as one example of the AM technique. In PBF, each layer of the three-dimensional object is fabricated by subjecting two-dimensionally bedded metal powder to irradiation of a fabrication target portion thereof with a laser beam or an electron beam serving as a heat source, and melting and solidifying or sintering the metal powder. In PBF, the desired three-dimensional object can be fabricated by repeating such a process. CITATION LIST Patent Literature PTL 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-278902PTL 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2019-137038 SUMMARY OF INVENTION Technical Problem In any of the DED method and the PBF method, the fabrication based on the AM technique is used to manufacture a comparatively small-sized fabrication object at present. Manufacturing a relatively large-sized fabrication object using the AM technique leads to the necessity of a large amount of powder material, and makes it important to appropriately supply the powder material. In a case where the large-sized fabrication object is manufactured by the DED method, a material supply device that supplies the powder material to a DED nozzle should be provided, but the material supply device may be unable to hold the powder material by a sufficient amount when the intended fabrication object is large. For example, if the powder supply device is set up outside a fabrication region and is configured to supply the powder material to a movable DED nozzle, such a configuration allows a large-sized material supply device to be provided to the AM apparatus. However, because the DED nozzle carries out the fabrication while moving in the fabrication region, a material supply tube extending from the material supply device to the DED nozzle may be deformed according to the movement of the DED nozzle, making stable supply of the material difficult. On the other hand, if the material supply device is configured movably together with the DED nozzle, the flow path of the material supply tube is stabilized, and the powder material can be stably supplied to the DED nozzle. However, configuring the material supply device movably together with the DED nozzle makes it difficult to increase the size of the material supply device. This raises the necessity of replenishing the powder material to the material supply device during the fabrication. One of objects of the present invention is to provide a structure for replenishing a powder material to a material supply device during fabrication using the AM technique. Solution to Problem According to one aspect, an AM apparatus is provided. This AM apparatus includes a DED nozzle configured to eject a powder material, a gantry mechanism configured to move the DED nozzle, and a powder supply device configured to supply the powder material to the DED nozzle. The gantry mechanism includes a Y-axis member movable in a horizontal X direction and extending in a horizontal Y direction perpendicular to the X direction. The DED nozzle and the material supply device are mounted on the Y-axis member of the gantry mechanism. The gantry mechanism includes a Y-axis movement mechanism for moving the DED nozzle and the material supply device along the Y direction on the Y-axis member. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an AM apparatus for manufacturing a fabrication object according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a Y-axis member with a DED nozzle and a material supply device mounted thereon according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the material supply device according to one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the material supply device according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a cap attached to a hopper according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the structure of