Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus – Means applying electrical or wave energy directly to work – Radiated energy
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-07
2003-04-29
Silbaugh, Jan H. (Department: 1722)
Plastic article or earthenware shaping or treating: apparatus
Means applying electrical or wave energy directly to work
Radiated energy
C264S497000, C425S182000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06554600
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional part, particularly a laser sintering machine and, more particularly, a synthetic material laser sintering machine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Known laser sintering machines comprise a machine housing in which a sinter building space or process space is arranged. In the upper region of this building space, the exit optics of a sintering laser in the form of a scanner are located. The scanner constitutes the optical system for deflecting the laser beam providing the energy required for sintering the sinter material (thermoplast powder). Below the optical system, there is a work piece platform being height adjustable and above which material feeding means including a coating device are provided, designed for feeding powdery sinter material from a reservoir in the process area of the work piece platform.
Laser sintering machines in the prior art, the part is built in a layer-by-layer fashion in the inner region of the height-adjustable work piece platform. However, in order to prevent the thermoplast powder, which is not illuminated and thus not sintered, from falling off the work piece platform, a rim serving as a delimitation of the work piece platform is formed, i.e. sintered, substantially simultaneously at the periphery of the platform.
This approach has drawbacks in several respects.
Building the rim on the work piece platform requires additional exposure time and also, additional thermoplast powder is needed which can no longer be used.
In addition, as a particular drawback, in the case of a building error, a sufficiently strong box-like delimiting structure is not formed and may lead to deformations and thus to rejects even before or, at the latest, while withdrawing the part from the height-adjustable platform.
Furthermore, when withdrawing the work piece platform from the laser sintering machine, rim fractures or rim damages cause some powder to drop into the lower region of the laser sintering machine, soiling this portion and thus causing additional servicing and down-time of the laser sintering machine.
As a further serious drawback to all the above, the sintered part as well as the delimitation have to remain in the laser sintering machine for a certain period after the actual production process, in order to obtain a degree of curing and cooling such that deformations of the edge and of the part will no longer occur during withdrawal. As a rule of thumb associated herewith, a building time of 20 hours would also require a cooling time of roughly 20 hours for the built rim and the part, such that prior art laser sintering machines have relatively long down-times.
It is an object of the invention to from an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional part and particularly a laser sintering machine such that the amount of energy and material needed can be lowered and the down-time between two building processes can be significantly shortened.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional part by successive layer-by-layer solidification of a solidifiable material at locations corresponding to the cross section of the part, and having a building space (
3
) provided in a machine housing, characterized in that an interchangeable container (
12
;
112
) forming a delimiting frame for the material (
9
) can be inserted within said building space (
3
), in which a work piece platform (
8
;
108
) is integrated and a supporting device is arranged, on which the work piece platform (
8
;
108
) is supported and/or mounted during operation of the apparatus.
Preferred embodiments of the invention additionally include one or more of the following features:
(1) the work piece platform is adjustable in height within said delimiting frame and integrated in the interchangeable container as a container bottom; building space (
3
) is located in a machine housing and wherein exit optics (
5
) of a sintering laser are arranged in said building space (
3
) and said work piece platform (
8
) is arranged below said building space, and that material feeding means with a coating device (
10
) for feeding powdery sinter material (
9
) from a reservoir in the process area of said work piece platform (
8
) are provided;
(2) the work piece platform (
8
) can be latched to the side walls (
14
) of said interchangeable container (
12
); in a lower withdrawing position and the interchangeable container (
12
) can be withdrawn in the latched state from said building space (
3
) together with said work piece platform (
8
) forming its container bottom;
(3) the latching between the side walls (
14
) of said interchangeable container (
12
) and the work piece platform (
8
) is carried out by sliding plugs (
25
) insertable into bores aligned with respect to each other;
(4) the interchangeable container (
12
) in plan view has a substantially square or rectangular cross section and comprises four side walls (
14
) substantially perpendicular to each other, in which said work piece platform (
8
) is guided in a height-adjustable manner;
(5) the supporting device (
20
) for said work piece platform (
8
) is engaged through engagement recesses (
33
) in the rear side wall (
14
′) and extending in the direction of displacement;
(6) the supporting device (
20
) for said work piece platform (
8
) is engaged through engagement recesses (
33
) in the rear side wall (
14
′) and extending in the direction of displacement:
(7) the supporting device (
20
) is guided in the area of the machine rear wall;
(8) the supporting device (
40
) is incorporated in the lower portion of said interchangeable container (
12
) and is therefore a fixed component of said interchangeable container (
12
);
(9) the interchangeable container (
12
) can be inserted into guides (
70
) in the portion of the side walls (
14
) of said building space (
3
);
(10) the interchangeable container (
12
) is provided at its upper end with supporting angles (
71
) laterally extending away and resting on the guides (
70
) of said machine housing (
2
);
(11) the engagement recesses (
33
) are covered in a powder proof manner in the portion above said work piece platform (
8
);
(12) the sealing of said engagement recesses (
33
) is carried out by a roller shutter (
34
);
(13) the upper end (
35
) of said roller shutter (
34
) is mounted to the upper edge (
36
) of the rear side wall (
14
′);
(14) the roller shutter (
34
) is a steel roller shutter;
(15) the work piece platform (
8
) is formed by two spaced bottoms arranged in parallel to each other, the upper bottom forming the work piece holder and the lower bottom resting on said supporting device (
20
);
(16) magnet elements (
4
) cooperating with said roller shutter (
34
) are arranged adjacent to said engagement recesses (
33
);
(17) the roller shutter (
34
) is guided by a deflection pulley (
60
) the rear edge of which is aligned with the inner surface of the rear side wall (
14
′);
(18) a powder compression element is active between the inner sides (
15
) of the side walls (
14
) of said interchangeable container (
12
) and the outer edges of said work piece platform (
8
);
(19) the powder sealing element is formed by a silicone plate, the outer dimensions of which are adapted to the inner dimensions of said side walls (
14
) of said interchangeable container (
12
);
(20) the work piece platform (
8
) is connected to said supporting device (
20
) during the process;
(21) the interchangeable container (
12
;
112
) comprises a recess (
33
;
133
) through which the supporting !device (
300
;
30
) is engaged and in which the supporting device can be displaced;
(22) the recess (
33
;
133
) is sealed against said building space (
3
) such that no unsolidified material can escape;
(23) the recess (
133
) is formed in a slot-shaped manner in the direction of displacement of the supporting device and is sealed by means of a tape (
200
) mounted to the wall of said interchangeable container above said recess and being pressed agai
Hofmann Robert
Mattes Thomas
Turck Harald
Edwards & Angell LLP
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems
Luk Emmanuel
Neuner, Esq. George W.
Silbaugh Jan H.
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