Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1994-08-08
1997-08-19
Sells, James
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
1562733, 1562735, 1562755, 1563798, 156381, 264497, 264 85, 264125, 264308, 4251744, B29C 3508
Patent
active
056584121
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for producing a three-dimensional object and to an apparatus for carrying out such a method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a method is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,538. In this case the material is a powderous solid material which is applied in layers to the upper side of a lowerable piston and which is sintered at places corresponding to the object by means of a laser. For forming the successive layers the piston is stepwise lowered within a cylinder which surrounds the powderous material. A heater maintains the material at an operating temperature of about 150.degree. C. as required for the sintering process.
This known method has the drawbacks that together with the material also the cylinder must be heated up to the operating temperature which requires a preheating time of 2 to 3 hours. Moreover, before removing the object from the cylinder a slow cooling down to below 100.degree. C. must be carried out in order to avoid the risk of dust explosion. During this cool-down period the object must remain within the cylinder. In summary, the known method results in long rigging and strip-down times and therefore long production times. This drawback shall be eliminated with the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention this problem shall be solved by the features as set forth in the claims. Since according to the invention the container wall corresponding to the conventional cylinder is produced simultaneously with the object, the preheating of the cylinder and therefore the long rigging time is eliminated. After finishing the object the container wall which does not form part of the apparatus can be removed from the apparatus together with the object for a controlled cool-down, so that the long cool-down time within the apparatus and therefore the strip-down time is also eliminated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an apparatus in accord with one embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the following the invention shall be described with an embodiment by reference to the FIGURE. The FIGURE is a schematic sectional representation of the inventive apparatus.
The apparatus comprises a substantially horizontal work table 1 having a hole in the form of a cutout 2. The cutout 2 is preferably circular with a cross-section which is greater than the greatest cross-sectional area of the object 3 to be produced. However, the cutout 2 may also have any other suitable shape. An irradiation device 4, for example a laser, delivering a focussed light beam 5 is arranged above the work table 1. The light beam is deflected through a deflection device 6, for example a rotating mirror, onto the plane of the work table 1 in the form of a deflected beam 7. A control device 8 controls the deflection device so that the deflected beam 7 strikes any desired point within the operational region defined by the cutout 2.
An as well substantially horizontal base 9 in the form of a platform is provided below the cutout 2. The base 9 is formed as a laterally guided table having a shape corresponding to the cutout 2 and is displaceable in direction of the arrow 11 by means of an as well laterally arranged level adjustment device 10 between an uppermost position in which the upper surface of the base is within the cutout 2 and substantially at the same level as the upper side of the work table 1, and a lowermost position which is indicated by dotted lines in the FIGURE and in which the base 9 is lowered to such an extent that the surface thereof is level with an adjacent receiving plate 12. The distance between the receiving plate and the work table, i.e. the level adjustment range of the base, is greater than the maximum height of the object 3.
Adjacent to the receiving plate 12 the apparatus comprises an opening 13 which is tightly closeable by means of a door 14. A removal container 15 is provided which can be sealingly attached or docked, resp., to the op
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English abstract of JP 3-224726.
Langer Hans J.
Reichle Johannes
Retallick Dave
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems
Neuner George W.
Sells James
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