Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture – Methods – Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
Patent
1995-08-22
1997-07-15
Sells, James
Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture
Methods
Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
1562733, 1562735, 1562755, 1563798, 156381, 264 69, 264 85, 264125, 264308, 4251744, B32B 3100
Patent
active
056479310
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional object according to the preamble of claim 1 or claim 10, resp.
A method and an apparatus of this kind is disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,538. A predetermined amount of a powdery material is charged onto a lowerable platform and distributed thereon by means of a rotating drum which is moved across the platform. Thereafter the distributed material is irradiated at those portions of the thus formed material layer to thereby sinter together the material thereat. However, this manner of applying material is not optimal as regards the speed of applying material and the accuracy in obtaining a certain thickness of the material.
A method for producing a three-dimensional object according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from EP 0 450 762 A1. A uniform layer thickness is obtained by smoothing the applied material by means of a doctor blade.
In connection with a method for producing a three-dimensional object using solidifiable powderous material it is known from EP 0 431 924 A2 to generate a desired compactness of the powdery particles by means of a vibrating wiper. The wiper vibrates in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the powder layer.
It is the object of the invention to improve the known method or the known apparatus, resp., so that the application of the material and the adjustment of the layer thickness of the applied material are accelerated and improved.
According to the invention this object is achieved by a method having the features of claim 1 and by a device having the features of claim 10, resp.
Further developments of the invention are defined in the subclaims.
In the following an embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to the Figures. In the Figures:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of the apparatus according to the invention; and
FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of the applying device according to the invention.
The apparatus comprises a substantially horizontal work table 1 having a hole in the form of a cutout 2. The cross-section of the cutout 2 is larger than the maximum cross-section of the object 3 to be produced. An irradiation device 4, for example a laser, emitting a focussed light beam 5 is disposed above a work table. The light beam is deflected as a deflected beam 7 onto the plane of the work table by means of a deflection device 6. A deflection control 8 controls the deflection device so that the deflected beam 7 strikes any desired point within the operating region defined by the cutout 2.
A substantially flat platform 9 has a shape corresponding to the cutout 2 and can be lowered by means of a schematically indicated level adjustment device 10 in direction of arrow 11 during production of the object from an uppermost position in which the surface of the platform 9 is within the cutout 2 and substantially level with the surface of the work table 1 by such a distance that the finished object 3 can be removed below the work table 1, as described further below.
An applying device 12 for applying the material to be solidified onto the work table 1 and onto the platform 9 is disposed above the work table. As shown in more detail in FIG. 2 the applying device comprises a container 13 being designed as a trough which extends transversely across the cutout 2 or the platform 9, resp., and can be displaced by means of a displacement drive 15 along guides 14 substantially transversely to the extension thereof across the cutout 2 or the platform 9, resp., from a first end position shown in FIG. 1 with the container 13 being on one side of the cutout 2 outside thereof to a second substantially symmetric end position with the container 13 being on the other side of the cutout 2 ouside thereof.
The container 13 has a substantially funnel-shaped cross-section which is defined by two sidewalls 16, 17 and flares outwardly from a narrow slit-shaped lower opening 18 to a wider upper opening 19. The upper and lower openings 18, 19 each extend across substantially the entir
REFERENCES:
patent: 4323756 (1982-04-01), Brown et al.
patent: 4863538 (1989-09-01), Deckard
patent: 5037014 (1991-08-01), Bliss
patent: 5387380 (1995-02-01), Cima et al.
Partial translation of the office action dated Jul. 3, 1995, concerning the German Patent Application P 44 00 523.7-16 and partial translation of DE 43 26 986 C1.
Partial translation of DE U 94 00 372.6.
Langer Hans J.
Retallick David
EOS GmbH Electro Optical Systems
Neuner George W.
Sells James
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