System for manufacturing toroidal propeller for mobility, toroidal propeller for mobility, method for manufacturing same, method for creating drawing of toroidal propeller for mobility, server, and program

Abstract

To provide a toroidal propeller whose shape can be optimized according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, and which can be increased in size at low cost.SOLUTION: A system for manufacturing a toroidal propeller for mobility, comprising a 3D printer of a wire DED type, wherein the 3D printer is capable of forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing system for a toroidal propeller for mobility, a toroidal propeller for mobility, a manufacturing method thereof, a drawing creation method for a toroidal propeller for mobility, a server, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] Globally, ships emit 1.05 billion tons of CO2, accounting for 3.3% of the total, making decarbonization an urgent priority. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal of improving fuel efficiency by 40% by 2030 compared to 2008 levels (Non-Patent Document 1). According to the IMO, approximately 90% of global trade volume relies on maritime transport, and it has been reported that fuel costs alone amount to more than 2 billion yen per year for a single large ship, with annual expenditures totaling approximately 19 trillion yen worldwide (Non-Patent Document 2).

[0003] In recent years, high-performance propellers have become increasingly important, and propeller performance is examined using various analysis tools. Performance can be greatly affected by how precisely and smoothly the defined shape can be processed. [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] IMO's work to cut GHG emissions from ships(URL:https: / / www.imo.org / en / MediaCentre / HotTopics / Pages / Cutting-GHG-emissions.aspx) [Non-patent document 2] Report of fuel oil consumption data submitted to the IMO Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Database in GISIS (Reporting year: 2021)(URL:https: / / wwwcdn.imo.org / localresources / en / OurWork / Environment / Documents / Air%20pollution / MEPC%2079-6-1%20-%20Report%20of %20fuel%20oil%20consumption%20data%20submitted%20to%20the%20IMO%20Ship%20Fuel%20Oil%20ConsumptionDatabase...%20(Secretariat).pdf) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, propellers with shapes defined to achieve high performance are generally more difficult to manufacture than conventional products. In recent years, the shapes of propeller blades have become more complex, and the number of shapes that are difficult to cast and process is increasing.

[0006] Among these, toroidal propellers have been attracting attention in recent years as a technology for improving fuel efficiency. A toroidal propeller is a propeller with a donut-shaped ring structure.

[0007] Conventionally, propellers are manufactured using a casting and cutting process, but this process is not suitable for manufacturing propellers with complex three-dimensional shapes. In particular, when attempting to manufacture a complex-shaped toroidal propeller using a casting and cutting process, the complex shape increases the manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the larger the toroidal propeller, the higher the production cost. Furthermore, there are very few facilities capable of holding and pouring tens of tons of molten metal, and it is necessary to modify existing propeller manufacturing facilities. Manufacturing the base material that serves as the prototype for the complex toroidal shape is also extremely costly. Furthermore, it is necessary to optimize the shape of the toroidal propeller depending on the type and size of the ship. As such, toroidal propellers are very expensive using existing manufacturing methods, making it difficult to scale them up. It is also virtually impossible to optimize the shape of the toroidal propeller depending on the type and size of the ship. Therefore, there are currently no toroidal propellers for large ships or manufacturing facilities for them.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for manufacturing technology for toroidal propellers that can be optimized in shape according to the type and size of mobility such as ships, and that are inexpensive and can accommodate larger sizes. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The gist of the present invention is as follows. (1) Equipped with a wire-DED 3D printer, The 3D printer can form a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape, Manufacturing system for toroidal propellers for mobility applications. (2) The 3D printer includes a scannable robot arm, a robot head connected to the robot arm, a heat source provided in the robot head, a holder capable of holding a substrate, and a wire feeder; the heat source is configured to heat and melt the wire supplied from the wire supply device, the robot head is configured to be able to deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source onto the base material held by the holding part while being scanned together with the robot arm. The manufacturing system according to (1) above. (3) The substrate is a shaft portion of the toroidal propeller or an outer periphery of the toroidal propeller, The manufacturing system described in (2) above, wherein the 3D printer is configured to be capable of forming an integrated toroidal shaped blade by building up material from the shaft portion of the toroidal propeller toward the outer periphery and joining two blade portions together, or to be capable of forming an integrated toroidal shaped blade by building up material from the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller toward the shaft portion and joining two blade portions together. (4) the 3D printer further includes a first storage device and a first processing device; the first processing device controls the robot arm and the robot head based on the model information of the toroidal propeller stored in the first storage device; The manufacturing system according to (3) above. (5) further comprising a server having a second storage device and a second processing device; The server is configured to perform the following steps (a) to (f): (a) generating a plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from the basic model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (b) conducting a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the basic model is mounted on the mobility and the propeller performance when the multiple models of similar shape are mounted on the mobility; (c) determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (d) If all of the propeller performances fail, generate multiple models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, and perform a fluid analysis simulation on the propeller performance when the multiple models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance are installed; (e) If a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, create a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the acceptable model; and (f) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing; The manufacturing system according to (4) above, (6) further comprising a server having a second storage device and a second processing device; The server is configured to perform the following steps (A) to (L): (A) generating a plurality of second models having first differences based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the plurality of generated second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a third propeller when the plurality of third models generated are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a fourth propeller when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; (K) when an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more; (L) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing; The manufacturing system according to (4) above, (7) The manufacturing system described in (6) above, wherein the first model includes 3D-CAD drawing data including a first configuration including at least one of the shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material of the toroidal propeller. (8) A manufacturing system as described in (6) or (7) above, wherein the plurality of second models have the first difference in a second configuration including at least one of the shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material of the toroidal propeller. (9) A manufacturing system described in any one of (6) to (8) above, wherein the plurality of third models have the second difference in a third configuration including at least one of the shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material of the toroidal propeller. (10) A manufacturing system described in any one of (6) to (9) above, wherein the plurality of fourth models have the third difference in a fourth configuration including at least one of the shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material of the toroidal propeller. (11) A manufacturing system described in any of (6) to (10) above, wherein the first propeller performance, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance include evaluation of fuel efficiency, vibration, noise, or a combination thereof of a mobility equipped with the toroidal propeller. (12) The manufacturing system described in (11) above, wherein the pass or fail determination of the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance is made based on the evaluation. (13) A manufacturing system described in any one of (6) to (12) above, wherein generating the third model includes extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model among the plurality of second models that has the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of third models having the second difference based on the model with the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter. (14) A manufacturing system described in any of (6) to (13) above, wherein generating the fourth model includes extracting a third difference parameter between a model among the plurality of third models having the highest third propeller performance and a model among the plurality of second models having the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having the third difference based on the model having the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter. (15) A manufacturing system described in any one of (6) to (14) above, wherein creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed model includes creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the model with the highest propeller performance among the passed models. (16) A manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (15) above, wherein generating the plurality of second models includes, when data of the first model is input to the second storage device, the processing device generates the plurality of second models by changing parameters including at least one of the shape of the toroidal propeller, the number of blades, the propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. (17) A manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (16) above, wherein generating the plurality of third models includes, when the model with the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second differential parameters are input to the second storage device, the processing device generates the plurality of third models by changing parameters including at least one of the shape of the toroidal propeller, the number of blades, the propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. (18) A manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (17) above, wherein generating the plurality of fourth models includes, when the model with the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third differential parameters are input to the second storage device, the processing device generates the plurality of fourth models by changing parameters including at least one of the shape of the toroidal propeller, the number of blades, the propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. (19) The manufacturing system according to any one of (1) to (18) above, wherein the toroidal propeller has a diameter of 2000 mm or more. (20) The manufacturing system according to any one of (1) to (19) above, wherein the mobility is a ship or an aircraft. (21) The manufacturing system according to any one of (1) to (19) above, wherein the mobility is a large ship or a gigantic ship. (22) Toroidal propellers for mobility purposes with a diameter of 2000 mm or more. (23) The toroidal propeller for mobility described in (22) above, wherein the mobility is a ship or an aircraft. (24) The toroidal propeller for mobility described in (22) above, wherein the mobility is a large ship or a gigantic ship. (25) A method for manufacturing a toroidal propeller for mobility, including forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using a wire-DED 3D printer. (26) A method for creating drawings for a 3D printer using a wire-driven DED method for a toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) generating a plurality of second models having first differences based on the first model of the toroidal propeller; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the plurality of generated second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a third propeller when the plurality of third models generated are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a fourth propeller when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; and (K) When an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, create a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more; A method for creating drawings, including: (27) A server in a drawing creation system for a wire-DED 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) a second model generation means for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) first and second propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination means for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) a third model generation means for extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having higher second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having higher second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) a third propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination means for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) a fourth model generation means for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the third propeller performances are unacceptable, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a fourth propeller performance when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination means for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) a repeating means for repeating (G) to (I) above until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained if all of the fourth propeller performances fail; and (K) a drawing creation means for creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the nth model when the nth model having acceptable propeller performance is obtained, where n is an integer of 2 or more; A server comprising: (28) A server in a drawing creation system for a 3D printer using the wire-DED method for a toroidal propeller for mobility. (A) a second model generation process for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination process for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) a third model generation process for extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having a higher second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having a higher second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) a third propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination process for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) a fourth model generation process for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, if all of the third propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a fourth propeller performance when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination process for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating steps (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; and (K) When the nth model having the nth propeller performance is obtained, a drawing creation process is performed to create a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the nth model that has passed the nth propeller performance, where n is an integer of 2 or more; A program that executes. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toroidal propeller that can be optimized in shape according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, and that is inexpensive and can be made large. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wire DED printer 100. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the manufacturing process of the toroidal propeller 50 using the wire DED printer 100. [Figure 3]Figure 3 shows an overview of the manufacturing process for a toroidal propeller using a wire DED printer. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of the toroidal propeller 50. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of the toroidal propeller 50. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating the toroidal propeller 50. As shown in FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a screw propeller. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing process for a toroidal propeller using a wire DED printer. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of the manufacturing system 10. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a photograph showing the appearance of two stainless steel wing portions 521 being formed on the surface of a stainless steel shaft 54 ​​in Example 1. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a photograph showing the appearance of a toroidal propeller in which the build-up is continued from the state shown in FIG. 10 to join two blade portions 521 to form blade 52. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a photograph of the toroidal propeller in Figure 11, viewed from the axial direction. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a model diagram of the toroidal propeller produced in Example 2. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a model diagram of the screw propeller produced in Reference Example 1. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a graph showing the results of thrust measurement of the toroidal propeller produced in Example 2 and the propeller produced in Reference Example 1. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing system for toroidal propellers for mobility, which is equipped with a wire DED (Direct Energy Deposition) type 3D printer and is capable of forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using the 3D printer.

[0013] According to the manufacturing system disclosed herein (also referred to as the present manufacturing system), a device equipped with a wire DED type 3D printer (hereinafter also referred to as a wire DED printer or a 3D printer) can be included, which makes it possible to optimize the shape according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, and to inexpensively manufacture not only small but also large toroidal propellers.

[0014] A conventional screw propeller 60 shown in Figure 7 generates lift as the blades 61 rotate, and uses that lift as propulsion. Lift is generated by negative pressure on the upper surface of the rotating blades 61 and positive pressure on the lower surface. When this pressure difference collides at the end of the blades 61, a vortex called a tip vortex is generated, and it is known that the larger the tip vortex, the more adversely it affects the blade's lift. It is also known that when tip vortices are generated in water, the negative pressure causes a phase change in water, turning it into gas, which is known as cavitation. When cavitation occurs, propulsion power rapidly deteriorates.

[0015] In contrast, a toroidal propeller does not have blade tips where pressure differences collide. Figure 4 shows a schematic side view of a toroidal propeller 50. Figure 5 shows a schematic front view of a toroidal propeller 50. Figure 6 shows a schematic perspective view of a toroidal propeller 50.

[0016] The toroidal shape of the toroidal propeller 50 has blades 52 attached to the shaft 54 ​​in a closed ring shape, which eliminates the collision of positive and negative pressures, suppresses the generation of wingtip vortices, and is less likely to adversely affect the generation of lift. When the toroidal propeller 50 is used underwater, the occurrence of cavitation can be suppressed, so efficiency is less likely to decrease even when the rotation speed is increased, making it possible to generate thrust with high efficiency.

[0017] Propeller fluid analysis and thrust (propulsive force) evaluation can be performed using full-scale or miniature models. In engineering design, particularly ship design, verification has traditionally been performed using miniature models such as 1 / 100 scale models. In fluid analysis and thrust measurement, if the variable parameter Reynolds number is substantially equal, the engineering scaling law holds, and it is known that verification using miniature models can be applied to large models.

[0018] On the other hand, the toroidal propeller 50 has blades 52 attached to a shaft 54 ​​in a closed ring shape, and when attempting to form such a toroidal shape consisting of a closed circuit using conventional casting and cutting processes, voids are likely to occur, and in the cutting process, there may be areas that the drill cannot reach. In contrast, a wire DED printer can inexpensively manufacture toroidal propellers with shapes that are difficult to reproduce using conventional casting and cutting processes, and can optimize shapes according to the type and size of mobility such as ships, making it possible to inexpensively manufacture even large toroidal propellers.

[0019] This manufacturing system enables optimization of the shape according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, and enables the low-cost production of large toroidal propellers for mobility. This manufacturing system makes it possible to obtain, at low cost, toroidal propellers for mobility with diameters preferably of 2000 mm or more, more preferably 2500 mm or more, and even more preferably 3000 mm or more. The diameter of a toroidal propeller is the diameter of the circle traced by the tips of the blades 52 when the propeller makes one rotation.

[0020] In this application, mobility refers to a moving body that obtains thrust from a propeller, and can be manned or unmanned. This manufacturing system can manufacture not only small but also large toroidal propellers, so the toroidal propellers manufactured by this manufacturing system can be used for various mobility applications, preferably ships or aircraft, including large ships and giant ships. Examples of ships include cargo ships, passenger ships, fishing boats, patrol boats, fireboats, escort ships, submarines, and work boats. Examples of aircraft include small flying objects such as airplanes, drones, and hoverbikes. A large ship refers to a ship with a gross tonnage of 20 tons or more, and a giant ship refers to a ship with a total length of 200 meters or more.

[0021] Wire DED printers are a type of 3D printer modeling method. Wire DED, also known as directed energy deposition or deposition, is a process that uses thermal energy to melt, bond, and deposit materials.

[0022] As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the wire DED printer 100 may include a scannable robot arm 1, a robot head 2 connected to the robot arm 1, a heat source 21 provided on the robot head 2, a holding portion (not shown) capable of holding a substrate, and a wire feeding device (not shown).

[0023] In the wire DED printer 100, a robot head 2 having a robot arm 1 at its end supplies a metal or plastic wire 22, which is raw material, through a nozzle using a wire feeder. The wire 22 is heated by applying energy from a heat source 21 to the heating and melting section 30 at the tip of the robot head 2 while a shielding gas is supplied. The heated and melted wire material solidifies on a substrate 40 to form a buildup, which can be repeatedly layered to form a three-dimensional part. Parts can be formed at various angles by moving and / or rotating the substrate 40. The substrate 40 may be a separate component from the part, or it may be part of the part. The robot arm 1 and the robot head 2 may be connected or integrated. The robot arm 1 and the robot head 2 may be one or more. The heat source 21 can be a laser, an arc, an electron beam, or plasma. The heat source 21 may be one or more. The heat source 21 may be a combination of multiple types of heat sources. The heat source 21 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a laser oscillator.

[0024] Arcs include electric arcs and plasma arcs, which are relatively difficult to control precisely, but have a high amount of energy and can melt a large amount of wire material, allowing for faster deposition rates. Electron beams have a high amount of energy and can be precisely controlled, but require a vacuum environment. Lasers have a relatively low amount of energy, but can be precisely controlled and do not require a vacuum environment. Shielding gases are, for example, inert gases such as argon, or a mixture of these gases.

[0025] The wire DED method can use a heat source to melt the raw material wire, and compared to other AM technologies such as PBF (Powder Bed Fusion), it is possible to additively manufacture large parts at a high deposition rate. Furthermore, compared to PBF, which involves spreading metal powder in a bath and sintering it with a laser to create a three-dimensional object, the wire DED method does not require expensive metal powder, and since it does not require a bath, there are no restrictions on bath size. Furthermore, since almost no waste material is produced except during the excess material cutting process, the wire DED method has the advantages of low cost, the ability to handle large parts, and little waste material. The wire DED method also allows for the use of commercially available welding wire, offering a wide range of material options.

[0026] The wire DED printer 100 can be a large-scale robot arm AM (Additive Manufacturing) device capable of accommodating parts preferably having dimensions of 1000 mm or more, more preferably 2000 mm or more. The AM device can include a robot head on a robot arm, and the robot head can have a heat source and a wire feeder. The robot head can be scanned while heating and melting the wire supplied from the wire feeder with energy from the heat source, thereby cladding the wire material onto a substrate.

[0027] The substrate can be the shaft of a toroidal propeller or the outer periphery of a toroidal propeller. The wire DED printer 100 can be configured to form the toroidal propeller with closed-loop blades by molding from the shaft to the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller, where two blades meet, or by molding from the outer periphery to the shaft of the toroidal propeller.

[0028] When forming a toroidal propeller using the wire DED printer 100, preferably, as shown schematically in FIG. 2, the toroidal propeller is molded from the axis 54 toward the outer periphery, and two blade portions 521 are joined to form an integrated closed-circuit blade 52, thereby forming the toroidal propeller 50.

[0029] Figure 10 shows a photograph of the appearance of a toroidal propeller being manufactured using this manufacturing system. Figure 10 is a photograph of the appearance of two stainless steel blades 521 being formed on the surface of a stainless steel shaft 54, just before the blades 521 are to be joined.

[0030] Fig. 11 shows a photograph of the appearance of a toroidal propeller in which the build-up is continued from the state shown in Fig. 10 to join two blade portions 521 to form blade 52. Fig. 12 shows a photograph of the appearance of the toroidal propeller in Fig. 11 as viewed from the axial direction.

[0031] The toroidal blades 52 can be arranged coaxially around the shaft 54. In this way, by molding from the shaft 54 ​​toward the outer periphery and joining two blades 521 to form an integrated closed-circuit blade portion 52, it is possible to form a closed-circuit structure that is difficult to achieve using conventional casting and cutting processes. Therefore, the wire DED printer 100 can inexpensively form a toroidal propeller shape having a complex shape composed of a closed circuit.

[0032] 10, the wire DED printer 100 can include a holder 70 that holds the shaft 54. The holder 70 has a movement mechanism and / or a rotation mechanism with a chuck, and can grip the end of the held shaft 54 ​​to move and / or rotate the shaft 54. The blades 52 can be formed while the shaft 54 ​​held by the holder 70 is rotated about its axis.

[0033] When forming the blades 52 on the surface of the shaft 54 ​​using the wire DED printer 100, it is preferable to deposit the blades vertically downward or at a slight angle from below the surface of the shaft 54. When forming multiple blades 52 around the surface of the shaft 54, the blades 52 can be formed while rotating the shaft 54 ​​held by the holding unit around its axis.

[0034] The plurality of blades 52 may be formed in series by forming one of the blades 52 and then rotating the shaft 54 ​​to form the other blades 52.

[0035] Alternatively, multiple blades 52 may be molded in parallel, preferably axisymmetrically. When molding three blades 52 on the surface of a shaft 54, the three blades 52 can be molded simultaneously by gradually building up the blades 52 while the shaft 54 ​​is rotating. If it is desired to cool the blades 52 being molded by building up the blades, the shaft 54 ​​can be rotated to mold other blades 52. Furthermore, when manufacturing a large-sized toroidal propeller, for example, one with a diameter of 2000 mm or more, the mass of the blades 52 increases and the position of the center of gravity is likely to change significantly. Therefore, in order to maintain balance, it is preferable to mold multiple blades 52 in parallel, preferably axisymmetrically, while rotating the shaft 54.

[0036] The wire 22 used in the wire DED printer 100 can be a metal wire conventionally used for welding. Metal wire is inexpensive and available in a wide range of materials. Examples of metal wire include stainless steel, aluminum alloys, and corrosion-resistant alloys such as nickel, copper, and nickel-copper alloys. The material of the shaft 54 ​​and the material of the blades 52, at least the portion molded on the surface of the shaft 54, can be the same or a combination of different materials that are highly weldable to each other. For example, the shaft 54 ​​and the blades 52 can be made of SUS316L. Examples of plastic wire include filaments and pellets.

[0037] The manufacturing system may also include a cooling device. High durability is required for toroidal propellers installed on ships, as they may be subjected to repeated loads in a seawater environment. Therefore, it is preferable to refine the crystal grains of the structure that constitutes the shaft 54 ​​and blades 52 of the toroidal propeller. The wire DED printer 100 is capable of rapid cooling of the molded object, thereby refining the crystal grains. The cooling rate of the molded object is preferably 1×10 3 ~1×10 5 By cooling the shaped product at the above-mentioned preferred cooling rate, the crystal grains can be more effectively refined.

[0038] The manufacturing system may also include a heat treatment device. In the wire DED printer 100, heat treatment may be performed after the cooling. Heat treatment can achieve solid solution strengthening, precipitation strengthening, work hardening, and grain size control of the structure that constitutes the shaft 54 ​​and blades 52 of the toroidal propeller.

[0039] The wire DED printer 100 can be configured to adjust the build conditions, including the angle of the robot head performing build-up welding, the build-up welding speed, the feed speed of the wire 22 fed to the robot head 2, the build-up welding current and welding voltage, the movement direction of the robot head 2, the weaving conditions of the robot head 2, or a combination thereof. When forming a toroidal propeller 50 using the wire DED printer 100, preferably, micro-machining of the surface of the blades 52 can be performed during three-dimensional printing to control the surface texture of the blades 52. By controlling the surface texture of the blades 52, a toroidal propeller 50 having blades 52 with excellent fluid properties can be formed. By micro-machining the surface of the blades 52 during three-dimensional printing, post-processing to control the surface texture of the blades 52 is not required, and a toroidal propeller 50 with surface texture excellent in fluid properties can be formed at low cost. The surface texture of the blades 52 can be changed by changing the build conditions of the wire DED printer 100.

[0040] The wired DED printer 100 preferably includes a first storage device, a first processing device, and a first communication device capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the outside, enabling digital quality control. The wired DED printer 100 may also include a read / write device capable of reading and writing portable media such as USB, CD, and DVD. The wired DED printer 100 may also include other devices such as an output device.

[0041] The first processing device can store model data transmitted from outside via the first communication device or model data input via a portable medium and a read / write device in the first storage device. The first processing device can control the robot arm and robot head to perform three-dimensional modeling based on the model information stored in the first storage device.

[0042] Preferably, the first processing device controls the robot arm 1, the robot head 2, and the holder for the substrate 40 based on model information of the toroidal propeller stored in the first storage device. The model information may include data on the shape and material of the toroidal propeller.

[0043] Control of the robot arm 1 may include control of the scanning of the robot arm 1. Control of the robot head 2 may include the timing and speed of supply of the wire 22 by the wire supply device, the range, timing, and amount of energy supplied to the wire 22 by the heat source 21, and the range, timing, and amount of shielding gas supplied. Control of the holder for the substrate 40 may include moving and rotating the holder so that the substrate 40 is at a desired position and angle.

[0044] When performing three-dimensional modeling based on the program contained in the first storage device, the first processing device can form high-quality objects by highly digitally controlling four parameters: heat flow rate from the heat source 21, scanning speed, bead width, and bead thickness.

[0045] The first storage device stores programs such as a driver program, an operating system program, and an application program including an operation program for the wire DED printer 100. The first storage device may also store model data, process parameters, measurement data during 3D printing including temperature, humidity, electrical resistance, image data, etc., wire material data, equipment information, peripheral model data including model data of interfering objects, and maintenance information for the wire DED printer 100.

[0046] The first processing device has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The first processing device controls the overall operation of the wired DED printer 100, and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0047] The first processing device executes various processes based on programs (driver programs, operating system programs, application programs, etc.) stored in the first storage device. The first processing device can also execute multiple programs (application programs, etc.) in parallel. The first storage device may be built into the wired DED printer 100, built into another wired DED printer connected to the wired DED printer 100 by wire or wirelessly, an external storage device connected to the wired DED printer 100 by wire or wirelessly, or included in a server or cloud server connected to the wired DED printer 100 by a communication network such as the Internet.

[0048] The first processing device can store (memorize) model data input from the outside in the first storage device. The first processing device can also control the operation of the first storage device, the robot arm equipped with the robot head, and the holding unit so as to perform three-dimensional modeling based on the model data stored in the first storage device.

[0049] The manufacturing system may further include a server for storing and generating toroidal propeller model data, performing fluid analysis simulations on the propeller performance of the generated model, determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails, and creating a slicer drawing for a wire DED printer of the generated model. The manufacturing system may also include a server for executing the formation of a toroidal propeller using a wire DED printer based on the created slicer drawing. The two servers may be integrated or separate.

[0050] 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of the present manufacturing system 10. The present manufacturing system 10 preferably includes a wired DED printer 100 and a server 200. The server 200 may be integrated with the wired DED printer 100, or may be shared with the server of the wired DED printer 100. The wired DED printer 100 and the server 200 do not have to be connected via a network 300, but preferably, as shown in FIG. 9, the wired DED printer 100 and the server 200 are connected via a network 300.

[0051] The server 200 may include a second storage device, a second processing device, and a second communication device capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the outside. The server 200 may be connected to a communication network such as the Internet. The server 200 may also include a read / write device capable of reading and writing portable media such as USB, CD, and DVD. The server 200 may also include other devices such as an output device.

[0052] The second storage device may have a configuration similar to that of the first storage device described above. The second processing device can store the model data stored in the second storage device in the first storage device via the first communication device or the read / write device of the wired DED printer. The first storage device, the first processing device, and the first communication device may be common to the second storage device, the second processing device, and the second communication device.

[0053] The server 200 may also include a read / write device capable of reading and writing portable media such as a USB, CD, DVD, etc. Model data stored and generated by the server may be transmitted to the wired DED printer 100 via a wireless or wired network, or input via a portable media such as a USB, CD, DVD, etc.

[0054] The manufacturing system preferably further includes a server having a second storage device and a second processing device; The server is configured to perform the following steps (a) to (f): (a) generating a plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from the basic model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (b) conducting a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the basic model is mounted on the mobility and the propeller performance when the multiple models of similar shape are mounted on the mobility; (c) determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (d) If all of the propeller performances fail, generate multiple models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, and perform a fluid analysis simulation on the propeller performance when the multiple models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance are installed; (e) If a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, create a slicer drawing for a 3D printer for the acceptable model; and (f) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing; Execute the following.

[0055] Figure 3 shows an overview of the process flow for steps (a) to (f) above. By performing steps (a) to (f) above, it is possible to more easily form a large toroidal propeller that is inexpensive and has excellent propeller performance optimized for each type of mobility. The optimal configuration of a propeller varies for each type of mobility, and individual customization to match the type, size, engine, and other configurations of the mobility may be required, which can increase the burden of the design process. However, a manufacturing system including steps (a) to (f) above makes it possible to efficiently form a toroidal propeller optimized for each type of mobility to be installed.

[0056] More preferably, the manufacturing system further includes a server having a second storage device and a second processing device, The server is configured to perform the following steps (A) to (L): (A) generating a plurality of second models having first differences based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the plurality of generated second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a third propeller when the plurality of third models generated are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a fourth propeller when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; (K) when an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more; (L) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing; Execute the following.

[0057] By carrying out the steps (A) through (L) above, it is possible to more easily form a large toroidal propeller that is inexpensive and has excellent propeller performance optimized for each type of mobility. The optimal configuration of a propeller varies depending on the type of mobility, and individual customization to match the configuration of the mobility, such as the type, size, and engine, may be required, which can increase the burden of the design process. However, a manufacturing system including the steps (A) through (L) above makes it possible to efficiently form a toroidal propeller that is optimized for each type of mobility to be installed.

[0058] Figure 3 shows an outline of the process flow for the above steps (a) to (f) and (A) to (L). The above steps (a) to (f) and (A) to (L) can be designed using a genetic algorithm. In step (a) or (A), a plurality of second models having a first difference are generated from a first model, which is a basic model.

[0059] The second model has a first difference from the first model, where the first difference is multiple, and the second model is correspondingly multiple, where the first difference can be a predetermined difference or a random difference.

[0060] In generating the second model, a program can be used to generate a plurality of second models so that the second models have a predetermined difference or a random difference as the first difference from the first model.

[0061] In generating the third model, a program can be used to generate multiple second models so that the second difference from the second model is a predetermined difference or a random difference. The same applies to generating the fourth and subsequent models.

[0062] The program may be a commercially available generative AI or a trained computational model that has undergone machine learning. Examples of the generative AI include ChatGPT, Gemini, Adobe Firefly, Canva, and Midjourney. The trained computational model may be a trained computational model that has undergone machine learning so that, when a first model is input, it generates multiple second models that have predetermined or random differences from the first model.

[0063] The first model is a basic model of a toroidal propeller. One or more first models may be prepared for each mobility.

[0064] The first model may be data including a first configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material, and may be, for example, data of a 3D-CAD drawing. The first configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted into data for a wire-DED printer by a second processing device.

[0065] Generating a plurality of second models with first differences based on a first model of the toroidal propeller may include generating a plurality of second models with first differences from the first model in a first configuration.

[0066] The fluid analysis simulation in the above process can be a conventional simulation, such as Matlab (registered trademark), AutodeskCFD (registered trademark), or the like. A fluid analysis simulation can be performed on the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility vehicle and the second propeller performance when each of the multiple second models is mounted on the mobility vehicle, thereby calculating the first propeller performance and the second propeller performance corresponding to each of the multiple second models. If the second propeller performance fails, a fluid analysis simulation can be performed on the third propeller performance when each of the multiple third models is mounted on the mobility vehicle, thereby calculating the third propeller performance corresponding to each of the multiple third models. If the third propeller performance fails, a fluid analysis simulation can be performed on the fourth propeller performance when each of the multiple fourth models is mounted on the mobility vehicle, thereby calculating the fourth propeller performance corresponding to each of the multiple fourth models.

[0067] In the fluid analysis simulation, analysis can be performed including the configuration of the mobility, the configuration of the toroidal propeller installed on the mobility, and other configurations of the mobility that affect the propulsion force other than the toroidal propeller, such as the configuration of the ship's hull, rudder, side thrusters, etc.

[0068] The selection of the model with high propeller performance in step (d) or the selection of the second model with high propeller performance in step (D) may involve selecting one or more models with high propeller performance, or any model from among the multiple models with high propeller performance, for example, any of the top three models in performance, but preferably the model with the highest propeller performance is selected. The same applies to the third model with high propeller performance in step (G).

[0069] The difference is a difference between each of the plurality of models having similar shapes and the base model, and the first difference is a difference between each of the plurality of second models and the first model.

[0070] The second difference is the difference between the first model and a second model having high second propeller performance among the multiple second models, and the second difference is also the difference between the second model having high second propeller performance that each of the multiple third models has. The second difference is a difference corresponding to a second difference parameter. The second difference parameter is a parameterized version of the second difference between the first model and the second model having high second propeller performance.

[0071] The third difference is the difference between a third model having high third propeller performance and a second model having high second propeller performance among the multiple third models, and the third difference is also the difference between each of the multiple fourth models and the third model having high third propeller performance. The third difference is a difference corresponding to a third difference parameter. The third difference parameter is a parameterized version of the third difference between the third model having high third propeller performance and the second model having high second propeller performance.

[0072] FIG. 8 shows an overview of the above steps (A) to (F) and partway through (G), as well as an image of the generation of a model with differences in each step.

[0073] In steps (A), (B), and (C), a plurality of second models having a first difference are generated based on a first model of the toroidal propeller, and a fluid analysis simulation is performed on the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on a mobility vehicle and the second propeller performance when the plurality of second models are mounted on a mobility vehicle, and the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is judged as pass or fail. Figure 8 shows an example in which three second models are generated.

[0074] If all of the second propeller performances fail, in steps (D), (E), and (F), a model with high second propeller performance is selected from the multiple second models, a second difference parameter is extracted between the selected model with high second propeller performance and the first model, multiple third models with the second difference are generated based on the second model with high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter, and then a fluid analysis simulation is performed on the third propeller performance when the multiple generated third models are installed on a mobility, and the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is determined to be pass or fail. Figure 8 shows an example of generating three third models.

[0075] 8 shows an example in which a second model having the highest second propeller performance is selected in step (D), and three third models having second differences are generated based on the selected second model having the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second differential parameters. Similarly, in step (G), a third model having the highest third propeller performance is selected, and three fourth models having third differences are generated based on the selected third model having the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third differential parameters.

[0076] The number of each of the plurality of second models, the plurality of third models, and the plurality of fourth models is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 2 to 50, 4 to 40, 6 to 30, or 8 to 20 models.

[0077] The multiple models with differences are generated so as to have differences from the base model, and therefore may have similar configurations to each other. The multiple second models with a first difference are generated so as to have a first difference from the first model, and therefore may have similar configurations to each other. The multiple third models with a second difference and the multiple fourth models with a third difference may also have similar configurations to each other.

[0078] If the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation, for example, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard, it is determined to pass, and if it is less than the predetermined standard, it is determined to fail. The pass standard can be stored in a second storage device of the server. The processing device of the server can determine whether each input propeller performance is pass or fail based on the pass standard stored in the second storage device. The pass / fail determination can be output from an output unit of the server.

[0079] When a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, for example, an nth model with acceptable nth propeller performance including the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, a slicer drawing for a wire DED printer is created for the passed nth model, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2. That is, when the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, the fourth propeller performance, and the nth propeller performance corresponding to the second model, the third model, the fourth model, ..., and the nth model, respectively, pass, a slicer drawing for a wire DED printer is created for the passed model.

[0080] If all propeller performances fail, multiple models with similar shapes with differences from the model with high propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation are generated until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, and a fluid analysis simulation is performed on the propeller performance when multiple models with similar shapes are installed. For example, if the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance all fail, return to step (G) and repeat steps (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained.

[0081] The slicer drawing may include a drawing for a wire DED printer including a 3D drawing and a three-dimensional modeling process. The drawing for a wire DED printer may include data of a 3D-CAD drawing.

[0082] The plurality of second models preferably have a first differential configuration relative to the first model in the second configuration, including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. The plurality of second models may include 3D-CAD drawing data including the first differential configuration. The second configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted into data for a wire-DED printer by a second processing device.

[0083] The plurality of third models preferably have a second differential configuration with respect to the second model having high propeller performance, in a third configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. The plurality of third models may include 3D-CAD drawing data including the second differential configuration. The third configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted into data for a wire-DED printer by a second processing device.

[0084] The plurality of fourth models preferably have a third differential configuration with respect to the third model having high propeller performance, in a fourth configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. The plurality of fourth models may include 3D-CAD drawing data including the third differential configuration. The fourth configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted into data for a wire-DED printer by a second processing device.

[0085] The nth propeller performance, which includes the first propeller performance, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, preferably includes an evaluation of each of the fuel economy, vibration, noise, or a combination thereof of a mobility vehicle equipped with a toroidal propeller. The evaluation can be displayed on a scale of 1 to 10 for each item, or a score of 0 to 100. For example, the evaluation can be expressed as a score obtained by expressing each of the fuel economy, vibration, and noise items on a 10-point scale and adding up the scores multiplied by a weighting coefficient for each item. The weighting coefficient can be a numerical value, for example, from 1 to 10. For example, if fuel economy is the most important factor, the weighting coefficient for fuel economy can be large.

[0086] The pass / fail judgment of the n-th propeller performance, which includes the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, is preferably made based on the evaluation. If the evaluation is equal to or greater than a predetermined pass standard, it is judged as pass, and if it is less than the pass standard, it is judged as fail.

[0087] Preferably, generating the third model includes extracting a second differential parameter between the first model and a model having the highest second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having differences based on the extracted differential parameter and the model having the highest second propeller performance.

[0088] Preferably, generating the fourth model includes extracting a third difference parameter between a model having the highest third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having the highest second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter.

[0089] Preferably, creating a slicer drawing for a wire DED printer for the accepted models includes creating a slicer drawing for a wire DED printer for the model with the highest propeller performance among the accepted models.

[0090] Generating the plurality of second models includes generating, by the second processing device, a plurality of second models based on the first model stored in the second storage device, by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material.

[0091] Generating a plurality of third models includes the second processing device generating a plurality of third models by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material, based on the second model with the highest second propeller performance stored in the second storage device and the extracted second difference parameters.

[0092] Generating a plurality of fourth models includes the second processing device generating a plurality of fourth models by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material, based on the third model with the highest third propeller performance stored in the second storage device and the extracted third difference parameters.

[0093] The present disclosure is also directed to toroidal propellers for mobility applications having a diameter of 2000 mm or greater.

[0094] The mobility is preferably a ship or an aircraft, more preferably a large ship or a mega ship.

[0095] The present disclosure is also directed to a method for manufacturing a toroidal propeller for mobility, including forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using a wire-DED 3D printer.

[0096] The present disclosure also provides a method for creating drawings of a toroidal propeller for mobility, comprising: (A) generating a plurality of second models having first differences based on the first model of the toroidal propeller; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the plurality of generated second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a third propeller when the plurality of third models generated are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a fourth propeller when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; and (K) When an nth model that satisfies the nth propeller performance is obtained, a slicer drawing for the 3D printer is created for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or greater.

[0097] The present disclosure also provides a server in a drawing creation system for a toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) a second model generation means for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) first and second propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination means for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) a third model generation means for extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having higher second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having higher second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) a third propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination means for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) a fourth model generation means for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the third propeller performances are unacceptable, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a fourth propeller performance when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination means for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) a repeating means for repeating (G) to (I) above until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained if all of the fourth propeller performances fail; and (K) a drawing creation means for creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the nth model when the nth model having acceptable propeller performance is obtained, where n is an integer of 2 or more; This invention is directed to a server having:

[0098] The present disclosure also provides a server in a drawing creation system for a toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) a second model generation process for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination process for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) a third model generation process for extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having a higher second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having a higher second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) a third propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination process for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) a fourth model generation process for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, if all of the third propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a fourth propeller performance when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination process for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating steps (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; and (K) When the nth model having the nth propeller performance is obtained, a drawing creation process is performed to create a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the nth model that has passed the nth propeller performance, where n is an integer of 2 or more; This program can be recorded on a server storage device, such as a medium such as an SSD or HDD, or on a portable medium such as a USB, CD, or DVD. [Example]

[0099] Example 1 A stainless steel shaft with a diameter of 127 mm was prepared. A wire-DED 3D printer (Daihen, FD19) was used, equipped with the robot arm shown schematically in Figure 1, a robot head connected to the robot arm, an arc-type heat source included in the robot head, and a wire feeder. The stainless steel wire supplied from the wire feeder was heated and melted by the heat source while the robot head was scanned, building up the shaft from its surface toward its periphery. Two blade sections were then joined to form an integrated toroidal blade, producing the toroidal propeller shown in Figures 11 and 12, with a diameter of 313 mm and an average pitch angle of 45 degrees.

[0100] Example 2 A toroidal propeller with a diameter of 180 mm and an average pitch angle of 45 degrees was fabricated using a 3D printer. Figure 13 shows a model of the fabricated toroidal propeller.

[0101] (Reference example 1) A conventional screw propeller with a diameter of 180 mm and an average pitch angle of 45 degrees was fabricated using a 3D printer. Figure 14 shows a model of the fabricated screw propeller.

[0102] (Thrust evaluation) The toroidal propeller produced in Example 2 and the screw propeller produced in Reference Example 1 were each directly connected to a motor and installed on a movable rail. The propellers were submerged in water and the amount of current flowing through the motor was changed to measure changes in thrust. Figure 15 shows the results of the thrust measurement. The vertical axis represents the pulling thrust (N) and the horizontal axis represents the amount of current.

[0103] The toroidal propeller manufactured in Example 2 provided higher thrust than the screw propeller manufactured in Reference Example 1, exceeding it by more than 40% at a current of 3 A. The propellers manufactured in Example 2 and Reference Example 1 were 180 mm in size, but the difference between the Reynolds number of this size and that of a propeller with a diameter of 10 m or more, such as a 10-m propeller, is negligibly small and essentially equal, so the engineering scaling law holds. Therefore, these results can also be applied to large-sized toroidal propellers using the engineering scaling law. [Explanation of symbols]

[0104] 100 Wire DED Printer 200 servers 300 Network 10-piece manufacturing system 1. Robotic Arm 2 Robot Head 21 Heat source 22 wires 30 Heat melting section 40 Base material 50 toroidal propeller 52 Toroidal propeller blade 54 Toroidal propeller shaft 521 Two Wings 54 Toroidal propeller shaft 60 Conventional propeller 61 Conventional propeller blades 70 Holding part

Claims

1. Equipped with a wire-DED 3D printer, The 3D printer can form a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape, Manufacturing system for toroidal propellers for mobility applications.

2. the 3D printer includes a scannable robot arm, a robot head connected to the robot arm, a heat source provided in the robot head, a holder capable of holding a substrate, and a wire feeder; the heat source is configured to heat and melt the wire supplied from the wire supply device, the robot head is configured to be able to deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source onto the base material held by the holding part while being scanned together with the robot arm. The manufacturing system of claim 1 .

3. the substrate is a shaft portion of the toroidal propeller or an outer periphery of the toroidal propeller, 3. The manufacturing system of claim 2, wherein the 3D printer is configured to form an integrated toroidal shaped blade by building up material from the shaft portion toward the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller and joining two blade portions together, or to form an integrated toroidal shaped blade by building up material from the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller toward the shaft portion and joining two blade portions together.

4. the three-dimensional printer further comprising a first storage device and a first processing device; the first processing device controls the robot arm and the robot head based on the model information of the toroidal propeller stored in the first storage device; The manufacturing system of claim 3 .

5. further comprising a server having a second storage device and a second processing device; The server is configured to perform the following steps (a) to (f): (a) generating a plurality of models having similar shapes with differences from the basic model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (b) conducting a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the basic model is mounted on the mobility and the propeller performance when the multiple models of similar shapes are mounted on the mobility; (c) determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (d) if all of the propeller performances fail, generate a plurality of models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation, and perform a fluid analysis simulation on the propeller performance when the plurality of models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance are mounted, until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; (e) if a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the acceptable model; and (f) forming the toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing; The manufacturing system according to claim 4 , wherein the manufacturing system executes the steps of:

6. further comprising a server having a second storage device and a second processing device; The server is configured to perform the following steps (A) to (L): (A) generating a plurality of second models having first differences based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a third propeller when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a fourth propeller when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; (K) when an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more; (L) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing. The manufacturing system according to claim 4 , wherein the manufacturing system executes the steps of:

7. 7. The manufacturing system of claim 6, wherein the first propeller performance, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance include evaluation of fuel economy, vibration, noise, or a combination thereof of a mobility equipped with the toroidal propeller.

8. The manufacturing system of claim 7 , wherein a pass or fail determination of the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance is made based on the evaluation.

9. 7. The manufacturing system of claim 6, wherein generating the third model includes extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model among the plurality of second models that has the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of third models having the second difference based on the model that has the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter.

10. 7. The manufacturing system of claim 6, wherein generating the fourth model includes extracting a third difference parameter between a model among the plurality of third models having the highest third propeller performance and a model among the plurality of second models having the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having the third difference based on the model having the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter.

11. 7. The manufacturing system of claim 6, wherein creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the accepted models includes creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for a model among the accepted models that has the highest propeller performance.

12. The manufacturing system of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the toroidal propeller has a diameter of 2000 mm or more.

13. The manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the mobility is a ship or an aircraft.

14. The manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the mobility is a large ship or a gigantic ship.

15. A toroidal propeller for mobility with a diameter of 2000 mm or more.

16. A method for manufacturing a toroidal propeller for mobility, including forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using a wire-DED 3D printer.

17. A drawing creation method for a wire-DED type 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) generating a plurality of second models having first differences based on the first model of the toroidal propeller; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a third propeller when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the performance of a fourth propeller when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; and (K) when an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more; A method for creating drawings, including:

18. A server in a drawing creation system for a wire-DED type 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) a second model generation means for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the storage device of the server; (B) first and second propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination means for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) a third model generation means for extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances are unacceptable, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having a high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) a third propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination means for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) a fourth model generation means for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the third propeller performances have failed, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a fourth propeller performance when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination means for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) a repeating means for repeating (G) to (I) above until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained if all of the fourth propeller performances fail; and (K) a drawing creation means for creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the nth model when the nth model having acceptable propeller performance is obtained, where n is an integer of 2 or more; A server comprising:

19. The server in the drawing creation system for the wire-DED type 3D printer of the toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) a second model generation process for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and a second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination process for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) a third model generation process for extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances are unacceptable, and generating a plurality of third models having second differences based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) a third propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination process for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) a fourth model generation process for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, if all of the third propeller performances are unacceptable, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding a fourth propeller performance when the plurality of fourth models generated are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination process for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if the fourth propeller performance is all unacceptable, repeating steps (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; and (K) When an nth model whose nth propeller performance passes is obtained, a drawing creation process for creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more; A program that executes.

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