Laser stir-wire feed device and method for space on-orbit manufacturing

Abstract

The application provides a laser stirring rear-end wire feeding device and method for space on-orbit manufacturing, the device comprises a printing cabin, an energy cabin and a control cabin; the control cabin is fixed on the surface of the printing cabin, facilitating actual operation and observation; the printing cabin is fixed on an on-orbit exposure platform, and energy supplement is realized between the space station and the exposure platform through the energy cabin. The method comprises the following steps: step S1, preliminary preparation; step S2, laser pre-action on the substrate to form a liquid molten pool; step S3, feeding the preheated wire to be fed into the rear-end molten pool; and step S4, laser and wire forming according to the predetermined trajectory. The application adopts the method of laser preposition-wire rear-end feeding to avoid the ball gathering problem at the light-wire convergence place, adopts the method of wire stirring feeding to play the role of internal fine-grain strengthening of the molten pool, and adopts the preheating device to preheat the wire, thereby reducing the power consumption and greatly improving the feasibility and operability of on-orbit additive manufacturing.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of laser additive manufacturing, and in particular to a laser stirring and filament feeding device and method for in-orbit manufacturing in space. Background Technology

[0002] Due to launch vehicle envelope limitations, ultra-large structures such as large communication antennas, large-aperture infrared telescopes, solar power stations, and deep space exploration relay stations cannot be directly launched into orbit. Currently, the optimal solution is direct on-orbit manufacturing. Furthermore, under the harsh environment of atomic oxygen / radiation / high and low temperatures in space, as well as the threats of space debris impacts and armed sabotage, core equipment involved in airspace rights disputes, such as space stations / satellites / probes, urgently require rapid-response on-orbit emergency repair / replacement support. Targeting the needs for direct on-orbit manufacturing of ultra-large space equipment and efficient maintenance of spacecraft during long-term on-orbit operation, both domestic and international companies have developed additive manufacturing equipment for in-cabin non-metallic materials and achieved on-orbit verification. Limited by manufacturing size and the applicability of raw materials, the international aerospace field is gradually transitioning from in-cabin non-metallic forming to direct external metal manufacturing.

[0003] Current metal additive manufacturing mainly includes electron beam, laser, electric arc, and solid-state additive manufacturing. Among these, electron beam wire-feeding additive manufacturing suffers from problems such as large equipment size, difficult professional maintenance, and space environment pollution; electric arc additive manufacturing faces challenges in arc ignition and arc stabilization in a vacuum; and solid-state additive manufacturing is characterized by bulky equipment, space instability caused by high-speed rotation, and significant safety hazards. Therefore, from the perspective of heat source for on-orbit manufacturing, using laser as a heat source is a highly feasible method for extravehicular metal additive manufacturing. However, laser wire-feeding additive manufacturing in vacuum and microgravity environments exhibits significant spheroidization and grain coarsening, and is highly dependent on the coupling of the light, wire, and substrate, as well as the coordination of process parameters, affecting the geometric shape and quality of the components.

[0004] Given the problems with existing technologies, there is a need to design a laser additive manufacturing technology that avoids the ball-gathering effect under microgravity and the problem of coarse grains under high vacuum and difficult heat dissipation conditions. A literature review of existing technologies revealed that current methods only ensure geometric dimensions and forming quality through process optimization, without addressing the issues of metal ball-gathering at the filament tip under microgravity and coarse grains under high vacuum heat sealing conditions. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a laser stirring and filament feeding device and method for in-orbit manufacturing in space, in order to solve the problems of spheroidization after the metal at the filament tip melts and coarse microstructure under high vacuum adiabatic conditions during laser additive manufacturing.

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the technical solution of the present invention is: to provide a laser stirring and filament feeding device for on-orbit manufacturing in space, including a printing chamber, an energy chamber, and a control chamber; the control chamber is fixed to the surface of the printing chamber for easy operation and observation; the printing chamber is fixed to the on-orbit exposure platform, and the energy chamber travels between the space station and the exposure platform to replenish energy;

[0007] The printing chamber includes a laser printhead, a near-end filament feeding module, a hot filament module, and an online monitoring module; the control chamber includes a laser power control system, a CNC control system, a filament feeding control system, and an operation monitoring interface.

[0008] The laser printhead uses pulsed laser as a heat source to impact and stir the raw material to form a molten pool, which has the functions of fine grain strengthening, homogeneous composition distribution and promoting full metallurgical bonding at the interface, and then solidifies to obtain a cladding layer.

[0009] The near-end wire feeding module is used to collimate and vibrate the fed wire, ensuring that the wire is accurately fed into the molten pool and playing the role of stirring fine grains.

[0010] The hot wire module is used to heat the welding wire to a near-molten state, thereby reducing the laser power. At the same time, it monitors the solid-liquid transition mode of the wire, molten pool, and substrate, and achieves forming quality control through a closed-loop control method based on resistance value.

[0011] The online monitoring module is fixed next to the laser printhead in a paracoupling manner and can move synchronously with the laser head. It is used to capture images of the coupling of light, filament, molten pool and substrate in real time during the printing process and to perform closed-loop control.

[0012] The laser power control system is used to adjust and control the laser power;

[0013] The CNC control system is used to control the motion trajectory;

[0014] The wire feeding control system is used to control the wire feeding parameters;

[0015] The operation monitoring interface is used to adjust and control printing parameters and printing trajectory, and to intuitively monitor the printing process.

[0016] Furthermore, the energy compartment includes a power module, a laser, a liquid cooling module, and a wire feeder;

[0017] The power module uses a rechargeable portable power supply;

[0018] The laser is used to provide an incident laser beam to the laser printhead;

[0019] The liquid cooling module is used to control the operating temperature of the laser and ensure the normal operation of the equipment;

[0020] The filament feeder is used to supply and deliver filament to the printing chamber.

[0021] Furthermore, the power module is a lithium battery or a nuclear battery.

[0022] Furthermore, the heating mode of the hot wire module is induction heating, heating ring heating, or short-circuit heating.

[0023] Another technical solution of the present invention provides a laser stirring and wire feeding method for in-orbit manufacturing in space, applied to the above-mentioned laser stirring and wire feeding device for in-orbit manufacturing in space, comprising the following steps:

[0024] Step S1, Preliminary Preparations:

[0025] Pre-set the process parameters and motion trajectory required for component forming;

[0026] Step S2, Molten Pool Formation:

[0027] Laser is applied to the substrate beforehand to form a liquid molten pool;

[0028] Step S3: The silk material is delivered to:

[0029] The preheated wire material to be fed is sent into the downstream molten pool;

[0030] Step S4, Structure Forming:

[0031] The laser and the wire are shaped according to a predetermined trajectory.

[0032] Furthermore, in step S3, the laser shapes the material according to a predetermined trajectory, and "Z" and "S" shaped stirring is added during the feeding process before the material is fed into the molten pool to achieve a fine grain strengthening effect.

[0033] Furthermore, in step S4, the feasibility of forming the predetermined trajectory is ensured by the X, Y, and Z direction motion mechanism and the turntable at the bottom of the substrate.

[0034] Furthermore, in step S4, the molding process is monitored online in real time to ensure high-quality molding under the conditions of microgravity, high vacuum, and low power in space.

[0035] The beneficial effects of the laser stirring and wire feeding device and method for in-orbit manufacturing in space provided by this invention are as follows:

[0036] 1) The equipment required for on-orbit manufacturing will be integrated into three modules: energy module, printing module, and control module. The printing module and control module will be fixed on the on-orbit exposure platform. The energy module will travel between the space station and the exposure platform to replenish energy. The equipment is easy to carry, the functions are reasonably divided, and unnecessary round trips are avoided.

[0037] 2) By feeding the wire at the back end, the laser heat effect on the wire can be avoided to prevent the formation of spheres, thus avoiding problems such as incomplete forming or poor forming quality;

[0038] 3) By feeding the wire through vibration and stirring, the internal flow field of the molten pool is changed, which can play a role in fine grain strengthening and solve the problem of overheating and coarsening of the microstructure under high vacuum insulation environment.

[0039] 4) Reduce resource consumption in the space environment by preheating the filament material;

[0040] 5) By adopting the method of feeding the back-end wire, the coupling effect of light, wire and substrate is avoided, the range of process parameters is expanded and the operability is improved. Attached Figure Description

[0041] The invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings:

[0042] Figure 1 A diagram of a laser stirring and wire feeding device for on-orbit manufacturing in space, provided as an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a laser stirring and wire feeding method for on-orbit manufacturing in space, provided as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0044] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached diagram: 1. Printing chamber; 2. Energy chamber; 3. Control chamber; 4. Laser printhead; 5. Proximal filament feed module; 6. Hot filament module; 7. Online monitoring module; 8. Power supply module; 9. Laser; 10. Liquid cooling module; 11. Fiber feeder; 12. Laser power control system; 13. CNC control system; 14. Fiber feed control system; 15. Operation monitoring interface; 16. Pulsed laser; 17. Substrate; 18. Molten pool; 19. Fiber to be fed; 20. Bottom turntable of the substrate. Detailed Implementation

[0045] The following detailed description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, provides a further detailed account of the laser stirring and wire feeding device and method for in-orbit manufacturing in space proposed in this invention. The advantages and features of this invention will become clearer from the following description and claims. It should be noted that the drawings are all in a very simplified form and use non-precise ratios, and are only used to facilitate and clarify the illustration of the embodiments of this invention.

[0046] Example 1

[0047] This embodiment provides a laser stirring and wire feeding device for in-orbit manufacturing in space, such as... Figure 1As shown, the system comprises three modules: a printing module 1, an energy module 2, and a control module 3. The control module is fixed to the surface of the printing module for easy operation and observation. The printing and control modules are fixed to the on-orbit exposure platform, and the energy module is used to travel between the space station and the exposure platform for energy replenishment. The printing module includes a laser printhead 4, a near-end filament feeding module 5, a hot filament module 6, and an online monitoring module 7. The energy module includes a power module 8, a laser 9, a liquid cooling module 10, and a filament feeder 11. The control module includes a laser power control system 12, a CNC control system 13, a filament feeding control system 14, and an operation monitoring interface 15.

[0048] The laser printhead uses pulsed laser as a heat source to impact and stir the raw material to form a molten pool, which has the functions of fine grain strengthening, homogeneous composition distribution and promoting full metallurgical bonding at the interface, and then solidifies to obtain a cladding layer.

[0049] The near-end wire feeding module is used to collimate and vibrate the fed wire, ensuring that the wire is accurately fed into the molten pool and playing the role of stirring fine grains.

[0050] The hot wire module is used to heat the welding wire to a near-molten state, thereby reducing the laser power. Specifically, it adopts a short-circuit heating method and monitors the solid-liquid transition mode of the wire, molten pool, and substrate. Forming quality control is achieved through a closed-loop control method based on resistance value.

[0051] The online monitoring module is fixed next to the laser printhead in a paracoupling manner and can move synchronously with the laser head. It is used to capture images of the coupling between the light, filament, molten pool and substrate in real time during the printing process and to perform closed-loop control.

[0052] The power module uses a rechargeable portable power source, including but not limited to lithium batteries and nuclear batteries.

[0053] The laser is used to provide an incident laser beam to the laser printhead;

[0054] The liquid cooling module is used to control the operating temperature of the laser and ensure the normal operation of the equipment;

[0055] The filament feeder is used to supply and deliver filament to the printing chamber;

[0056] The laser power control system is used to adjust and control the laser power;

[0057] CNC control systems are used to control motion trajectories;

[0058] The wire feeding control system is used to control the wire feeding parameters;

[0059] The operation monitoring interface is used to adjust and control printing parameters and printing paths, and to intuitively monitor the printing process.

[0060] Example 2

[0061] This embodiment discloses a laser stirring and wire feeding method for in-orbit manufacturing in space, comprising the following steps:

[0062] 1) Preliminary preparation steps: Pre-set the process parameters and motion trajectory required for component forming, including laser power, scanning speed, wire feeding speed, and wire preheating parameters;

[0063] 2) Molten pool formation step: Pulsed laser 16 pre-acts on substrate 17 to form a liquid molten pool 18;

[0064] 3) Wire feeding step: The preheated wire 19 to be fed is fed into the rear molten pool. The laser forms the wire according to the predetermined trajectory. During the wire feeding process, "Z" and "S" type stirring is added to feed the wire into the molten pool to achieve the effect of fine grain strengthening.

[0065] 4) Structure forming steps: The laser and filament are formed according to a predetermined trajectory. The feasibility of forming the predetermined trajectory is ensured by the X, Y, and Z direction motion mechanism and the turntable 20 at the bottom of the substrate. The forming process is observed in real time through online monitoring to ensure high-quality forming under the microgravity-high vacuum-low power conditions of space.

[0066] Specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and those skilled in the art can make various changes or modifications within the scope of the claims, which do not affect the essence of the present invention. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other.

[0067] The contents not described in detail in this specification are prior art known to those skilled in the art. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

Claims

1. A laser stir-wire feed method for space in-orbit manufacturing, characterized by, The laser stirring and wire feeding device for space in-orbit manufacturing comprises a printing cabin, an energy cabin and a control cabin; the control cabin is fixed to the surface of the printing cabin for facilitating actual operation and observation; the printing cabin is fixed to an in-orbit exposure platform, and energy supply is realized between the space station and the exposure platform through the energy cabin; The printing cabin comprises a laser printing head, a near-end wire feeding module, a hot wire module and an online monitoring module; the control cabin comprises a laser power control system, a CNC control system, a wire feeding control system and an operation monitoring interface; The laser printing head uses pulsed laser as a heat source to impact raw materials to form a molten pool, has the functions of fine grain strengthening, component homogeneous distribution and promoting interface full metallurgical bonding, and then obtains a cladding layer through solidification; The near-end wire feeding module is used for collimating and vibrating the feeding wire to ensure that the wire is accurately fed into the molten pool and plays a role in stirring fine grains; The hot wire module is used for heating the welding wire to a near-melting state to reduce the laser power, and monitors the solid-liquid transition mode of the wire, molten pool and substrate, and realizes forming quality control through a closed-loop control method based on resistance value; The online monitoring module is fixed beside the laser printing head in a side-axis manner and can move synchronously with the laser head, is used for real-time shooting of images of the coupling of light, wire, molten pool and substrate in the printing process, and performs closed-loop control; The laser power control system is used for adjusting and controlling the laser power; The CNC control system is used for controlling the motion trajectory; The wire feeding control system is used for controlling the wire feeding parameters; The operation monitoring interface is used for adjusting and controlling the printing parameters and printing trajectory, and intuitively monitoring the printing process; The laser stirring and wire feeding method for space in-orbit manufacturing comprises the following steps: Step S1, preliminary preparation: Process parameters and motion trajectories required for component forming are preset; Step S2, molten pool formation: The laser is used to form a liquid molten pool on the substrate in advance; Step S3, wire feeding: The preheated wire to be fed is fed into the rear-end molten pool; Step S4, structure forming: The laser and the wire are formed according to the predetermined trajectory.

2. The laser post-welded deposition of wire method for space on-orbit manufacturing of claim 1, wherein, The energy cabin comprises a power module, a laser, a liquid cooling module and a wire feeder; The power module adopts a rechargeable portable power supply; The laser is used to provide an incident laser beam to the laser printing head; The liquid cooling module is used to control the working temperature of the laser to ensure normal operation of the equipment; The wire feeder is used to provide and feed the wire to the printing cabin.

3. The laser post-welded deposition of wire method for space on-orbit manufacturing of claim 2, wherein, The power module is a lithium battery or a nuclear battery.

4. The laser post-welded deposition of wire method for space on-orbit manufacturing of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The heating mode of the hot wire module is induction heating, heating ring heating or short circuit heating.

5. The laser stirring and wire feeding method for space in-orbit manufacturing according to claim 1, in step S3, the laser is formed according to the predetermined trajectory, and the wire is fed into the molten pool with Z-S type stirring during the wire feeding process to realize fine grain strengthening.

6. The laser stirring and wire feeding method for space in-orbit manufacturing according to claim 1, in step S4, the X, Y and Z direction motion mechanisms and the substrate bottom turntable are used to ensure the feasibility of the predetermined trajectory forming.

7. The laser post-welded deposition method for space on-orbit manufacturing according to claim 1, wherein the forming process is observed in real time by on-line monitoring in step S4.

8. The laser post-welded deposition method for space on-orbit manufacturing according to claim 1, wherein the process parameters required for component forming include laser power, scanning speed, wire feeding speed, and wire preheating parameters in step S1.

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