Length-adjustable linear selective laser melting forming process and device

Abstract

The invention discloses a length-adjustable linear selective laser melting forming process and device. The length-adjustable linear selective laser melting forming process comprises the following steps that S1, linear laser parameters before machining are set according to the specification and size of a product; s2, adopting linear laser to directly expose the whole vector length required by the fused product once; s3, the linear laser is controlled to move in one direction of the product, and skip fixed-point exposure melting machining is sequentially conducted; s4, after machining of the product in one direction is completed, according to the requirements of the product, reversing is conducted, and machining in the next direction continues; s5, according to the steps S2-S4, cyclic sequential machining is carried out till machining of the whole product is completed; according to the method, the whole vector length of the fused product is directly exposed at a time through linear laser, the laser does not need to move along the vector, fixed-point exposure is achieved, limitation of the scanning speed of a traditional printing technology is avoided, time consumption on an invalid laser path during laser reversing is avoided, and the problem that traditional equipment is low in printing efficiency is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field related to laser processing, and in particular to a length-adjustable linear laser selective melting forming process and device. Background Art

[0002] Traditional selective laser melting equipment uses a focused high-energy laser beam to melt metal powder. When each layer is actually printed, the laser scans each vector one by one along the planned path.

[0003] The cross section of each layer of the printed part can be divided into two parts: core and contour according to the features.

[0004] The core existing conventional laser path planning strategies are single-line and strip types. The single-line scanning strategy is that the laser arranges reciprocating vectors according to the maximum external dimensions of the part; the strip scanning strategy is that the path planning software first divides the effective cross-section of the current layer into several strips according to a certain width (also called strip width), and then arranges the reciprocating vectors in each strip in a direction perpendicular to the strip boundary. At two adjacent reciprocating vectors, the laser needs to complete the commutation through complex jumps, that is, each commutation requires an additional invalid path of three jump vectors.

[0005] The existing conventional laser path planning of the contour is a polygonal approximation fitting style, but there is a certain angle between adjacent vectors. In this case, the laser also needs to change direction through additional jumps.

[0006] In order to ensure that the solid entity after the laser melts the metal powder according to the planned path vector is continuous and the performance of the printed parts meets the standards, the laser scanning speed and laser power need to be strictly set according to the process parameters during printing. However, the actual laser scanning speed of existing SLM equipment when printing conventional materials is less than 1.5m / s, which is one of the reasons for the low printing efficiency of the SLM process. The actual maximum operating speed of the scanning galvanometer is 7m / s, and the jump speed exceeds 11m / s. Therefore, from the perspective of hardware indicators alone, the laser can actually scan at a higher speed.

[0007] In summary, in order to improve the printing efficiency of laser selective melting forming equipment, a length-adjustable linear laser selective melting forming process and device are proposed. Summary of the invention

[0008] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a length-adjustable linear laser selective melting forming process and device, which solves the problem of low printing efficiency of traditional equipment and ensures the printing accuracy and performance of printed parts.

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0010] A length-adjustable linear laser selective melting forming process comprises the following steps:

[0011] S1: Set the linear laser parameters before processing according to the product specifications and dimensions;

[0012] S2: The entire vector length required for a single direct exposure of the melted product using a linear laser;

[0013] S3: Control the linear laser to move in one direction of the product and perform jump fixed-point exposure and melting processing in sequence;

[0014] S4: After completing the processing of the product in one direction, the product is processed in the next direction according to the product requirements;

[0015] S5: Repeat steps S2-S4 in order until the entire product is processed.

[0016] In a preferred solution, the length of the linear laser is automatically adjusted by the light source.

[0017] In a preferred embodiment, the width of the linear laser is automatically adjusted by the light source.

[0018] In a preferred embodiment, the number of the linear laser is at least one.

[0019] In addition, the present application also proposes an adjustable length linear laser selective melting forming device, comprising a device body and at least one linear laser;

[0020] The equipment body adopts the adjustable-length linear laser selective melting forming process to control the linear laser for processing.

[0021] Due to the application of the above technical solution, the beneficial effects of the present application compared with the prior art are:

[0022] The present application provides an adjustable-length linear laser selective melting forming process and device, which uses a linear laser to directly expose the entire vector length of the molten product in a single time, so that the laser does not need to move along the vector, but is exposed at a fixed point, avoiding the limitation of the scanning speed of the traditional printing process; in addition, this process method does not have laser vector commutation, avoiding the time consumption on the invalid laser path during laser commutation, and can increase the printing efficiency of traditional selective laser melting forming equipment by several times or even dozens of times, solving the problem of low printing efficiency of traditional equipment, while ensuring the printing accuracy and performance of printed parts. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the specific implementation methods of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the specific implementation methods or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of processing of a single-line scanning strategy in the prior art;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of strip scanning strategy processing in the prior art;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the actual walking path of the core part of the laser commutation in the prior art;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the actual walking path of the laser commutation of the contour part in the prior art;

[0028] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of a traditional laser focusing spot in the prior art;

[0029] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of a linear laser focusing spot of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 It is a schematic diagram of the laser path in the adjustable length linear laser selective melting forming process of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solution of the present application, the technical solution in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work should fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0032] It should be noted that the terms "first", "second", etc. in the specification and claims of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequential order. It should be understood that the data used in this way can be interchanged where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described here. In addition, the terms "including" and "having" and any of their variations are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions, for example, a process, method, system, product or device comprising a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units clearly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not clearly listed or inherent to these processes, methods, products or devices.

[0033] In the present application, the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "middle", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. These terms are mainly used to better describe the present invention and its embodiments, and are not used to limit the indicated devices, elements or components to have a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0034] In addition, some of the above terms may be used to express other meanings in addition to indicating a direction or position relationship. For example, the term "on" may also be used to express a certain dependency or connection relationship in some cases. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of these terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0035] In addition, the terms "installed", "set", "provided with", "connected", "connected", and "socketed" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be an internal connection between two devices, elements, or components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0036] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0037] Embodiment 1

[0038] See also Figure 1 The present application provides a length-adjustable linear laser selective melting forming process, comprising the following steps:

[0039] S1: Linear laser parameters are set before processing according to product specifications and dimensions; the length of the linear laser is automatically adjusted by the light source to meet the printing requirements of different vector lengths; the width of the linear laser is automatically adjusted by the light source to meet the printing requirements of higher efficiency;

[0040] S2: using a linear laser to directly expose the entire vector length required for the melted product in a single pass; wherein the number of the linear lasers is at least one, and may be multiple, to further improve the printing efficiency;

[0041] S3: Control the linear laser to move in one direction of the product and perform jump fixed-point exposure and melting processing in sequence;

[0042] S4: After completing the processing of the product in one direction, the product is processed in the next direction according to the product requirements;

[0043] S5: Repeat steps S2-S4 in order until the entire product is processed.

[0044] Embodiment 2

[0045] In addition, the present application also proposes an adjustable length linear laser selective melting forming device, comprising a device body and at least one linear laser;

[0046] The equipment body adopts the adjustable-length linear laser selective melting forming process to control the linear laser for processing.

[0047] The present application provides an adjustable-length linear laser selective melting forming process and device, which uses a linear laser to directly expose the entire vector length of the molten product in a single time, so that the laser does not need to move along the vector, but is exposed at a fixed point, avoiding the limitation of the scanning speed of the traditional printing process; in addition, this process method does not have laser vector commutation, avoiding the time consumption on the invalid laser path during laser commutation, and can increase the printing efficiency of traditional selective laser melting forming equipment by several times or even dozens of times, solving the problem of low printing efficiency of traditional equipment, while ensuring the printing accuracy and performance of printed parts.

[0048] Finally, it should be noted that the above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, it is still possible for those skilled in the art to modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or to make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A length-adjustable linear laser selective melting forming process, characterized in that: The steps include: S1: Set the linear laser parameters before processing according to the product specifications and dimensions; S2: The entire vector length required for a single direct exposure of the melted product using a linear laser; S3: Control the linear laser to move in one direction of the product and perform jump fixed-point exposure and melting processing in sequence; S4: After completing the processing of the product in one direction, the product is processed in the next direction according to the product requirements; S5: Repeat steps S2-S4 in order until the entire product is processed.

2. The adjustable length linear laser selective melting forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The length of the linear laser is automatically adjusted by the light source.

3. The adjustable length linear laser selective melting forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The width of the linear laser is automatically adjusted by the light source.

4. The adjustable length linear laser selective melting forming process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The number of the linear laser is at least one.

5. A length-adjustable linear laser selective melting forming device, characterized in that: It includes a device body and at least one linear laser; The equipment body uses the adjustable length linear laser selective melting forming process as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 to control the linear laser for processing.

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