Powder bed container and additive manufacturing apparatus and method utilizing the same

Abstract

Provided are a powder bed container (20), and an additive manufacturing device (1) and method using the same. The powder bed container (20) comprises a container body (200), a guide portion (201) and a pushing portion (202), the guide portion (201) is installed in the container body (200) and is in contact with a base (203) on which a powder bed (102) is formed, and is used to guide movement of the base (203); the pushing portion (202) is used to push a support member (3) in a movement direction and drive the base (203) to move synchronously with the support member (3); wherein the support member (3) is formed synchronously when a target component (2) is formed. The base (203) is designed to move in a set direction in one direction, so that the overall size of the guide portion (201) is close to the actual stroke, thereby reducing the size of the device and reducing space occupation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of additive manufacturing equipment technology, and more specifically to a powder bed container, an additive manufacturing apparatus having the container, and an additive manufacturing method using the powder bed container. Background Technology

[0002] Additive manufacturing technology constructs three-dimensional solids by layering materials. Compared with traditional subtractive manufacturing and equal-material manufacturing, it has significant advantages such as high material utilization, greater design freedom, and strong ability to process complex structures. As an important direction of modern advanced manufacturing, it is widely used in aerospace, automobile manufacturing, biomedicine and other fields. Existing additive manufacturing equipment usually includes components such as forming cylinder, drive mechanism, print head or optical path unit. Among them, the forming cylinder is an important structure for material deposition and forming, and its motion drive method directly affects the printing accuracy, equipment size and operational stability.

[0003] Currently, existing forming cylinders typically employ a lead screw linear drive structure to achieve precise lifting and lowering of the printing platform. However, the overall size of this lead screw linear drive structure needs to be larger than the actual stroke. Typically, to print a 1-meter three-dimensional component, the size of the lead screw linear drive structure may need to be designed to be 1.2 to 1.5 meters or more. This drive structure results in an excessively large overall equipment structure, occupying too much space, which is not conducive to the overall miniaturization design of the equipment and increases the manufacturing and maintenance costs of the equipment. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a powder bed container, additive manufacturing equipment and method having the container, which allows the base design to be moved unidirectionally along a set direction, so that the overall size of the guide design is close to the actual stroke, thereby reducing the size of the equipment and reducing the space occupied.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides a powder bed container, comprising: a container body; a guide portion installed within the container body and at least partially in contact with a base for forming a powder bed thereon, the guide portion being used to guide the base to move in a direction of motion; at least one pushing portion for pushing at least one support member in the direction of motion and using the support member to drive the base to move synchronously; wherein the at least one support member is formed synchronously when scanning layer-by-layer stacked powder materials with an energy beam to form a target component.

[0006] In one alternative of the first aspect, the at least one pushing part is installed in the space above the container body.

[0007] In one alternative of the first aspect, the at least one pressing part is installed in and at least partially connected to the forming chamber for pushing at least one support member along the direction of movement.

[0008] In one alternative of the first aspect, the at least one pushing part is installed in the powder spreading device, and the at least one pushing part is used to push the at least one supporting member along the direction of movement after the powder spreading device moves to the position of the at least one supporting member.

[0009] In one alternative of the first aspect, the pushing part pushes at least one support member along the direction of motion by a distance greater than or equal to the design thickness of a single layer of powder material.

[0010] In one alternative of the first aspect, at least one guide portion passes at least partially through the base and is sealed to the base, and an adjustable friction limiter is provided between the at least one guide portion and the base.

[0011] In one alternative embodiment of the first aspect, it further includes: at least one moving part, which is mounted on the at least one guide and at least partially contacts the base, the at least one moving part being used to drive the base to move along the movement direction of the at least one guide.

[0012] In one alternative of the first aspect, it further includes: at least one damping part, which is mounted on the guide part and connected to the base, for providing adjustable motion resistance to the base to prevent the base from falling due to its own weight.

[0013] In one alternative of the first aspect, the motion resistance provided by the damping part is greater than the resultant force generated by the base, powder bed and component under gravity, and the motion resistance is less than the pushing force applied by the pushing part to the supporting component.

[0014] In one alternative of the first aspect, it further includes: a measuring unit installed within the container body and at least partially connected to the base, the measuring unit being used to detect the real-time position of the base.

[0015] In one alternative of the first aspect, it further includes: a moving unit connected to the container body, the moving unit being used to drive the container body to rise and fall and move the container body to the target location.

[0016] Secondly, this application provides an additive manufacturing apparatus having the aforementioned container.

[0017] Thirdly, this application provides an additive manufacturing method using the aforementioned container, comprising: applying powder material in a layer-by-layer stacking manner to a substrate; performing energy beam scanning on the powder material according to a preset scanning path to form a target component and at least one support component; pushing the at least one support component along the direction of motion a distance greater than or equal to the single-layer design thickness of the powder material and using the at least one support component to drive the substrate to move synchronously by the same distance; and cyclically applying the powder material and pushing the at least one support component until the construction of the target component is completed.

[0018] In an alternative embodiment of the third aspect, the method further includes: guiding a powder bed container into a molding chamber and sealing the powder bed container to the molding chamber before the target component is constructed; and detaching the powder bed container from the molding chamber and moving the powder bed container to a target location after the target component is constructed.

[0019] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are merely exemplary and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application and to enable those skilled in the art to make and use the present application.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus having a powder bed container according to some embodiments of this application.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus having an upper robotic arm pressing section, according to some embodiments of this application.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus having an upper driver push section according to some embodiments of this application.

[0024] Figure 4 This is an operational schematic diagram of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus having an upper-mounted driver pusher, according to some embodiments of this application.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a built-in pressing part according to some embodiments of this application.

[0026] Figure 6 This is an operational schematic diagram of an exemplary multi-position arrangement of a pressing part according to some embodiments of this application.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a moving part according to some embodiments of this application.

[0028] Figure 8 This is an operational schematic diagram of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a damping section according to some embodiments of this application.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus having a measuring unit according to some embodiments of this application.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a moving unit according to some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein; rather, they are provided to make this application more complete and comprehensive, and to fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Numerous specific details are provided in the following description to give a full understanding of embodiments of this application.

[0032] Currently, in order to construct three-dimensional components in greater detail, additive manufacturing equipment 1 uses an energy beam 100 (laser beam / electron beam / plasma beam) generated by its optical path system as an energy source to selectively laser sinter (SLS) or selectively laser melt (SLM) the powder layer that is laid layer by layer above the base 203 by the powder spreading device 12. This is collectively referred to as curing. It should be understood that powder material 101 is the basic material constituting the coating layer and powder bed 102. Each coating layer consists of powder particles uniformly laid on the base 203, and multiple coating layers stacked together constitute the entire powder bed 102. During the printing process of each layer, the powder material 101 is selectively solidified by the energy beam 100 or other energy source to form the actual printed part of that layer, while the unsolidified powder material 101 becomes the support or the foundation of the next layer. After each layer is printed, the base 203 will descend by a coating layer design distance to lay a new layer of powder material 101 on it. In this way, the powder material 101 stacked layer by layer eventually forms the entire powder bed 102, in which the powder material 101 is tightly packed to ensure printing accuracy. In the existing additive manufacturing equipment 1, the control logic is implemented by a computer control system to control each component. That is, the control of all components in this application is preferably implemented by a computer control system.

[0033] The existing forming cylinder is a powder bed container 20 in the additive manufacturing equipment 1. It is an important component of the powder bed 102 molten additive manufacturing equipment 1, used to hold the powder material 101 deposited layer by layer during the scanning forming process and the target component 2 formed during the printing process. During the printing process, the solidified structure will gradually accumulate in the powder bed container 20, eventually forming the complete target component 2. The powder bed container 20 is usually made of high-temperature resistant and corrosion-resistant materials to withstand the high temperatures and chemical effects during the printing process. A base 203 is provided inside the powder bed container 20. The base 203 is a basic component supporting the entire printing process. It is detachably installed inside the powder bed container 20 to support the bottom surface of the target component 2 and provide stable support. The base 203 can move up and down vertically along the inner wall of the powder bed container 20 under the drive of the lifting mechanism. By adjusting the movement of the lifting mechanism, the distance between the base 203 and the optical path unit 11 of the additive manufacturing equipment 1 can be controlled to adapt to different printing operations. After each layer of printing is completed, the forming mechanism can move the base 203 down a set distance to lay a new layer of powder material 101 on it, so as to promote the layer-by-layer addition of powder material 101. Therefore, it can also be understood that the powder material 101 is transported layer by layer by the powder spreading device 12 of the additive manufacturing equipment 1 to the top of the powder bed container 20 to form a powder bed 102 on the base 203.

[0034] Therefore, the existing powder bed container 20 mainly includes a base 203, a powder sealing and airflow control system, and a lifting mechanism. The base 203 is the foundation for printing three-dimensional components and is usually made of high-strength metal materials (such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy). The surface is specially treated to improve powder adhesion and reduce thermal deformation. Under the action of energy beams 100 such as laser, electron beam, or plasma beam, the powder bed 102 may be affected by high-temperature airflow. Therefore, the powder bed container 20 is usually equipped with a powder sealing structure and an airflow control system to prevent powder spillage or contamination of the optical path unit 11. The airflow control system usually uses inert gas protection (argon / nitrogen) to reduce the risk of oxidation and maintain suitable powder flowability. The lifting mechanism controls the precise descent of the base 203 along the Z-axis. The descent distance of each layer is set by the designed layer thickness. The lifting mechanism uses a servo motor in conjunction with a ball screw for linear motion to ensure precise control. Some additive manufacturing equipment 1 uses hydraulic or pneumatic drive to improve stability.

[0035] Currently, existing lifting mechanisms using a servo motor and ball screw drive structure typically consist of a ball screw, servo motor, and guide rails. During operation, the servo motor drives the screw to rotate, which in turn moves the screw nut mounted on the base 203 along the Z-axis. Simultaneously, the motion is transmitted to the base 203 through the screw nut, causing the base 203 to rise and fall synchronously. The guide rails are used to ensure the stability of the motion, reduce lateral displacement, and guarantee the accuracy of interlayer scanning. If the existing lifting mechanism uses a hydraulic or pneumatic drive structure, the drive end of the hydraulic cylinder or air cylinder is connected to the base 203, and the pressure of hydraulic oil or gas drives the base 203 to move along the Z-axis.

[0036] However, regardless of whether a servo motor is used in conjunction with a ball screw or a hydraulic or pneumatic drive structure is employed, the overall size needs to exceed the actual stroke in order to accommodate the end support structure, the drive unit, and any possible safety margin. As a result, the ratio is usually around 1:1.2 to 1:1.5, meaning that a 1-meter lifting stroke may require a lifting structure length of 1.2 to 1.5 meters. This design results in an excessively large overall size of the equipment, occupying a lot of space and hindering the miniaturization and compact design of the equipment.

[0037] Therefore, in order to solve the problem of existing equipment having an overly large overall structure and occupying too much space, reference was made to... Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1A schematic diagram of an exemplary forming chamber with a powder bed container is shown, representing some embodiments of this application. In some embodiments of this application, a powder bed container 20 for additive manufacturing is designed. The powder bed container 20 includes at least a container body 200, a guide portion 201, and at least one pushing portion 202. The guide portion 201 is installed within the container body 200 and at least partially contacts a base 203 for forming a powder bed 102 above it, guiding the base 203 to move along a predetermined direction of motion. The at least one pushing portion 202 pushes at least one support member 3 along the direction of motion and drives the base 203 to move synchronously using the support member 3. The at least one support member 3 is formed synchronously when an energy beam 100 scans layer-by-layer stacked powder material 101 to form a target component 2.

[0038] Specifically, the container body 200 refers to the forming cylinder, which carries the powder bed 102, the target component 2, and the support component 3, and provides the actual additive manufacturing process. The shape of the container body 200 can be regular or irregular, determined by the designer according to actual needs. The guide part 201 is installed inside the container body 200 and at least partially contacts the base 203 during actual use. The guide part 201 can be at least one of an optical shaft and bushing 201-2, or a guide rail and slide 201-1. The number of guide parts 201 is determined by the designer according to actual needs; all guide parts 201 can be set to the same style, or each guide part 201 can be set to a different style. However, the guide parts 201 must be sealed to the base 203 to prevent the powder material 101 from spilling out of the guide parts 201. In actual use, the pressing part 202 is installed in the space above the container body 200. The pressing part 202 can be set as at least one of hydraulic drive, pneumatic drive, electric drive, and robotic arm. The specific setting of the pressing part 202 is set by the designer according to the actual needs and the weight of the target component 2 and the base 203. The total thrust of the pressing part 202 needs to be greater than the resultant force of the base 203, the powder bed, friction, and the component to ensure that the base 203, the formed target component 2, and the support component 3 descend stably. The support member 3 can be regular or irregular in shape, and the area of ​​the end of the support member 3 away from the base 203 is larger than the pushing end of the pressing part 202 to prevent the pushing end of the pressing part 202 from affecting the powder material 101 during pushing. The support member 3 must be designed to be strong enough not to break during the pressing process. One or more support members 3 can be provided, and the forming position of the support member 3 can be any position on the powder bed 102, as long as it does not interfere with the target member 2, and is specifically set by the designer according to actual needs. Furthermore, when the support member 3 is pushed to move along the direction of motion, the distance that the pressing part 202 pushes the support member 3 to move is greater than or equal to the thickness of a single designed material layer. The distance pushed by the pressing part 202 is the thickness of the powder material 101 falling onto the support member 3 plus the distance of the single-layer material thickness designed, thereby ensuring that the support member 3 moves at least a distance matching the single-layer thickness of the powder material 101 designed by the designer; if it is equal to the distance of the single-layer material thickness designed, it means that the support member 3 is in an ideal state and there is no powder affecting the pushing distance, and at this time the distance pushed by the pressing part 202 is the distance of the single-layer thickness of the powder material 101 designed; if there are multiple layers of the designed coating thickness, the support member 3 moves at least a distance matching the coating thickness of the next scan by the energy beam 100. For example, if layer a is printed and the distance of layer a+1 is distance b, then the support member 3 moves at least distance b along the direction of movement.

[0039] The guide portion 201 and the base 203 are provided with a texture, coating or friction plate to increase friction, and / or the base 203 and one side of the inner wall of the container body 200 are provided with a texture, coating or friction plate to increase friction, and the increased friction is greater than the resultant force of the base 203, the powder bed and the components, so as to prevent the base 203 from slipping off the guide portion 201 due to gravity.

[0040] When forming the target component 2 and simultaneously forming the supporting component 3, the top surface of the supporting component 3 and the top surface of the target component 2 are located on the same horizontal plane. Furthermore, when forming the target component 2 and the supporting component 3, the supporting component 3 can be made of the same or different material as the target component 2, and can also use the same or different scanning parameters. The contact described in this application can be simply the contact between two parts, or it can be a detachable connection or a fixed connection; the specific contact is set by the designer according to actual needs. The connection described in this application can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection; the specific connection is set by the designer according to actual needs.

[0041] For example, if an optical axis and bushing 201-2 are used, an optical axis is set at both sides or four corners of the container body 200 and a bushing that moves along the optical axis is connected to the base 203 so that the base 203 can be guided to move by the bushing moving along the optical axis; if a guide rail and slide 201-1 are used, a linear guide rail is installed on at least both sides of the container body 200 and an electric slide that moves along the guide rail is connected to the base 203 so that the base 203 can be guided to move by the electric slide moving along the guide rail. Therefore, if the target component 2 is a lightweight component, a guide part 201 with low motion resistance, such as an optical shaft and bushing 201-2, and a pushing part 202 with low pushing force, such as a pneumatic actuator or an electric actuator, can be used; if the target component 2 is a heavy component, a guide part 201 with motion resistance, such as a guide rail and an electric slide, and a pushing part 202 with high pushing force, such as a hydraulic actuator or a robotic arm pushing against the surface, can be used; and, based on the above, at least one friction-adjustable limiter is introduced between the guide part 201 and the base 203. The friction force increased by the friction-adjustable limiter is greater than the resultant force of the base 203, the powder bed, and the component, so as to prevent the base 203, the powder bed, and the component from falling due to their large self-weight; and, if a robotic arm is used, it can be applied to multi-directional pushing to meet the requirements of special angles.

[0042] Therefore, when the powder bed container 20 involved in this application is used in additive manufacturing, the specific process is as follows: After the powder material 101 overflows from the additive manufacturing equipment 1 or the powder feeding device of the additive manufacturing equipment 1 sends the powder material 101 into the forming chamber 10, the powder spreading device 12 of the additive manufacturing equipment 1 applies the powder material 101 to the base 203 in a layer-by-layer stacking manner. Then, the optical path unit 11 of the additive manufacturing equipment 1 scans the powder material 101 with an energy beam 100 according to the scanning path set by the designer to form the target component 2 and at least one support component 3. Then, at least one pushing part 202 is operated to contact at least one support component 3 and push at least one support component 3 along the movement direction by a distance greater than or equal to the single design layer thickness of the powder material 101. At the same time, the base 203 is driven to move synchronously by at least one support component 3 by the same distance. In this way, the application of powder material 101 and the pushing of at least one support component 3 are repeated until the construction of the target component 2 is completed.

[0043] Specifically, after the powder material 101 is applied above the base 203, the thrust of the pressing part 202 is provided by a preset initial thrust value. This thrust value is usually slightly greater than the sum of the forces of the base 203, the target component 2, the support component 3, the powder bed, and all frictional forces, ensuring that the support component 3 does not shift position or excessively compress the powder material 101 during initial contact. Then, during the application of thrust by the pressing part 202, the resistance change data is monitored in real time, and the optimal thrust value required for the current pressing is calculated based on the resistance change data. The pressing part 202 adjusts the output thrust according to the calculation results to ensure that the support component 3 can be stably advanced, while driving the base 203 to move synchronously. If the thrust is insufficient, causing the base 203 to move lag, the thrust of the pressing part 202 is increased to overcome the resistance. If the thrust is too large, it may cause the support component 3 to deform or the base 203 to overshoot, so the thrust of the pressing part 202 is reduced to maintain stability. A monitoring and control system can be integrated into the additive manufacturing equipment 1 to monitor and control the operation of each component in real time.

[0044] In this application, to improve scanning stability, a locking mechanism can be provided in the non-forming area of ​​the base 203. When the base 203 moves, the locking mechanism unlocks. When the base 203 stops and the powder spreading device 12 applies powder material 101, the locking mechanism locks the base 203 to the container to prevent the base 203 from shaking. Specifically, the locking mechanism includes, but is not limited to, electromagnetic locks, electric latches, etc. If an electromagnetic lock is provided, a corresponding magnetic attraction area is provided on the inner wall of the container body 200; if an electric latch is provided, a corresponding locking groove is provided on the inner wall of the container body 200.

[0045] refer to Figure 2 As shown, Figure 2This illustration shows an exemplary structural diagram of a forming chamber with an upper robotic arm pressing section according to some embodiments of this application. The pressing section 202 is configured as a robotic arm 202-1 and installed in the space above the powder bed container 20. In some examples of this application, the guide section is configured as a guide rail and a slide table, the pressing section 202 is configured as a robotic arm 202-1, and the top surface area of ​​the pushing end of the robotic arm 202-1 is set to be smaller than the top surface area of ​​the supporting member 3. Furthermore, a supporting member 3 is provided on each side of the target member 2 during the design process.

[0046] Therefore, when the powder bed container 20 involved in this application is used in additive manufacturing, the specific process is as follows: the powder cylinder 13 overflows the powder material 101 and applies the powder material 101 to the base 203 in a layer-by-layer stacking manner through the powder spreading device 12. Then, the optical path unit 11 scans the powder material 101 with an energy beam 100 according to the scanning path set by the designer to form the target component 2 and two support components 3. Then, the robotic arm 202-1 contacts any of the support components 3 and pushes the support component 3 along the z-axis to a distance greater than or equal to the single design layer thickness of the powder material 101. At the same time, the support component 3 drives the base 203 to move synchronously along the guide rail through the slide table for the same distance. In this way, the application of powder material 101 and the pushing of support components 3 are repeated until the construction of the target component 2 is completed.

[0047] refer to Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This illustration shows an exemplary structural diagram of a forming chamber with an upper-mounted actuator pushing part according to some embodiments of this application. The pushing part 202 is configured as actuator 202-2 and installed in the space above the powder bed container 20. In some examples of this application, the guide part is configured to cooperate with an optical shaft and bushing 201-2, the pushing part 202 is configured as two pneumatic actuators, and the top surface area of ​​the pushing end of the pneumatic actuator is set to be smaller than the top surface area of ​​the support member 3. Furthermore, a support member 3 is provided at each of the four corners of the target member 2.

[0048] Therefore, for reference Figure 4 As shown, Figure 4This illustration shows an exemplary cyclic operation diagram of a forming chamber with an upper-mounted actuator pushing part according to some embodiments of this application. The powder bed container 20 involved in this application is used in additive manufacturing, and the specific process is as follows: The powder cylinder 13 overflows the powder material 101 and, through the powder spreading device 12, applies the powder material 101 to the top of the base 203 in a layer-by-layer stacking manner. Then, the optical path unit 11 scans the powder material 101 with an energy beam 100 according to the scanning path set by the designer to form the target component 2 and four support components 3. Then, the pneumatic actuator is operated to contact the corresponding support component 3 below and push the support component 3 along the z-axis movement direction by a distance greater than or equal to the single-layer design thickness of the powder material 101. Simultaneously, the support component 3 drives the base 203 to move synchronously along the optical axis by the same distance through the bushing. This process of applying the powder material 101 and pushing the support components 3 is repeated until the construction of the target component 2 is completed.

[0049] Therefore, based on the above example, the guide part 201, the pressing part 202 and the supporting member 3 can be set in various styles and in various quantities to complete the construction of the target member 2.

[0050] By adopting the above technical solution, the support component 3 is printed simultaneously with the target component 2, and the contact between the pushing part 202 and the support component 3 is used to push its movement, so that the base 203 moves in a controlled direction. In this way, the overall size of the guide part 201 is close to the actual movement stroke of the base 203, thereby optimizing the equipment structural design, reducing unnecessary guide redundancy, and thus effectively reducing the overall size of the powder bed container 20, reducing the equipment volume and space occupation.

[0051] refer to Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an exemplary forming chamber with a built-in pressing part is shown according to some embodiments of this application, wherein the pressing part 202 is configured as a piezoelectric ceramic 202-3 and installed in the powder spreading device 12. In some embodiments of this application, based on any one or more of the above embodiments, at least one pressing part 202 is installed in the powder spreading device 12 or on any side of the powder spreading device 12. The at least one pressing part 202 is used to push the at least one supporting member 3 of the base 203 along the direction of movement after the powder spreading device 12 moves to the position of at least one supporting member 3 of the base 203.

[0052] Specifically, the pressing part 202 can be configured as an electric drive, a pneumatic drive, a hydraulic drive, or a piezoelectric ceramic 202-3 structure. That is, when an external voltage is applied, the piezoelectric ceramic 202-3 will undergo displacement deformation. If there is a variable load force externally, the piezoelectric ceramic 202-3 will overcome these resistance forces and generate thrust. The magnitude of the thrust depends on the stiffness of the external load. The greater the stiffness of the external load, the greater the thrust generated by the piezoelectric ceramic 202-3. Thus, since the pressing action is carried out synchronously with the powder spreading process, there is no need to add an additional independent pressing mechanism, thereby optimizing space utilization, reducing equipment complexity, and improving manufacturing efficiency.

[0053] In actual implementation, the powder spreading device 12 can be equipped with one pressing part 202 or multiple pressing parts 202. The number of pressing parts 202 is at least greater than or equal to the number of supporting members 3. If multiple pressing parts 202 are provided, each pressing part 202 can be of the same style or different styles.

[0054] Therefore, in some examples of this application, for example, if the pressing part 202 adopts a piezoelectric ceramic 202-3 structure and two pressing parts 202 are used, the two pressing parts 202 are embedded in the powder spreading device 12. When the powder spreading device 12 moves above the support member 3, the pressing part 202 pushes the support member 3 downward so that the base 203 drops at least the same distance as the thickness of a single coating of powder material 101.

[0055] In some examples of this application, for example, the pressing part 202 adopts one of electric drive, pneumatic drive, and hydraulic drive. For example, two electric push rods are used. The two electric push rods are installed on one side of the powder spreading device 12. When the powder spreading device 12 moves to the area of ​​the support member 3 and the electric push rod is above the support member 3, the electric push rod pushes the support member 3 downward so that the base 203 drops at least the same distance as the single coating thickness of the powder material 101.

[0056] In some examples of this application, for example, two pressing parts 202 are used and the pressing parts 202 are set in different styles. For example, a combination of hydraulic cylinder and air cylinder is used. Two electric push rods are installed on one side of the powder spreading device 12. When the powder spreading device 12 moves to the support member 3 and the hydraulic cylinder and air cylinder are respectively located above the corresponding support member 3, the hydraulic cylinder and air cylinder push the support member 3 downward so that the base 203 drops at least the same distance as the single coating thickness of the powder material 101.

[0057] refer to Figure 6 As shown, Figure 6This illustration shows an exemplary multi-position arrangement of the pressing part according to some embodiments of this application. One portion of the pressing part is configured as a driver 202-2 and mounted on one side of the powder spreading device 12, while another portion is configured as a piezoelectric ceramic 202-3 and mounted inside the powder spreading device 12. In some examples of this application, multiple types of pressing parts 202 can be arranged and distributed at multiple positions on the powder spreading device 12. This allows the pushing stroke to be divided into two parts. For example, four pressing parts 202 can be used, with two mounted inside the powder spreading device 12 and the other two mounted on the front side of the powder spreading device 12. The pressing parts 202 mounted on the front side of the powder spreading device 12 are allocated a larger, less precise stroke, while the pressing parts 202 mounted inside the powder spreading device 12 are allocated a smaller, more precise stroke. For example, two hydraulic cylinders are mounted on the front side of the powder spreading device 12 and a larger portion of the stroke is allocated to these hydraulic cylinders. Two piezoelectric ceramics 202-3 are mounted inside the powder spreading device 12 and the piezoelectric ceramics 202-3 are allocated a larger portion of the stroke. -3 allocates a smaller portion of the stroke. When the powder spreading device 12 moves to the area of ​​the support member 3 and the hydraulic cylinder is above the corresponding support member 3, the hydraulic cylinder pushes the support member 3 downward to lower the base 203 by a first distance. Then, the hydraulic cylinder resets and, after the powder spreading device 12 moves above the support member 3, the piezoelectric ceramic 202-3 pushes the support member 3 downward to lower the base 203 by a second distance. The sum of the first distance and the second distance is at least equal to the thickness of a single coating layer of the powder material 101. Through this example, the base 203 can be moved quickly using the pushing part 202 with a larger thrust and then the base 203 can be finely adjusted using the pushing part 202 with a smaller thrust but higher precision, thereby improving the movement accuracy of the base 203.

[0058] refer to Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a moving part according to some embodiments of this application is shown, wherein a moving part 204 is provided in a guide portion 201 and contacts a base 203. In some embodiments of this application, based on any one or more of the above embodiments, at least one moving part 204 may be provided, which is mounted on at least one guide portion 201 and at least partially contacts the base 203, and is used to drive the base 203 to move along the movement direction of the at least one guide portion 201.

[0059] Specifically, when the motion part 204 is used, the guide part 201 can be set as a lead screw structure, and the motion part 204 can be set as a linear stepper motor. In this way, the lead screw structure and the linear stepper motor are combined to form a through-axis linear stepper motor structure. In this way, the linear stepper motor of the through-axis linear stepper motor structure contacts the base 203, assisting the base 203 to move along the lead screw structure.

[0060] Therefore, when the powder bed container 20 involved in this application is used in additive manufacturing, the specific process is as follows: the powder cylinder 13 overflows the powder material 101 and applies the powder material 101 to the base 203 in a layer-by-layer stacking manner through the powder spreading device 12. Then, the optical path unit 11 scans the powder material 101 with an energy beam 100 according to the scanning path set by the designer to form the target component 2 and the support component 3. Then, the active drive unit 204 drives the base 203 to move along the z-axis of the guide unit 201 at least the same distance as the single coating thickness of the powder material 101. In this way, the powder material 101 coating and the support component 3 are pushed in a cycle until the construction of the target component 2 is completed.

[0061] Therefore, for reference Figure 7 As shown. Based on the above process and combined with the pushing of the support member 3, the powder bed container 20 involved in this application is used in additive manufacturing. The specific process is as follows: The powder cylinder 13 overflows the powder material 101 and applies the powder material 101 to the base 203 in a layer-by-layer stacking form through the powder spreading device 12. Then, the optical path unit 11 scans the powder material 101 with an energy beam 100 according to the scanning path set by the designer to form the target component 2 and the support member 3. Then, the pushing part 202 is operated to contact the corresponding support member 3 below and push the support member 3 along the z-axis movement direction by a distance greater than or equal to the single design layer thickness of the powder material 101. At the same time, the active driving motion part 204 is synchronously assisted in the movement along the guide part 201. In this way, the support member 3 and the motion part 204 drive the base 203 to move synchronously by the same distance. The application of powder material 101 and the pushing of support member 3 are repeated until the construction of the target component 2 is completed. Through the combination of support member 3 and motion part 204, the movement accuracy of base 203 can be further improved and the movement stability of base 203 can be enhanced.

[0062] refer to Figure 8 As shown, Figure 8 A schematic diagram of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a damping section, according to some embodiments of this application, is shown. A damping section 205 is provided on the guide section 201 and contacts the base 203. In some embodiments of this application, based on any one or more of the above embodiments, at least one damping section 205 may be provided. This at least one damping section 205 is mounted on the guide section 201 and connected to the base 203 to provide motion resistance to the base 203, thereby preventing the base 203 from falling due to its own weight.

[0063] Specifically, the motion resistance includes frictional force. The at least one damping part 205 can be any type and number of adjustable dampers, including but not limited to cylindrical dampers, shaft dampers, and disc dampers, provided it can provide a motion resistance greater than the resultant force generated by the base 203, the powder bed, friction, and the component under gravity, and the motion resistance less than the pushing force applied by the pushing part 202 to the supporting component 3. Existing dampers include fluid damping, friction damping, and rotational torque damping. Fluid dampers are filled with high-viscosity liquid or magnetic fluid; when the base 203 moves, the liquid flows through a flow-limiting orifice, providing viscous resistance and controlling the motion speed. Friction dampers provide frictional force through spring-loaded friction plates. The base 203 is connected to the rotational torque damper via gears or bearings, controlling its motion.

[0064] In actual implementation, the damping force of the damping part 205 is greater than the gravitational force generated by the overall weight of the substrate, powder bed, friction, target component 2, and support component 3, preventing it from sliding freely when no external force is applied. Furthermore, the damping force is less than the pushing force applied by the pushing part 202, ensuring that the support component 3 can move stably under external force. That is, when the pushing part 202 applies a driving force, the support component 3 overcomes the resistance of the damping part 205, causing the base 203 to move stably along the set direction. If only the moving part 204 is used to drive the base 203, the damping force of the damping part 205 is less than the driving force of the moving part 204, ensuring that when the actively driven moving part 204 moves along the guide part 201, it can drive the base 203 to move synchronously.

[0065] By adopting the above technical solution and by setting the damping part 205, the base 203 can be prevented from sliding freely due to its own weight when there is no external force, thereby avoiding misalignment of printing layers or failure of forming due to uncontrolled descent of the base 203. It can also prevent the base 203 from moving too fast or vibrating, thereby improving printing accuracy.

[0066] refer to Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9 This illustration shows a schematic diagram of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a measuring unit according to some embodiments of this application. The measuring unit is disposed within a container body 200, and its measuring end is connected to a base 203. In some embodiments of this application, based on any one or more of the above embodiments, at least one measuring unit 206 may be provided. This at least one measuring unit 206 is installed within the container body 200, and its measuring end is at least partially connected to the base 203, for detecting the real-time position and real-time movement distance of the base 203.

[0067] Specifically, the at least one measuring unit 206 can be any type of measuring instrument, including but not limited to grating ruler sensors, displacement sensors, ultrasonic ranging sensors, laser ranging sensors, etc., as long as it can detect the real-time position and real-time movement distance of the base 203. The specific settings are determined by the designer according to the actual needs.

[0068] In actual implementation, if a grating ruler sensor is used, the grating ruler is embedded in the inner wall of the container body 200 and the reading head is installed on the base 203. When the base 203 moves, the reading head is driven to slide along the grating ruler to detect the real-time position of the base 203. If a displacement sensor, ultrasonic ranging sensor, or laser ranging sensor is used, the sensor is installed inside the container body 200 or on the base 203 to measure the displacement change of the base 203 along the guide part 201.

[0069] By adopting the above technical solution, the measuring unit 206 can monitor the position and movement of the base 203 in real time, thereby improving the precision control of the additive manufacturing process.

[0070] refer to Figure 10 As shown, Figure 10 A schematic diagram of an exemplary additive manufacturing apparatus with a moving unit, according to some embodiments of this application, is shown, wherein the transport end of the moving unit 207 is in contact with the bottom of the container body 200. In some embodiments of this application, based on any one or more of the above embodiments, a moving unit 207 may also be provided, which is connected to the container body 200 and is used to drive the container body 200 to rise and fall and move the container body 200 to a target location.

[0071] Specifically, the mobile unit 207 can be any type of mobile device, including but not limited to AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) with lifting modules, automated handling devices equipped with robotic arms or lifting platforms, rail-mounted handling devices, forklifts, etc., as long as it can lift the container body 200 into the forming chamber 10, remove it from the forming chamber 10 after scanning, and move the container body 200 to the target location. AGVs can accurately locate themselves in the production environment through an autonomous navigation system and, in conjunction with lifting modules, achieve automatic loading and unloading of the container body 200. Robotic arm handling devices can accurately grasp and place the container body 200 through multi-degree-of-freedom control, suitable for automated operations in confined spaces. The mobile unit 207 is selected by the designer based on the actual equipment volume, weight, production environment, and automation requirements. The target location is set by the designer as the location where the powder bed container 20 has been processed.

[0072] Therefore, when the powder bed container 20 involved in this application is used in additive manufacturing, the specific process is as follows:

[0073] The powder bed container 20 is guided into the forming chamber 10 by the moving unit 207 and sealed to the forming chamber 10. Then, the powder cylinder 13 overflows the powder material 101 and applies it to the base 203 in a layer-by-layer stacking manner through the powder spreading device 12. Then, the optical path unit 11 scans the powder material 101 with an energy beam 100 according to the scanning path set by the designer to form the target component 2 and the support component 3. Then, the pushing part 202 pushes at least one support component 3 along the direction of movement by a distance greater than or equal to the single design layer thickness of the powder material 101 and uses at least one support component 3 to drive the base 203 to move synchronously by the same distance. In this way, the application of powder material 101 and the pushing of support component 3 are repeated until the construction of the target component 2 is completed. After the target component 2 is constructed, the powder bed container 20 is unsealed from the forming chamber 10, and the powder bed container 20 is detached from the forming chamber 10 by the moving unit 207 and moved to the target location.

[0074] Therefore, this application also relates to an additive manufacturing apparatus 1 having a powder bed container 20 having any one or more of the above embodiments.

[0075] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0076] List of reference numerals

[0077] 1 Additive Manufacturing Equipment

[0078] 2 Target Components

[0079] 3 Supporting components

[0080] 10 Forming Chamber

[0081] 11 Optical Path Units

[0082] 12 Powder spreading device

[0083] 13 Powder cylinder

[0084] 20 Powder Bed Container

[0085] 100 energy beams

[0086] 101 Powder Materials

[0087] 102 Powder Bed

[0088] 200 Container Body

[0089] 201 Guiding Department

[0090] 202 Pushing section

[0091] 203 Abutment

[0092] 204 Sports Club

[0093] 205 Damping section

[0094] 206 Measurement Department

[0095] 207 moving units

[0096] 201-1 Guide rails and slides

[0097] 201-2 Optical shaft and bushing

[0098] 202-1 Robotic Arm

[0099] 202-2 drive

[0100] 202-3 Piezoelectric ceramics

Claims

1. A powder bed container for additive manufacturing, characterized in that, include: Container body; A guide portion, which is installed inside the container body and at least partially contacts a base for forming a powder bed thereon, the guide portion being used to guide the base to move in the direction of motion; At least one pushing part is used to push at least one supporting member along the direction of movement and to drive the base to move synchronously using the supporting member; wherein... The at least one support member is formed simultaneously when an energy beam is used to scan the stacked powder materials layer by layer to form the target member.

2. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one pushing part is installed in the space above the container body.

3. The container according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one pushing part is installed inside the forming chamber and is at least partially connected to the forming chamber, for pushing at least one support member along the direction of movement.

4. The container according to claim 2, characterized in that, The at least one pushing part is installed inside the powder spreading device, and the at least one pushing part is used to push the at least one supporting member along the direction of movement after the powder spreading device moves to the position of the at least one supporting member.

5. The container according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, in, The pushing part will push at least one support member along the direction of movement by a distance greater than or equal to the single design layer thickness of the powder material.

6. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that, At least one guide portion passes at least partially through the base and is sealed to the base, and an adjustable friction limiter is provided between the at least one guide portion and the base.

7. The container according to claim 6, characterized in that, Also includes: At least one moving part is mounted on the at least one guide part and at least partially contacts the base, the at least one moving part being used to drive the base to move along the movement direction of the at least one guide part.

8. The container according to claim 1 or 7, characterized in that, Also includes: At least one damping part is installed on the guide part and connected to the base, for providing adjustable motion resistance to the base to prevent the base from falling due to its own weight.

9. The container according to claim 8, characterized in that, The motion resistance provided by the damping part is greater than the resultant force generated by the base, powder bed and component under gravity, and the motion resistance is less than the pushing force applied to the supporting component by the pushing part.

10. The container according to claim 1, characterized in that, Also includes: A measuring unit, which is installed inside the container body and at least partially connected to the base, is used to detect the real-time position of the base.

11. The container according to claim 1, 7, or 9, characterized in that, Also includes: A moving unit, connected to the container body, is used to drive the container body to rise and fall and move the container body to the target location.

12. An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising a container according to any one of claims 1-11.

13. An additive manufacturing method using the container according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The method includes: The powder material is applied to the top of the substrate in a layered stacking manner; The powder material is scanned by an energy beam according to a preset scanning path to form a target component and at least one support component; Pushing the at least one support member along the direction of movement a distance greater than or equal to the single-layer design thickness of the powder material, and using the at least one support member to drive the base to move synchronously a distance of the same distance; and The powder material is applied in a cycle and the at least one supporting member is pushed until the construction of the target component is completed.

14. The additive manufacturing method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before the target component is constructed, the powder bed container is guided into the forming chamber and the powder bed container is sealed and installed with the forming chamber. After the target component is constructed, the powder bed container is detached from the forming chamber and moved to the target location.

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