Multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering and additive manufacturing equipment

Abstract

The utility model discloses a multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering and additive manufacturing equipment, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering comprises N optical scanning systems, the scanning range of each optical scanning system at least covers the whole working area, and the N optical scanning systems are arranged above the working area in a quadrangle shape, and two or more than two optical scanning systems are uniformly arranged on each side of the quadrangle at intervals. According to the multi-optical scanning system, the same area can be sintered, the sintering time in unit area is shortened, and the sintering efficiency in unit area is improved; moreover, each optical scanning system can cover the sintering area, so that when one or more optical scanning systems are abnormal and cannot complete the scanning sintering task, other optical scanning systems can redistribute the scanning task of the abnormal optical scanning system, and the scanning sintering is ensured to be completed smoothly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of additive manufacturing, and in particular relates to a multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering and additive manufacturing equipment. Background Art

[0002] Additive manufacturing (AM) is an advanced manufacturing technology characterized by digital manufacturing, high flexibility and adaptability, direct CAD model-driven operation, rapid speed, and a wide variety of materials. Because it is not limited by the complexity of part shapes and does not require any tooling or molds, it has a wide range of applications. Selective laser sintering, a type of AM technology, involves the following basic steps: a powder feeder delivers a certain amount of powder to the work surface, a powder roller or scraper spreads a layer of powder material evenly on the upper surface of the formed part in the forming cylinder, a heating device heats the powder to a set temperature, and a galvanometer system controls the laser to scan the solid powder layer according to the cross-sectional profile of that layer, melting the powder and bonding it to the formed part below. Once one layer of cross-section has been sintered, the work surface descends by one layer, and the powder roller or scraper spreads another uniform, dense layer of powder on top. A new layer of cross-section is scanned and sintered, and several layers of scanning and stacking are performed until the entire prototype is manufactured.

[0003] In the above-mentioned technology, a single optical scanning system is generally used to sinter a designated area on the work surface. Although this single optical scanning system can realize powder sintering work, as the size of the workpiece to be printed increases and the size of the work plane increases, it takes a long time for the single optical scanning system to complete the entire work area, resulting in low forming efficiency of the equipment. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art, the utility model provides a multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering and an additive manufacturing device. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering can sinter the same area, shorten the sintering time per unit area, and improve the sintering efficiency per unit area.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering, comprising N optical scanning systems, each of which has a scanning range covering at least the entire working area. The N optical scanning systems are arranged in a quadrilateral above the working area, with two or more optical scanning systems evenly and spaced apart on each side of the quadrilateral. N is greater than or equal to 6. That is, N is any integer greater than 6, and its specific number is not enumerated in this application. The quadrilateral can be a rectangle or a square.

[0006] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, N is greater than or equal to 8, and all optical scanning systems are arranged in a square shape. For example, N can be 8, 12, 20, 24, ...

[0007] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, when N is equal to 8 or 12, all optical scanning systems are arranged in a square, and the middle area of ​​the square is a blank area. It is understandable that N can also be 8, 12, 20, 24, etc.

[0008] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the blank area is provided with a powder spreading detection camera or a paraxial molten pool monitoring camera.

[0009] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering further includes N light input elements, which are arranged on one side of the optical scanning system so that the laser light emitted by the laser passes through the light input elements and then enters the optical scanning system.

[0010] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering also includes N light input elements and N reflectors, wherein the reflectors are arranged on one side of the optical scanning system, and the light input elements are arranged above the reflectors, so that the laser light emitted by the laser changes direction under the reflection of the reflectors and enters the optical scanning system after passing through the light input elements.

[0011] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the light incident element is a collimator, a beam mirror or a lens.

[0012] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, each optical scanning system matches one or more lasers. When an optical scanning system matches multiple lasers, the lasers emitted by different lasers are incident on the light input element under the action of beam combining by a beam combiner or time-sharing multiplexing by a reflector.

[0013] As a further preferred solution of the present invention, the optical scanning system includes an XY-axis scanning galvanometer and a focusing element.

[0014] The utility model also provides an additive manufacturing device, which includes at least one laser and any one of the multi-optical scanning systems for selective laser sintering described above.

[0015] The multi-optical scanning system and additive manufacturing equipment for selective laser sintering of the present invention include N optical scanning systems, each of which has a scanning range covering at least the entire working area. The N optical scanning systems are arranged in a quadrilateral above the working area, and each side of the quadrilateral is evenly and spaced apart with two or more optical scanning systems. Where N is greater than or equal to 6, not only can the multi-optical scanning system sinter the same area, shortening the sintering time per unit area and improving the sintering efficiency per unit area, but also, because the scanning range of each optical scanning system covers at least the entire working area, the sintering tasks within the area can be evenly divided, so that each optical scanning system can complete the scanning and sintering work on the current layer at the same time, reducing the optical scanning system's waiting time when the light is not emitted, and improving the optical scanning system's light output utilization rate. In addition, because each optical scanning system can cover the sintering area, when one or more optical scanning systems malfunction and cannot complete the scanning and sintering tasks, the other optical scanning systems can reallocate the scanning tasks of the abnormal optical scanning systems to ensure that the scanning and sintering are completed smoothly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a first embodiment of the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering provided by the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the laser incident direction of Example 1;

[0018] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the laser incident direction of the second embodiment of the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 A two-dimensional top view of the third embodiment of the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering provided by the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the laser incident direction of Example 3;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a preferred solution for changing the incident light direction in Example 3;

[0023] Figure 8 Schematic diagram comparing the scanning coverage of the corner optical scanning system and the common overlapping area of ​​the eight optical scanning systems in Example 3;

[0024] Figure 9This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a fourth embodiment of the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering provided by the present invention.

[0025] The components in the figure are marked as follows:

[0026] 101. Working area, 100. Optical scanning system, 200. Light incident element, 300. Reflector, 121. First optical scanning system, 122. Second optical scanning system, 123. Third optical scanning system, 124. Fourth optical scanning system, 125. Fifth optical scanning system, 126. Sixth optical scanning system, 127. Seventh optical scanning system, 128. Eighth optical scanning system, 131. First light incident element, 132. Second light incident element, 133. Third light incident element, 134. Fourth light incident element, 135. Fifth light incident element, 136. Sixth light incident element, 137. Seventh light incident element, 138. Eighth light incident element, 203. Scanning coverage of the third optical scanning system, 206. Scanning coverage of the sixth optical scanning system, 146. Sixth reflector. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and implement the technical solution of the present invention, the following will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0028] Example 1

[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering of this embodiment includes six optical scanning systems 100. The scanning range of each optical scanning system 100 covers at least the entire working area 101. The six optical scanning systems 100 are arranged above the working area 101 in a rectangular shape, and each side of the quadrilateral is evenly and spaced apart with two or more optical scanning systems 100.

[0030] The light input elements 200 of the six optical scanning systems 100 can be collimators, beam mirrors, or lenses, and can also be other devices, which are not listed here. The optical scanning system 100 includes an XY-axis scanning galvanometer and a focusing element, and can also include other existing components as needed. The focusing element can be a dynamic focusing element, an f-theta field lens, or a telecentric field lens.

[0031] See Figure 2 The light incident direction of the three optical scanning systems 100 close to the negative direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system is from the negative direction of the Y axis to the positive direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system, while the light incident direction of the three optical scanning systems 100 close to the positive direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system is from the positive direction of the Y axis to the negative direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system.

[0032] Example 2

[0033] like Figure 3 As shown, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering of this embodiment includes eight optical scanning systems 100. The scanning range of each optical scanning system 100 covers at least the entire working area 101. The eight optical scanning systems 100 are arranged above the working area 101 in a rectangular shape, and each side of the quadrilateral has two or more optical scanning systems 100 evenly and spaced apart.

[0034] The light input elements 200 of the eight optical scanning systems 100 can be collimators, beam mirrors, or lenses, and can also be other devices, which are not listed here. The optical scanning system 100 includes an XY-axis scanning galvanometer and a focusing element, and can also include other existing components as needed. The focusing element can be a dynamic focusing element, an f-theta field lens, or a telecentric field lens.

[0035] The light incident direction of the four optical scanning systems 100 close to the negative Y-axis of the coordinate system is from the negative Y-axis to the positive Y-axis, while the light incident direction of the four optical scanning systems 100 close to the positive Y-axis of the coordinate system is from the positive Y-axis to the negative Y-axis.

[0036] Example 3

[0037] like Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering of the present invention includes eight optical scanning systems, namely a first optical scanning system 121, a second optical scanning system 122, a third optical scanning system 123, a fourth optical scanning system 124, a fifth optical scanning system 125, a sixth optical scanning system 126, a seventh optical scanning system 127, and an eighth optical scanning system 128. The scanning range of each optical scanning system 100 covers at least the entire working area 101. The eight optical scanning systems are arranged above the working area 101 in a square shape, with three optical scanning systems evenly and spaced apart on each side of the square, and the middle area of ​​the square is a blank area.

[0038] Each optical scanning system 100 is matched with one or more lasers, where the multiple lasers herein refer to two or more lasers.

[0039] like Figure 6As shown, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering further includes eight light input elements, namely a first light input element 131, a second light input element 132, a third light input element 133, a fourth light input element 134, a fifth light input element 135, a sixth light input element 136, a seventh light input element 137, and an eighth light input element 138. The light input elements correspond one to one with the optical scanning system. The light input element is disposed on one side of the optical scanning system so that the laser light emitted by the laser passes through the light input element and then enters the optical scanning system. For further reference, Figure 6 The light incident direction of the first optical scanning system 121 to the third optical scanning system 123 is from the negative direction of the Y axis to the positive direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system, the light incident direction of the sixth optical scanning system 126 to the eighth optical scanning system 128 is from the positive direction of the Y axis to the negative direction of the Y axis of the coordinate system, the light incident direction of the fourth optical scanning system 124 is from the negative direction of the X axis to the positive direction of the X axis of the coordinate system, and the light incident direction of the fifth optical scanning system 125 is from the positive direction of the X axis to the negative direction of the X axis of the coordinate system.

[0040] It is understandable that the common overlapping area of ​​the eight optical scanning systems, namely the working area 101, can be covered by all eight optical scanning systems. Figure 7 Schematic diagram comparing the scanning coverage of the corner optical scanning system (the third optical scanning system 123 and the sixth optical scanning system 126) and the common overlapping area of ​​the eight optical scanning systems in the present invention, the scanning coverage 203 of the third optical scanning system and the scanning coverage 206 of the sixth optical scanning system, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 shown.

[0041] As a preferred solution of this embodiment, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering further includes eight light input elements 200 and eight reflectors 300, wherein the light input elements 200 and the reflectors 300 correspond one-to-one to the optical scanning system 100. The reflectors 300 are arranged on one side of the optical scanning system 100, and the light input element 200 is arranged above the reflectors 300, so that the laser emitted by the laser changes direction under the reflection of the reflectors 300, and enters the optical scanning system 100 after passing through the light input element 200. By introducing the reflectors 300, this preferred solution enables the placement of the light input element 200 from the positive direction of the Z axis of the coordinate system toward the negative direction of the Z axis. Since the size of the reflectors 300 is usually smaller than the axial size of the light input element 200, the size of the overall eight optical scanning systems in the XY plane of the coordinate system can be further reduced, making the overall optical scanning system more compact, thereby making it occupy a smaller internal space of the additive manufacturing equipment. Figure 7As shown, taking the sixth optical scanning system 126 as an example, the sixth reflector 146 is placed between the sixth light incident element 136 and the sixth optical scanning system 126. After the laser beam passes through the sixth light incident element 136 along the Z axis of the coordinate system, it is reflected on the surface of the sixth reflector 146, and the direction of the laser beam is changed to be incident on the sixth optical scanning system 126 along the Y axis of the coordinate system.

[0042] Preferably, in order to further avoid taking up extra space and make the equipment more compact, the blank area is provided with a powder spreading detection camera or a paraxial molten pool monitoring camera.

[0043] Example 4

[0044] like Figure 9 As shown, the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering of this embodiment includes twelve optical scanning systems 100. The scanning range of each optical scanning system 100 covers at least the entire working area 101. The twelve optical scanning systems 100 are arranged in a square above the working area 101, and each side of the square is evenly and spaced apart with four of the optical scanning systems 100. The middle area of ​​the square is a blank area for setting a powder spreading detection camera or a paraxial molten pool monitoring camera.

[0045] The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering of this embodiment includes twelve light input elements 200 and twelve reflection mirrors 300. The reflection mirrors 300 are arranged on one side of the optical scanning system 100, and the light input elements 200 are arranged above the reflection mirrors 300 so that the laser light emitted by the laser changes direction under the reflection of the reflection mirrors 300 and enters the optical scanning system 100 after passing through the light input elements 200.

[0046] Example 5

[0047] The additive manufacturing apparatus of this embodiment includes at least one laser and the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering described in any of the above embodiments. It should be noted that since the core of this application is the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering, other existing components of the additive manufacturing apparatus of this application (such as the powder feeding device, gas field system, etc.) are not specifically described here.

[0048] The above embodiments are merely preferred implementations of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions based on the concept of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that certain modifications and alterations that do not depart from the principles of the present invention should be considered as included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering, characterized in that: The invention comprises N optical scanning systems, wherein the scanning range of each optical scanning system covers at least the entire working area, and the N optical scanning systems are arranged in a quadrilateral above the working area, and each side of the quadrilateral is evenly and spaced apart with two or more optical scanning systems, wherein N is greater than or equal to 6.

2. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 1, characterized in that: N is greater than or equal to 8, and all optical scanning systems are arranged in a square shape.

3. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 2, characterized in that: When N is equal to 8 or 12, all optical scanning systems are arranged in a square, and the middle area of ​​the square is a blank area.

4. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 3, characterized in that: The blank area is provided with a powder spreading detection camera or a paraxial molten pool monitoring camera.

5. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering further includes N light input elements, which are arranged on one side of the optical scanning system so that the laser light emitted by the laser enters the optical scanning system after passing through the light input elements.

6. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 1, characterized in that: The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering also includes N light input elements and N reflectors. The reflectors are arranged on one side of the optical scanning system, and the light input elements are arranged above the reflectors, so that the laser light emitted by the laser changes direction under the reflection of the reflectors and enters the optical scanning system after passing through the light input elements.

7. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The light incident element is a collimator, a beam mirror or a lens.

8. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 7, characterized in that: Each optical scanning system matches one or more lasers. When an optical scanning system matches multiple lasers, the lasers emitted by different lasers are incident on the light input element under the action of beam combining by a beam combiner or time-division multiplexing by a reflector.

9. The multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to claim 1, characterized in that: The optical scanning system includes an XY-axis scanning galvanometer and a focusing element.

10. An additive manufacturing device, characterized in that: The method comprises at least one laser and the multi-optical scanning system for selective laser sintering according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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