Device for producing a three-dimensional layered object

Abstract

Device for producing (1) a three-dimensional layered object, producing a three-dimensional layered object by feeding material powder into a forming chamber (10) to form a powder layer (20) and irradiating a surface of the powder layer with a beam to sinter the powder layer, wherein the forming chamber (10) comprises a table (12) that is vertically movable and a circumferential wall (11) that is arranged to surround the table (12), wherein the forming chamber (10) is configured such that a relative positional relationship between the table (12) and the circumferential wall (11) is variable in a height direction, wherein the forming chamber (10) comprises a forming chamber (16) in which the material powder is irradiated with the beam and the layered object is formed, and a non-forming chamber (17) which is located outside the forming chamber (16) and in which the layered object is not formed, and wherein an elastic element (30) is arranged in the non-mold space (17) and the elastic element (30) expands or contracts to change a volume along with a change in the relative position of the table (12) in a vertical direction, wherein the elastic element (30) comprises an upper end element (32) and a lower end element (33), the upper end element (32) being held in an upper end section of the circumferential wall (11) and the lower end element (33) being held by its own weight on an upper surface of the table (12).

Description

Background of the invention 1. Field of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional layered object and, in particular, to an apparatus for producing a three-dimensional layered object, wherein the volume of a forming space in a forming chamber is variable. 2. Description of the state of the art

[0002] An apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional layered object forms a sintered layer by irradiating a powder layer composed of, for example, material powder with a beam to sinter the powder layer, deposits a new powder layer on the sintered layer, forms a new sintered layer bonded to the underlying sintered layer by irradiating the new powder layer with a beam to sinter the new powder layer, and then repeats the above steps to thereby manufacture a desired three-dimensional layered object having a plurality of sintered layers integrally layered.

[0003] Such a manufacturing apparatus is disclosed, for example, in Patent Document 1. The manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1 supplies the material powder from a powder supply device to a flattening device, and while the material powder is supplied by the flattening device to the forming chamber to form a powder layer, the manufacturing apparatus flattens the surface of the powder layer. The flattening device has an elongated structure along the Y-axis direction. The powder material is supplied to the flattening device by the powder supply device at a predetermined position along the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the flattening device. By moving the flattening device to a predetermined position along an X-axis direction, it is possible to supply the material powder corresponding to a desired forming space.The material powder supplied to the molding chamber is irradiated with a laser (laser beam) to form a sintered layer. The terminal ends (outer surface) of the formed sintered layer are then cut and machined using an end mill (cutting tool) to form a molded object.

[0004] In Patent Document 1, during the production of the layered object, the material powder is distributed throughout the entire space of the forming chamber. However, since the space where the layered object is actually formed only occupies a portion of the area in the forming chamber, the material powder distributed outside this space is recovered for reuse. In this situation, the recovered powder mixes the reusable powder with the cutting powder generated by the cutting process. Therefore, in order to reuse the material powder, the two types of powder mentioned above are sorted, and a work process for collecting the reusable material powders would be necessary. Under this circumstance, if the amount of recovered powder is large, the workload would also increase.Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the amount of powder material provided to the forming space in order to reduce the amount of material powder dispersed outside the area used to form the layered object.

[0005] Therefore, as described in Patent Document 2, by limiting the depositing space for the material powder in the molding chamber, a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object is provided that can reduce the amount of material powder supplied. The manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object described in Patent Document 2 includes a table that moves along a vertical direction during molding of the layered object; an attachment in which the material powder is deposited, the attachment being attached to the upper surface of the table and having a smaller area than the table when viewed from above; and additional side walls that fit seamlessly and are foldable according to the attachment.Thus, a space is formed in the molding chamber surrounded by the auxiliary device and the side walls, and the material powder is distributed within the space. In other words, in the entire space of the molding chamber, the space in which the material powder is distributed is confined within the space surrounded by the aforementioned auxiliary device and the additional side walls. Therefore, compared to the case where the material powder is distributed throughout the entire space of the molding chamber, the distribution space of the material powder is reduced. Therefore, the amount of material powder supplied to the molding chamber is suppressed, and a recovered amount of the material powder after molding the layered object is reduced.

[0006] Patent Document 3 discloses a build space changing device for an apparatus for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by layer-by-layer solidification of a powdery build material at the positions corresponding to the object in the respective layers, comprising one or more smaller supports or one or more build space separating elements on a build platform, whereby the apparatus has one or more smaller build areas in which the powder material is used more effectively or different powder materials are processed.

[0007] Patent Document 4 describes an apparatus for producing three-dimensional objects by successively solidifying layers of a powdery building material which can be solidified by means of electronic radiation, in particular laser radiation, at the respective cross-sections of the objects in corresponding positions.

[0008] Patent Document 5 discloses a machine for additively manufacturing a three-dimensional object by sintering or melting powder by means of an energy beam acting on a powder layer in a working area, the working area being defined in the upper part. Patent documents Patent document 1: JP 4 351 218 B2 Patent document 2: JP 2011 - 225 994 A Patent document 3: DE 10 2010 020 416 A1 Patent document 4: DE 10 2007 036 370 B3 Patent document 5: FR 2 994 113 A1 Summary of the inventionProblem to be solved:

[0009] During the sintering of the material powder by irradiation for the component where the powder material is dispersed, there is a concern that deformations such as distortions may occur due to the transferred heat. In the manufacturing apparatus for the three-dimensional layered object described in Patent Document 2, since the material powder is dispersed on the upper surface of the auxiliary device, deformation of the auxiliary device may occur due to the heat transferred from the material powder during sintering. As described above for the auxiliary device and the auxiliary side walls, the auxiliary side wall is arranged without gaps to surround or enclose the auxiliary device. Therefore, if deformation of the auxiliary device occurs, the integrity maintained by the auxiliary device with the auxiliary side walls will collapse.Thus, gaps form between the components and there are concerns that the material powder will leak through the gaps during the formation of the three-dimensional layered object.

[0010] The present invention was discovered in light of the above circumstances. An object of the invention is to provide a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object, while stably reducing the amount of material powder supplied. Means to solve the problem:

[0011] A manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object in a first embodiment of the invention manufactures a three-dimensional layered object by supplying material powder into a molding chamber to form a powder layer and irradiating a surface of the powder layer with a beam to sinter the powder layer, wherein the molding chamber includes a table that is vertically movable and a peripheral wall arranged to surround the table, the molding chamber being configured such that a relative positional relationship between the table and the peripheral wall is changeable in a height direction.The forming chamber includes a forming space in which the material powder is irradiated with the beam and the three-dimensional layered object is formed, and a non-forming space located outside the forming space and in which the three-dimensional layered object is not formed. An elastic member is disposed in the non-forming space, and the elastic member expands or contracts to change a volume along with a change in a relative position of the table in a vertical direction. The elastic member includes an upper end member and a lower end member, the upper end member being held in an upper end portion of the peripheral wall, and the lower end member being held by its own weight on an upper surface of the table.

[0012] In the present invention, the forming chamber includes the forming space in which the three-dimensional layered object is formed by irradiating the material powder with the beam, and the non-forming space located outside the forming space and in which the three-dimensional layered object is not formed. The non-forming space further includes the elastic member that expands and contracts and changes a volume along with a change in a relative position of the table in a vertical direction. Therefore, by disposing the elastic member in the non-forming space, the volume in which the material powder is distributed to the non-forming space can be reduced. It is therefore possible to suppress the amount of material powder supplied into the forming chamber, and the amount of material powder distributed into the non-forming space is reduced.Furthermore, since the elastic member is arranged in the non-forming space and is not irradiated by the beam, the heat of sintering the material powder is not directly transferred. Thus, it is possible to prevent heat-induced deformation of the elastic member. Just as it is possible to control the change in the volume of the elastic member, it is possible to control the change in the volume of the non-forming space due to the change in the volume of the elastic member. Based on the above description, the amount of material powder supplied or provided into the forming chamber is stably reduced.

[0013] In a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object in a second embodiment of the invention based on the first embodiment, the elastic member includes a mountain fold portion and a valley fold portion alternately arranged to form a bellows shape.

[0014] Here, in the case where the elastic member is constituted by a plurality of members, for example, a second corner tube member slidably inserted into a first corner tube member, and the length of the elastic member can be changed by pulling out the second corner tube member to change the volume, there is a possibility of causing a problem in which the material powder enters the connecting space between the plurality of members constituting the elastic member, causing the member to be unable to expand or contract.

[0015] In the present invention, the elastic member includes a peak pleat portion and a valley pleat portion arranged alternately to form a bellows shape. Therefore, by using a single member with a variable volume, the problems associated with using a plurality of members to form the elastic member as described above are eliminated. Therefore, by changing the relative position of the table in the vertical direction, it is possible to reliably change the volume.

[0016] In a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object in a third embodiment of the invention based on the second embodiment, the elastic member is arranged along at least two corners of the peripheral wall.

[0017] In the invention, the elastic element is arranged along at least two corners of the peripheral wall. Therefore, the elastic element is effectively arranged within the molding chamber. Since the volume of the non-molding space is reduced to avoid wasting molding space, it is possible to produce a large three-dimensional layered object within a limited area or distance.

[0018] In a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object in a fourth embodiment of the invention based on the second embodiment, when the elastic member is viewed from above, an area of ​​the valley fold portion is 0.35 times or less of an area of ​​the mountain fold portion.

[0019] Here, for the elastic member, when the area of ​​the valley fold portion becomes smaller compared to the area of ​​the peak fold portion, the elastic member can be folded with a smaller number of folds. That is, by reducing the width of the valley fold portion to increase the difference between the area of ​​the valley fold portion and the area of ​​the peak fold portion, the thickness of the elastic member is reduced when it is folded and shrunk. Therefore, when the elastic member is shrunk and shrunk, that is, when the manufacturing process of the sheet-shaped object begins, the distance between the upper end or forming chamber and the upper surface of the table is reduced, and the non-forming space formed between the upper end of the forming chamber and the upper surface of the table is small.

[0020] In the present invention, when the elastic member is viewed from FIG. 1, the area of ​​the valley fold portion is 0.35 times or less of the area of ​​the peak fold portion. Therefore, the thickness of the elastic member is reduced when it is contracted and folded. Accordingly, it is possible to make the non-molding space small. Thus, the amount of powder material supplied into the molding chamber is reduced.

[0021] In a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object in a fifth embodiment of the invention based on the third embodiment, an upper end of the elastic member is arranged at an upper end portion of the molding chamber.

[0022] Here, during the production of the molded object, the material powder is distributed in the space between the upper end of the molding chamber and the upper end of the elastic element. Therefore, as the distance between the upper end of the molding chamber and the upper end of the elastic element is reduced, the space in which the material powder is distributed is also reduced.

[0023] In the present invention, the upper end of the elastic member is located at the upper end portion of the molding chamber. Therefore, the distance between the upper end of the molding chamber and the upper end of the elastic member is reduced. Since it is possible to reduce the space between the upper end of the molding chamber and the upper end of the elastic member, the amount of material powder supplied into the molding chamber is reduced.

[0024] In a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object in a sixth embodiment of the invention based on the first to fourth embodiments, the elastic member is removably attached.

[0025] In the present invention, the elastic member is removably mounted. Therefore, it is easy to perform maintenance such as a cleaning process. In addition, since the volume size of the installed elastic member is easily changeable, it is possible to easily change the volume of the non-molding space. Therefore, for example, when manufacturing a small sheet-shaped object, an elastic member with a large volume can be used, and when manufacturing a large sheet-shaped object, an elastic member with a smaller volume can be used. Therefore, it is possible to effectively control the amount of material powder supplied according to the manufacturing of the sheet-shaped object with different sizes. Short description of the drawings

[0026] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention. Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a manufacturing apparatus for a three-dimensional layered object according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 is an internal side view of the forming chamber according to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a top view of the forming chamber according to Fig. 1. Fig. 4a is a side view of the bellows element. Fig. 4b is a top view of the bellows element. Fig. 5a is an internal side view of the forming chamber of Fig. 1 before the production of the three-dimensional layered object. Fig. 5b is a side view of the forming chamber of Fig. 1 after the production of the three-dimensional layered object. Fig. 6 is a view according to Fig. 3, which shows a modified embodiment of an elastic element. Description of the embodiments

[0027] Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that when the device is viewed from the front, the left side is defined as left, the right side is defined as right, the front side is defined as front, the back side is defined as rear, the top side is defined as top, and the bottom side is defined as bottom. Appropriate directional expressions such as "left," "right," "front," "back," "top," and "bottom" are used in the following description.

[0028] With reference to Fig. 1, an overview of a manufacturing apparatus 1 will now be described. In the manufacturing apparatus 1, a metal material powder supplied by a material supply device (not shown) accumulates in a forming chamber 10 and forms a powder layer 20. In the manufacturing apparatus 1, the surface of the accumulated powder layer 20 is smoothed and leveled by a leveling device 2. The leveled surface is irradiated with a laser beam by a beam irradiation device 3. By irradiating the laser beam, an irradiated portion is sintered to form a sintered layer and solidified.

[0029] Next, in the manufacturing apparatus 1, a new powder layer 20 is formed on the surface of the solidified powder layer (sintered layer) 20. Planarizing the powder layer 20 and solidifying the powder layer 20 by irradiation with blast are repeatedly performed to stack the layers in the forming chamber 10 to form a three-dimensional layered object. In the manufacturing apparatus 1, the outer surface of the formed layered object is cut and processed using a cutting processing device 4 to shape and form a three-dimensional layered object.

[0030] The manufacturing apparatus 1 further includes an automatic tool changing device 5, a vertical position changing mechanism 6, a horizontal position changing mechanism 7, and a drain tank 8. The automatic tool changing device 5 automatically changes the tools used in the cutting processing device 4. The vertical position changing mechanism 6 adjusts a depth of the forming chamber 10 to thereby change a height of the powder layer 20. The horizontal position changing mechanism 7 changes a relative positional relationship between the beam irradiation device 3 and the forming chamber 10 in a horizontal direction. The drain tank 8 drains the material powder that overflows from the forming chamber 10 during the leveling of the powder layer 20.

[0031] As in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the molding chamber 10 includes a peripheral wall 11 and a bottom wall 12. The peripheral wall 11 includes a left side wall 11a, a right side wall 11b, a front wall 11c, and a rear wall 11d. The bottom wall 11 serves as a table 12 that supports the powder layer 20 to be raised or lowered in the height direction. The table 12 is arranged on the lifting platform 13, which includes the above vertical position changing mechanism 6.

[0032] In other words, through the operation of the vertical position changing mechanism 6, the lifting platform 13 is raised / lowered, so that the table 12 is raised / lowered to change the relative positional relationship between the peripheral wall 11 and the table 12 in the height direction. Thus, it is possible to change the height of the powder layer 20 by adjusting the depth of the table 12. In the right-side space on the upper surface of the table 12, a substrate 15 is arranged through the spacer 14, and the powder layer 20 is stacked on the upper surface of the substrate 15.

[0033] In addition, among the spaces in the forming chamber 10 in which the material powder is dispersed, a space in which the material powder is sintered by irradiation with a laser beam to form the layered object is defined as a forming space 16, and the space outside the forming space 16 is defined as a non-forming space 17.

[0034] As in Fig. 2 and Fig. As shown in Fig. 3, an elastic member 30 is arranged in the molding chamber 10 on the left side and extends along the inner walls of the three walls, namely the left side wall 11a, the right side wall 11b, and the front wall 11c. Furthermore, the elastic member 30 is arranged to extend from the upper end portion of the molding chamber 10 to an upper surface 12a of the table 12. The elastic member 30 includes a bellows member 31, an upper end member 32, and a lower end member 33.

[0035] As in Fig. 4a and Fig. 4b, the bellows element 31 has a mountain fold portion 31a and a valley fold portion 31b, which are alternately arranged to form a bellows with an approximately rectangular parallel-conducted shape. The bellows element 31 is arranged along at least two corners of the peripheral wall 11. In particular, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the bellows member 31 is arranged along the corners where the left side wall 11a intersects the front wall 11c and the rear wall 11d. Regarding the width of the peak fold portion 31a and the valley fold portion 31b, when the bellows member 31 is expanded, the width of the valley fold portion 31b is made as small as possible compared to the peak fold portion 31a in order to achieve a desired volume. Specifically, for example, in the left / right direction, when the width d1 of the valley pleat portion 31b is 55mm, the width D1 of the mountain pleat portion 31a is set to 125mm, and in the front / back direction, when the width d2 of the valley pleat portion 31b is 210mm, the width D2 of the mountain pleat portion 31a is set to 280mm.That is, in the left / right direction and the front / back direction, the widths D1 and D2 of the mountain fold portion 31a are set to be 70mm larger than the respective widths d1 and d2 of the valley fold portion 31b. Note that the above-mentioned desired volume coincides with the volume of material powder that is desirably reduced. In addition, the bellows member 31 is made as thin as possible without being excessively deformed by the pressing force of the material powder supplied into the molding chamber 10. In order to prevent the deformation of the bellows member 31, the interior of the bellows member 31 may be arranged with, for example, a skeleton framework that improves the strength of the bellows member 31. As shown in FIG. Fig. 2, the upper end member 32 and the lower end member 33 having a corner flange shape are attached to the two terminal ends in the extension direction of the bellows member 31.

[0036] The upper end member 32 and the lower end member 33 extend outwardly from the side of the bellows member 31. As shown in Fig. 3, when viewed from above, the width of the upper end member 32 and the lower end member 33 in the front / rear direction is substantially equal to the distance between the inner wall of the front wall 11c and the inner wall of the rear wall 11d. In addition, the width of the upper end member 32 and the lower end member 33 in the left / right direction is larger than the width of the mountain fold portion 31a of the bellows member 31 in the left / right direction, but is made as small as possible. Therefore, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, since it is possible to reduce the distance between the bellows member 31 and the left side wall 11a, the space between the bellows member 31 and the left side wall 11a becomes small. Therefore, the elastic member 30 is efficiently arranged in the molding chamber 10, and the volume of the non-molding space 17 is reduced. Furthermore, the upper end member 32 is fixed using a first support member 18.

[0037] The first support member 18 includes an upper side projection 18a and a lower side projection 18b. The upper side projection 18a and the lower side projection 18b are short pins, each having a substantially cylindrical shape. The distance between the upper side projection 18a and the lower side projection 18b in the height direction is set to be approximately equal to the thickness of the upper end member 32. The upper side projection 18a is arranged as high as possible in a height range that does not interfere with the leveling of the material powder by the leveling device 2. Specifically, the upper side projection 18a is arranged such that the height of the upper surface 18a1 of the upper side projection 18a is equal to the height of the upper end 10a of the molding chamber 10. In addition, as shown in Fig. 3, an upper support member 18 is arranged on each of the left side wall 11a, the right side wall 11b, and the front wall 11c (three first support members 18 are arranged in total). Specifically, when viewed from above, the support members 18 are arranged on the left side wall 11a at the center in the front / rear direction and on the right side wall 11b and the front wall 11c so as to face each other and each at a predetermined distance away from the left side wall. Thus, the upper end member 32 is inserted between the upper side projection 18a and the lower side projection 18b of the three first support members 18 and is held and supported from three directions. In addition, as shown in Fig. 2, the lower end member 33 is supported or held on the upper surface 12a of the table 12 by its own weight and by the weight of the material powder fed into the forming chamber 10.

[0038] By arranging the elastic element 30 as in Fig. 5, the table 12 is in a starting position state ready for the production of a layered object. That is, from the state in which the table 12 is in the uppermost position ( Fig. 5a), using the vertical position changing mechanism 6, the relative positional relationship of the peripheral wall 11 and the table 12 is changed in the height direction. Furthermore, as the relative depth of the table 12 becomes deeper, the volume of the elastic element 30 is increased in response to the expansion and the change in the relative position in the height direction ( Fig. 5b).

[0039] Next, when the production of the layered object has been completed and the production of the next layered object is shifted, the relative position of the peripheral wall 11 and the table 12 in the height direction is changed using the vertical position changing mechanism 6. Furthermore, when the relative depth of the table 12 becomes shallow, the volume of the elastic member 30 is reduced in response to the compression and the change in the relative position in the height direction ( Fig. 5a). (Effects)

[0040] In the present invention, as in Fig. As shown in Fig. 2, the elastic member 30 is held by the upper end member 32 and the first support member 18 in the upper end portion of the peripheral wall 11. The lower end member 33 is held on the upper surface of the table 12 by its own weight and the weight of the material powder fed into the molding chamber. Therefore, during molding of the sheet-shaped object, for the elastic member 30, the lower end member 33 is lowered along with the lowering of the table 12. Accordingly, the bellows member 31 extends in the up / down direction to thereby increase the volume. Therefore, when the elastic member 30 is disposed, it is possible to reduce the volume of the non-molding space 17 in which the material powder is distributed. Based on the above description, it is possible to suppress the amount of material powder fed into the molding chamber 10.In addition, after forming the layered object, a recovered amount of the material powder is reduced.

[0041] Additionally, as in Fig. As shown in Figure 2, the elastic member 30 is arranged along the inner walls of the three walls, namely the left side wall 11a, the right side wall 11b, and the front wall 11c, and is positioned away from the molding space 16. Therefore, since heat is not directly transferred to the elastic member 30 during sintering of the material powder, it is possible to prevent heat-induced deformation. Since it is possible to control the amount of volume change of the elastic member 30, it is possible to control the volume change of the non-molding space 17 due to the volume change of the elastic member 30. Therefore, the amount of material powder fed into the molding chamber 10 is stably reduced.

[0042] Furthermore, the bellows element 31 of the elastic member 30 is a bellows with the peak-fold portion 31a and the valley-fold portion 31b arranged alternately. Therefore, by using a member capable of expansion and contraction, the problem of material powder entering the joint space, which can lead to inhibition of the elastic member composed of multiple elements from expanding or contracting, can be avoided. Thus, when the layered object is formed, the volume can be reliably changed.

[0043] In addition, the bellows element 31 is arranged along at least two corners of the peripheral wall 11. In particular, as shown in Fig. As shown in Figure 3, the bellows member 31 is arranged along the corners where the left side wall 11a intersects the front wall 11c and the rear wall 11d. Therefore, the elastic member 30 is effectively arranged within the molding chamber 10. Since the volume of the non-molding space 17 is reduced to avoid wasting the molding space 16, it is possible to produce a large sheet-like object within a limited area or distance.

[0044] In addition, the upper side projection 18a is arranged as high as possible within a height range that does not interfere with the leveling of the material powder by the leveling device 2. Specifically, the upper side projection 18a is arranged such that the height of the upper surface 18a1 is equal to the height of the upper end 10a of the molding chamber 10. In other words, the distance from the upper end 10a of the molding chamber 10 to the upper end member 32 of the elastic member 30 is equal to the thickness of the upper side projection 18a. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the space between the upper end of the molding chamber 10 and the upper end member 32 of the elastic member 30. Thus, the amount of powder material fed into the molding chamber 10 is reduced.

[0045] Furthermore, in the elastic member 30, the upper end member 32 is inserted and held between the upper side projections 18a and the lower side projections 18b of the three first support members 18, and the lower end member 33 is supported and held by its own weight and the weight of the material powder fed into the molding chamber 10. Therefore, the elastic member 30 is detachable. Therefore, it is easier to perform maintenance such as cleaning. In addition, since the size of the installed elastic member 30 can be easily changed, it is also possible to freely change the volume of the non-molding space 17. Therefore, for example, when manufacturing a small sheet-shaped object, an elastic member 30 with a large volume can be used, and when manufacturing a large sheet-shaped object, an elastic member 30 with a small volume can be used.Therefore, it is possible to effectively control the amount of material powder fed according to the production of the layered object with different sizes.

[0046] In addition, the lower end member 33 of the elastic member 30 is held on the upper surface 12a of the table 12 by its own weight and the weight of the material powder fed into the molding chamber 10. In other words, when the lower end member 33 is held on the upper surface 12a of the table 12, other element components are not necessary. Thus, the cost of the element components is reduced. In addition, since no element component is arranged between the lower end member 33 and the table 12, a distance from the upper end 10a of the molding chamber 10 to the upper surface 12a of the table 12 is suppressed. This makes the non-molding space 17 small, and the use of the material powder is further reduced.

[0047] In addition, in the left / right direction, when the width d1 of the valley pleat portion 31b of the bellows member 31 is 55mm, the width D1 of the peak pleat portion 31a is set to 125mm, and in the front / rear direction, when the width d2 of the valley pleat portion 31b is 210mm, the width D2 of the peak pleat portion 31a is set to 280mm. That is, in the left / right direction and the front / rear direction, the widths D1 and D2 of the peak pleat portion 31a are set to be 70mm larger than the respective widths d1 and d2 of the valley pleat portion 31b. Therefore, in the bellows element 31, the area of ​​the valley fold section 31b (55 x 210 = 11550) is 0.33 times the area of ​​the peak fold section 31a (125 x 280 = 35000). Therefore, in the bellows element 31 of the elastic element 30, the difference between the area of ​​the peak fold section 31a and the area of ​​the valley fold section 31b becomes large.Compared with the situation where the folding number is high, the thickness of the bellows member 31 that is folded and contracted is reduced. Therefore, the non-forming space 17 is made small, as shown in FIG. Fig. 5a. Furthermore, the bellows element 31 maintains the desired volume during molding. Based on the above description, the amount of material powder fed into the molding chamber 10 is reduced.

[0048] Thus, exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and examples, and various modifications may be made without exceeding the scope of the claims.

[0049] In the above embodiments, although metal material powder is used to form the molded object, the invention is not limited to the use of metal material powder. For example, non-metallic material powder such as a resin can also be used to form the molded object.

[0050] Additionally, in the above embodiments, the powder layer 20 is sintered and solidified by irradiating it with a laser beam using the irradiation device 3. However, the powder layer 20 may also be solidified by irradiating it with an electron beam using the irradiation device 3.

[0051] In addition, the table 12 is raised or lowered using the vertical positioning mechanism 6 to change the relative positional relationship between the peripheral wall 11 and the table 12 in the height direction. However, the peripheral wall 11 may also be raised or lowered using the vertical positioning mechanism 6 to change the relative positional relationship between the peripheral wall 11 and the table 12 in the height direction.

[0052] Furthermore, in the above embodiments, although the elastic member 30 is arranged along the side wall 11a, in the situation where the non-forming space 17 is extended to the right side space of the forming chamber 10, the elastic member 30 may also be arranged along the right side wall 11b. In addition, when the non-forming space 17 is extended to the front side space of the forming chamber 10, the elastic member 30 may be arranged along the front wall 11c. However, when the non-forming space 17 is extended to the front side space of the forming chamber 10, the elastic member 30 may be arranged along the front wall 11c. In other words, depending on the forming space of the non-forming space 17, the elastic member 30 may be arranged along at least one of the left and right side walls 17a, 17b and / or along at least one of the front and rear side walls 17c and 17d.In the situation where the non-forming space 17 is extended to one of the left side and the right side and is extended to one of the front side and the back side, then, as shown in . Fig. 6, the cross-sectional shape of the elastic member 30 in the horizontal direction becomes an L-shaped column. Therefore, the volume of the non-molding space 17 in one of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is effectively reduced, which is preferable. Note that the elastic member 30 is inserted into the first support member 18 in the molding chamber 10 from the horizontal direction. Therefore, in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction of the elastic member 30, as shown in Fig. 6, for example, regarding the dimensions of the forming chamber 10 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, a distance dimension of d + Δd is set larger than the height d of the first support member 18.

[0053] Furthermore, as described above, the lower end member 33 of the elastic member 30 is held on the upper surface 12a of the table 12 by its own weight and by the weight of the material powder fed into the molding chamber 10. However, the lower end member 33 may be held on the upper surface 12a of the table 12 by other components, for example. Specifically, a U-shaped support member having two extending portions extending along the leftward direction may be disposed on an upper surface of the spacer 14 disposed on the table 12. The two extending portions may be adjacent to an upper side surface of the lower end member 33 to place the bellows member 31 between the two extending portions, thereby holding the lower end member 33 on an upper surface of the table 12.

[0054] Additionally, the elastic member 30 forms an approximately rectangular parallel-conducted shape and is arranged on the left side of the peripheral wall 11. However, the elastic member 30 may be arranged along the peripheral wall 11 and surround the forming space 16 to have a square shape when viewed from above.

[0055] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present invention cover modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

[1] An apparatus for producing (1) a three-dimensional layered object, which produces a three-dimensional layered object by feeding material powder into a forming chamber (10) to form a powder layer (20) and irradiating a surface of the powder layer with a beam to sinter the powder layer, wherein the forming chamber (10) comprises a table (12) that is vertically movable and a peripheral wall (11) arranged to surround the table (12), wherein the forming chamber (10) is configured such that a relative positional relationship between the table (12) and the peripheral wall (11) is changeable in a height direction, wherein the forming chamber (10) comprises a forming space (16) in which the material powder is irradiated with the beam and the layered object is formed, and a non-forming space (17) which is located outside the forming space (16) and in which the layered object is not formed, and wherein an elastic member (30) is arranged in the non-molding space (17), and the elastic member (30) expands or contracts to change a volume along with a change in a relative position of the table (12) in a vertical direction, wherein the elastic member (30) comprises an upper end member (32) and a lower end member (33), wherein the upper end member (32) is held in an upper end portion of the peripheral wall (11) and the lower end member (33) is held by its own weight on an upper surface of the table (12). [2] The three-dimensional sheet-like object manufacturing apparatus (1) according to claim 1, wherein the elastic member (30) comprises a mountain fold portion (31a) and a valley fold portion (31b) alternately arranged to form a bellows shape. [3] Apparatus for producing (1) a three-dimensional layered object according to claim 2, wherein the elastic element (30) is arranged along at least two corners of the peripheral wall (11). [4] The three-dimensional sheet-shaped object manufacturing apparatus (1) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein, when the elastic member (30) is viewed from above, an area of ​​the valley fold portion is 0.35 times or less of an area of ​​the mountain fold portion (31a). [5] The three-dimensional layered object manufacturing apparatus (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein an upper end of the elastic member (30) is disposed at an upper end portion of the molding chamber (10). [6] Apparatus for producing (1) a three-dimensional layered object according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the elastic element (30) is removably attached.

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