PANEL ARRANGEMENT FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Abstract

A build plate assembly configured for use with an additive manufacturing machine. The build plate assembly includes a build plate that defines a container. An insert sits within the container and is movable within it. The insert includes a build surface configured to support a product built upon it by the additive manufacturing machine. The insert is configured to expand within the container in response to heat transferred to the insert from the product being built on it, and the container is configured to accommodate this expansion.

Description

INTRODUCTION

[0001] The information in this section is intended to provide a general context for the disclosure. Work by the presently named inventors, to the extent described in this section, as well as aspects of the description that may not be prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to a build plate assembly for an additive manufacturing machine.

[0003] Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is a manufacturing process in which objects are created by depositing material layer by layer onto a build plate. Unlike traditional subtractive manufacturing processes, where material is carved from a solid block to create the desired shape, additive manufacturing builds an object on the build plate. The material from each layer is fused together to create a cohesive product. This process typically generates heat, which is transferred to the build plate. SUMMARY

[0004] The present disclosure includes, in various features, a build plate assembly configured for use with an additive manufacturing machine, the build plate assembly comprising: a build plate defining a container; and an insert seated within the container and movable within the container, the insert having a build surface configured to support a product built thereon by the additive manufacturing machine. The insert is configured to expand within the container in response to heat transferred from the product built on the insert to the insert, and the container is configured to accommodate the expansion.

[0005] In further features, the building panel has an outer panel surface; and the insert has an outer insert surface configured as the build surface, wherein the outer insert surface extends beyond the outer panel surface prior to expansion.

[0006] In further features, the present disclosure includes a carrier plate on an inner plate surface of the building panel, the inner plate surface being opposite the outer plate surface.

[0007] In further features, the container is defined by an inner sidewall of the build panel, the inner sidewall being tapered outwardly from an outer panel surface of the build panel such that the container is smallest at the outer panel surface; the insert has an angled side surface facing the inner sidewall; and in response to expansion, the angled side surface of the insert slides along the inner sidewall of the container to draw the insert from an outer position to an inner position within the container.

[0008] In further features, the inner side wall is bevelled at an angle of 5° to 40°.

[0009] In further features, the angled side surface of the insert touches the inner side wall of the building panel before and after expansion.

[0010] In further features, the present disclosure includes a biasing member that cooperates with the insert to bias the insert to the outward position.

[0011] In further features, the build plate assembly is configured to be mounted on a lifting platform of the additive manufacturing machine.

[0012] In further features, the insert is a first insert and the container is a first container; the build plate defines a second container; and a second insert is seated in the second container and movable within the second container.

[0013] Further features of the product include the use.

[0014] In further features, the insert includes a tab configured to cooperate with a recess of the build plate to align a device of the insert with respect to the product built upon the insert.

[0015] The present disclosure includes, in various features, a build plate assembly configured for use with an additive manufacturing machine. The build plate assembly has a build plate with: an outer plate surface and an inner plate surface opposite the outer plate surface; and an inner sidewall extending from the outer plate surface to the inner plate surface to define a container within the build plate. The inner sidewall is tapered from the outer plate surface to the inner plate surface. An insert is inserted into the container of the build plate.The insert includes: an outer insert surface and an inner insert surface facing the outer insert surface, the outer insert surface configured as a build surface to support a product built thereon by the additive manufacturing machine; and an angled side surface extending from the outer insert surface to the inner insert surface, the angled side surface opposite the inner side wall. The insert is configured to expand within the container in response to heat transferred from the product built on the insert to the insert, and to slide from an outer position to an inner position within the container.

[0016] In further features, the insert is preloaded into the outer position with a spring.

[0017] In further features, the angled side surface is in contact with the inner side wall.

[0018] In other features, the building board is part of the product.

[0019] In further features, a carrier plate is attached to the building plate.

[0020] In further features, the angled side surface of the insert is beveled from the outer insert surface to the inner insert surface.

[0021] The present disclosure further includes, in various features, an additive manufacturing machine having a lifting platform and a build plate assembly configured to be mounted to the lifting platform. The build plate assembly includes a build plate defining a container extending through the build plate, and an insert seated within the container and movable within the container. The insert includes a build surface configured to support a product built thereon by the additive manufacturing machine. The insert is configured to expand within the container in response to heat transferred from the product built on the insert to the insert, and the container is configured to accommodate the expansion.

[0022] In further features, the container is defined by an inner sidewall of the build plate. The inner sidewall is tapered outward from an outer plate surface of the build plate, such that the container is smallest at the outer plate surface. The insert has an angled side surface opposite the inner sidewall. In response to expansion, the angled side surface of the insert slides along the inner sidewall of the container to retract the insert from an outer position into the container to an inner position.

[0023] In further features, the angled side surface of the insert is beveled outwards from the mounting surface to an inner insert surface.

[0024] Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, claims, and drawings. The detailed description and specific examples are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] This disclosure will become more fully apparent from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a build plate assembly according to the present disclosure mounted on an additive manufacturing machine; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the build plate assembly mounted on a lifting platform of the additive manufacturing machine; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the build plate assembly with a product being additively formed on an insert thereof, wherein heat generated during the formation of the product is transferred to the insert, causing the insert to expand into a container; Fig. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the build plate assembly with the product formed therein, with the insert contracting after cooling; Fig. 5 is a plan view of another building panel assembly according to the present disclosure, the building panel assembly including a plurality of inserts each having a build surface; and Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

[0026] Reference numbers may be reused in the drawings to identify similar and / or identical elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Fig. 1 shows a build plate assembly 10 according to the present disclosure. The build plate assembly 10 is configured to be mounted on an additive manufacturing machine 110, which is configured to manufacture any suitable product on the build plate assembly 10. The additive manufacturing machine 110 may be any suitable machine configured to manufacture the product by applying a plurality of layers of material to the build plate assembly 10, for example, by three-dimensional printing. The additive manufacturing machine 110 may, for example, be a metal additive manufacturing machine. The additive manufacturing machine 110 may be configured to manufacture any suitable vehicle-related products, such as engine components, dashboard components, user interface components (e.g., buttons, knobs, switches, etc.).), body components, door handles, interior door components, exhaust tips, etc. The additive manufacturing machine 110 may be configured to produce products for use in any suitable vehicle, e.g., any suitable passenger vehicle, commuter vehicle, aircraft, watercraft, commercial vehicle, construction vehicle, etc. The additive manufacturing machine 110 may be configured to produce products for any application other than vehicles.

[0028] With continued reference to Fig. 1 and additional reference to Fig. 2, the build plate assembly 10 includes a build plate 20 having a plurality of openings 22 configured to receive any suitable fasteners 24. The fasteners 24 are configured to attach the build plate assembly 10 to a lifting platform 112 of the additive manufacturing machine 110. The build plate 20 includes an outer plate surface 30 and an inner plate surface 32 facing away from the outer plate surface 30. A support plate 34 is attached to the inner plate surface 32 with suitable fasteners 36. Alternatively, the springs 60 may be attached to the lifting platform 112, and the support plate 34 need not be included.

[0029] The building panel 20 forms or defines a container 40 between the outer panel surface 30 and the inner panel surface 32. More specifically, an inner sidewall 42 of the building panel 20 extends from the outer panel surface 30 to the inner panel surface 32. The inner sidewall 42 defines the container 40. The inner sidewall 42 is angled outward from the outer panel surface 30 to the inner panel surface 32. The inner sidewall 42 can, for example, have an angle of approximately 5° to approximately 40°.

[0030] An insert 50 is located inside the container 40. The insert 50 is movable within the container 40 to accommodate the expansion and contraction of the insert 50 in response to heat generated during manufacturing. The insert 50 includes an outer insert surface 52 and an inner insert surface 54 facing away from the outer insert surface 52. The outer insert surface 52 is configured as a build surface upon which the additive manufacturing machine 110 builds the product. An angled side surface 56 of the insert 50 extends from the outer insert surface 52 to the inner insert surface 54. The angled side surface 56 widens outward from the outer insert surface 52 to the inner insert surface 54. The angled side surface 56 is tapered to match an angle of the inner side wall 42.The angled side surface 56 abuts the inner sidewall 42 to prevent the powder from which the product is made from becoming trapped between the insert 50 and the build plate 20. The angled side surface 56 of the insert 50 slides along the inner sidewall 42 as the insert 50 expands and contracts during the additive manufacturing process, as explained herein.

[0031] The insert 50 defines or forms one or more receptacles 58. The receptacles 58 contain a biasing element 60, e.g., a spring. The biasing element 60 is configured to bias the insert 50 into the outer position of Fig. 2. In the outer position of Fig. 2, the outer insert surface 52 is flush with the outer plate surface 30, as in Fig. 2. Alternatively, the outer insert surface 52 may project outwardly beyond the outer plate surface 30 in the outer position, as shown in the Fig. 1 and Fig. 4. For applications without the carrier plate 34, the preload elements 60 are configured to apply a slight preload (e.g., approximately 10% deflection of the preload elements) to the insert 50 when the build plate 20 is mounted on the lifting platform 112 to ensure a tight fit between the insert 50 and the build plate 20. When the carrier plate 34 is included, the carrier plate 34 compresses the springs 60 when the carrier plate 34 is attached to the build plate 20. The receptacles 58 can be machined into the insert 50 in any suitable manner, e.g., by machining. The receptacles 58 can be doweled or threaded to secure the insert 50 and the product formed on the insert 50 for final surfacing after construction.

[0032] The insert 50 may be formed in any suitable manner. For example, the insert 50 may be machined from the build plate 20 by wire EDM, waterjet cutting, or another suitable process. The insert 50 may also be machined from any suitable starting material instead of being formed from the build plate 20. The container 40 of the build plate 20 may be machined into the build plate 20 to provide the inner side wall 42 with an angle that matches that of the angled side surface 56 of the insert 50.

[0033] Before the insert 50 is inserted into the container 40 of the build plate 20, it may be machined to include various features. For example, the insert 50 may be machined to include inlet and outlet openings for cooling or heating channels, ejector pin holes, heat measurements, a vent line, etc. Plugs may be inserted into the pre-machined openings in the insert 50 to prevent powder from falling into the machined openings during manufacturing. After the finished product has been removed from the build plate 20, the plugs may be removed, and the internal features of the product may be cleaned of powder as needed. The plugs may be reusable and designed to fit into the openings and be held in place with, for example, a threaded plug or a press-fit pin.

[0034] The build plate 20 has a modulus and hardness equal to or greater than the modulus and hardness of the insert 50. To increase the wear resistance of the build plate 20, the inner sidewall 42 may be carburized or nitrided to locally increase the hardness on the inner sidewall 42 where the insert 50 contacts the inner sidewall 42. Alternatively, the inner sidewall 42 may be coated with a material that is harder than the insert 50. The inner sidewall 42 and the angled side surface 56 may be machined smooth, e.g., by polishing to less than about Ra = 4 µm, and an elevated temperature stable lubricant, such as graphite, may be applied to the inner sidewall 42 and / or the angled side surface 56 to allow the insert 50 to move freely and smoothly.

[0035] Fig. 3 shows a first part 170 of a product being formed by the additive manufacturing machine 110 on the insert 50. To form the first portion 170, powder 150 is first applied to the outer plate surface 30 of the build plate 20 and to the outer insert surface 52 of the insert 50. The build plate 20 may be made of any suitable material, e.g., a suitable alloy. The insert 50 may also be made of any suitable material, e.g., a suitable alloy, the same as or different from the alloy of the build plate 20. The powder 150 is any suitable powder alloy configured to be welded to the outer insert surface 52 by the laser 160. The alloy of the insert 50 may be the same as or different from the alloy of the powder 150.

[0036] A laser 160 fuses the powder 150 disposed on the outer insert surface 52 to produce the first part 170 of the product. Numerous layers of the powder 150 are applied and heated by the laser 160 to build the product layer by layer. By heating the powder 150 with the laser 160, heat is transferred to the insert 50. As the insert 50 is heated, the insert 50 expands outward and downward, as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 3. As the insert 50 expands outwardly against the angled inner side wall 42 of the container 40, the insert 50 expands from the outer position of Fig. 1 or Fig. 2 downwards towards the carrier plate 34 and into the container 40 into an inner position which is Fig. 3. As the insert 50 expands, the side surface 56 slides along the inner side wall 42 of the container 40, both of which are beveled to allow the insert 50 to expand into the container 40.

[0037] Fig. 4 shows a second part 172 of the product formed on the first part 170. The second part 172 is formed by fusing the powder 150 deposited on the first part 170 with the laser 160. After the product is fully formed and the first part 170 and the second part 172 cool, the insert 50 also cools. As the insert 50 cools, the insert 50 contracts back to its original shape and size, or close to it. As shown in Fig. 4, the biasing elements 60 move the insert 50 back to the outer position in which the outer insert surface 52 is aligned with the outer plate surface 30 in the example of Fig. 2 is flush, or projects outwards beyond the outer plate surface 30, as in the example of Fig. 4 shown.

[0038] After the product is fully formed, the excess powder 150 is removed, and the build plate assembly 10 is removed from the additive manufacturing machine 110. The insert 50 with the product thereon is removed from the container 40 from the side of the inner plate surface 32. In some applications, the insert 50 is part of the product. Therefore, the insert 50 does not need to be separated from the first part 170 of the product or from any other part of the product. In other applications, the insert 50 may not be part of the product, so the insert 50 is suitably separated from the first part 170.

[0039] Once the insert 50 has been removed from the build plate 20, the build plate 20 can be reused to form an additional product on another insert located within the container 40. Thermal stresses resulting from repeated, rapid heating and cooling of the build layers are contained within the insert 50. Thus, the build plate 20 is not permanently deformed by plastic deformation. Preventing permanent deformation of the build plate 20 also extends the service life of other components of the build plate assembly 10 and the additive manufacturing machine 110. For example, the fasteners 24 can also be reused, and a powder coating arm for applying the powder 150 is protected from potential damage.

[0040] In Fig. 5, another build plate 20' according to the present disclosure is illustrated. The build plate 20' includes a plurality of receptacles, each configured to receive a different insert, e.g., a first insert 50A, a second insert 50B, and a third insert 50C. Fig. Figure 5 shows the build plate 20' configured to accommodate three inserts, but the build plate 20' may be configured to accommodate any number of inserts, e.g., two inserts or more than three inserts. The inserts may be of any suitable size and shape. In the example of Fig. 5, insert 50A is rectangular, insert 50B is square, and insert 50C is round. Each of inserts 50A, 50B, and 50C includes a build surface configured to support a product formed thereon by additive manufacturing machine 110.

[0041] One or more of the inserts 50A, 50B, 50C may have any suitable features for aligning with the features of the product built on the inserts 50A, 50B, 50C. For example, the insert 50C includes a plurality of openings 90, which may be configured as cooling lines. The openings 90 are aligned with the corresponding cooling lines of a product built on the insert 50C. Thus, the insert 50C is supplied as part of the product. To prevent the powder 150 from falling into the openings 90 while the product is being formed, plugs may be inserted into the openings 90. The openings 90 may be formed in the insert 50C in any suitable manner, for example, by machining prior to attaching the build plate 20' to the lifting platform 112. According Fig.6, the insert 50C may include a tab 92 configured to be received within a recess 94 of the build plate 20. The cooperation of the tab 92 and the recess 94 aligns the insert 50C and the openings 90 in the rotational direction during the build process.

[0042] The foregoing description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. The broad teachings of the disclosure may be embodied in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure contains specific examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited, since other modifications will become apparent upon a study of the drawings, the specification, and the following claims. It is to be understood that one or more steps within a method may be performed in a different order (or simultaneously) without altering the principles of the present disclosure.Although each of the embodiments is described above with specific features, any one or more of these features described with respect to any embodiment of the disclosure may be implemented in one of the other embodiments and / or combined with features of another embodiment, even if this combination is not explicitly described. In other words, the described embodiments are not mutually exclusive, and permutations of one or more embodiments with each other remain within the scope of this disclosure.

[0043] Spatial and functional relationships between elements (e.g., between modules, circuit elements, semiconductor layers, etc.) are described using various terms, e.g., "connected," "engaging," "coupled," "adjacent," "beside," "on," "over," "below," and "disposed." When a relationship between a first and a second element is not explicitly described as "direct" in the above disclosure, that relationship may be a direct relationship, with no other intervening elements present between the first and second elements, or it may be an indirect relationship, with one or more intervening elements (either spatial or functional) present between the first and second elements.As used herein, the phrase “at least one of A, B, and C” should be construed as logical (A OR B OR C) using a non-exclusive logical OR, and not as “at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.”

[0044] In the figures, the direction of an arrow, as indicated by the arrowhead, generally indicates the flow of information (e.g., data or instructions) of interest for the representation. For example, if element A and element B exchange a lot of information, but the information transmitted from element A to element B is relevant for the representation, the arrow may point from element A to element B. This unidirectional arrow does not imply that no further information is transmitted from element B to element A. Also, for information sent from element A to element B, element B may send requests for, or acknowledgments of, the information to element A.

Claims

[1] A build plate assembly configured for use with an additive manufacturing machine, the build plate assembly comprising: a building plate that defines a container; and an insert seated in the container and movable within the container, the insert having a build surface configured to support a product built thereon by the additive manufacturing machine; wherein the insert is configured to expand within the container in response to heat transferred from the product built on the insert to the insert, and the container is configured to accommodate the expansion. [2] Building panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the building board has an outer board surface; and the insert has an outer insert surface configured as the build surface, the outer insert surface projecting beyond the outer plate surface prior to expansion. [3] The building panel assembly of claim 2, further comprising a support plate on an inner panel surface of the building panel, the inner panel surface facing away from the outer panel surface. [4] Building panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the container is delimited by an inner side wall of the building panel, the inner side wall being bevelled outwards from an outer panel surface of the building panel, so that the container is smallest at the outer panel surface; the insert has an angled side surface opposite the inner side wall; and the angled side surface of the insert slides along the inner side wall of the container in response to the expansion to draw the insert from an outer position to an inner position within the container. [5] Building panel assembly according to claim 4, wherein the inner side wall is at an angle of 5 0 is bevelled up to 40°. [6] The building panel assembly of claim 4, wherein the angled side surface of the insert contacts the inner side wall of the building panel before and after expansion. [7] The building panel assembly of claim 4, further comprising a biasing member cooperating with the insert to bias the insert to the outward position. [8] The build plate assembly of claim 1, wherein the build plate assembly is configured to be mounted to a lifting platform of the additive manufacturing machine. [9] Building panel assembly according to claim 1, wherein: the insert is a first insert and the container is a first container; the building plate defines a second container; and a second insert is seated in the second container and is movable within the second container. [10] The building panel assembly of claim 1, wherein the product includes the insert.

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