Design support apparatus, design support method, and program

Abstract

To reduce the workload for designing a channel forming unit which is manufactured by additive manufacturing.SOLUTION: A design support apparatus supports designing a channel forming unit which is manufactured by additive manufacturing, the apparatus including: a design data acquisition unit which acquires design data of parts constituting an existing channel forming unit which is manufactured by a method other than the additive manufacturing; a part designation receiving unit which receives a designation of at least some of the parts for which the design data has been acquired; a function information output unit which outputs function information related to the parts, based on the design data of the parts for which the designation has been received; and a design processing unit which performs design processing for a new channel forming unit on the basis of design conditions input from the outside, in accordance with the output function information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a design support apparatus, a design support method, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art A variety of additively manufactured objects having desired shapes are formed by a metal powder additive manufacturing method using an alloy powder made of a metallic material. In addition, when carrying out various designs, a computer is used to assist in the design work. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus for creating input data for a model in which supports are added to an additively manufactured body (modeled design object) produced by a metal powder additive manufacturing method. This apparatus determines a support shape from among a plurality of types of support shapes based on information on a plurality of types of support shapes, information on the allowable mechanical quantity defined for each support shape, and the mechanical quantity occurring on the surface to which the support is added. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6824428 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, when a product that was previously manufactured by methods other than metal powder additive manufacturing, such as casting or machining, is manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing, the burden of design work can be reduced by using an apparatus such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1. However, for example, a flow path forming member having a plurality of flow paths through which a fluid can flow has a complex structure. When a flow path forming member in which flow paths are formed by machining is to be manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing, it may be difficult to form the flow path forming member in its original shape due to restrictions imposed during molding in the metal powder additive manufacturing method. Furthermore, when attempting to form other parts to be combined with the flow path forming member in addition to the flow path forming member using metal powder additive manufacturing, it is time-consuming to design each of the multiple parts so that they can be manufactured using metal powder additive manufacturing, even when using an apparatus such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a design support device, a design support method, and a program that can reduce the burden of design work for flow path forming units manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the design support device of the present disclosure is a design support device that supports the design of a flow path formation unit having multiple flow paths and manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing, and includes a design data acquisition unit that acquires design data for multiple parts that constitute an existing flow path formation unit manufactured by a method other than metal powder additive manufacturing, a part designation receiving unit that accepts designation of at least some of the multiple parts for which the design data has been acquired, a functional information output unit that outputs functional information regarding the parts based on the design data of the parts for which the designation has been accepted, and a design processing unit that performs design processing of a new flow path formation unit based on design conditions input from outside in accordance with the output functional information.

[0007] The design support method according to the present disclosure is a design support method for a flow path formation unit having a plurality of flow paths and manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing, and includes the steps of acquiring design data for a plurality of parts that constitute an existing flow path formation unit manufactured by a method other than metal powder additive manufacturing, accepting designation of at least some of the plurality of parts for which the design data has been acquired, outputting functional information regarding the parts based on the design data of the parts for which designation has been accepted, and performing design processing for a new flow path formation unit based on design conditions input from outside in accordance with the output functional information.

[0008] The program disclosed herein causes a computer that assists in the design of a flow path formation unit having multiple flow paths and manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing to execute the following processes: acquiring design data for multiple parts that constitute an existing flow path formation unit manufactured by a method other than metal powder additive manufacturing; accepting designation of at least some of the multiple parts for which the design data has been acquired; outputting functional information regarding the parts based on the design data for the parts for which designation has been accepted; and performing design processing for a new flow path formation unit based on design conditions input from outside in accordance with the output functional information. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the design support device, design support method, and program disclosed herein, it is possible to reduce the load of the design work for a flow passage formation unit manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of an existing flow path forming unit. [Diagram 2] FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a first flow passage forming member of an existing flow passage forming unit. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a design support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a design support apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 5] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing examples of the layout of an inlet and an outlet of a new flow passage forming unit in the process of designing using the design support device. [Figure 6] 11A and 11B are diagrams showing an example of a new flow passage forming unit designed using the design support device. [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a design support method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, embodiments for carrying out a design support apparatus, a design support method, and a program according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments.

[0012] (Configuration of existing flow path forming unit) FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an existing flow path forming unit. The design support device in the embodiment of the present disclosure supports a design work when designing a new flow passage formation unit to be manufactured by the metal powder additive manufacturing method for an existing flow passage formation unit that has been manufactured by a method other than the metal powder additive manufacturing method. Examples of such a flow passage formation unit include a valve unit and a manifold that constitute a part of a hydraulic circuit that drives a steering mechanism of various devices, vehicles, ships, etc. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, a valve unit that switches between multiple hydraulic circuits is exemplified as the flow passage formation unit.

[0013] 1, an existing flow path forming unit 90 is composed of a plurality of parts P. Examples of the plurality of parts P constituting the existing flow path forming unit 90 include a flow path forming member 91, a valve member 93, a bracket 95, and the like.

[0014] The flow path forming member 91 includes, for example, a first flow path forming member 91A and a second flow path forming member 91B. The first flow path forming member 91A and the second flow path forming member 91B are, for example, rectangular parallelepiped and made of a metal material such as an aluminum alloy, a stainless steel alloy, or a titanium alloy.

[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a first flow passage forming member of an existing flow passage forming unit. 2, the first flow passage forming member 91A has therein a plurality of flow passages 92. Ends of the plurality of flow passages 92 open to the outer surface of the first flow passage forming member 91A, forming inlets 92a and outlets 92b of the flow passages 92.

[0016] 1, the second flow passage forming member 91B in the embodiment of the present disclosure has smaller outer dimensions than the first flow passage forming member 91A. It is fixed to the first flow passage forming member 91A via a fixing bracket (not shown), a screw (not shown), or the like. The second flow passage forming member 91B has a plurality of flow passages (not shown) therein, similar to the first flow passage forming member 91A, and has inlets (not shown) and outlets (not shown) of the flow passages formed on the outer surface.

[0017] The valve member 93 is connected to an inlet 92a and an outlet 92b of a predetermined flow path 92 among the flow paths 92 of the flow path forming member 91 (first flow path forming member 91A, second flow path forming member 91B). The operation of the valve member 93 is controlled by an external controller (not shown) to open and close the flow path 92. Furthermore, an inlet 92a, an outlet 92b, and a valve member 93 of a flow passage 92 in the flow passage forming member 91 are connected to externally provided piping (not shown) and other devices.

[0018] The bracket 95 is fixed to, for example, the first flow passage forming member 91A by a bolt, etc. The bracket 95 is used to attach the flow passage forming unit 90 to various devices, etc.

[0019] The configuration of the parts P of the existing flow passage forming unit 90, the number and arrangement of the flow passages 92, the number and arrangement of the inlets 92a and outlets 92b, etc. shown here are merely examples, and the configuration can be changed as appropriate.

[0020] (Hardware configuration diagram) FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the design support apparatus. As shown in FIG. 3, the design support device 10 is a computer including various pieces of hardware such as a CPU 61, a ROM 62, a RAM 63, a storage 64 such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a communication module 65, and the like.

[0021] (Function block diagram) FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the design support apparatus. 4, the design support device 10 is functionally provided with a database 11, an external input receiving unit 12, a design data acquisition unit 14, a parts designation receiving unit 15, a function information output unit 16, and a design processing unit 17 by the CPU 61 executing a program stored in advance in the device. Furthermore, the design support device 10 is provided with a display unit 13. The design support device 10 supports the design of a flow passage formation unit 100 manufactured by a metal powder additive manufacturing method, which will be described later.

[0022] The database 11 stores design data of an existing flow path forming unit 90. The database 11 stores design data of not only the existing flow path forming unit 90 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 but also a plurality of other types of existing flow path forming units 90. The database 11 may be provided outside the design support device 10. In that case, the design support device 10 is able to access the database 11 via the communication module 65.

[0023] The external input receiving unit 12 receives an input operation performed by a designer from outside the design support device 10 using various external input means (not shown), such as a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch pen, etc. The external input receiving unit 12 transfers a signal corresponding to the input operation received from outside to the CPU 61. The CPU 61 executes a process corresponding to the input operation of the external input receiving unit 12. The display unit 13 is a monitor device equipped with a display screen, and displays display information generated in response to an input operation performed externally by a designer.

[0024] The design data acquisition unit 14 acquires design data of a plurality of parts P constituting an existing flow path forming unit 90 manufactured by a method other than metal powder additive manufacturing, from the database 11. The design data acquisition unit 14 acquires a plurality of design data of an existing flow path forming unit 90 specified by a designer in response to an external input operation, from among the plurality of types of existing flow path forming units 90 stored in the database 11.

[0025] Based on the acquired design data, the design data acquisition unit 14 causes the display unit 13 to display a list of multiple parts P (such as the above-mentioned flow path forming member 91, valve member 93, bracket 95, etc.) that constitute the existing flow path forming unit 90.

[0026] The part designation receiving unit 15 receives designation of at least some of the parts P among the multiple parts P for which the design data has been acquired by the design data acquisition unit 14. The designer selects at least some of the parts P to be considered for formation by the metal powder additive manufacturing method among the multiple parts P constituting the existing flow path forming unit 90 displayed on the display unit 13 by performing appropriate input operations with the external input means. The designer selects at least some of the parts P among the multiple parts P constituting the existing flow path forming unit 90, excluding parts P that are obviously not suitable for formation by the metal powder additive manufacturing method, such as external piping. When the external input receiving unit 12 receives an input operation for selecting at least some of the parts P, the part designation receiving unit 15 receives the designation of the selected parts P.

[0027] The function information output unit 16 outputs to the display unit 13 function information on the designated part P based on the design data of at least a part of the part P, the designation of which is accepted by the part designation acceptance unit 15. The function information on the designated part P output by the function information output unit 16 is various information indicating functions required for the part P. For example, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the function information output unit 16 outputs, as the function information on the designated part P, the number of inlets 92a of the flow paths 92, the number of outlets 92b of the flow paths 92, the number of branching (merging) points of the flow paths 92, the minimum inner diameter of the flow paths 92, the expected maximum pressure of the flow paths 92, the impact resistance, the vibration resistance, and the like of the part P. In addition, other examples of the function information on the designated part P include "having a predetermined fatigue strength," "being made of a material that does not corrode electrolytically," "pipes, etc. are connected to the inlets 92a, the outlets 92b, and other ports, etc., with screws," "each system of the flow paths 92 does not interfere with each other," "the layout of the flow paths 92 is not complicated," and the like. The functional information regarding the specified part P illustrated here is merely an example, and may include information other than those described above.

[0028] The design processing unit 17 performs design processing of a new flow path formation unit 100 according to the functional information output by the functional information output unit 16. The designer inputs design conditions by external input means for the new flow path formation unit 100 to be newly designed so as to satisfy each piece of functional information based on the functional information output by the functional information output unit 16. Here, when there are multiple parts P whose designation has been accepted by the part designation accepting unit 15, the new flow path formation unit 100 is designed so as to integrate these multiple parts P.

[0029] The input design conditions include, for example, "XX flow paths can be arranged without interfering with each other" in response to the functional information about the number of inlets 92a of the flow paths 92, the number of outlets 92b of the flow paths 92, the number of branching points of the flow paths 92, and each system of the flow paths 92 not interfering with each other. In addition, other design conditions include, for example, "an inner diameter of the flow path that can ensure a required flow rate is secured" in response to the functional information about the minimum inner diameter of the flow path 92. In response to the functional information about the expected maximum pressure of the flow path 92, for example, "a thickness that can withstand internal pressure and external forces is secured around the flow path." In response to the functional information about the part P having impact resistance, vibration resistance, a predetermined fatigue strength, and being a material that does not corrode electrolytically, for example, "a metal material that satisfies these conditions is selected." In response to the functional information about the pipes, etc. being connected with screws, for example, "a straight portion of a length that can be threaded is secured at the inlets, outlets, ports, etc. of the flow paths" and "a space for a tool to tighten the screws is secured." It is also preferable to add to the design conditions something like "the threaded portion shall be a female thread to prevent the portion being threaded from breaking during thread processing."

[0030] The design conditions are not limited to those exemplified here, and various other conditions may be input. Moreover, the design conditions as described above may not be input by the designer, but may be automatically input (set) by the design processing unit 17 in accordance with the function information output by the function information output unit 16 based on the design condition information registered in advance in the database 51.

[0031] The design processing unit 17 performs design processing of the new flow path forming unit 100 based on the design conditions input from the outside as described above. The designer uses a CAD (Computer Aided Design) function of the design support device 10 to design the new flow path forming unit 100 so as to satisfy the input design conditions. The design processing unit 17 performs design processing of the new flow path forming unit 100 based on the input operation of the designer. The design processing unit 17 may automatically design the new flow path forming unit 100 using a preset design support function. The new flow path forming unit 100 designed in this manner has, based on the input design conditions, the number of flow paths 102, the number of inlets 102a, the number of outlets 102b, etc., which will be described below, made the same as the number of flow paths 92, the number of inlets 92a, the number of outlets 92b, etc., of the existing flow path forming unit 90.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of the inlet and outlet of a new flow passage forming unit in the process of designing using a design support device. Here, it is preferable to miniaturize the new flow path forming unit 100. Therefore, in the design processing unit 17, for example, as shown in Fig. 5, a virtual polyhedron M may be formed, and the inlets 102a and the outlets 102b may be arranged on the faces F constituting the polyhedron M. The number of faces F constituting the virtual polyhedron M to be formed is set to be equal to or greater than the total number of the inlets 102a and the outlets 102b.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a novel flow passage forming unit designed using a design support device. 6, the design processing unit 17 arranges the flow paths 102 so as to connect the inlet 102a and the outlet 102b, which are arranged on the face F constituting the polyhedron M, with the inlet 102a and the outlet 102b as references. At this time, it is preferable to prevent interference between the multiple flow paths 102. In addition, it is preferable to arrange the branching (confluence) portion of the multiple flow paths 102 near the center of the polyhedron M.

[0034] The design processing unit 17 displays design information (design drawings, etc.) of the new flow path forming unit 100 designed as described above on the display unit 13. The designer can evaluate the size, length of the flow path 102, flow of the fluid (oil) in the flow path 102, formability by metal powder additive manufacturing, and the like, of the new flow path forming unit 100 displayed on the display unit 13. Note that the evaluation of the new designed flow path forming unit 100 may be automatically performed by the design processing unit 17 based on evaluation conditions set in advance.

[0035] (Design support method steps) FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a design support method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 7, in the design support method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, first, the design data acquisition unit 14 of the design support device 10 acquires design data of a plurality of parts P constituting an existing flow path formation unit 90 to be designed from the database 11 (step S11). The design data acquisition unit 14 causes the display unit 13 to display a list of a plurality of parts P constituting the existing flow path formation unit 90 based on the acquired design data.

[0036] Next, the part designation receiving unit 15 receives designation of at least some of the parts P among the multiple parts P for which the design data acquisition unit 14 has acquired design data (step S12). The designer selects at least some of the parts P to be considered for formation by the metal powder additive manufacturing method among the multiple parts P constituting the existing flow path formation unit 90 displayed on the display unit 13 by performing an appropriate input operation with the external input means. When the part designation receiving unit 15 receives an input operation to select at least some of the parts P, it receives designation of the selected parts P.

[0037] Next, the function information output unit 16 outputs function information on the designated part P based on the design data of at least a part P whose designation has been accepted by the part designation accepting unit 15 to the display unit 13 (step S13).

[0038] Next, the design processing unit 17 performs design processing of the new flow path formation unit 100 according to the functional information output by the functional information output unit 16 (step S14). The designer inputs design conditions by external input means for the new flow path formation unit 100 to be newly designed so as to satisfy each piece of functional information based on the functional information output by the functional information output unit 16. The design processing unit 17 performs design processing of the new flow path formation unit 100 based on the input design conditions.

[0039] The design processing unit 17 outputs the design information (design drawing, etc.) of the new flow path formation unit 100 designed as described above by displaying it on the display unit 13 (step S15). The designer evaluates the new flow path formation unit 100 displayed on the display unit 13. If the evaluation result of the new flow path forming unit 100 output in step S15 does not satisfy the preset evaluation criteria, the process may return to step S12, change the combination of parts P selected (specified) to form the new flow path forming unit 100, and sequentially execute the procedures from step S13 onwards.

[0040] (Action and effect) In the design support device, the design support method, and the program configured as described above, design data of a plurality of parts P constituting an existing flow path forming unit 90 manufactured by a method other than the metal powder additive manufacturing method is acquired, and designation of at least some of the parts P of the plurality of parts P for which design data has been acquired is accepted. Furthermore, in accordance with functional information on the parts P output based on the design data of the parts P for which designation has been accepted, a design process of a new flow path forming unit 100 can be performed based on design conditions input from the outside. In this way, functional information on the parts P of the existing flow path forming unit 90 is output from the design support device 10, so that the designer can easily and reliably grasp the functions of the parts P of the existing flow path forming unit 90. This makes it possible to easily design a new flow path forming unit 100. As a result, the load of the design work of the flow path forming unit 100 manufactured by the metal powder additive manufacturing method can be reduced.

[0041] In addition, the part designation receiving unit 15 receives designation of two or more parts P out of the multiple parts P, and the design processing unit 17 performs design processing of a new flow path formation unit 100 having the function of combining two or more parts P that constitute the existing flow path formation unit 90. This makes it possible to design a new flow path forming unit 100 having the function of combining two or more parts P that constitute the existing flow path forming unit 90, thereby reducing the number of parts P that constitute the new flow path forming unit 100. As a result, the number of assembly steps and costs for the flow path forming unit 100 can be reduced.

[0042] In addition, the functional information output unit 16 outputs at least one of the following functional information: the number of inlets 92a of the flow path 92, the number of outlets 92b of the flow path 92, the number of branching points of the flow path 92, the minimum inner diameter of the flow path 92, and the expected maximum pressure of the flow path 92. This allows a new flow path forming unit 100 to be designed based on functional information such as the number of inlets 92a of the flow paths 92, the number of outlets 92b of the flow paths 92, the number of branching points of the flow paths 92, the minimum inner diameter of the flow paths 92, and the expected maximum pressure of the flow paths 92, which are possessed by the parts P constituting the existing flow path forming unit 90.

[0043] (Other embodiments) Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and design changes and the like that do not depart from the gist of the present disclosure are also included. In the above embodiment, the configurations of the existing flow path formation unit 90 and the new flow path formation unit 100 are exemplified, but the configurations can be appropriately changed depending on the configuration of the flow path formation unit to be designed. In the above embodiment, functional information, design conditions, and the like are exemplified when designing a new flow path forming unit 100, but these can also be changed as appropriate depending on the flow path forming unit to be designed.

[0044] In addition, a program for realizing all or part of the functions of the design support device 10 may be recorded in a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded in the recording medium may be read into a computer system and executed to perform processing by each functional unit. The term "computer system" as used herein includes hardware such as an OS and peripheral devices. In addition, if a WWW system is used, the term "computer system" also includes a homepage providing environment (or display environment). In addition, the term "computer-readable recording medium" refers to a portable medium such as a CD, DVD, or USB, and a storage device such as a hard disk built into a computer system. In addition, when the program is distributed to the design support device 10 through a communication line, the design support device 10 that has received the program may deploy the program in the storage 64 and execute the above processing. In addition, the above program may be for realizing part of the functions described above, and may further be capable of realizing the functions described above in combination with a program already recorded in the computer system.

[0045] <Additional Notes> The design support device 10, the design support method, and the program described in the embodiment can be understood, for example, as follows.

[0046] (1) The design support device 10 of the first aspect is a design support device 10 that supports the design of a flow path forming unit 100 having a plurality of flow paths 102 and manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing, and includes a design data acquisition unit 14 that acquires design data for a plurality of parts P that constitute an existing flow path forming unit 90 manufactured by a method other than metal powder additive manufacturing, a part designation receiving unit 15 that receives designation of at least a portion of the plurality of parts P for which the design data has been acquired, a functional information output unit 16 that outputs functional information regarding the part P based on the design data of the part P for which the designation has been accepted, and a design processing unit 17 that performs design processing of a new flow path forming unit 100 based on design conditions input from outside in accordance with the output functional information.

[0047] This design support device 10 acquires design data of a plurality of parts P constituting an existing flow path forming unit 90 manufactured by a method other than the metal powder additive manufacturing method, and accepts designation of at least some of the parts P of the plurality of parts P for which design data has been acquired. Furthermore, in accordance with functional information on the parts P output based on the design data of the parts P for which designation has been accepted, a design process for a new flow path forming unit 100 can be performed based on design conditions input from the outside. In this way, functional information on the parts P of the existing flow path forming unit 90 is output from the design support device 10, so that the designer can easily and reliably grasp the functions of the parts P of the existing flow path forming unit 90. This makes it possible to easily design a new flow path forming unit 100. As a result, the load of the design work for the flow path forming unit 100 manufactured by the metal powder additive manufacturing method can be reduced.

[0048] (2) A design support device 10 according to a second aspect is the design support device 10 of (1), in which the part designation receiving unit 15 receives designation of two or more of the parts P among the plurality of parts P, and the design processing unit 17 performs design processing of the new flow path formation unit 100 having a function of combining two or more of the parts P that constitute the existing flow path formation unit 90.

[0049] This makes it possible to design a new flow path forming unit 100 having the function of combining two or more parts P that constitute the existing flow path forming unit 90, thereby reducing the number of parts P that constitute the new flow path forming unit 100. As a result, the number of assembly steps and costs for the flow path forming unit 100 can be reduced.

[0050] (3) A design support device 10 according to a third aspect is the design support device 10 of (1) or (2), wherein the functional information output unit 16 outputs, as the functional information, at least one of the number of inlets 92a of the flow path 92, the number of outlets 92b of the flow path 92, the number of branching points of the flow path 92, the minimum inner diameter of the flow path 92, and the expected maximum pressure of the flow path 92.

[0051] This allows a new flow path forming unit 100 to be designed based on functional information such as the number of inlets 92a of the flow paths 92, the number of outlets 92b of the flow paths 92, the number of branching points of the flow paths 92, the minimum inner diameter of the flow paths 92, and the expected maximum pressure of the flow paths 92, which are possessed by the parts P constituting the existing flow path forming unit 90.

[0052] (4) A design support method according to a fourth aspect is a design support method for a flow path forming unit 100 having a plurality of flow paths 102 and manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing, and includes the steps of: acquiring design data for a plurality of parts P constituting an existing flow path forming unit 90 manufactured by a method other than metal powder additive manufacturing; receiving designation of at least some of the plurality of parts P for which the design data has been acquired; outputting functional information regarding the parts P based on the design data of the parts P for which the designation has been accepted; and performing design processing for a new flow path forming unit 100 based on design conditions input from outside in accordance with the outputted functional information.

[0053] As a result, functional information regarding the part P of the existing flow path forming unit 90 is output from the design support device 10, so that the designer can easily and reliably grasp the function of the part P of the existing flow path forming unit 90. This makes it possible to easily design a new flow path forming unit 100. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load of the design work for the flow path forming unit 100 manufactured by the metal powder additive manufacturing method.

[0054] (5) A program according to a fifth aspect causes a computer that assists in the design of a flow path forming unit 100 having a plurality of flow paths 102 and manufactured by metal powder additive manufacturing to execute the following processes: acquiring design data for a plurality of parts P that constitute an existing flow path forming unit 90 manufactured by a method other than metal powder additive manufacturing; accepting designation of at least some of the plurality of parts P for which the design data has been acquired; outputting functional information regarding the parts P based on the design data for the parts P for which the designation has been accepted; and performing design processing for a new flow path forming unit 100 based on design conditions input from outside in accordance with the output functional information.

[0055] As a result, functional information regarding the part P of the existing flow path forming unit 90 is output from the design support device 10, so that the designer can easily and reliably grasp the function of the part P of the existing flow path forming unit 90. This makes it possible to easily design a new flow path forming unit 100. As a result, it is possible to reduce the load of the design work for the flow path forming unit 100 manufactured by the metal powder additive manufacturing method. [Explanation of symbols]

[0056] 10...Design support equipment 11. Database 12…External input reception section 13…Display section 14…Design data acquisition section 15…Parts specification reception desk 16...Function information output section 17…Design processing section 51…Database 61…CPU 62...ROM 63…RAM 64…Storage 65…Communication module 90…Existing flow path forming unit 91...flow path forming member 91A...First flow path forming member 91B...Second flow passage forming member 92...Flow path 92a...Entrance 92b…Exit 93...Valve member 95…Bracket 100...New flow path forming unit 102...Flow path 102a...Entrance 102b…Exit F...side M...polyhedron P…Parts

Claims

1. A design support device that supports the design of a flow path forming unit having a plurality of flow paths and manufactured by a metal powder additive manufacturing method, A design data acquisition unit that acquires design data of a plurality of components constituting an existing flow passage forming unit manufactured by a method other than the metal powder additive manufacturing method; a part designation receiving unit that receives designation of at least some of the parts among the plurality of parts for which the design data has been acquired; a function information output unit that outputs function information related to the part based on the design data of the part for which the designation has been accepted; a design processing unit that performs design processing of a new flow passage forming unit based on design conditions input from an outside in accordance with the output functional information; A design support device including:

2. the part designation receiving unit receives designation of two or more of the parts among the plurality of parts; The design processing unit performs design processing for the new flow passage formation unit having a function of combining two or more of the parts constituting the existing flow passage formation unit. The design support device according to claim 1 .

3. The function information output unit outputs, as the function information, at least one of the number of inlets of the flow path, the number of outlets of the flow path, the number of branch points of the flow path, the minimum inner diameter of the flow path, and the expected maximum pressure of the flow path. The design support device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. A design support method for a flow path forming unit having a plurality of flow paths and manufactured by a metal powder additive manufacturing method, comprising: A step of acquiring design data of a plurality of parts constituting an existing flow passage forming unit manufactured by a method other than the metal powder additive manufacturing method; receiving designation of at least some of the plurality of parts for which the design data has been acquired; outputting function information relating to the part based on the design data of the part for which designation has been accepted; and performing a design process for a new flow passage forming unit based on design conditions input from an external source in accordance with the output functional information. A design support method for a flow passage forming unit.

5. A computer that assists in designing a flow path forming unit having a plurality of flow paths and manufactured by a metal powder additive manufacturing method, A process of acquiring design data of a plurality of parts constituting an existing flow passage forming unit manufactured by a method other than the metal powder additive manufacturing method; receiving designation of at least some of the plurality of parts for which the design data has been acquired; outputting function information relating to the part based on the design data of the part for which designation has been accepted; A process of performing a design process for a new flow passage forming unit based on design conditions input from an external source in accordance with the output functional information; A program for executing.

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