Laminate molding apparatus

Abstract

To provide a technique allowing for desirably changing a cross-sectional shape of a molding object.SOLUTION: A laminate molding apparatus for molding a molding object by laminating a raw material, comprises: a laser light source that emits a laser beam; a laser beam dividing unit that emits the laser beam by dividing it into a plurality of divided laser beams; a laser beam refracting unit that refracts each of the divided laser beams into directions approaching each other and emits them; a stage that is to be illuminated with divided laser beams passed through the laser beam refracting unit; a raw-material supply unit that supplies a raw material toward the stage; and a distance adjusting unit that can adjust a distance between the laser beam refracting unit and the stage. The distance adjusting unit can adjust a distance to either of a first distance when the number of processing points as positions where the raw materials are laminated on an upper side of the stage becomes one, and a second distance when the number of processing points on the upper side of the stage becomes plural.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an additive manufacturing apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, an additive manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a molded object by stacking raw materials has been known. In a method for manufacturing a molded object using an additive manufacturing apparatus, a molded object may be manufactured by stacking raw materials melted by irradiating them with laser light. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for manufacturing a wire by stacking the melted raw materials by concentrating a plurality of laser beams on the raw materials using a condenser lens. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for manufacturing a linear wire extending vertically upward by irradiating falling copper powder with blue laser light, which has a high absorption rate in copper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2017 / 170890 [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Technology for forming fine wires using pure copper powder," Internet<URL:http: / / www.jwri.osaka-u.ac.jp / work / laser1905.pdf> Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in all of the above-mentioned prior art techniques, the cross-sectional shape of the wire that is the object is uniform. Therefore, there is a need for a technique that allows the cross-sectional shape of the object to be arbitrarily changed according to the needs of a user of the additive manufacturing device.

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a technique that enables the cross-sectional shape of a shaped object to be arbitrarily changed. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above-mentioned problems, and can be realized in the following forms.

[0008] (1) According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an additive manufacturing device for forming a shaped object by stacking raw materials. The additive manufacturing device includes a laser light source that emits a laser beam, a laser beam splitting unit that splits the laser beam into a plurality of split laser beams and emits the split laser beams, a laser beam refracting unit that refracts each of the split laser beams in a direction approaching each other and emits the split laser beams, a stage to which the split laser beams that have passed through the laser beam refracting unit are irradiated, a raw material supplying unit that supplies the raw material toward the stage, and a distance adjusting unit that can adjust the distance between the laser beam refracting unit and the stage, and the distance adjusting unit can adjust the distance to either a first distance when there is one processing point, which is a position where the raw material is stacked above the stage, or a second distance when there are multiple processing points above the stage.

[0009] According to this configuration, it is possible to form a number of wires according to the number of processing points that varies depending on the distance between the laser light refracting unit and the stage as a shaped object. Specifically, when the distance between the laser light refracting unit and the stage is a first distance, the number of processing points is one, so that one wire can be formed as a shaped object. On the other hand, when the distance between the laser light refracting unit and the stage is a second distance, the number of processing points is multiple, so that multiple wires can be formed simultaneously as a shaped object. Also, when the distance between the laser light refracting unit and the stage is changed from the first distance to the second distance, or when the distance is changed from the second distance to the first distance during the shaping of the shaped object, the number of processing points increases or decreases, so that it is possible to form a shaped object including one wire part and a branch part branched into multiple parts from the wire part. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to arbitrarily change the cross-sectional shape of the shaped object by adjusting the distance between the laser light refracting unit and the stage.

[0010] (2) In the additive manufacturing device of the above embodiment, the laser beam splitting unit may emit two split laser beams, and may include a laser beam conversion unit that is disposed between the laser beam splitting unit and the laser beam refracting unit and converts a cross-sectional shape of the split laser beams into a rectangular shape and emits the split laser beams. According to this configuration, it is possible to form a shaped object made of a wire rod having a rectangular cross-sectional shape. Also, by adjusting the distance between the laser beam refracting unit and the stage within the range of the first distance, it is possible to vary the aspect ratio of the rectangular shape in the cross section of the wire rod to be formed. Also, when the distance between the laser beam refracting unit and the stage is the second distance, it is possible to simultaneously form a plurality of wire rods according to the cross-sectional shapes of the divided laser beams emitted from the laser beam refracting unit.

[0011] The present invention can be realized in various forms, for example, in the form of an additive manufacturing apparatus, a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, a coil manufacturing apparatus, a laser processing head, a laser processing apparatus, an additive manufacturing method, a three-dimensional modeling method, a coil manufacturing method, a laser processing method, a system that includes these apparatuses or realizes these methods, a computer program for executing these apparatuses or methods, a server device for distributing this computer program, a non-transitory storage medium that stores a computer program, etc. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic block diagram of an additive manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of various prisms and lenses. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a laser beam and metal powder. [Figure 4] 11 is an explanatory diagram of the relationship between the distance between the condenser lens and the stage and the processing point. FIG. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a model produced by using the additive manufacturing device. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a model produced by using the additive manufacturing device. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a model produced by using the additive manufacturing device. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a model produced by using the additive manufacturing device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] <Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an additive manufacturing apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 illustrates X, Y, and Z axes constituting an orthogonal coordinate system CS. The Z axis corresponds to the vertical direction, and the X and Y axes correspond to directions perpendicular to the Z axis. The X, Y, and Z axes are common to the figures following FIG. 1. The additive manufacturing apparatus 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 melts the metal powder MP, which is a raw material sprayed from a supply nozzle 45 (described in FIG. 2) described later, by irradiating the metal powder MP with a divided laser beam LS, and stacks the molten metal powder MP on the upper side of a stage 50 to form a molded object (e.g., a coil).

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a control unit 10, a laser source 20, a powder supplying device 30, a laser processing head 40, a stage 50, and a coil information database (coil information DB) 60.

[0015] The laser source 20 and the powder feeder 30 are connected to a laser processing head 40 . The laser light source 20 emits a laser beam LB toward the inside of the laser processing head 40. The laser beam LB may be any laser, such as a fiber laser, a solid-state laser, or a semiconductor laser, as long as it can heat the metal powder MP. The powder supplying device 30 supplies the metal powder MP to a supply nozzle 45 (described in FIG. 2) arranged inside the laser processing head 40. The laser processing head 40 converts the laser beam LB emitted from the laser light source 20 into a split laser beam LS and emits it to the stage 50. The stage 50 is a stage whose position and posture can be changed. In detail, the stage 50 is a stage whose position can be changed along each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis shown in FIG. 1, and whose posture can be changed by rotating around the Z-axis and the Y-axis. The stage 50 may be rotatable along the X-axis instead of the Y-axis, or each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis may be rotatable.

[0016] The coil information DB 60 is configured with a hard disk drive (HDD: Hard Disk Drive) etc. In the coil information DB 60, three-dimensional Computer Aided Design (CAD) data of various coils as objects manufactured by the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 is stored.

[0017] The control unit 10 is composed of a personal computer. A CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the control unit 10 loads a computer program stored in a ROM (Read Only Memory) into a RAM (Random Access Memory) and executes the program, thereby functioning as an acquisition unit 11, a laser control unit 12, a supply control unit 13, and a stage control unit 14, as shown in FIG.

[0018] The acquisition unit 11 acquires three-dimensional data of a coil as an object to be modeled by the additive manufacturing apparatus 100. The laser control unit 12 controls the laser light source 20 to control the output of the laser light LB incident from the laser light source 20 to the laser processing head 40 in accordance with the acquired three-dimensional CAD data of the coil. The supply control unit 13 controls the powder supply device 30 to control the amount of metal powder MP supplied from the powder supply device 30 to a supply nozzle 45 (described in FIG. 2) in the laser processing head 40 in accordance with the acquired three-dimensional CAD data of the coil. The stage control unit 14 controls the position and attitude of the stage 50 in accordance with the acquired three-dimensional CAD data of the coil. In addition, with regard to the position of the stage 50, the stage control unit 14 can also be said to be a distance adjustment unit capable of adjusting the distance between the condenser lens 44 (described in FIG. 2) and the stage 50. The model MO and processing point PP shown in FIG. 1 will be described later.

[0019] Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the arrangement of various prisms and lenses in the laser processing head 40. Fig. 2 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of various prisms and lenses arranged along the optical axis OL of the laser light LB. In addition, on the left side of the schematic cross-sectional view of the various prisms and lenses, a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional shape of each laser light that has passed through the various prisms and lenses is shown.

[0020] 2, the laser processing head 40 includes a first prism 41, a second prism 42, a DOE 43, and a condenser lens 44, which are arranged in this order from the +Z-axis direction along the optical axis OL of the laser light LB incident from the laser light source 20. The laser processing head 40 also includes a supply nozzle 45 arranged along the optical axis OL. The first prism 41, the second prism 42, the DOE 43, the condenser lens 44, and the supply nozzle 45 are arranged such that their central axes overlap with the optical axis OL.

[0021] Among the first prism 41, the second prism 42, the DOE 43, and the condenser lens 44 arranged inside the laser processing head 40, the first prism 41 is arranged closest to the +Z axis direction side. The first prism 41 is a polyhedral prism having multiple inclined surfaces on the + side in the Z axis direction where the laser light LB is incident. The first prism 41 converts the laser light LB incident from the laser light source 20 into divided laser lights SL that are plane-symmetrically divided with the XZ plane as a symmetry plane, and then emits the divided laser lights SL to the -Z axis direction side. The second prism 42 is arranged between the first prism 41 and the DOE 43. The second prism 42 is a polyhedral prism into which the divided laser lights SL are incident on the + side in the Z axis direction and has multiple inclined surfaces on the - side in the Z axis direction. The second prism 42 converts the divided laser lights SL incident from the first prism 41 so that they are parallel to the optical axis OL, and then emits them to the -Z axis direction side. In this embodiment, the first prism 41 has two inclined faces on the + side in the Z-axis direction, and the second prism 42 has two inclined faces on the - side in the Z-axis direction, so that the laser light LB is converted into two split laser light SL when passing through the first prism 41, and the two split laser light SL are converted to be parallel to the optical axis OL when passing through the second prism 42, and are emitted to the -Z-axis side of the second prism 42. That is, in this embodiment, the first prism 41 and the second prism 42 correspond to a laser light splitting section that splits the laser light LB into a plurality of split laser light beams and emits them.

[0022] The DOE (diffractive optical element) 43 is disposed between the second prism 42 and the condenser lens 44. The DOE 43 is a laser light conversion unit that converts the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser light SL into a rectangular shape and emits the divided laser light SL toward the -Z axis direction. The condenser lens 44 is a laser light refracting unit that refracts each of the incident divided laser light SL in a direction approaching each other and emits the divided laser light SL. The divided laser light LS (corresponding to the divided laser light SL that has passed through the condenser lens 44) emitted from the condenser lens 44 is emitted in a direction approaching the optical axis OL. Since the stage 50 is disposed on the -Z axis side of the laser processing head 40 (condenser lens 44), the divided laser light SL (corresponding to the divided laser light LS) that has passed through the condenser lens 44 is irradiated onto the stage 50. In this way, the laser processing head 40 converts the laser light LB into split laser light LS via the first prism 41, the second prism 42, the DOE 43, and the condenser lens 44, and then emits the split laser light LS to the stage 50 (see FIG. 1). Note that in the laser processing head 40, if the distance between the first prism 41 and the second prism 42 is variable, it is possible to adjust the spacing between the split laser light LS at the time of emission from the condenser lens 44 by adjusting the distance.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, a through hole HL is formed in the center of the condenser lens 44, penetrating the condenser lens 44 along the optical axis OL. The supply nozzle 45 is disposed at a position passing through the inside of the through hole HL. The supply nozzle 45 is a hollow tube extending along the optical axis OL. Although a part of the supply nozzle 45 is not shown in FIG. 2, the part of the supply nozzle 45 on the +Z axis direction side is connected to the powder supply device 30. The supply nozzle 45 sprays the metal powder MP supplied from the powder supply device 30 disposed outside the laser processing head 40 toward the stage 50. The supply nozzle 45 can also be said to be a raw material supply unit that supplies the raw material metal powder MP toward the stage 50.

[0024] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the divided laser beams LS emitted toward the stage 50 and the metal powder MP sprayed toward the stage 50. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the surface 50F of the stage 50 facing the +Z-axis direction and the focal point FP are aligned in the Z-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the metal powder MP is sprayed toward the focal point FP from the supply nozzle 45, and is ultimately sprayed toward the stage 50. The divided laser beams LS (the number of divided laser beams LS is two in this embodiment) emitted from the laser processing head 40 overlap at the focal point FP. In addition, the distance between the divided laser beams LS in the XY plane increases as the distance from the focal point FP increases toward either the +Z-axis direction side or the -Z-axis direction side.

[0025] The metal powder MP is heated by approaching the divided laser beam LS or by overlapping with the divided laser beam LS. The heated and melted metal powder MP is stacked in a molten state and then solidifies as the temperature drops, so it can be used to form a shaped object such as a coil. The metal powder MP is sprayed from the supply nozzle 45 so as to approach the divided laser beam LS to an extent that it melts on the +Z-axis direction upper side (at a position where the divided laser beams LS are farther apart) than the focal point FP after being sprayed from the supply nozzle 45. In other words, the spray angle by the supply nozzle 45 (the spread angle of the powder spray sprayed from the nozzle hole of the supply nozzle 45) is set to an angle that allows the metal powder MP to approach the divided laser beam LS before reaching the focal point FP.

[0026] The object MO shown in FIG. 1 is an object in the middle of being modeled by stacking molten metal powder MP. The processing point PP shown in FIG. 1 is a position where the molten metal powder MP is stacked on the upper side (the side in the +Z-axis direction) of the stage 50. The processing point PP is located on the surface 50F of the stage 50 when the object MO does not exist (at the start of modeling), and is located on the tip of the object MO when the object MO exists (see FIG. 1). The molten metal powder MP is sequentially stacked at the processing point PP, so that the object MO is elongated. At this time, the stacking direction of the metal powder MP stacked at the processing point PP can be changed by appropriately controlling the position and posture of the stage 50. In other words, the additive manufacturing device 100 can model an object MO of any three-dimensional shape by appropriately controlling the position and posture of the stage 50.

[0027] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the relationship between the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 and the processing point PP. FIG. 4 shows laser cross-sectional shapes CS1 to CS5 of the divided laser beam LS that change depending on the distance from the focusing point FP. The upper side of FIG. 4 corresponds to the +Z axis direction side, and the lower side of FIG. 4 corresponds to the -Z axis direction side. As shown in FIG. 4, in the vicinity of the focusing point FP, the cross sections of the divided laser beams LS overlap each other to form one rectangular shape (illustrated as laser cross-sectional shapes CS1 to CS3 in FIG. 4). That is, when the metal powder MP is stacked on the tip of the modeled object MO, if the tip of the modeled object MO is located in the vicinity of the focusing point FP in the Z axis direction, there is one processing point PP. In this way, the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 when there is one processing point PP is defined as a first distance L1. When the distance is the first distance L1, there is only one processing point PP at the tip of the object MO, so that one wire is newly extended from the tip of the object MO, and the cross-sectional shape of the extended wire is rectangular, similar to the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beam LS at the processing point PP. In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beam LS at the processing point PP varies depending on the distance between the tip of the object MO and the focusing point FP within the range of the first distance L1, as shown by the laser cross-sectional shapes CS1 to CS3 in FIG. 4, so that the aspect ratio of the rectangular shape in the cross-section of the wire newly extended from the tip of the object MO can be varied. Note that the above-mentioned cross-section refers to a cross-section of the object MO cut along a plane along a direction perpendicular to the extension direction in which the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 extends the object MO by stacking the metal powder MP.

[0028] On the other hand, at a position sufficiently distant from the focal point FP on either the +Z-axis side or the -Z-axis side, the cross sections of the two divided laser beams LS do not overlap with each other (for example, as shown in the laser cross-sectional shapes CS4 and CS5 in FIG. 4). That is, when the metal powder MP is stacked on the tip of the object MO, if the tip of the object MO is located sufficiently distant from the focal point FP in the Z-axis direction, there are two processing points PP. In this way, the distance between the focusing lens 44 and the stage 50 when there are two processing points PP is defined as the second distance L2. When the second distance L2 is given, there are two processing points PP at the tip of the object MO, so that two wires are newly extended from the tip of the object MO according to the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beam LS, but the greater the distance between the tip of the object MO and the focal point FP within the range of the second distance L2, the greater the distance between the two wires newly extended from the tip of the object MO. The stage control unit 14, which is a distance adjustment unit, can adjust the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 to either the first distance L1 or the second distance L2. Since the position of the tip of the object MO varies each time as the tip of the object MO extends, when the tip of the object MO is extended while maintaining the first distance L1 or the second distance L2, the stage control unit 14 adjusts the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 in accordance with the variation to maintain the first distance L1 or the second distance L2. For example, when the tip of the object MO is extended along the Z-axis direction while maintaining the tip of the object MO overlapping the focal point FP (while maintaining the first distance L1), the stage control unit 14 moves the position of the stage 50 toward the -Z-axis direction as the tip of the object MO extends.

[0029] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a molded object F1 produced using the additive manufacturing apparatus 100. The molded object F1 is a wire rod, and is a completed molded product formed by laminating molten metal powder MP. The molded object F1 is formed by being elongated along the Z-axis direction above the stage 50. The molded object F1 is an object that is elongated overall when the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is a first distance L1 (there is one processing point PP).

[0030] Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a model F2 produced using the additive manufacturing apparatus 100. Like the model F1 in Fig. 5, the model F2 is a model formed by being elongated along the Z-axis direction above the stage 50. The model F2 is an object that is elongated overall when the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is the second distance L2 (there are two processing points PP).

[0031] 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a model F3 produced using the additive manufacturing apparatus 100. Like the models F1 and F2 in FIGS. 5 and 6, the model F3 is a model formed by elongating it along the Z-axis direction above the stage 50. The portion F3a of the model F3 on the -Z-axis side is a portion elongated in a state where the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is a first distance L1 (there is one processing point PP). The portion F3b of the model F3 on the +Z-axis side is a portion elongated in a state where the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is a second distance L2 (there are two processing points PP).

[0032] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a model F4 produced by using the additive manufacturing apparatus 100. The models F1 to F3 described in FIGS. 5 to 7 are models stretched along the vertical direction (Z-axis direction), whereas the model F4 is a model formed by stretching along the X-axis direction (horizontal direction) on the upper side of the stage 50. The part F4a on the +X-axis side of the model F4 and the part F4c on the -X-axis side of the model F4 are parts stretched at the second distance L2 (two processing points PP). The part F4b in the center of the model F4 in the X-axis direction is a part stretched at the first distance L1 (one processing point PP). In this way, the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 can form a model along either the vertical direction or the horizontal direction. Furthermore, in the additive manufacturing apparatus 100, by adjusting the distance to either the first distance L1 or the second distance L2, the cross-sectional shape of the object can be changed arbitrarily without requiring complex laser scanning or complex adjustment of the position and attitude of the stage 50.

[0033] As described above, according to the layered manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 can be adjusted to either the first distance L1 when the number of processing points PP, which are positions where the raw material metal powder MP is layered, is one, or the second distance L2 when the number of processing points PP is two. Therefore, it is possible to mold, as a molded object, a number of wire rods according to the number of processing points PP that varies depending on the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50. Specifically, when the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is the first distance L1, the number of processing points PP is one, so that one wire rod can be molded as a molded object (for example, the molded object F1 in FIG. 5). On the other hand, when the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is the second distance L2, the number of processing points is two, so that two wire rods can be molded simultaneously as a molded object (for example, the molded object F2 in FIG. 6). Furthermore, when the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is changed from the first distance L1 to the second distance L2, or when the distance is changed from the second distance L2 to the first distance L1 during the formation of the object, the number of processing points PP increases or decreases, so that it is possible to form an object (e.g., objects F3 and F4 in FIGS. 7 and 8) including one wire portion (e.g., portion F3a in FIG. 7 and portion F4b in FIG. 8) and two branch portions branched from the wire portion (e.g., portion F3b in FIG. 7 and portions F4a and F4c in FIG. 8). Therefore, according to the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of the object can be arbitrarily changed by adjusting the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50.

[0034] In the layered manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the first prism 41 and the second prism 42, which are the laser beam splitting unit, emit two divided laser beams SL, and the DOE 43, which is the laser beam converting unit, converts the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beams SL into a rectangular shape and emits them toward the -Z axis direction. This makes it possible to form a shaped object made of a wire having a rectangular cross-sectional shape. By adjusting the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 within the range of the first distance L1, it is possible to vary the aspect ratio of the rectangular shape in the cross section of the wire to be formed, as represented by the laser cross-sectional shapes CS1 to CS3 shown in FIG. 4. When the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 is the second distance L2, the rectangular shape, which is the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beams LS, becomes more deformed as the distance from the focusing point FP increases within the range of the second distance L2. This makes it possible to simultaneously form two wires according to the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beams LS emitted from the condenser lens 44 (the cross-sectional shape that changes depending on the distance from the focusing point FP).

[0035] When bending a wire, the shape of the workpiece is limited by the processing limit in the bending process. On the other hand, according to the additive manufacturing apparatus 100, since the wire is formed by stacking the molten metal powder MP, it is possible to form a wire with a curved shape from the beginning, and it is also possible to manufacture a shaped object by bending the wire into an arbitrary shape. For example, when forming a coil as a shaped object, a coil with a higher space factor can be formed by forming the coil using the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment rather than forming the coil by bending the wire. Furthermore, since the additive manufacturing apparatus 100 of this embodiment can form a coil made of a wire with a rectangular cross section as a shaped object, it is also possible to form a coil with a higher space factor than a coil made of a wire with a circular cross section. As a result, it is also possible to manufacture a motor with a smaller size while maintaining the output.

[0036] In a typical metal 3D device, particularly a device that models while supplying metal powder, the cross-sectional shape of the laser for melting the metal powder is approximately circular. Although it is possible to model a wire having a cross-sectional shape other than approximately circular using such a laser, it requires complex laser scanning and complex adjustment of the position and posture of the stage, and the modeling time tends to increase. On the other hand, the additive manufacturing device 100 of the present embodiment can model a wire having a different cross-sectional shape simply by adjusting the distance between the condenser lens 44 and the stage 50 to either the first distance or the second distance L2.

[0037] <Modifications of this embodiment> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be embodied in various forms without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the following modifications are also possible.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, the stage 50 is capable of changing its position along each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the laser processing head 40 may also be capable of changing its position along each of the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, the DOE 43 as the laser beam conversion unit converts the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beam SL into a rectangular shape, but is not limited to this. The DOE 43 may convert the cross-sectional shape of the divided laser beam SL into a shape other than a rectangular shape. In addition, the DOE 43 does not have to be provided in the laser processing head 40.

[0040] In the above-described embodiment, the first prism 41 has two inclined faces on the + side of the Z-axis direction, and the second prism 42 has two inclined faces on the - side of the Z-axis direction, as the laser beam splitting section, and two divided laser beams SL are emitted to the -Z-axis direction, but this is not limited thereto. The first prism 41 and the second prism 42 may each have a plurality of inclined faces of three or more, and thus emit three or more divided laser beams SL to the -Z-axis direction. In such a case, three or more divided laser beams LS are emitted from the laser processing head 40, and the three or more divided laser beams LS overlap at the focusing point FP. That is, in such a case, when the distance between the focusing lens 44 and the stage 50 is the second distance L2, the number of processing points PP is also three or more, so that three or more wires can be simultaneously formed as a molded object.

[0041] In the above-described embodiment, the supply nozzle 45 is disposed inside the laser processing head 40, and the metal powder MP is sprayed from inside the laser processing head 40 toward the stage 50, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the supply nozzle 45 may be disposed outside the laser processing head 40, and the metal powder MP may be sprayed from outside the laser processing head 40 toward the stage 50.

[0042] Although the present aspect has been described above based on the embodiment and modified examples, the above-mentioned embodiment of the aspect is intended to facilitate understanding of the present aspect and does not limit the present aspect. The present aspect may be modified or improved without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and equivalents are included in the present aspect. Furthermore, if a technical feature is not described as essential in this specification, it may be deleted as appropriate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10...Control section 11…Acquisition part 12...Laser control unit 13...Supply control section 14…Stage control section 20...Laser device 30...Powder feeding device 40...Laser processing head 41…First prism 42…Second prism 43...DOE (diffractive optical element) 44...Condenser lens 45…Supply nozzle 50…Stage 50F…surface 100...Layered manufacturing device

Claims

1. An additive manufacturing apparatus that laminates raw materials to form a model, A laser light source that emits laser light; a laser beam splitter that splits the laser beam into a plurality of split laser beams and emits the split laser beams; a laser light refracting unit that refracts each of the split laser light beams in a direction in which the split laser light beams approach each other and emits the beams; a stage onto which the split laser beams that have passed through the laser beam refracting portion are irradiated; A raw material supply unit that supplies the raw material toward the stage; a distance adjustment unit capable of adjusting a distance between the laser light refracting unit and the stage, An additive manufacturing device, wherein the distance adjustment unit is capable of adjusting the distance to either a first distance when there is one processing point above the stage, which is a position where the raw material is stacked, or a second distance when there are multiple processing points above the stage.

2. The additive manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1 , the laser beam splitter emits two split laser beams, an additive manufacturing device comprising: a laser beam conversion unit disposed between the laser beam splitting unit and the laser beam refracting unit, the laser beam conversion unit converting a cross-sectional shape of the split laser beam into a rectangular shape and emitting the split laser beam.

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