Powder processing apparatus, three-dimensional object molding apparatus, powder producing method and method for producing three-dimensional molding object

Abstract

To obtain a powder processing apparatus capable of lowering impedance by adding powder of soft metal such as copper, aluminum and the like, and thereby suppressing generation of contamination during processing more than ever.SOLUTION: A powder processing apparatus 10 includes a cylindrical or drum-shaped rotor 11 having a groove 111 extending in the direction of the rotational axis on its lateral surface, a rotation mechanism 12 that rotates the rotor 11 around the rotational axis, a powder supply container 13 that supplies metal powder to the groove 111 of the rotor 11, a pair of electrode assemblies 14 provided at both ends of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotational axis at positions where the grooves 111 pass due to the rotation of the rotor 11, and a power supply 15 that applies a voltage between the pair of electrode assemblies 14. The area from the surface of the side of the rotary body 11 to at least the bottom of the groove 111 is made of an insulating material.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a powder processing apparatus that processes metal powder used in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, a powder manufacturing method, and a method for manufacturing a three-dimensionally shaped object. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a 3D printing apparatus that irradiates an electron beam onto metal powder spread in a printing area, melting and solidifying the powder to form a 3D object. In such a 3D printing apparatus, a first powder layer is formed on the upper surface of a base plate installed in the printing area, and then an electron beam is irradiated thereon. A next powder layer is formed on top of the powder layer irradiated with the electron beam, and then an electron beam is irradiated thereon. The 3D printing apparatus repeatedly forms powder layers and irradiates the electron beam, thereby stacking the layers that make up the 3D object one by one, and forming the 3D object.

[0003] It is known that three-dimensional printing devices can cause the powder to become negatively charged during printing, causing the powder particles to repel each other and scatter, resulting in a phenomenon known as "smoking." The occurrence of this phenomenon can result in an improper powder layer being formed, potentially resulting in defective printing. Patent Document 1, which describes a technique for suppressing the occurrence of this phenomenon, discloses a technique for reducing the impedance of metal powder by subjecting the metal powder used in printing to a mechanical pretreatment process that changes the shape of oxides on the surface of the metal powder. The technique described in Patent Document 1 involves mechanical pretreatment, such as introducing existing metal powder into a jet mill and causing the metal powder to collide, or introducing existing metal powder and balls into a ball mill and causing the metal powder to collide with the balls, thereby changing the shape of oxides on the surface of the metal powder. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. 2020 / 059183 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that when powders made of soft metals such as copper (Cu) or aluminum (Al) are mechanically collided, the powder particles aggregate and connect together, which deteriorates the flowability of the powder. Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 physically damages the powder, which increases the occurrence of contamination from the inside of the container or the ball, resulting in a problem of a large amount of contamination being contained in the powder after mechanical pre-treatment.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a powder processing apparatus that can suppress the occurrence of contamination during processing compared to conventional methods and reduce impedance, including for powders of soft metals such as copper and aluminum. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the powder processing apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a columnar or cylindrical rotor having a groove extending in the direction of the rotation axis on the surface of its side, a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotor around the rotation axis, a powder supply container that supplies metal powder to the groove of the rotor, a pair of first electrode components provided on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis at a position where the groove passes as the rotor rotates, and a power source that applies a voltage between the pair of first electrode components. The rotor is made of an insulating material from the surface of the side to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of contamination during processing compared to conventional methods, and to reduce impedance by including powder of soft metals such as copper and aluminum. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a powder processing apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] II-II cross-sectional view of the powder processing device of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating another example of the configuration of the powder processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] A cross-sectional view showing a schematic example of the structure of a powder used in a three-dimensional modeling device. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining the principle of a powder manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] Diagram showing the equivalent circuit of Figure 5 [Figure 7] 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a powder manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control unit of a powder processing apparatus according to embodiment 1. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a powder processing apparatus according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure of a powder manufacturing method according to a second embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to a third embodiment. [Figure 12] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for manufacturing a three-dimensional object according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control device included in the additive manufacturing apparatus according to the third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A powder processing apparatus, a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, a powder manufacturing method, and a three-dimensional model manufacturing method according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Embodiment 1 Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a powder processing device according to embodiment 1. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II of the powder processing device shown in Fig. 1. Note that Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of the interior of a powder supply container 13 and a powder collection container 16. The powder processing device 10 includes a rotor 11, a rotation mechanism 12, the powder supply container 13, a pair of electrode components 14, a power source 15, the powder collection container 16, and a control unit 17.

[0012] The rotor 11 is a columnar or cylindrical member having a groove 111 extending in the direction of the rotation axis 11a on its side surface. The rotation axis 11a is an axis passing through the centers of the two bottom surfaces of the columnar or cylindrical rotor 11. The rotor 11 is rotatable around the rotation axis 11a. The rotor 11 is made of an insulating material from the side surface to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove 111. When the rotor 11 is columnar, the rotor 11 may be made entirely of an insulating material, or may be a columnar member made of a conductive material such as a metal or alloy, with a layer of insulating material thicker than the depth of the groove 111 formed on the side surface. When the rotor 11 is cylindrical, the rotor 11 may be made entirely of an insulating material, or may be a columnar member made of a conductive material with a layer of insulating material thicker than the depth of the groove 111 formed on the side surface. Note that FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an example of the rotor 11 made of a columnar member made entirely of an insulating material.

[0013] One or more grooves 111 are provided on the surface of the side of the rotor 11. For example, the grooves 111 have the same length as the length of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a. The width of the grooves 111 is set to a width that allows the powder 50 used in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus (described later) to be arranged in at least one row. If the average particle size of the powder 50 used in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus is 150 μm, the width of the grooves 111 is set to approximately 150 μm. There is no limitation on the depth of the grooves 111; for example, the grooves 111 are set to a depth that allows at least one powder 50 to be arranged therein. The cross section of the grooves 111 perpendicular to the rotation axis 11a can have any shape. As shown in FIG. 2, the cross section may be wedge-shaped or rectangular. A plurality of grooves 111 may be provided on the side of the rotor 11. The more grooves 111 provided on the surface of the rotor 11, the more powder 50 can be processed during one rotation of the rotor 11.

[0014] The rotation mechanism 12 is a mechanism that rotates the rotor 11 around the rotation axis 11a. In Fig. 1, the rotation mechanism 12 has a drive unit that drives the rotation axis 11a that connects the centers of the two bottom surfaces of the rotor 11.

[0015] The powder supply container 13 stores powder 50 used in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus and supplies the powder 50 to the grooves 111 of the rotating body 11. In one example, the powder supply container 13 is a container having a size equal to or greater than the length of the rotating body 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a. The powder supply container 13 has a supply port 131, which is an opening, at a position overlapping the position of the rotating body 11. An edge 132 of the container constituting the supply port 131 is provided so as to contact the surface of the rotating body 11. With this configuration, when the rotating body 11 rotates and the grooves 111 are positioned below the supply port 131 of the powder supply container 13, the powder 50 is supplied from the supply port 131 to the grooves 111. Furthermore, due to the rotation of the rotating body 11, the powder 50 present above the surface of the rotating body 11 is blocked by the edge 132 of the powder supply container 13. As a result, only the powder 50 supplied into the grooves 111 is carried out from the powder supply container 13 to the outside. Powder 50 is a powder used for modeling using a three-dimensional modeling device, and has an insulating outer layer formed by an oxide film and a conductive inner layer. In one example, powder 50 has an inner layer made of a metal element or alloy and an outer layer made of a metal element or alloy with an oxidized oxide film on the inner surface. Furthermore, the metal powder in the claims corresponds to powder 50, i.e., a powder having an inner layer made of a metal element or alloy and an outer layer made of a metal element or alloy with an oxidized oxide film on the inner surface.

[0016] The pair of electrode configurations 14 are provided on both ends of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a at positions where the groove 111 passes as the rotor 11 rotates. The electrode configurations 14 correspond to the first electrode configurations. The electrode configurations 14 are at least large enough to close the groove 111 in a cross section perpendicular to the rotation axis 11a. In the example shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the electrode configurations 14 are formed of a pair of plate-shaped conductive members, and each of the pair of electrode configurations 14 is provided on the outside of the rotor 11 so as to contact the bottom surface of the rotor 11. A sealing member may be provided along the outer periphery of the electrode configurations 14 to prevent the fine powder 50 from spilling out between the electrode configurations 14 and the bottom surface of the rotor 11. The electrode configurations 14 may have any configuration as long as they can apply a voltage to the row of powder 50 arranged in the groove 111.

[0017] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating another example of the configuration of the powder processing apparatus according to the first embodiment. The same components as those in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. In the example of FIG. 3, the electrode configuration unit 14 includes a pair of embedded electrode portions 141, which are conductive members embedded in both ends of the groove portion 111 of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a, and a pair of brush portions 142, which are conductive members disposed outside both ends of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a and in contact with each of the pair of embedded electrode portions 141. The electrode configuration unit 14 may be configured in this manner.

[0018] 1 and 2, the power supply 15 is connected to the pair of electrode components 14 by wiring so as to apply a voltage between the pair of electrode components 14. The power supply 15 may be a DC power supply or an AC power supply. In the example of FIG. 1, the power supply 15 is a DC power supply. In one example, the power supply 15 is in a state of constantly applying a voltage to the pair of electrode components 14 during the manufacturing process of the powder 50.

[0019] Powder collection container 16 is a container that collects powder 50 placed in grooves 111 of rotor 11. Powder collection container 16 is placed below rotor 11 in an area where powder 50 placed in grooves 111 falls. Powder collection container 16 passes between a pair of electrode components 14 to which a voltage is applied as rotor 11 rotates, and collects powder 50 that falls from grooves 111 due to gravity.

[0020] The control unit 17 controls the operation of the rotation mechanism 12 and the power supply 15. Specifically, when starting the powder production process, the control unit 17 turns on the power supply 15 to apply a voltage between the pair of electrode configurations 14 and rotate the rotation mechanism 12 at a determined rotation speed. After the powder production process is completed, the control unit 17 turns off the power supply 15 and stops the operation of the rotation mechanism 12.

[0021] Here, a powder manufacturing method using the powder processing apparatus 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of the structure of a powder used in a three-dimensional printing apparatus. As described above, the powder 50 is composed of a metal element or alloy and has an oxide film formed on the inner surface. Therefore, the powder 50 is usually conductive immediately after production, specifically when no oxide film is formed. However, when used in a three-dimensional printing apparatus, a thin insulating oxide film 52 is often formed on the surface of the powder 50. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, the powder 50 has a conductive center 51 and an insulating oxide film 52 that surrounds the center 51 in a shell-like shape. When such powder 50 is irradiated with an electron beam, the electron beam penetrates to the center 51. As a result, the center 51 becomes charged, but the charge is trapped by the oxide film 52. In other words, the oxide film 52 prevents electricity from flowing, and the powder 50 becomes charged.

[0022] By distorting the oxide film 52 of the charged powder 50 in this way, it is possible to make it easier for electricity to flow. Distorting the oxide film 52 can be likened to creating a crack in the oxide film 52 of FIG. 4. Possible methods for distorting the oxide film 52 of the powder 50 include mechanical methods and electrical methods. In the first embodiment, the oxide film 52 of the powder 50 is distorted by an electrical method.

[0023] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the principle of the powder manufacturing method according to the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an equivalent circuit of FIG. 5. Here, two powder particles 50a, 50b are assumed to be present between a pair of electrode components 14. When a DC voltage is applied between the pair of electrode components 14 sandwiching the powder particles 50a, 50b having a shell-shaped oxide film 52, a capacitance component appears as shown in FIG. 6. That is, a capacitor C1 is formed between the upper electrode component 14 in FIG. 5 and the center 51 of the powder 50a, a capacitor C2 is formed between the center 51 of the powder 50a and the center 51 of the powder 50b, and a capacitor C3 is formed between the center 51 of the powder 50b and the lower electrode component 14 in FIG. 5. Increasing the voltage applied to capacitors C1, C2, and C3 increases the force pressing the powder particles 50a, 50b together, causing a large distortion in the oxide films 52 of the powder particles 50a, 50b, and making the powder particles 50a, 50b having the oxide film 52 conductive. That is, compared to the powders 50a and 50b before treatment, current flows more easily, that is, the impedance is lowered.

[0024] If the voltage applied to the capacitors C1, C2, and C3 is too low, it is difficult to distort the oxide film 52. For this reason, it is necessary to apply to the capacitors C1, C2, and C3 a voltage large enough to distort the oxide film 52. The minimum voltage value applied to the capacitors C1, C2, and C3 that can distort the oxide film 52, i.e., the minimum voltage value applied to each powder 50, is referred to as the first threshold value.

[0025] Furthermore, as the voltage applied to the capacitors C1, C2, and C3 increases, the oxide films 52 of the two powders 50a and 50b are crushed at a certain voltage. In one example, the oxide film 52 breaks, the center 51 pops out, and the powders 50a and 50b stick together. In this state, the powders 50a and 50b become conductive, but they no longer have the proper properties of powder 50a and 50b, and therefore cannot be used as raw materials in a three-dimensional printing apparatus. The minimum voltage value applied to the capacitors C1, C2, and C3 at which the powders 50a and 50b stick together, i.e., the minimum voltage value applied to each powder 50a and 50b at which the oxide films 52 on the surfaces of the adjacent powders 50a and 50b are broken, is referred to as the second threshold value.

[0026] As described above, in the first embodiment, the voltage between the pair of electrode components 14 is determined so that the voltage applied to each of the powders 50 between the pair of electrode components 14 is greater than the first threshold value and less than the second threshold value. Note that the voltage applied to each powder 50 differs depending on the type of material of the powder 50, and is determined in advance by experiment.

[0027] The voltage applied between the pair of electrode components 14 varies depending on the size of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a, more specifically, the distance between the pair of electrode components 14, and the type of material of the powder 50 being processed. Therefore, a voltage application range, which is the range of voltages between the pair of electrode components 14 corresponding to the first and second thresholds, is determined in advance by experiment for each combination of the powder processing apparatus 10 used and the type of material of the powder 50. The voltage applied between the pair of electrode components 14 when the powder production method is actually performed using the powder processing apparatus 10 is a voltage determined so that a voltage between the first and second thresholds is applied to each of the powder 50 between the pair of electrode components 14. For example, when the powder 50 is titanium (Ti), applying a voltage of 20 V per powder 50 can cause distortion in the oxide film 52.

[0028] 1 to 3, powder 50P indicated by a bold outline among powders 50 is powder in which a distortion has been imparted to oxide film 52. Hereinafter, powder 50P in which a distortion has been imparted to oxide film 52 will also be referred to as treated powder 50P. In groove portion 111 in FIGS. 1 and 3, treated powder 50P is connected between a pair of electrode components 14, and this connection forms a current path.

[0029] Experimental results have shown that in order to distort the oxide film 52 of the powder 50 placed in the grooves 111, it is sufficient to apply a voltage between the pair of electrode components 14 for a maximum of 100 msec. In one example, the rotation speed of the rotor 11 may be controlled so that the time it takes for the powder 50, which moves along the surface of the rotor 11 as the rotor 11 rotates, to pass through the electrode components 14 is a maximum of 100 msec. Alternatively, when the rotation speed of the rotor 11 is set to a predetermined value, the length of the electrode components 14 may be adjusted so that it is the same length as the distance the powder 50 moves along the surface of the rotor 11 in 100 msec.

[0030] In the example shown in Figures 1 to 3, the rotating body 11 is rotated to supply powder 50 from the powder supply container 13 to the groove 111 of the rotating body 11. After a voltage is applied to the powder 50 inside the groove 111, the powder 50 falls from the groove 111 into the powder collection container 16. This eliminates the need for vigorous mechanical contact between the powder 50 and other components when distorting the oxide film 52 on the surface of the powder 50. This significantly reduces the possibility of contamination being introduced into the powder 50 by stirring, as in conventional techniques. Furthermore, the impedance of the processed powder 50P remains low even after it passes between the pair of electrode components 14 and the voltage is removed. While the above description has been given of an example in which a DC voltage is applied, the same applies when an AC voltage is applied.

[0031] 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for the powder manufacturing method according to embodiment 1. First, powder 50 is charged into powder supply container 13 of powder processing apparatus 10 (step S11). The process of step S11 corresponds to a powder charging process.

[0032] Next, the control unit 17 controls the power supply 15 to apply a voltage between the pair of electrode configurations 14 (step S12). The voltage to be applied is determined so that the voltage applied to one powder 50 between the pair of electrode configurations 14 is between the first threshold value and the second threshold value, as described above, and the determined voltage is set in the power supply 15. The process of step S12 corresponds to a voltage application process.

[0033] Next, the control unit 17 controls the rotation mechanism 12 to rotate the rotor 11 around the rotation axis 11a by the rotation mechanism 12 (step S13). In one example, the rotation speed of the rotor 11 is set so that the time it takes for the powder 50 to pass through the electrode configuration portion 14 is a maximum of 100 msec. The process of step S13 corresponds to the rotation process.

[0034] As the rotor 11 rotates, the groove 111 reaches the bottom of the powder supply container 13, and powder 50 is supplied from the powder supply container 13 into the groove 111. This places the powder 50 inside the groove 111. As the rotor 11 continues to rotate, the edge 132 that forms the supply port 131 of the powder supply container 13 spreads the powder 50 evenly in the groove 111, resulting in a state in which the powder 50 is spread from one end of the groove 111 to the other. As the rotor 11 further rotates, the groove 111 containing the powder 50 passes between the pair of electrode components 14, during which time a voltage is applied to the powder 50. As a result, the oxide film 52 is distorted, resulting in the processed powder 50P. As the rotor 11 continues to rotate, the groove 111 reaches the position of the powder collection container 16, and the processed powder 50P falls from the groove 111 and is collected in the powder collection container 16.

[0035] Thereafter, it is determined whether all of the powder 50 in the powder supply container 13 has been processed (step S14). If all of the powder 50 has not been processed (No in step S14), the process returns to step S13, and the rotation mechanism 12 continues to rotate the rotating body 11 until all of the powder 50 has been processed. If all of the powder 50 has been processed (Yes in step S14), the control unit 17 stops applying voltage between the pair of electrode configuration units 14 (step S15) and stops the rotation of the rotating body 11 by the rotation mechanism 12 (step S16). The process of step S15 corresponds to a voltage application stopping process, and the process of step S16 corresponds to a rotating body stopping process. The processed powder 50P thus produced can be used as a raw material in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus as is, or can be stored in an inert atmosphere such as argon (Ar) gas or nitrogen (N) gas, for example. This completes the powder production process.

[0036] Here, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the control unit 17 of the powder processing apparatus 10. Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the control unit of the powder processing apparatus according to the first embodiment.

[0037] The control unit 17 can be realized by a control circuit 400 shown in Fig. 8, that is, a processor 401 and a memory 402. An example of the processor 401 is a central processing unit (also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit), processing unit, arithmetic unit, microprocessor, microcomputer, processor, or DSP (Digital Signal Processor)) or a system LSI (Large Scale Integration). An example of the memory 402 is a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory).

[0038] The functions of the control unit 17 are realized by the processor 401 reading and executing a control program stored in the memory 402, which is a program for executing processing in the control unit 17. This control program can also be said to cause a computer to execute a control method for the powder processing device 10, 10A in the control unit 17. The control program executed by the control unit 17 has a modular configuration in which the on / off control of the power supply 15 and the operation control of the rotation mechanism 12 are modularized, and these programs are loaded into the main storage device and generated on the main storage device.

[0039] The memory 402 is also used as a temporary memory when the processor 401 executes various processes.

[0040] The control program executed by the processor 401 may be provided as a computer program product stored in a computer-readable storage medium as an installable or executable file. Alternatively, the control program executed by the processor 401 may be provided to the control unit 17 of the powder processing apparatus 10, 10A via a network such as the Internet.

[0041] Alternatively, the control unit 17 may be realized by dedicated hardware. Alternatively, some of the functions of the control unit 17 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and some may be realized by software or firmware.

[0042] The powder processing apparatus 10, 10A according to the first embodiment includes a cylindrical or columnar rotor 11 made of an insulating material and having grooves 111 on its surface extending in the direction of the rotation axis 11a, a rotation mechanism 12 that rotates the rotor 11 around the rotation axis 11a, a powder supply container 13 that supplies powder 50 to the grooves 111 of the rotor 11, a pair of electrode components 14 provided at both ends of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a at a position through which the grooves 111 pass as the rotor 11 rotates, and a power supply 15 that applies a voltage between the pair of electrode components 14. The rotor 11 is made of an insulating material from the surface of its side to at least the depth of the bottom of the grooves 111. When the grooves 111 containing the powder 50 pass between the pair of electrode components 14 to which a voltage is applied, a current path is formed in the powder 50 placed in the grooves 111, and the impedance of the powder 50 at the position where the current path is formed is reduced. By repeatedly placing powder 50 in the grooves 111 of the rotor 11 and applying a voltage to the powder 50 in the grooves 111 until the powder 50 in the powder supply container 13 is used up, the majority of the powder 50 contained in the powder supply container 13 can eventually be converted into processed powder 50P with reduced impedance. In this way, because the powder 50 is not mechanically crushed, even powder 50 of soft metals such as copper and aluminum can be effectively reduced in impedance without agglomeration. Furthermore, even if the processed powder 50P with reduced impedance is used as a raw material for three-dimensional modeling and an electron beam is irradiated onto the processed powder 50P, the occurrence of smoke can be avoided.

[0043] 1 to 3, when powder 50 is placed in groove portion 111 and rotor 11 is rotated, powder 50 is not crushed as in the ball mill of Patent Document 1, and powder 50 is not accelerated as in the jet mill, which has the effect of suppressing contamination due to ball or wall collisions. As described above, powder processing apparatus 10 according to embodiment 1 can suppress contamination during processing compared to conventional methods and can reduce impedance, including for powder 50 of soft metals such as copper and aluminum.

[0044] Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 1 involves mechanical pretreatment using a jet mill, ball mill, or the like to physically collide powder particles 50 together, resulting in a slow processing speed for the powder 50, i.e., a long time required for mechanical pretreatment of the entire powder 50 to be processed. The processing speed varies depending on factors such as the size of the rotor 11, but ball mills typically achieve processing speeds of less than 100 cc / h. On the other hand, the powder processing apparatus 10, 10A according to the first embodiment provides multiple grooves 111 on the surface of the rotor 11, thereby increasing the number of powder particles 50 that can be processed per rotation of the rotor 11. Furthermore, the time required for applying voltage to the powder particles 50 passing between the pair of electrode components 14 is a maximum of 100 msec. This configuration shortens the average time required to distort the oxide film 52 of each powder particle 50 compared to mechanical processing. As a result, the processing speed of the powder processing apparatus 10, 10A according to embodiment 1 can be set to 100 cc / h or more, and therefore the manufacturing time for the processed powder 50P in which the oxide film 52 is distorted can be shortened compared to the technology described in Patent Document 1.

[0045] Embodiment 2 In the powder processing apparatus 10, 10A described in the first embodiment, even if the powder 50 placed in the groove portion 111 passes through the pair of electrode components 14, there may be cases where the oxide film 52 is not distorted. In such cases, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , the powder collection container 16 contains a mixture of processed powder 50P and powder 50. Hereinafter, the powder 50 collected in the powder collection container 16 after voltage application by the powder processing apparatus 10, 10A is referred to as processed powder 50A. The processed powder 50A may be almost entirely processed powder 50P, or may be a mixture of processed powder 50P and powder 50 whose oxide film 52 has not been distorted. When the processed powder 50A containing a high proportion of powder 50 is used as a raw material in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, smoke may occur when the processed powder 50A is irradiated with an electron beam. Therefore, in the second embodiment, a powder processing apparatus and a powder manufacturing method that can control the impedance of powder 50 that has passed through a pair of electrode components 14 to be less than a predetermined reference value will be described.

[0046] 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a powder processing apparatus according to embodiment 2. The same components as those described in embodiment 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted. The powder processing apparatus 10B according to embodiment 2 further includes a pair of electrode configuration units 18 and an impedance measurement unit 19.

[0047] The pair of electrode components 18 are provided on both ends of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a at a position where the groove 111 passes as the rotor 11 rotates. The pair of electrode components 18 are arranged downstream in the direction of rotation of the rotor 11 from the electrode components 14 on the path from when the powder 50 is supplied from the powder supply container 13 to the groove 111 until it is collected in the powder collection container 16. This is to measure the impedance of the powder 50 arranged in the groove 111 and to which a voltage is applied by the pair of electrode components 14. Note that the pair of electrode components 18 may be configured to be arranged in contact with the bottom surface of the rotor 11 on the outer side in the direction of the rotation axis 11a of the rotor 11, similar to the pair of electrode components 14, as shown in FIG. 1 . 3, the pair of electrode components 18 may have a configuration including embedded electrode components embedded in both ends of the groove 111 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a, and a pair of brush components arranged outside both ends of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a so as to be in contact with the embedded electrode components. The pair of electrode components 18 corresponds to the second electrode component.

[0048] The impedance measuring unit 19 is connected to the pair of electrode configurations 18 and measures the impedance between the pair of electrode configurations 18. In one example, the impedance measuring unit 19 measures the voltage applied between the pair of electrode configurations 18 and the current flowing between the pair of electrode configurations 18, and calculates the impedance.

[0049] Based on the impedance measurement results of the impedance measurement unit 19 for the powder 50 transported from the powder supply container 13 to the powder collection container 16 by the groove 111 of the rotor 11, the control unit 17 determines whether or not it is necessary to reapply voltage to the processed powder 50A collected in the powder collection container 16, i.e., whether or not a powder production process is required. In one example, the control unit 17 calculates a non-energized processing rate, which is the percentage of times that the measured impedance is greater than a reference value among the number of times that the impedance is measured for all of the powder 50 contained in the powder supply container 13. The reference value used here is an impedance value that determines that the powder 50 is conductive. In one example, the reference value is an impedance value that does not cause smoking when the powder 50 is irradiated with an electron beam. To calculate the non-energized processing rate, the control unit 17 counts the number of times that the measured impedance is greater than the reference value until all of the powder 50 in the powder supply container 13 is consumed and the number of times that the measured impedance is greater than the reference value.

[0050] The control unit 17 determines whether the non-energized treatment ratio is smaller than a reference value. The reference value is the maximum non-energized treatment ratio among the non-energized treatment ratios of the processed powder 50A that have generated smoke when the processed powder 50A is irradiated with an electron beam. The reference value is determined in advance for each type of material through experiments. This reference value can vary depending on the type of material of the powder 50, the length of the electrode structure 14, the rotation speed of the rotor 11, the length of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a, and the applied voltage. Therefore, by determining the reference value for each combination of these, a detailed determination can be made according to the configuration of the powder processing apparatus 10B and the type of material.

[0051] If the non-energized processing ratio is greater than the criterion value, the control unit 17 determines that the processed powder 50A collected in the powder collection container 16 cannot be used as a raw material in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus. In this case, for example, the control unit 17 issues a notification from a notifying unit (not shown) to prompt the operator to reprocess the processed powder 50A. Upon receiving this notification, the operator transfers the processed powder 50A collected in the powder collection container 16 to the powder supplying container 13 and performs the powder manufacturing process again. Furthermore, if the non-energized processing ratio is smaller than the criterion value, the control unit 17 determines that the processed powder 50A collected in the powder collection container 16 has a certain impedance value and is usable as a raw material in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus. In this case, for example, the control unit 17 issues a notification from a notifying unit (not shown) to indicate that the collected processed powder 50A can be used in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus. Note that if the non-energized processing ratio is equal to the criterion value, the control unit 17 may determine that the processed powder 50A cannot be used as a raw material in a three-dimensional modeling apparatus, or that the processed powder 50A can be used.

[0052] As described above, in the second embodiment, the impedance value of the processed powder 50A collected in the powder collection container 16 is estimated using the measurement results of the impedance of the powder 50 after voltage application. For example, if the non-energized treatment ratio is greater than the reference value, the probability of smoke occurring when the processed powder 50A is irradiated with an electron beam is high, and it cannot be said that the overall impedance of the processed powder 50A has been sufficiently reduced. On the other hand, if the non-energized treatment ratio is smaller than the reference value, the probability of smoke occurring when the processed powder 50A is irradiated with an electron beam is low, and it can be said that the overall impedance of the processed powder 50A has been sufficiently reduced. In this way, the non-energized treatment ratio can be used to control the impedance value of the processed powder 50A so that it falls within a certain range. In other words, it is possible to control the powder 50 produced by the powder processing apparatus 10B to have a consistent quality.

[0053] The powder processing apparatus 10A of the first embodiment having the configuration shown in FIG. 3 may further include the pair of electrode configuration parts 18 and the impedance measuring part 19 described above.

[0054] Next, a powder manufacturing method using such powder processing apparatus 10B will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure of the powder manufacturing method according to the second embodiment. The same steps as those in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment are assigned the same step numbers, and their description will be omitted. In the second embodiment, after step S16, control unit 17 calculates the non-energized processing ratio (step S21) and determines whether the non-energized processing ratio is equal to or less than the reference value (step S22). If the non-energized processing ratio is greater than the reference value (No in step S22), control unit 17 notifies the operator that the powder manufacturing process needs to be repeated for processed powder 50A (step S23). This prompts the operator to transfer processed powder 50A from powder collection container 16 to powder supply container 13 (step S24), and the process returns to step S12.

[0055] On the other hand, if the non-energized processing ratio is equal to or less than the judgment reference value (Yes in step S22), the control unit 17 notifies that the powder production process for the processed powder 50A has ended (step S25), and the powder production process ends.

[0056] According to the second embodiment, the powder processing apparatus 10B further includes a powder collection container 16 that collects the powder 50 placed in the grooves 111 of the rotor 11, a pair of electrode configurations 18 provided at both ends of the rotor 11 in the direction of the rotation axis 11a at a position through which the grooves 111 pass as the rotor 11 rotates, and an impedance measurement unit 19 connected to the pair of electrode configurations 18 and that measures the impedance between the pair of electrode configurations 18. The control unit 17 also determines whether it is necessary to re-apply a voltage to the processed powder 50A collected in the powder collection container 16, based on the impedance measurement result of the impedance measurement unit 19 for the processed powder 50A transported by the grooves 111 of the rotor 11 from the powder supply container 13 to the powder collection container 16. That is, if the overall impedance value of the processed powder 50A is such that it is not possible to suppress the occurrence of smoke when irradiated with an electron beam, it is necessary to re-apply a voltage. Furthermore, if the overall impedance value of processed powder 50A is such that the occurrence of the smoke phenomenon can be suppressed when irradiated with an electron beam, there is no need to apply voltage again. As a result, the impedance of processed powder 50A produced by the powder production process has a constant value, and the effect of being able to manage processed powder 50A to have a constant quality can be obtained in addition to the effect of embodiment 1.

[0057] Embodiment 3 Next, a three-dimensional modeling apparatus including the powder processing apparatus 10 will be described. Fig. 11 is a diagram schematically illustrating an example of the configuration of a three-dimensional modeling apparatus according to embodiment 3. The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 according to embodiment 3 is an apparatus that irradiates treated powder 50P spread over a modeling area 202 with an electron beam 211a, melts and solidifies the treated powder 50P, and manufactures a three-dimensional model 201.

[0058] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment includes a sealed chamber 210, an electron gun 211 that emits an electron beam 211a, a powder bed wall 212 that surrounds a modeling area 202 where modeling is performed by irradiating the electron beam 211a, a lifting stage 215 that can move in the vertical direction (height) in the area surrounded by the powder bed wall 212, a powder processing apparatus 100 that performs a powder manufacturing process to reduce the impedance of the powder 50, and a powder supply means 213 that supplies the powder 50P that is input from the powder processing apparatus 100 and processed by the powder processing apparatus 100 to the modeling area 202.

[0059] A vacuum pump (not shown), which is an exhaust device, is connected to the chamber 210. The interior of the chamber 210 is evacuated by the vacuum pump to create a vacuum or near-vacuum state. Inside the chamber 210, a powder bed wall 212, a powder supplying means 213, an elevation stage 215, and the powder processing device 100 are provided.

[0060] The electron gun 211 is installed in an electron gun chamber 214 provided vertically above the chamber 210. The electron gun 211 has a mechanism for emitting electrons, a mechanism for converging the emitted electrons, and a mechanism for deflecting the electrons so that the electrons are irradiated at a specified position. The electron gun 211 adjusts the direction in which the electron beam 211a is deflected, thereby adjusting the irradiation position of the electron beam 211a.

[0061] The powder bed wall 212 has a cylindrical shape extending in the height direction. A lifting stage 215 that moves in the height direction is provided inside the cylindrical powder bed wall 212. The outer peripheral surface of the lifting stage 215 contacts the inner wall of the powder bed wall 212. The lifting stage 215 moves up and down while maintaining contact between the outer peripheral surface of the lifting stage 215 and the inner wall of the powder bed wall 212. The area surrounded by the cylindrical interior of the powder bed wall 212 and the lifting stage 215 is the shaping area 202 where shaping by irradiation with the electron beam 211a is performed. The upper end of the shaping area 202 coincides with the upper end of the powder bed wall 212. Note that a sealing member may be provided on the outer peripheral surface of the lifting stage 215. In this case, the lifting stage 215 moves up and down while maintaining contact between the sealing member and the inner wall of the powder bed wall 212. At the upper end of the powder bed wall 212, a platform portion 212a is formed that extends horizontally outside the manufacturing area 202.

[0062] A base plate 216 serving as a base for the three-dimensional object 201 is provided on the upper surface of the lifting stage 215. In one example, the base plate 216 is a rectangular flat plate. However, the shape of the base plate 216 is not limited to rectangular and may be circular, for example. In one example, the base plate 216 is placed on the upper surface of the lifting stage 215 by an operator when formation of the three-dimensional object 201 begins. After formation of the three-dimensional object 201 is completed, the base plate 216 is removed together with the three-dimensional object 201. Note that the base plate 216 may be supported in a parallel state by being placed on a plurality of supports erected on the upper surface of the lifting stage 215.

[0063] The powder supplying means 213 has a powder box 213a that stores the powder 50P processed by the powder processing device 100, and a recoater 213b that spreads the processed powder 50P evenly. When the processed powder 50P is discharged from the powder box 213a, the recoater 213b moves horizontally from above the platform 212a, through the modeling area 202, to the platform 212a beyond the modeling area 202. In this way, the recoater 213b spreads the processed powder 50P evenly in the modeling area 202. In this way, the recoater 213b moves horizontally from outside the modeling area 202 into the modeling area 202 to supply the processed powder 50P into the modeling area 202, and then spreads the processed powder 50P in the modeling area 202 to form a powder layer in the modeling area 202. The recoater 213b may have any configuration as long as it can spread the treated powder 50P evenly.

[0064] The powder processing apparatus 100 is an apparatus with a configuration similar to that of the powder processing apparatus 10 described in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment, except that the powder collection container 16 is removed. The powder collection container 16 of the powder processing apparatus 100 corresponds to the powder box 213a of the powder supplying means 213. Here, before storing the powder 50 in the powder box 213a, the powder 50 is placed in the groove 111 of the rotor 11, and the rotor 11 is rotated to apply a voltage to the powder 50 and distort the oxide film 52 on the surface of the powder 50. The powder 50 to which the voltage has been applied is then supplied to the powder box 213a. The detailed configuration of the powder processing apparatus 100 has been described in the first embodiment, and therefore will not be described here. Although FIG. 11 illustrates the case where the powder processing apparatus 100 is the powder processing apparatus 10 of the first embodiment, it may also be the powder processing apparatus 10A of the first embodiment. In this case, the powder collection container 16 is replaced with the powder box 213a.

[0065] The powder production process in the powder processing apparatus 100 is performed before the modeling process in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200. As described above, the powder processing apparatus 100 applies a voltage between the pair of electrode configurations 14, and when the grooves 111 of the rotor 11, in which the powder 50 is placed, pass through the pair of electrode configurations 14, the voltage distorts the oxide film 52 of the powder 50. If the powder production process is performed during the modeling of the three-dimensional model 201, the electron beam 211a from the electron gun 211 may be affected by the voltage applied by the powder processing apparatus 100, which may result in the failure to model the desired three-dimensional model 201. For this reason, the powder production process is performed before the modeling of the three-dimensional model 201.

[0066] Examples of the powder 50 used in the third embodiment include titanium, titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V, copper, copper alloys, and stainless steel. The powder 50 may be aluminum, aluminum alloys such as AlSi10Mg, titanium-aluminum alloys, tantalum (Ta) alloys, Inconel (registered trademark), Invar (registered trademark), Super Invar, cobalt-chromium (CoCr) alloys, Hastelloy (registered trademark), chromium-molybdenum (CrMo) steel, tungsten (W) alloys, or CoCrFeMnNi high-entropy alloys. The powder 50 used in the third embodiment may be metals or alloys other than those exemplified here.

[0067] The three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 also has a control device 217 that controls the entire three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200. The control device 217 controls the electron gun 211 by outputting a control signal to the electron gun 211. The electron gun 211 controls the emission and stop of emission of the electron beam 211a and the energy of the electron beam 211a in accordance with the control signal. The electron gun 211 adjusts the height position at which the electron beam 211a is converged in accordance with the control signal.

[0068] Furthermore, the electron gun 211 adjusts the irradiation position of the electron beam 211a in accordance with the control signal. In one example, CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data, which is design data for the three-dimensional object 201, is input to the control device 217. The control device 217 generates two-dimensional slice data based on the CAD data. The slice data represents the cross-sectional shape of the three-dimensional object 201 for each layer stacked in the height direction. The control device 217 determines the irradiation position of the electron beam 211a based on the slice data, and outputs a control signal including an instruction for the irradiation position.

[0069] Furthermore, the control device 217 controls the operation of the powder processing device 100 by outputting a control signal to the powder processing device 100. Before performing the modeling process in the three-dimensional modeling device 200, the control device 217 gives the powder processing device 100 an instruction for the powder production process. As a result, the powder processing device 100 performs the powder production process described in the first embodiment and supplies the processed powder 50P to the powder box 213a. When the powder production process is completed, the control unit 17 of the powder processing device 100 turns off the power supply 15 and outputs a signal indicating the completion of the powder production process to the control device 217. When the control device 217 receives the signal indicating the completion of the powder production process, it determines that it is ready to perform the three-dimensional modeling process and performs the three-dimensional modeling process.

[0070] Furthermore, the control device 217 controls the recoater 213b by outputting a control signal to the recoater 213b. The recoater 213b moves horizontally in accordance with the control signal. The control device 217 controls the lift stage 215 by outputting a control signal to the lift stage 215. The lift stage 215 moves vertically in accordance with the control signal. The control device 217 adjusts the height position of the base plate 216 by controlling the lift stage 215.

[0071] Next, a description will be given of a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object 201 using the above-described three-dimensional printing apparatus 200. The method for manufacturing the three-dimensional object 201 involves spreading powder 50 in a printing area 202 inside a chamber 210, irradiating the powder 50 with an electron beam 211a, and melting and solidifying the powder 50 to form the three-dimensional object 201.

[0072] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure of the method for manufacturing a three-dimensional structure according to the third embodiment. First, a powder manufacturing process is performed for the powder 50 used in manufacturing the three-dimensional structure 201 (step S31). The control device 217 outputs a control signal to the powder processing apparatus 100, causing the powder processing apparatus 100 to execute the powder manufacturing method shown in FIG. 7 of the first embodiment. At this time, in step S11 of FIG. 7, the powder 50 is introduced into the powder supply container 13 disposed inside the chamber 210. Then, the interior of the chamber 210 is evacuated to a predetermined vacuum level by a vacuum pump. Then, the processing from step S12 onward of FIG. 7 is executed. In step S13, the powder 50 from the powder supply container 13 is supplied to the groove 111 provided in the surface of the side of the rotor 11, and the rotor 11 is rotated around the rotation axis 11a so that the groove 111 passes between the pair of electrode components 14 and the powder 50 in the groove 111 is supplied to the powder supplying means 213 disposed inside the chamber 210. 7, processed powder 50P in which the oxide film 52 is distorted is supplied to the powder box 213a. Also, the application of voltage between the pair of electrode components 14 by the power source 15 is stopped.

[0073] Next, the processed powder 50P supplied from the powder supply means 213 is spread evenly in the modeling area 202 to form a powder layer (step S32). Specifically, the processed powder 50P is supplied from the powder box 213a onto the platform 212a. Thereafter, the recoater 213b is moved horizontally in an area including the modeling area 202 to spread the processed powder 50P evenly on the base plate 216, thereby forming a powder layer in the recess formed by the lift stage 215 and the powder bed wall 212. The control device 217 outputs a control signal to the recoater 213b, thereby controlling the operation of the recoater 213b. The process of step S32 corresponds to a powder layer forming process.

[0074] Thereafter, the fabrication area 202 is irradiated with a preheating electron beam 211a to preheat the powder layer (step S33). The irradiation of the preheating electron beam 211a in step S33 heats the powder 50 in advance before fabricating the three-dimensional object 201. The control device 217 outputs a control signal to the electron gun 211, thereby controlling the emission and deflection of the electron beam 211a from the electron gun 211, and as a result, the irradiation position of the electron beam 211a is controlled. The processed powder 50P on the base plate 216 is irradiated with the electron beam 211a, so that the processed powder 50P is heated. For example, in the preheating process, the processed powder 50P is heated to a temperature at which the processed powder 50P does not melt. Note that the irradiation of the preheating electron beam 211a may be performed as needed. The process of step S33 corresponds to a preheating process.

[0075] Next, the control device 217 irradiates the powder layer with the electron beam 211a for melting based on the generated slice data, thereby forming one modeling layer (step S34). In one example, the control device 217 determines an irradiation area of ​​the processed powder 50P to be irradiated with the electron beam 211a based on the slice data. Then, the control device 217 causes the electron gun 211 to irradiate the electron beam 211a according to the irradiation area. The processed powder 50P in the irradiation area irradiated with the electron beam 211a melts and solidifies, and becomes a part of the modeling layer that constitutes the three-dimensional model 201, unlike the processed powder 50P not irradiated with the electron beam 211a. The process of step S34 corresponds to the electron beam irradiation process.

[0076] In the irradiation of the treated powder 50P with the preheating electron beam 211a in step S33 and the melting electron beam 211a in step S34, the powder layer is made of the treated powder 50P, i.e., the treated powder 50P has a reduced impedance. Therefore, electrons from the irradiated electron beam 211a are not trapped in the treated powder 50P, preventing the treated powder 50P from becoming charged. As a result, the occurrence of the smoke phenomenon is suppressed during irradiation with the electron beam 211a.

[0077] Thereafter, the control device 217 determines whether or not the formation of the three-dimensional object 201 is completed (step S35). In one example, if the three-dimensional object 201 has not reached the desired height, it determines that the formation is not completed. Step S35 corresponds to the determination step.

[0078] If the formation of the three-dimensional object 201 is not complete (No in step S35), the control device 217 lowers the lifting stage 215 by the height of one layer (step S36), and the process returns to step S32. The process in step S36 corresponds to a stage lowering process. Then, the procedures from step S32 to step S36 are repeated until the formation of all layers of the three-dimensional object 201 is complete.

[0079] When the formation of all layers is completed, that is, when the formation of the three-dimensional object 201 is completed (Yes in step S35), the control device 217 determines that the manufacture of the three-dimensional object 201 is completed, and the process ends.

[0080] Next, a description will be given of the hardware configuration of the control device 217. The functions of the control device 217 are realized by executing a control program, which is a program for controlling the 3D printing device 200, using hardware.

[0081] 13 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of a control device included in the layered manufacturing apparatus according to embodiment 3. The control device 217 has a CPU 301 that executes various processes, a RAM 302 that includes a data storage area, a ROM 303 that is a non-volatile memory, a storage device 304, and an input / output interface 305 for inputting information to the control device 217 and outputting information from the control device 217. The components shown in FIG. 13 are connected to each other via a bus 306.

[0082] The CPU 301 executes a program stored in the ROM 303 or the storage device 304. The overall control of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 by the control device 217 is realized using the CPU 301.

[0083] The storage device 304 is a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). The storage device 304 stores a control program and various data. The ROM 303 stores a boot loader such as a basic input / output system (BIOS) or a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI), which is a basic control program for the computer or controller that is the control device 217, and software or a program that controls the hardware. The control program may be stored in the ROM 303.

[0084] The programs stored in the ROM 303 and the storage device 304 are loaded into the RAM 302. The CPU 301 loads the control programs into the RAM 302 and executes various processes. The input / output interface 305 is an interface for connecting the control device 217 to devices external to the control device 217. Machining programs, CAD data, etc. are input to the input / output interface 305. The input / output interface 305 also outputs various commands. The control device 217 may have input devices such as a keyboard and a pointing device, and an output device such as a display.

[0085] The control program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The control device 217 may store the control program stored in the storage medium in the storage device 304. The storage medium may be a portable storage medium such as a flexible disk, or a flash memory such as a semiconductor memory. The control program may be installed in the computer or controller that becomes the control device 217 from another computer or server device via a communication network.

[0086] The functions of the control device 217 may be realized by a processing circuit, which is dedicated hardware for controlling the 3D printing device 200. The processing circuit is a single circuit, a composite circuit, a programmed processor, a parallel programmed processor, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or a combination thereof. Some of the functions of the control device 217 may be realized by dedicated hardware, and other parts may be realized by software or firmware.

[0087] In the third embodiment, a three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 includes a powder processing apparatus 100 configured without the powder collection container 16 described in the first embodiment inside a chamber 210. Before the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 produces a three-dimensional model 201, a powder production process is performed to distort the oxide film 52 of the powder 50, and the processed powder 50P is sequentially supplied to a powder box 213a. In the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200, the processed powder 50P with reduced impedance is spread all over the surface. Even when the processed powder 50P is irradiated with an electron beam 211a, the processed powder 50P is conductive and therefore does not become charged, thereby suppressing the occurrence of smoke.

[0088] In the technology described in Patent Document 1, the ball mill or jet mill is disposed outside the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200. After the grinding process in the ball mill or jet mill is completed, the container must be removed from the respective device and transferred to the powder box 213a in the chamber 210 of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200. In particular, in the case of the ball mill, the container containing the ground powder 50 must be transferred. Thus, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has a problem in that it takes time and effort to supply the ground powder 50 to the powder box 213a of the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200. On the other hand, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment, the powder collection container 16 of the powder processing apparatus 100 is the powder box 213a inside the chamber 210. Therefore, after the powder production process in the powder processing apparatus 100 is completed, the processed powder 50P can be supplied to the powder box 213a. That is, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment, it is possible to supply the processed powder 50P to the powder box 213a with fewer steps than in the case of Patent Document 1.

[0089] Furthermore, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, the processed powder 50P is exposed to the atmosphere and is likely to be affected by oxidation to some extent. However, in the three-dimensional modeling apparatus 200 according to the third embodiment, the powder processing apparatus 100 is placed inside the evacuated chamber 210, and therefore the processed powder 50P after the powder manufacturing process is not exposed to the atmosphere until it is supplied to the powder box 213a.

[0090] The configurations shown in the above embodiments are merely examples, and may be combined with other known technologies, or different embodiments may be combined with each other. It is also possible to omit or modify parts of the configurations as long as they do not deviate from the gist of the invention.

[0091] Various aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below as appendices.

[0092] [Appendix 1] a columnar or cylindrical rotor having a groove on a side surface thereof extending in the direction of the rotation axis; a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotating body around the rotation axis; a powder supply container for supplying metal powder to the groove of the rotor; a pair of first electrode components provided on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis at positions through which the groove portion passes as the rotor rotates; a power source that applies a voltage between the pair of first electrode components; Equipped with 10. A powder processing apparatus, comprising: a rotating body, the side surface of which is made of an insulating material from the surface to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove; [Appendix 2] a powder collection container that collects the metal powder disposed in the groove of the rotor; a pair of second electrode components provided on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis at a position through which the groove portion passes as the rotor rotates; an impedance measuring unit connected to the pair of second electrode configurations and configured to measure the impedance between the pair of second electrode configurations; Equipped with 2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of second electrode components are arranged downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor from the pair of first electrode components on a path along which the metal powder travels from when it is supplied from the powder supply container to the groove portion until it is collected by the powder collection container. [Appendix 3] 3. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit that determines whether it is necessary to re-apply voltage to the metal powder collected in the powder collection container, based on a measurement result of impedance by the impedance measurement unit of the metal powder transported from the powder supply container to the powder collection container by the groove portion of the rotating body. [Appendix 4] The powder processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the pair of first electrode components are conductive members provided at both ends of the rotating body in the direction of the rotation axis so as to contact the bottom surface of the rotating body. [Appendix 5] The pair of first electrode components are a pair of embedded electrode portions that are conductive members embedded in both ends of the groove portion in the direction of the rotation axis; a pair of brush portions, which are conductive members arranged on the outsides of both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis and contact the pair of embedded electrode portions, respectively; 4. A powder processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising: [Appendix 6] The powder processing apparatus described in any one of appendices 1 to 5, characterized in that the voltage is a voltage between a first threshold value, which is the lowest value of voltage applied to each metal powder that can distort the oxide film on the surface of the metal powder, and a second threshold value, which is the value of voltage applied to each metal powder when the oxide film on the surface of the metal powder between adjacent metal powders is destroyed. [Appendix 7] 1. A three-dimensional modeling apparatus that irradiates an electron beam onto metal powder spread in a modeling area to melt and solidify the metal powder to form a three-dimensional model, an electron gun that emits the electron beam; a powder bed wall surrounding a building area where building is performed by irradiating the electron beam; a powder processing device according to claim 1; a powder supplying means for supplying the metal powder, which is input from the powder processing apparatus and processed by the powder processing apparatus, to the manufacturing area; A three-dimensional modeling apparatus comprising: [Appendix 8] a powder charging step of charging metal powder into a powder supply container; a voltage applying step of applying a voltage between the pair of first electrode components; a rotating step of supplying the metal powder from the powder supply container to a groove portion extending in a direction of a rotation axis of a columnar or cylindrical rotor provided on a surface of a side surface of the rotor, and rotating the rotor around the rotation axis so that the groove portion passes between the pair of first electrode components provided on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis; Including, A powder manufacturing method, characterized in that the portion of the side surface of the rotor from the surface to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove is made of an insulating material. [Appendix 9] A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object, comprising: spreading metal powder in a manufacturing area inside a chamber; irradiating the metal powder with an electron beam; and melting and solidifying the metal powder to form a three-dimensional object, a powder charging step of charging the metal powder into a powder supply container disposed within the chamber; a voltage applying step of applying a voltage between the pair of first electrode components; a rotating step of rotating the rotor around the rotation axis such that the metal powder from the powder supply container is supplied to a groove portion provided on a side surface of a columnar or cylindrical rotor, the groove portion extending in a direction of the rotation axis of the rotor, the groove portion passing between the pair of first electrode components provided on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis, and the metal powder in the groove portion is supplied to a powder supply means disposed inside the chamber; a voltage application stopping step of stopping the application of voltage between the pair of first electrode components; a rotation stopping step of stopping the rotation of the rotating body; a powder layer forming step of forming a powder layer by evenly spreading the metal powder supplied from the powder supply means in the building area; an electron beam irradiation step of irradiating the powder layer with the electron beam; Including, The method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object, wherein the rotating body is made of an insulating material from the surface of the side surface to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 10, 10A, 10B, 100 Powder processing device, 11 Rotating body, 11a Rotating shaft, 12 Rotating mechanism, 13 Powder supply container, 14, 18 Electrode configuration section, 15 Power supply, 16 Powder collection container, 17 Control section, 19 Impedance measurement section, 50, 50a, 50b Powder, 50A Treated powder, 50P Treated powder, 51 Center section, 52 Oxide film, 111 Groove section, 131 Supply port, 132 Edge section, 141 Embedded electrode section, 142 Brush section, 200 Three-dimensional modeling device, 201 Three-dimensional model, 202 Modeling area, 210 Chamber, 211 Electron gun, 211a Electron beam, 212 Powder bed wall, 212a Base section, 213 Powder supply means, 213a Powder box, 213b Recoater, 214 Electron gun chamber, 215 lifting stage, 216 base plate, 217 control device.

Claims

1. a columnar or cylindrical rotor having a groove on a side surface thereof extending in the direction of the rotation axis; a rotation mechanism that rotates the rotating body around the rotation axis; a powder supply container for supplying metal powder to the groove of the rotor; a pair of first electrode components provided on both ends of the rotating body in the direction of the rotation axis at positions through which the groove portion passes as the rotating body rotates; a power source that applies a voltage between the pair of first electrode components; Equipped with 10. A powder processing apparatus, comprising: a rotating body, the side surface of which is made of an insulating material from the surface to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove;

2. a powder collection container that collects the metal powder disposed in the groove of the rotor; a pair of second electrode components provided on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis at positions through which the groove portion passes as the rotor rotates; an impedance measuring unit connected to the pair of second electrode configurations and configured to measure the impedance between the pair of second electrode configurations; Equipped with 2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of second electrode components are arranged downstream in the rotation direction of the rotor from the pair of first electrode components on a path along which the metal powder is supplied from the powder supply container to the groove portion and collected by the powder collection container.

3. 3. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit that determines whether it is necessary to re-apply voltage to the metal powder collected in the powder collection container, based on a measurement result of impedance by the impedance measurement unit of the metal powder transported from the powder supply container to the powder collection container by the groove portion of the rotating body.

4. 2. The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pair of first electrode components are conductive members provided at both ends of the rotating body in the direction of the rotation axis so as to contact the bottom surface of the rotating body.

5. The pair of first electrode components are a pair of embedded electrode portions that are conductive members embedded in both ends of the groove portion in the direction of the rotation axis; a pair of brush portions, which are conductive members arranged on the outsides of both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis and contact the pair of embedded electrode portions, respectively; The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

6. The powder processing apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the voltage is a voltage between a first threshold value, which is the lowest value of voltage applied to each metal powder that can distort the oxide film on the surface of the metal powder, and a second threshold value, which is the value of voltage applied to each metal powder when the oxide film on the surface of the metal powder between adjacent metal powders is destroyed.

7. 1. A three-dimensional modeling apparatus that irradiates an electron beam onto metal powder spread in a modeling area to melt and solidify the metal powder to form a three-dimensional model, an electron gun that emits the electron beam; a powder bed wall surrounding a building area where building is performed by irradiating the electron beam; The powder processing apparatus according to claim 1; a powder supplying means for supplying the metal powder, which is input from the powder processing apparatus and processed by the powder processing apparatus, to the manufacturing area; A three-dimensional modeling apparatus comprising:

8. a powder charging step of charging metal powder into a powder supply container; a voltage applying step of applying a voltage between the pair of first electrode components; a rotating step in which the metal powder from the powder supply container is supplied to a groove portion extending in a direction of a rotation axis of a columnar or cylindrical rotating body, the groove portion being provided on a surface of a side surface of the rotating body, and the rotating body is rotated around the rotation axis so that the groove portion passes between the pair of first electrode components provided on both ends of the rotating body in the direction of the rotation axis; Including, A powder manufacturing method, characterized in that the portion of the side surface of the rotor from the surface to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove is made of an insulating material.

9. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object, comprising: spreading metal powder in a manufacturing area inside a chamber; irradiating the metal powder with an electron beam; and melting and solidifying the metal powder to form a three-dimensional object, a powder charging step of charging the metal powder into a powder supply container disposed within the chamber; a voltage applying step of applying a voltage between the pair of first electrode components; a rotating step of rotating the rotor around the rotation axis such that the metal powder from the powder supply container is supplied to a groove portion provided on a surface of a side surface of a columnar or cylindrical rotor, the groove portion extending in a direction of the rotation axis of the rotor, the groove portion passing between the pair of first electrode components provided on both ends of the rotor in the direction of the rotation axis, and the metal powder in the groove portion is supplied to a powder supply means disposed inside the chamber; a voltage application stopping step of stopping the application of voltage between the pair of first electrode configurations; a rotation stopping step of stopping the rotation of the rotating body; a powder layer forming step of forming a powder layer by evenly spreading the metal powder supplied from the powder supply means in the building area; an electron beam irradiation step of irradiating the powder layer with the electron beam; Including, The method for manufacturing a three-dimensional object, wherein the rotating body is made of an insulating material from the surface of the side surface to at least the depth of the bottom of the groove.

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