Manufacturing system for toroidal propeller for vessels, toroidal propeller for vessels, manufacturing method therefor, drawing creation method for toroidal propeller for vessels, server, and program

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a toroidal propeller with a shape that can be optimized according to the type and size of vessel, such as a ship, and that can be manufactured inexpensively at a large scale. The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing system for a toroidal propeller for a vessel, the system including a wire DED 3D printer and being capable of forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using the 3D printer.

Description

Manufacturing system for toroidal propellers for mobility, toroidal propellers for mobility, manufacturing method thereof, drawing creation method for toroidal propellers for mobility, server, and program

[0001] The present invention relates to a manufacturing system for a toroidal propeller for mobility, a toroidal propeller for mobility, a manufacturing method thereof, a drawing creation method for a toroidal propeller for mobility, a server, and a program.

[0002] CO2 of ships around the world ２ Emissions amount to 1.05 billion tons, accounting for 3.3% of the total, making decarbonization an urgent issue. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has set a goal of improving fuel efficiency by 40% by 2030 compared to 2008 (Non-Patent Document 1). According to the IMO, approximately 90% of global trade volume relies on maritime transport, and it has been reported that fuel costs alone amount to more than 2 billion yen per year for a single large ship, and approximately 19 trillion yen per year worldwide (Non-Patent Document 2).

[0003] In recent years, high-performance propellers have become increasingly important, and propeller performance is examined using various analysis tools. Performance can be greatly affected by how precisely and smoothly the defined shape can be processed.

[0004] IMO's work to cut GHG emissions from ships (URL: https: / / www.imo.org / en / MediaCentre / HotTopics / Pages / Cutting-GHG-emissions.aspx) Report of fuel oil consumption data submitted to the IMO Ship Fuel Oil Consumption Database in GISIS (Reporting year: 2021) (URL: https: / / wwwcdn.imo.org / localresources / en / OurWork / Environment / Documents / Air%20pollution / MEPC%2079-6-1%20-%20Report%20of %20fuel%20oil%20consumption%20data%20submitted%20to%20the%20IMO%20Ship%20Fuel%20Oil%20ConsumptionDatabase...%20(Secretariat).pdf)

[0005] However, propellers with shapes defined to achieve high performance are generally more difficult to manufacture than conventional products. In recent years, the shapes of propeller blades have become more complex, and the number of shapes that are difficult to cast and process is increasing.

[0006] Among these, toroidal propellers have been attracting attention in recent years as a technology for improving fuel efficiency. A toroidal propeller is a propeller with a donut-shaped ring structure.

[0007] Conventionally, propellers are manufactured using a casting and cutting process, but this process is not suitable for manufacturing propellers with complex three-dimensional shapes. In particular, when attempting to manufacture a complex-shaped toroidal propeller using a casting and cutting process, the complex shape increases the manufacturing cost. Furthermore, the larger the toroidal propeller, the higher the production cost. Furthermore, there are very few facilities capable of holding and pouring tens of tons of molten metal, and it is necessary to modify existing propeller manufacturing facilities. Manufacturing the base material that serves as the prototype for the complex toroidal shape is also extremely costly. Furthermore, it is necessary to optimize the shape of the toroidal propeller depending on the type and size of the ship. As such, toroidal propellers are very expensive using existing manufacturing methods, making it difficult to scale them up. It is also virtually impossible to optimize the shape of the toroidal propeller depending on the type and size of the ship. Therefore, there are currently no toroidal propellers for large ships or manufacturing facilities for them.

[0008] Therefore, there is a need for manufacturing technology for toroidal propellers that can be optimized in shape according to the type and size of mobility such as ships, and that are inexpensive and can accommodate larger sizes.

[0009] The gist of the present invention is as follows: (1) A manufacturing system for toroidal propellers for mobility, comprising a wire-DED 3D printer, capable of forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using the 3D printer. (2) The manufacturing system described in (1) above, wherein the 3D printer includes a scannable robot arm, a robot head connected to the robot arm, a heat source provided on the robot head, a holder capable of holding a substrate, and a wire supply device, the heat source being configured to heat and melt the wire supplied from the wire supply device, and the robot head being configured to deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source onto the substrate held in the holder while being scanned together with the robot arm. (3) The manufacturing system described in (2) above, wherein the substrate is a shaft portion of the toroidal propeller, and the 3D printer deposits material from the shaft portion, which is the substrate, toward the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller, and forms an integrated toroidal-shaped blade by joining two paired blade portions that split at the shaft portion at the outer periphery. (4) The manufacturing system according to (3), wherein the 3D printer further includes a first storage device and a first processing device, and the first processing device controls the robot arm and the robot head based on the model information of the toroidal propeller stored in the first storage device. (5) The manufacturing system further includes a server having a second storage device and a second processing device, and wherein the server performs the following steps (a) to (f): (a) generating a plurality of models of similar shapes that differ from the basic model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device, (b) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the basic model is mounted on the mobility and the propeller performance when the plurality of models of similar shapes are mounted on the mobility, and (c) determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail.(d) if all of the propeller performances fail, generating multiple models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, and performing a fluid analysis simulation on the propeller performance when the multiple models with similar shapes but with differences from the model with high propeller performance are mounted; (e) if a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the accepted model; and (f) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing. (6) The system further comprises a server having a second storage device and a second processing device, and the server performs the following steps (A) to (L): (A) generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting a second difference parameter between the model with high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models and the first model, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model with high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable;(G) if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model of the plurality of third models having high third propeller performance and a model of the plurality of second models having high second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model of the high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model whose propeller performance passes is obtained; (K) if an nth model whose nth propeller performance passes is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more; (L) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing. (7) The manufacturing system described in (6) above, wherein the first model includes 3D-CAD drawing data including a first configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shank diameter, shank length, and material. (8) The manufacturing system described in (6) or (7) above, wherein the plurality of second models have the first difference in a second configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shank diameter, shank length, and material. (9) A manufacturing system described in any of (6) to (8) above, wherein the plurality of third models have the second difference in a third configuration including at least one of the shape of the toroidal propeller, the number of blades, the propeller length, the thickness, the curvature, the surface properties of the blades, the gap, the diameter of the shaft, the length of the shaft, and the material.(10) The manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (9), wherein the plurality of fourth models have the third difference in a fourth configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shank diameter, shank length, and material. (11) The manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (10), wherein the first propeller performance, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance include evaluation of fuel economy, vibration, noise, or a combination thereof of a mobility vehicle equipped with the toroidal propeller. (12) The manufacturing system according to (11), wherein a pass or fail determination of the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance is made based on the evaluation. (13) The manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (12) above, wherein generating the third model includes extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model among the plurality of second models that has the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of third models having the second difference based on the model with the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter. (14) The manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (13) above, wherein generating the fourth model includes extracting a third difference parameter between the model among the plurality of third models that has the highest third propeller performance and the model among the plurality of second models that has the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having the third difference based on the model with the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter. (15) A manufacturing system described in any one of (6) to (14) above, wherein creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed model includes creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the model with the highest propeller performance among the passed models.(16) The manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (15), wherein generating the plurality of second models includes, when data of the first model is input to the second storage device, generating the plurality of second models by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shank diameter, shank length, and material. (17) The manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (16), wherein generating the plurality of third models includes, when the model with the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters are input to the second storage device, generating the plurality of third models by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shank diameter, shank length, and material. (18) The manufacturing system according to any one of (6) to (17), wherein generating the plurality of fourth models includes, when the model with the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameters are input to the second storage device, generating the plurality of fourth models by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shank diameter, shank length, and material. (19) The manufacturing system according to any one of (1) to (18), wherein the toroidal propeller has a diameter of 2000 mm or more. (20) The manufacturing system according to any one of (1) to (19), wherein the mobility is a ship or an aircraft. (21) The manufacturing system according to any one of (1) to (19), wherein the mobility is a large ship or a gigantic ship. (22) A toroidal propeller for mobility having a diameter of 2000 mm or more. (23) The toroidal propeller for mobility according to (22), wherein the mobility is a ship or an aircraft. (24) The toroidal propeller for mobility according to (22), wherein the mobility is a large ship or a gigantic ship.(25) A method for manufacturing a toroidal propeller for mobility, including forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using a wire-DED 3D printer. (26) A drawing creation method for a wire-DED type 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility, comprising: (A) generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (D) if all of the second propeller performances are fail, extracting a second difference parameter between the model with high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models and the first model, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model with high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the third propeller performance when the generated plurality of third models are mounted on the mobility. (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances are unacceptable, extracting a third difference parameter between a model of the plurality of third models having high third propeller performance and a model of the plurality of second models having high second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model of high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances are unacceptable, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained;(K) When an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the passed nth model for the 3D printer, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 2. (27) A drawing creation method including: (A) a second model generation means that generates a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis means that performs a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination means that determines whether the second propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails; (D) a third model generation means for extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) a third propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation on third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination means for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails; (G) a fourth model generation means for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the third propeller performances have failed, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility;(I) a fourth propeller performance determination means for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (J) a repeating means for repeating (G) to (I) above until a model with passable propeller performance is obtained if all of the fourth propeller performances are passable; and (K) a drawing creation means for creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passable nth model when an nth model with passable nth propeller performance is obtained, where n is an integer of 2 or greater. (28) A server in a drawing creation system for a wire-DED type 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility includes: (A) a second model generation process for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted; and (C) a second propeller performance determination process for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable. (D) a third model generation process for extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) a third propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation on third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination process for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails;(G) a fourth model generation process for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, if all of the third propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination process for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails; (J) a repetitive process for repeating (G) to (I) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, until a model having passable propeller performance is obtained; (K) When an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, a drawing creation process is performed to create a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2. A program that executes the process.

[0010] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a toroidal propeller that can be optimized in shape according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, and that is inexpensive and can be made large.

[0011] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wire DED printer 100. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the manufacturing process of a toroidal propeller 50 using the wire DED printer 100. FIG. 3 is a general flow chart of the manufacturing process of a toroidal propeller using a wire DED printer. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of a toroidal propeller 50. FIG. 5 is a schematic front view of a toroidal propeller 50. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a toroidal propeller 50. FIG. 7 is a schematic front view of a screw propeller. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing process of a toroidal propeller using a wire DED printer. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of the manufacturing system 10. FIG. 10 is a photograph of the appearance of two stainless steel blades 521 being formed on the surface of a stainless steel shaft 54 ​​in Example 1. Fig. 11 is a photograph of the appearance of a toroidal propeller in which two blade portions 521 are joined to form blades 52 by continuing build-up from the state shown in Fig. 10. Fig. 12 is a photograph of the appearance of the toroidal propeller of Fig. 11 observed from the axial direction. Fig. 13 is a model diagram of the toroidal propeller produced in Example 2. Fig. 14 is a model diagram of the screw propeller produced in Reference Example 1. Fig. 15 is a graph showing the thrust measurement results of the toroidal propeller produced in Example 2 and the propeller produced in Reference Example 1.

[0012] The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing system for toroidal propellers for mobility, which includes a wire-DED (Direct Energy Deposition) type 3D printer and is capable of forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using the 3D printer.

[0013] According to the manufacturing system of the present disclosure (also referred to as the present manufacturing system), a device equipped with a wire-DED type 3D printer (hereinafter also referred to as a wire-DED printer or a 3D printer) can be included, and it is possible to optimize the shape according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, and to inexpensively manufacture not only small but also large toroidal propellers.

[0014] A conventional screw propeller 60 shown in Figure 7 generates lift as the blades 61 rotate, and uses that lift as propulsion. Lift is generated by negative pressure on the upper surface of the rotating blades 61 and positive pressure on the lower surface. When this pressure difference collides at the end of the blades 61, a vortex called a tip vortex is generated, and it is known that the larger the tip vortex, the more adversely it affects the blade's lift. It is also known that when tip vortices are generated in water, a phenomenon called cavitation occurs, in which the negative pressure causes water to change phase and become gas. When cavitation occurs, propulsion power rapidly deteriorates.

[0015] In contrast, a toroidal propeller does not have blade tips where pressure differences collide. Figure 4 shows a schematic side view of a toroidal propeller 50. Figure 5 shows a schematic front view of a toroidal propeller 50. Figure 6 shows a schematic perspective view of a toroidal propeller 50.

[0016] The toroidal shape of the toroidal propeller 50 means that the blades 52 on the shaft 54 ​​have a closed ring shape, eliminating the collision of positive and negative pressures, suppressing the generation of wingtip vortices and minimizing adverse effects on lift generation. When the toroidal propeller 50 is used underwater, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of cavitation, which makes it difficult for efficiency to decrease even when the rotation speed is increased, enabling highly efficient thrust generation.

[0017] Fluid analysis and thrust (propulsive force) evaluation of a propeller may be performed using a full-scale or miniature model. In engineering design, particularly in ship design, verification has traditionally been performed using miniature models, such as 1 / 100 scale models. It is known that in fluid analysis and thrust measurement, when the Reynolds number, a variable parameter, is substantially equal, the engineering scaling law holds, and verification using a miniature model can be applied to a large model.

[0018] On the other hand, the toroidal propeller 50 has blades 52 on the shaft 54 ​​that are shaped like a closed ring, and if you try to form a toroidal shape consisting of such a closed circuit using conventional casting and cutting processes, it is likely to produce voids, and in the cutting process, there may be areas that the drill cannot reach. In contrast, a wire DED printer can inexpensively manufacture toroidal propellers with shapes that are difficult to reproduce using conventional casting and cutting processes, and it is possible to optimize the shape according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, making it possible to inexpensively manufacture even large toroidal propellers.

[0019] This manufacturing system enables optimization of the shape according to the type and size of mobility such as a ship, and enables the low-cost manufacture of large toroidal propellers for mobility. This manufacturing system makes it possible to obtain, at low cost, toroidal propellers for mobility with diameters preferably of 2000 mm or more, more preferably 2500 mm or more, and even more preferably 3000 mm or more. The diameter of a toroidal propeller is the diameter of the circle traced by the tips of the blades 52 when the propeller rotates once.

[0020] In this application, mobility refers to a moving body that obtains thrust from a propeller, and can be manned or unmanned. This manufacturing system can manufacture not only small but also large toroidal propellers, so the toroidal propellers manufactured by this manufacturing system can be used for various mobility applications, preferably ships or aircraft, including large ships and giant ships. Examples of ships include cargo ships, passenger ships, fishing boats, patrol boats, fireboats, escort ships, submarines, and work boats. Examples of aircraft include small flying objects such as airplanes, drones, and hoverbikes. A large ship refers to a ship with a gross tonnage of 20 tons or more, and a giant ship refers to a ship with a total length of 200 meters or more.

[0021] Wire-DED printers, also known as directed energy deposition (DED) printers, are a type of 3D printer that uses thermal energy to melt, bond, and deposit materials.

[0022] As shown schematically in FIG. 1, the wire DED printer 100 may include a scannable robot arm 1, a robot head 2 connected to the robot arm 1, a heat source 21 provided on the robot head 2, a holding portion (not shown) capable of holding a substrate, and a wire feeding device (not shown).

[0023] In the wire DED printer 100, a robot head 2 having a robot arm 1 at its end supplies raw material metal or plastic wire 22 through a nozzle using a wire feeder. Energy is applied to the wire 22 from a heat source 21 while a shielding gas is supplied to a heating and melting section 30 at the tip of the robot head 2 to heat it. The heated and melted wire material solidifies on a substrate 40 to form a buildup, which can be repeatedly layered to form a three-dimensional part. Parts can be formed at various angles by moving and / or rotating the substrate 40. The substrate 40 may be a separate component from the part, or it may be part of the part. The robot arm 1 and the robot head 2 may be connected or integrated. The robot arm 1 and the robot head 2 may be one or more. The heat source 21 may be a laser, an arc, an electron beam, or plasma. The heat source 21 may be one or more. The heat source 21 may be a combination of multiple types of heat sources. The heat source 21 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a laser oscillator.

[0024] Arcs include electric arcs and plasma arcs, which are relatively difficult to control precisely, but have a high amount of energy and can melt a large amount of wire material, thereby enabling a faster deposition rate. Electron beams have a high amount of energy and can be precisely controlled, but require a vacuum environment. Lasers have a relatively low amount of energy, but can be precisely controlled and do not require a vacuum environment. Shielding gases are, for example, inert gases such as argon, or a mixture of these gases. After buildup forming, post-processing such as polishing the surface of the formed blade to make it smooth may be performed.

[0025] The wire-DED method can use a heat source to melt the raw material wire, enabling additive manufacturing of large parts at a high deposition rate compared to other AM technologies such as powder bed fusion (PBF). Furthermore, compared to PBF, which involves spreading metal powder in a bath and sintering it with a laser to create a three-dimensional shape, the wire-DED method does not require expensive metal powder, does not require a bath, and is therefore not limited by bath size. Furthermore, the wire-DED method has the advantages of low cost, the ability to handle large parts, and minimal waste material, as it can use commercially available welding wire.

[0026] The wire DED printer 100 may be a large-scale robot arm-type additive manufacturing (AM) device capable of accommodating components preferably measuring 1000 mm or more, more preferably 2000 mm or more. The AM device may include a robot head on a robot arm, which may have a heat source and a wire feeder. The robot head may scan while heating and melting the wire supplied from the wire feeder with energy from the heat source, thereby cladding the wire material onto a substrate.

[0027] The wire DED printer 100 can be configured to form a toroidal propeller with closed-loop blades. The substrate can be the shaft of the toroidal propeller or the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller.

[0028] The wire-DED printer 100 can form an integrated toroidal-shaped airfoil by building up the material from the shaft portion, which is the base material, toward the outer periphery, and then splitting into two pairs of airfoils at the shaft portion, where the two pairs of airfoils meet at the outer periphery to form an integrated toroidal-shaped airfoil. The wire-DED printer 100 can be configured to ... the toroidal-shaped airfoil as described above by including a setting unit. The wire-DED printer 100 can be configured to form the toroidal-shaped airfoil as described above by connecting to a control device such as a server that has a processing unit and a memory unit that constitute the setting unit, or a server that has a processing unit and a memory unit that constitute the setting unit and a communication unit.

[0029] The wire-DED printer 100 can also form a toroidal wing by building up from the outer periphery of the substrate toward the shaft, splitting into two halves at the shaft and integrating two paired wings. The outer periphery used as the substrate can be a small piece, for example, a plate-like member with the same length and thickness as the wing to be formed and a width of approximately 5 to 50 mm. The plate-like member can be a flat or curved plate. The small piece can be made of a material that will constitute at least a portion of the outer periphery when the toroidal wing is formed, and preferably is made of a material that is the same as or similar to the material used to build up the toroidal wing. The wire-DED printer 100 can also include a second holding unit that holds the shaft. A toroidal wing can be formed by building up from the small piece held in the holding unit toward the shaft, splitting into two halves at the shaft held by the second holding unit and integrating two paired wings.

[0030] When forming a toroidal propeller using the wire DED printer 100, preferably, as shown schematically in FIG. 2, the toroidal propeller is molded from the shaft 54 ​​toward the outer periphery, and two blades 521 are joined to form an integrated closed-circuit blade 52, thereby forming the toroidal propeller 50.

[0031] Figure 10 shows a photograph of the appearance of a toroidal propeller being manufactured using this manufacturing system. This photograph shows two stainless steel blades 521 being formed on the surface of a stainless steel shaft 54, just before the blades 521 are joined together. The shaft 54 ​​can be cylindrical or cylindrical. The shaft 54 ​​may or may not have portions of the two blades pre-formed as bases for the blades.

[0032] Fig. 11 shows a photograph of the appearance of a toroidal propeller in which the build-up is continued from the state shown in Fig. 10 to join two blade portions 521 to form blade 52. Fig. 12 shows a photograph of the appearance of the toroidal propeller of Fig. 11 as viewed from the axial direction.

[0033] The toroidal shaped blades 52 can be arranged substantially coaxially around the shaft portion 54. In this manner, by molding from the shaft portion 54 toward the outer periphery and joining the two blade portions 521 at the outer periphery to form the integrated closed-circuit blades 52, it is possible to form a closed-circuit structure that is difficult to achieve with conventional casting and cutting processes.

[0034] A support material may be used, but is not necessarily required. The support material may be a plate-like member, a member surrounding the bridge portion, etc. The support material may be a member with a high melting point, such as a metal plate, a ceramic plate, or a sand casting.

[0035] Toroidal propellers have complex shapes that are difficult to manufacture, and the confluence of the blades of a toroidal propeller is an important part for achieving high performance. However, the confluence exceeds the non-support angle (overhang angle), which is the maximum tilt angle that can be formed without support material, making it difficult to form without support material. In contrast, by molding from the shaft to the outer periphery as described above and having the two blades meet at the outer periphery, an integrated toroidal blade can be easily and inexpensively formed without support material. In this way, a toroidal propeller shape with a complex shape composed of a closed circuit can be formed inexpensively.

[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 10 , the wire DED printer 100 may include a holder 70 that holds the shaft 54. The holder 70 may include a holding mechanism such as a chuck for holding the shaft 54. The holder 70 has a movement mechanism and / or a rotation mechanism, and can grasp the end of the held shaft 54 ​​to move and / or rotate the shaft 54 ​​around its axis. Movement of the shaft 54 ​​may include translating the shaft 54 ​​up, down, left, or right, and changing the angle of the axis of the shaft 54. The blades 52 may be formed while the shaft 54 ​​held by the holder 70 is moved and / or rotated around its axis.

[0037] When forming the blades 52 on the surface of the shaft 54 ​​using the wire DED printer 100, it is preferable to deposit the blades vertically downward or at a slight angle from the vertical downward relative to the surface of the shaft 54. When forming multiple blades 52 around the surface of the shaft 54, the blades 52 can be formed while rotating the shaft 54 ​​held by the holding unit around its axis. Depositing the blades vertically downward allows for more stable deposition.

[0038] When forming the blades 52 on the surface of the shaft 54 ​​using the wire DED printer 100, it is preferable to form the blades 52 in a substantially horizontal manner. By forming the blades in a substantially horizontal manner, it is possible to form the blades 52 more stably. "Substantially horizontal" means, with respect to the horizontal, preferably within ±10 degrees, more preferably within ±5 degrees, even more preferably within ±3 degrees, even more preferably within ±1 degree, and even more preferably substantially ±0 degrees.

[0039] Just before the two wings meet at their outer peripheries, the head may be tilted and / or the shaft 54 ​​may be moved and / or rotated about its axis to form an angled buildup from below in the vertical direction, in order to prevent interference (crash) of the head with the other wings when building up one wing. The bridge distance between the wings to be built up may be 2 mm or less, 1.5 mm or less, 1 mm or less, 0.5 mm or less, etc., just before the wings meet at their outer peripheries. The timing of tilting the head and the timing of moving and / or rotating the shaft 54 ​​about its axis may be adjusted depending on the size of the head. For example, electron beam heads are relatively wide and prone to interference, while arc heads are relatively thin and therefore less prone to interference.

[0040] The plurality of blades 52 may be formed in series by forming one of the blades 52 and then rotating the shaft portion 54 to form the other blades 52 .

[0041] Alternatively, multiple blades 52 may be molded in parallel, preferably axisymmetrically. When multiple blades 52, for example, three blades 52, are molded on the surface of the shaft portion 54, the three blades 52 can be molded simultaneously by gradually building up the blades 52 while rotating the shaft portion 54. If it is desired to cool the blades 52 being molded by building up the blades, the shaft portion 54 can be rotated to mold the other blades 52. Furthermore, when manufacturing a large-sized toroidal propeller, for example, one with a diameter of 2000 mm or more, the mass of the blades 52 increases and the position of the center of gravity is likely to change significantly. Therefore, in order to maintain balance, it is preferable to mold multiple blades 52 in parallel, preferably axisymmetrically, while rotating the shaft portion 54.

[0042] The wire 22 used in the wire DED printer 100 can be a metal wire conventionally used for welding. Metal wire is inexpensive and available in a wide range of materials. Examples of metal wire include stainless steel, aluminum alloys, and corrosion-resistant alloys such as nickel, copper, and nickel-copper alloys. The material of the shaft 54 ​​and the material of the blades 52 formed on at least the surface of the shaft 54 ​​can be the same or a combination of different materials that are highly weldable to each other. For example, the shaft 54 ​​and the blades 52 can be made of SUS316L. Examples of plastic wire include filaments and pellets.

[0043] The manufacturing system may include a cooling device. High durability is required for toroidal propellers installed on ships, as they may be subjected to repeated loads in a seawater environment. Therefore, it is preferable to refine the crystal grains of the structure that constitutes the shaft 54 ​​and blades 52 of the toroidal propeller. The wire DED printer 100 is capable of rapid cooling of the molded object, thereby refining the crystal grains. The cooling rate of the molded object is preferably 1×10 ３ ~1 x 10 ５ By cooling the shaped product at the above-mentioned preferred cooling rate, the crystal grains can be more effectively refined.

[0044] The manufacturing system may also include a heat treatment device. In the wire DED printer 100, heat treatment may be performed after the cooling step. Heat treatment can achieve solid solution strengthening, precipitation strengthening, work hardening, and grain size control of the structure that constitutes the shaft portion 54 and blades 52 of the toroidal propeller.

[0045] The wire DED printer 100 can be configured to adjust the build conditions, including the angle of the robot head performing build-up, the build-up welding speed, the feed speed of the wire 22 fed to the robot head 2, the build-up welding current and welding voltage, the movement direction of the robot head 2, the weaving conditions of the robot head 2, or a combination thereof. When forming a toroidal propeller 50 using the wire DED printer 100, it is preferable to perform micro-machining of the surfaces of the blades 52 while three-dimensionally printing the blades 52 to control the surface texture of the blades 52. By controlling the surface texture of the blades 52, a toroidal propeller 50 having blades 52 with excellent fluid properties can be formed. By micro-machining the surfaces of the blades 52 while three-dimensionally printing the blades 52, post-processing to control the surface texture of the blades 52 is not required, and a toroidal propeller 50 with surface texture excellent in fluid properties can be formed at low cost. The surface texture of the blades 52 can be changed by changing the build conditions of the wire DED printer 100.

[0046] The wired DED printer 100 preferably includes a first storage device, a first processing device, and a first communication device capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the outside, enabling digital quality control. The wired DED printer 100 may also include a read / write device capable of reading and writing portable media such as USB, CD, DVD, etc. The wired DED printer 100 may also include other devices such as an output device.

[0047] The first processing device can store model data transmitted from outside via the first communication device or model data input via a portable medium and a read / write device in the first storage device. The first processing device can control the robot arm and robot head to perform three-dimensional modeling based on the model information stored in the first storage device.

[0048] Preferably, the first processing device controls the robot arm 1, the robot head 2, and the holder for the substrate 40 based on model information of the toroidal propeller stored in the first storage device. The model information may include data on the shape and material of the toroidal propeller.

[0049] Control of the robot arm 1 may include control of scanning of the robot arm 1. Control of the robot head 2 may include the timing and speed of supply of the wire 22 by the wire supply device, the range, timing, and amount of energy supplied to the wire 22 by the heat source 21, and the range, timing, and amount of shielding gas supplied. Control of the holder for the substrate 40 may include moving and rotating the holder so that the substrate 40 is at a desired position and angle.

[0050] When performing three-dimensional modeling based on the program contained in the first storage device, the first processing device can form high-quality objects by highly digitally controlling four parameters: heat flow rate from the heat source 21, scanning speed, bead width, and bead thickness.

[0051] The first storage device stores programs such as a driver program, an operating system program, and an application program including an operation program for the wire-type DED printer 100. The first storage device may also store measurement data during three-dimensional modeling, including model data, process parameters, temperature, humidity, electrical resistance, image data, etc., wire material data, equipment information, peripheral model data including model data of interfering objects, and maintenance information for the wire-type DED printer 100.

[0052] The first processing device has one or more processors and their peripheral circuits. The first processing device controls the overall operation of the wired DED printer 100, and is, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit).

[0053] The first processing device executes various processes based on programs (such as driver programs, operating system programs, and application programs) stored in the first storage device. The first processing device can also execute multiple programs (such as application programs) in parallel. The first storage device may be built into the wired DED printer 100, built into another wired DED printer connected to the wired DED printer 100 via a wired or wireless connection, an external storage device connected to the wired DED printer 100 via a wired or wireless connection, or included in a server or cloud server connected to the wired DED printer 100 via a communication network such as the Internet.

[0054] The first processing device can store (memorize) model data input from an external device in a first storage device. The first processing device can also control the operation of the first storage device, the robot arm equipped with the robot head, and the holding unit so as to perform three-dimensional modeling based on the model data stored in the first storage device.

[0055] The manufacturing system may further include a server for storing and generating toroidal propeller model data, performing fluid analysis simulations on the propeller performance of the generated model, determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable, and creating a slicer drawing for a wire-DED printer of the generated model. The manufacturing system may also include a server for executing the formation of a toroidal propeller using a wire-DED printer based on the created slicer drawing. The two servers may be integrated or separate.

[0056] 9 is a schematic diagram of an example of the manufacturing system 10. The manufacturing system 10 preferably includes a wired DED printer 100 and a server 200. The server 200 may be integrated with the wired DED printer 100, or may be shared with the server of the wired DED printer 100. The wired DED printer 100 and the server 200 do not have to be connected via a network 300, but preferably, as shown in FIG. 9, the wired DED printer 100 and the server 200 are connected via the network 300.

[0057] The server 200 may include a second storage device, a second processing device, and a second communication device capable of transmitting and receiving data to and from the outside. The server 200 may be connected to a communication network such as the Internet. The server 200 may also include a read / write device capable of reading and writing portable media such as USB, CD, and DVD. The server 200 may also include other devices such as an output device.

[0058] The second storage device may have a configuration similar to that of the first storage device. The second processing device can store the model data stored in the second storage device in the first storage device via the first communication device or the read / write device of the wired DED printer. The first storage device, the first processing device, and the first communication device may be common to the second storage device, the second processing device, and the second communication device.

[0059] The server 200 may also include a read / write device capable of reading and writing portable media such as a USB, CD, DVD, etc. The model data stored and generated by the server may be transmitted to the wired DED printer 100 via a wireless or wired network, or input via a portable medium such as a USB, CD, DVD, etc.

[0060] The manufacturing system preferably further includes a server having a second storage device and a second processing device, and the server performs the following steps (a) to (f): (a) generating a plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from the basic model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (b) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the basic model is mounted on the mobility and the propeller performance when the plurality of models of similar shapes are mounted; (c) determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (d) if all of the propeller performances are unacceptable, generating a plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from a model with high propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, and performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from the model with high propeller performance are mounted; (e) if a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for a 3D printer for the accepted model; (f) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing.

[0061] Figure 3 shows a general flow of the above processes (a) to (f). By performing the above steps (a) to (f), it is possible to more easily form a large toroidal propeller that is inexpensive and has excellent propeller performance optimized for each mobility. The optimal configuration of a propeller varies depending on the mobility, and individual customization to match the mobility's type, size, engine, and other configurations may be required, which can increase the burden of the design process. However, a manufacturing system including the above steps (a) to (f) makes it possible to efficiently form a toroidal propeller optimized for each mobility to be installed.

[0062] More preferably, the manufacturing system further includes a server having a second storage device and a second processing device, and the server performs the following steps (A) to (L): (A) generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (D) if all of the second propeller performances are fail, extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model with high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model with high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (G) if all of the third propeller performances are fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model of the plurality of third models having high third propeller performance and a model of the plurality of second models having high second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model of high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained;(K) when an nth model that satisfies the nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or greater; and (L) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing.

[0063] By carrying out the steps (A) through (L) above, it is possible to more easily form a large toroidal propeller that is inexpensive and has excellent propeller performance optimized for each type of mobility. The optimal configuration of a propeller varies depending on the type of mobility, and individual customization to match the configuration of the mobility, such as the type, size, and engine, may be required, which can increase the burden of the design process. However, a manufacturing system including the steps (A) through (L) above makes it possible to efficiently form a toroidal propeller that is optimized for each type of mobility to be installed.

[0064] 3 shows an outline of the process flow for the above steps (a) to (f) and (A) to (L). The above steps (a) to (f) and (A) to (L) can be designed using a genetic algorithm. In step (a) or (A), a plurality of second models having a first difference are generated from a first model, which is a base model.

[0065] The second model has a first difference from the first model, where the first difference is multiple and the second model is correspondingly multiple, and the first difference can be a predetermined difference or a random difference.

[0066] In generating the second model, a program can be used to generate a plurality of second models so that the second models have a predetermined difference or a random difference as the first difference from the first model.

[0067] In generating the third model, a program can be used to generate multiple second models so that the second difference from the second model is a predetermined difference or a random difference. The same applies to generating the fourth and subsequent models.

[0068] The program may be a commercially available generative AI or a trained computational model that has undergone machine learning. The generative AI may be, for example, ChatGPT, Gemini, Adobe Firefly, Canva, Midjourney, etc. The trained computational model may be, for example, a trained computational model that has undergone machine learning so that, when a first model is input, multiple second models having predetermined or random differences from the first model are generated.

[0069] The first model is a basic model of a toroidal propeller. One or more first models may be prepared for each mobility.

[0070] The first model may be data including a first configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material, and may be, for example, 3D-CAD drawing data. The first configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted into data for a wire-DED printer by a second processing device.

[0071] Generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller may include generating a plurality of second models having a first difference from the first model in a first configuration.

[0072] The fluid analysis simulation in the above process can be a conventional simulation, such as Matlab (registered trademark), Autodesk CFD (registered trademark), or the like. A fluid analysis simulation can be performed on the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility vehicle and the second propeller performance when each of the multiple second models is mounted on the mobility vehicle, thereby calculating the first propeller performance and the second propeller performance corresponding to each of the multiple second models. If the second propeller performance fails, a fluid analysis simulation can be performed on the third propeller performance when each of the multiple third models is mounted on the mobility vehicle, thereby calculating the third propeller performance corresponding to each of the multiple third models. If the third propeller performance fails, a fluid analysis simulation can be performed on the fourth propeller performance when each of the multiple fourth models is mounted on the mobility vehicle, thereby calculating the fourth propeller performance corresponding to each of the multiple fourth models.

[0073] In the fluid analysis simulation, analysis can be performed including the configuration of the mobility, the configuration of the toroidal propeller installed on the mobility, and other configurations of the mobility that affect the propulsion force other than the toroidal propeller, such as the configuration of the ship's hull, rudder, side thrusters, etc.

[0074] The selection of the model with high propeller performance in step (d) or the selection of the second model with high propeller performance in step (D) may involve selecting one or more models with high propeller performance, or any model from among the multiple models with high propeller performance, for example, any of the top three models in performance, but preferably the model with the highest propeller performance is selected. The same applies to the third model with high propeller performance in step (G).

[0075] The difference is a difference between each of the plurality of models having similar shapes and the base model, and the first difference is a difference between each of the plurality of second models and the first model.

[0076] The second difference is the difference between the first model and a second model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and the second difference is also the difference between the second model having high second propeller performance that each of the plurality of third models has. The second difference is a difference corresponding to a second difference parameter. The second difference parameter is a parameterized version of the second difference between the first model and the second model having high second propeller performance.

[0077] The third difference is the difference between a third model having high third propeller performance and a second model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of third models, and the third difference is also the difference between each of the plurality of fourth models and a third model having high third propeller performance. The third difference is a difference corresponding to a third difference parameter. The third difference parameter is a parameterized version of the third difference between the third model having high third propeller performance and the second model having high second propeller performance.

[0078] FIG. 8 shows an overview of the process from steps (A) to (F) and partway through (G), and an image of the generation of a model with differences in each step.

[0079] In steps (A), (B), and (C), a plurality of second models having a first difference are generated based on a first model of the toroidal propeller, a fluid analysis simulation is performed on the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on a mobility vehicle, and the second propeller performance when the plurality of second models are mounted on a mobility vehicle, and the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is judged to be pass or fail. Figure 8 shows an example in which three second models are generated.

[0080] If all of the second propeller performances fail, in steps (D), (E), and (F), a model with high second propeller performance is selected from the multiple second models, a second difference parameter is extracted between the selected model with high second propeller performance and the first model, multiple third models having the second difference are generated based on the second model with high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter, and then a fluid analysis simulation is performed on the third propeller performance when the multiple generated third models are mounted on a mobility, and the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is determined to be pass or fail. Figure 8 shows an example in which three third models are generated.

[0081] 8 shows an example in which a second model having the highest second propeller performance is selected in step (D), and three third models having a second difference are generated based on the selected second model having the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters. Similarly, in step (G), a third model having the highest third propeller performance is selected, and three fourth models having a third difference are generated based on the selected third model having the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameters.

[0082] The number of each of the plurality of second models, the plurality of third models, and the plurality of fourth models is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 2 to 50, 4 to 40, 6 to 30, or 8 to 20 models.

[0083] The multiple models with differences are generated so as to have differences from the base model, and therefore may have similar configurations to each other. The multiple second models with a first difference are generated so as to have a first difference from the first model, and therefore may have similar configurations to each other. The multiple third models with a second difference and the multiple fourth models with a third difference may also have similar configurations to each other.

[0084] If the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation, for example, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, is equal to or greater than a predetermined standard, it is determined to pass, and if it is less than the predetermined standard, it is determined to fail. The pass standard can be stored in a second storage device of the server. The processing device of the server can determine whether each input propeller performance passes or fails based on the pass standard stored in the second storage device. The pass / fail determination can be output from an output unit of the server.

[0085] When a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, for example, an nth model with acceptable nth propeller performance including the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, a slicer drawing for a wire-DED printer is created for the passed nth model, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 2. That is, when the second, third, fourth, and nth propeller performances corresponding to the second, third, fourth, and nth models, respectively, are passed, a slicer drawing for a wire-DED printer is created for the passed model.

[0086] If all propeller performances fail, multiple models with similar shapes with differences from the model with high propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation are generated until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, and a fluid analysis simulation is performed on the propeller performance when the multiple models with similar shapes are installed. For example, if the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance all fail, the process returns to step (G), and steps (G) to (I) are repeated until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained.

[0087] The slicer drawing may include a drawing for a wire-DED printer including a 3D drawing and a three-dimensional modeling process. The drawing for a wire-DED printer may include data of a 3D-CAD drawing.

[0088] The plurality of second models preferably have a first differential configuration with respect to the first model in a second configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. The plurality of second models may include 3D-CAD drawing data including the first differential configuration. The second configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted into data for a wire-DED printer by a second processing device.

[0089] The plurality of third models preferably have a second differential configuration relative to the second model having high propeller performance in a third configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. The plurality of third models may include 3D-CAD drawing data including the second differential configuration. The third configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted by a second processing device into data for a wire-DED printer.

[0090] The plurality of fourth models preferably have a third differential configuration with respect to the third model having high propeller performance, in a fourth configuration including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material. The plurality of fourth models may include 3D-CAD drawing data including the third differential configuration. The fourth configuration may further include at least one of mass, density, and stiffness. The 3D-CAD drawing data may be converted by a second processing device into data for a wire-DED printer.

[0091] The nth propeller performance, which includes the first propeller performance, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, preferably includes an evaluation of each of the fuel economy, vibration, noise, or a combination thereof of a mobility equipped with a toroidal propeller. The evaluation can be displayed on a scale of 1 to 10 for each item, a score of 0 to 100, or the like. The evaluation can be, for example, a score obtained by expressing each of the items of fuel economy, vibration, and noise on a 10-point scale and adding up the scores obtained by multiplying each item by a weighting coefficient. The weighting coefficient can be a numerical value, for example, from 1 to 10. For example, if fuel economy is the most important factor, the weighting coefficient for fuel economy can be large.

[0092] The determination of pass or fail of the n-th propeller performance, which includes the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance, is preferably made based on the evaluation. If the evaluation is equal to or greater than a predetermined pass standard, the propeller performance is determined to be pass, and if the evaluation is less than the pass standard, the propeller performance is determined to be fail.

[0093] Preferably, generating the third model includes extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model among the plurality of second models that has the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of third models having differences based on the extracted difference parameter and the model that has the highest second propeller performance.

[0094] Preferably, generating the fourth model includes extracting a third difference parameter between a model having the highest third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having the highest second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter.

[0095] Preferably, creating a slicer drawing for a wire DED printer for the accepted models includes creating a slicer drawing for a wire DED printer for the model with the highest propeller performance among the accepted models.

[0096] Generating the plurality of second models includes generating, by the second processing device, a plurality of second models based on the first model stored in the second storage device, by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material.

[0097] Generating a plurality of third models includes the second processing device generating a plurality of third models by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material, based on the second model with the highest second propeller performance stored in the second storage device and the extracted second difference parameters.

[0098] Generating a plurality of fourth models includes the second processing device generating a plurality of fourth models by changing parameters including at least one of the toroidal propeller shape, number of blades, propeller length, thickness, curvature, blade surface texture, air gap, shaft diameter, shaft length, and material, based on the third model with the highest third propeller performance stored in the second storage device and the extracted third difference parameters.

[0099] The present disclosure is also directed to toroidal propellers for mobility applications having a diameter of 2000 mm or greater.

[0100] The mobility is preferably a ship or an aircraft, more preferably a large ship or a mega ship.

[0101] The present disclosure also relates to a manufacturing method (also referred to as the present manufacturing method) for a toroidal propeller for mobility, which includes forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using a wire-DED 3D printer. The 3D printer may include a scannable robot arm, a robot head connected to the robot arm, a heat source provided on the robot head, a holder capable of holding a substrate, and a wire supply device. The heat source is configured to heat and melt the wire supplied from the wire supply device. The robot head is configured to scan together with the robot arm and deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source onto the substrate held in the holder. The present manufacturing method may include holding the substrate, which is a shaft portion of the toroidal propeller, in the holder, and using the 3D printer to deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source from the shaft portion, which is the substrate, toward the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller, thereby forming an integrated toroidal-shaped blade by joining two paired blade portions that split at the shaft portion at the outer periphery.

[0102] The present disclosure also provides a method for creating drawings of a toroidal propeller for mobility, comprising: (A) generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the third propeller performance when the generated plurality of third models are mounted on the mobility. (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances are unacceptable, extracting a third difference parameter between a model of the plurality of third models having high third propeller performance and a model of the plurality of second models having high second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model of high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances are unacceptable, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; (K) When an nth model that satisfies the nth propeller performance is obtained, a slicer drawing for the 3D printer is created for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or greater.

[0103] The present disclosure also provides a server in a drawing creation system for toroidal propellers for mobility, comprising: (A) a second model generation means for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) a second propeller performance determination means for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (D) a third model generation means for extracting a second difference parameter between a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models and the first model, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) a third propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination means for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (G) a fourth model generation means for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models if all of the third propeller performances are fail, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination means for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) a repeating means for repeating steps (G) to (I) if all of the fourth propeller performances are unacceptable until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained;(K) When an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, a drawing creation means creates a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or greater.

[0104] The present disclosure also provides a system for creating drawings of toroidal propellers for mobility vehicles, the system including, on a server, (A) a second model generation process for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted; (C) a second propeller performance determination process for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; and (D) a third model generation process for, if all of the second propeller performances are unacceptable, extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model having a higher second propeller performance from the plurality of second models, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having a higher second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter. (E) a third propeller performance analysis process that performs a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination process that determines whether the third propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (G) a fourth model generation process that, if all of the third propeller performances fail, extracts a third difference parameter between a model of the plurality of third models with high third propeller performance and a model of the plurality of second models with high second propeller performance, and generates a plurality of fourth models with a third difference based on the model with high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis process that performs a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination process for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) a repetitive process for repeating steps (G) to (I) if all of the fourth propeller performances are unacceptable until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained;(K) When an nth model that meets the nth propeller performance standard is obtained, a drawing creation process is executed to create a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the nth model that meets the nth propeller performance standard, where n is an integer equal to or greater than 2. This program can be recorded on a storage device of a server, such as a medium such as an SSD or HDD, or on a portable medium such as a USB, CD, or DVD.

[0105] Example 1: A stainless steel shaft with a diameter of 127 mm was prepared. A wire-DED 3D printer (FD19, manufactured by Daihen) equipped with a robot arm, a robot head connected to the robot arm, an arc-type heat source included in the robot head, and a wire feeder, as shown schematically in Figure 1, was used. A stainless steel wire supplied from the wire feeder was heated and melted by the heat source while the robot head was scanned to build up the shaft from the surface toward the outer periphery. Two blades were merged to form an integrated toroidal blade, producing the toroidal propeller shown in Figures 11 and 12, with a diameter of 313 mm and an average pitch angle of 45 degrees.

[0106] Example 2 A toroidal propeller with a diameter of 180 mm and an average pitch angle of 45 degrees was produced using a 3D printer. Figure 13 shows a model diagram of the produced toroidal propeller.

[0107] (Reference Example 1) A conventional screw propeller with a diameter of 180 mm and an average pitch angle of 45 degrees was produced using a 3D printer. Figure 14 shows a model diagram of the produced screw propeller.

[0108] (Thrust Force Evaluation) The toroidal propeller produced in Example 2 and the screw propeller produced in Reference Example 1 were each directly connected to a motor and installed on a movable rail. The propellers were submerged in water and the amount of current flowing through the motor was changed to measure changes in thrust. Figure 15 shows the results of the thrust force measurements. The vertical axis represents the pulling thrust (N) and the horizontal axis represents the amount of current.

[0109] The toroidal propeller manufactured in Example 2 provided higher thrust than the screw propeller manufactured in Reference Example 1, exceeding it by 40% or more at a current of 3 A. The propellers manufactured in Example 2 and Reference Example 1 were 180 mm in size, but the difference between the Reynolds number of this size and that of a propeller with a diameter of 10 m or more, for example, a 10 m diameter propeller, is negligibly small and essentially equal, so the engineering scaling law holds. Therefore, these results can also be applied to large-sized toroidal propellers using the engineering scaling law.

[0110] 100 Wire DED printer 200 Server 300 Network 10 Book manufacturing system 1 Robot arm 2 Robot head 21 Heat source 22 Wire 30 Heat melting section 40 Base material 50 Toroidal propeller 52 Toroidal propeller blade 54 Toroidal propeller shaft 521 Two blade sections 60 Conventional propeller 61 Conventional propeller blade 70 Holding section

Claims

1. A manufacturing system for toroidal propellers for mobility, comprising: a wire-DED type 3D printer, capable of forming a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape using the 3D printer; the 3D printer including a scannable robot arm, a robot head connected to the robot arm, a heat source provided on the robot head, a holder capable of holding a substrate, and a wire supply device; the heat source is configured to heat and melt the wire supplied from the wire supply device; the robot head is configured to be able to deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source onto the substrate held in the holder while being scanned together with the robot arm; the substrate is the shaft of the toroidal propeller; and the 3D printer deposits material from the shaft, which is the substrate, toward the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller, and forms an integrated toroidal shaped blade by joining two paired blade portions that are divided into two at the shaft at the outer periphery.

2. The manufacturing system according to claim 1, wherein the 3D printer further includes a first storage device and a first processing device, and the first processing device controls the robot arm and the robot head based on model information of the toroidal propeller stored in the first storage device.

3. A server having a second storage device and a second processing device is further provided, wherein the server performs the following steps (a) to (f): (a) generating a plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from the basic model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (b) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the basic model is mounted on the mobility and the propeller performance when the plurality of models of similar shapes are mounted; (c) determining whether the propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (d) if all of the propeller performances are unacceptable, generating a plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from a model with high propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, and performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the propeller performance when the plurality of models of similar shapes with differences from the model with high propeller performance are mounted; (e) if a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the accepted model; (f) forming the toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing.

4. A server having a second storage device and a second processing device, the server performing the following steps (A) to (L): (A) generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on the first model of the toroidal propeller stored in the second storage device; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted on the mobility; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (D) if all of the second propeller performances fail, extracting a second difference parameter between the model with the higher second propeller performance among the plurality of second models and the first model, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model with the higher second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (G) if all of the third propeller performances are fail, extracting a third difference parameter between a model of the plurality of third models having high third propeller performance and a model of the plurality of second models having high second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model of high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated in the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; (K) if an nth model with acceptable nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the acceptable nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or more;(L) forming a toroidal propeller using the 3D printer based on the slicer drawing.

5. The manufacturing system of claim 4, wherein the first propeller performance, the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance include evaluation of fuel economy, vibration, noise, or a combination thereof, of a mobility equipped with the toroidal propeller.

6. The manufacturing system of claim 5, wherein the second propeller performance, the third propeller performance, and the fourth propeller performance are passed or failed based on the evaluation.

7. The manufacturing system of claim 4, wherein generating the third model includes extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model among the plurality of second models that has the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of third models having the second difference based on the model with the highest second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter.

8. The manufacturing system of claim 4, wherein generating the fourth model includes extracting a third difference parameter between a model among the plurality of third models having the highest third propeller performance and a model among the plurality of second models having the highest second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having the third difference based on the model having the highest third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter.

9. The manufacturing system of claim 4, wherein creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the accepted model includes creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the model with the best propeller performance among the accepted models.

10. A manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the toroidal propeller has a diameter of 2000 mm or more.

11. A manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the mobility is a ship or an aircraft.

12. The manufacturing system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the mobility is a large ship or a gigantic ship.

13. A method for manufacturing a toroidal propeller for mobility using a wire-DED type 3D printer to form a toroidal propeller having a toroidal shape, the method comprising: the 3D printer including a scannable robot arm, a robot head connected to the robot arm, a heat source provided on the robot head, a holder capable of holding a substrate, and a wire supply device; the heat source is configured to heat and melt the wire supplied from the wire supply device; the robot head is configured to be able to deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source onto the substrate held in the holder while being scanned together with the robot arm; holding the substrate, which is the shaft of the toroidal propeller, in the holder; and using the 3D printer to deposit the wire heated and melted by the heat source from the shaft, which is the substrate, toward the outer periphery of the toroidal propeller, so that two paired blade portions that split at the shaft portion merge at the outer periphery to form an integrated toroidal shaped blade.

14. A drawing creation method for a wire-DED type 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility, comprising: (A) generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller; (B) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the generated plurality of second models are mounted; (C) determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (D) if all of the second propeller performances are fail, extracting a second difference parameter between the model with high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models and the first model, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model with high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the third propeller performance when the generated plurality of third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (G) if all of the third propeller performances are unacceptable, extracting a third difference parameter between a model of the plurality of third models having high third propeller performance and a model of the plurality of second models having high second propeller performance, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model of high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (J) if all of the fourth propeller performances are unacceptable, repeating (G) to (I) until a model with acceptable propeller performance is obtained; (K) When an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, creating a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer of 2 or greater.

15. A server in a drawing creation system for a wire-DED type 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility, comprising: (A) a second model generation means for generating a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server; (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the plurality of generated second models are mounted; (C) a second propeller performance determination means for determining whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable; (D) a third model generation means for extracting a second difference parameter between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameter; (E) a third propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation on third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination means for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails; (G) a fourth model generation means for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having a high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having a high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, if all of the third propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having a high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis means for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding the fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination means for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is pass or fail; (J) a repeating means for repeating (G) to (I) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, until a model having passable propeller performance is obtained;(K) When an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, a drawing creation means creates a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2. A server comprising:

16. A server in a drawing creation system for a wire-DED type 3D printer of a toroidal propeller for mobility, (A) a second model generation process that generates a plurality of second models having a first difference based on a first model of the toroidal propeller stored in a storage device of the server, (B) a first and second propeller performance analysis process that performs a fluid analysis simulation regarding the first propeller performance when the first model is mounted on the mobility and the second propeller performance when the plurality of generated second models are mounted, and (C) a second propeller performance determination process that determines whether the second propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation is acceptable or unacceptable. (D) a third model generation process for extracting second difference parameters between the first model and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models when all of the second propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of third models having a second difference based on the model having high second propeller performance and the extracted second difference parameters; (E) a third propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation on third propeller performance when the plurality of generated third models are mounted on the mobility; (F) a third propeller performance determination process for determining whether the third propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails; (G) a fourth model generation process for extracting a third difference parameter between a model having high third propeller performance among the plurality of third models and a model having high second propeller performance among the plurality of second models, if all of the third propeller performances fail, and generating a plurality of fourth models having a third difference based on the model having high third propeller performance and the extracted third difference parameter; (H) a fourth propeller performance analysis process for performing a fluid analysis simulation regarding fourth propeller performance when the plurality of generated fourth models are mounted on the mobility; (I) a fourth propeller performance determination process for determining whether the fourth propeller performance calculated by the fluid analysis simulation passes or fails; (J) a repetitive process for repeating (G) to (I) if all of the fourth propeller performances fail, until a model having passable propeller performance is obtained;(K) When an nth model that passes the nth propeller performance is obtained, a drawing creation process is performed to create a slicer drawing for the 3D printer for the passed nth model, where n is an integer greater than or equal to 2. A program that executes the process.

Images