Additive Manufacturing Cooling Chamber Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
In additive manufacturing, thermoplastic materials tend to shrink during cooling, leading to deviations in the dimensions of the finished workpiece, and existing methods require time-consuming cooling and reheating of the construction chamber, resulting in unproductive downtime.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that utilize a separate cooling chamber adjacent to the construction chamber, allowing for efficient transfer of the workpiece for cooling and solidification, and a transport device, such as a robot arm, to automate the process, enabling continuous operation of the construction chamber without interrupting heating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the construction chamber is used for both heating and cooling operations, then the device structure is simple, but unproductive downtime increases due to cooling and reheating cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The construction chamber is divided into two separate functional chambers: a construction chamber for heating and material deposition, and a cooling chamber for cooling and solidification. This segmentation allows simultaneous operation of both functions without interrupting the heating cycle, thereby eliminating unproductive downtime while maintaining reasonable device complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling function is extracted from the construction chamber and placed in a separate cooling chamber. This extraction enables the construction chamber to continuously maintain heating temperature without being interrupted by cooling cycles, directly addressing the productivity issue while the separated cooling chamber handles the cooling task independently.
2Manufacturing precision
If the construction chamber is cooled down after each printing operation, then the workpiece can be properly solidified, but time-consuming cooling and reheating cycles reduce manufacturing efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the thermal management functions into separate chambers - construction chamber for heating during deposition and cooling chamber for cooling after deposition - the system achieves proper workpiece solidification without requiring the construction chamber to undergo time-consuming cooling and reheating cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The construction chamber maintains continuous heating operation without interruption, as the cooling function is performed in a separate cooling chamber. This continuity eliminates idle time between printing operations, allowing the heating process to proceed uninterrupted while still achieving proper workpiece solidification in the cooling chamber.
3Productivity
If a separate cooling chamber is introduced, then productivity increases through continuous construction chamber operation, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The device is segmented into two chambers with distinct functions, which increases productivity through continuous operation. The segmentation is implemented in a way that both chambers can share certain structural elements and control systems, thereby managing the increase in device complexity through efficient architectural design.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport device is designed to perform multiple functions: it transports substrate carriers between chambers, manages the transition of workpieces from construction to cooling chamber, and coordinates the operational sequencing of both chambers. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional specialized components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity while maintaining high productivity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces unproductive time by allowing for continuous production in the construction chamber, shortening cycle times, and maintaining efficient and cost-effective additive manufacturing by minimizing cooling and reheating phases.
Implementation Method 1
a thermoplastic material is converted by heating into a liquid phase
Implementation Method 2
3D printers with heatable chambers are known, so that a constant temperature control of the construction chamber is possible during the printing operation
Implementation Method 3
the layered workpiece constructed on the substrate carrier is spent from the construction chamber into a cooling chamber arranged adjacently, in order to cool and solidify the thermoplastic material of the workpiece
Implementation Method 4
With cooling solidifies the material again
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for the additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional workpiece, in the case of which a thermoplastic material is transferred into a liquid phase by heating and is applied selectively to locations which are predetermined by the shape and the dimensions of the workpiece, wherein the workpiece is constructed in layers on a substrate carrier. According to the invention, in order for the material to be cooled and hardened, the workpiece, which is constructed in layers on the substrate carrier, is moved from a heated construction chamber into a cooling chamber, which is separate from the construction chamber. The invention also relates to an apparatus for the additive manufacturing of a three-dimensional workpiece.