DED Wire Feed Monitoring for Melt Drop Removal Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Additive manufacturing apparatuses using direct energy deposition technology face issues with material drops forming at the leading end of the wire, leading to inaccurate modeling due to excess material application and reduced product shape accuracy, as existing solutions fail to detect and address these drops effectively.
Innovation Solution
A numerical control device is developed to monitor and detect material drops using imaging technology and automatically generate commands to remove them, thereby preventing further material application and maintaining modeling accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a wire is melted at a position away from a workpiece in additive manufacturing, then material can be applied to the workpiece, but material remains on the leading end of the wire forming drops that cause modeling errors
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of material drops using imaging devices before they affect modeling accuracy. By detecting drops in advance and interrupting material supply, the system prevents the harmful effect of drops forming and being applied to the workpiece, thereby maintaining modeling precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses imaging devices to continuously monitor the wire and detect material drops. This feedback mechanism allows the control device to recognize drop formation and automatically interrupt material supply, creating a closed-loop control system that prevents modeling errors caused by drops.
2Reliability
If manual monitoring of material drops is implemented, then drop occurrence can be detected, but user burden increases and drops may be overlooked
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by implementing automatic drop detection and interruption functionality. The imaging devices and control device work autonomously to monitor for drops and interrupt material supply when drops are detected, eliminating the need for manual user monitoring and reducing operational burden while maintaining high detection reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system replaces manual mechanical monitoring with automated imaging-based detection. Instead of relying on users to visually inspect and detect drops, the system uses imaging devices to automatically detect material drops and triggers automatic interruption, substituting human operation with an automated optical detection and control system.
3Productivity
If modeling continues after drop occurrence, then productivity is maintained, but excessive material is applied to the workpiece reducing shape accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses real-time feedback from imaging devices to detect material drops during modeling. When a drop is detected, the control device automatically interrupts material supply, preventing excessive material application to the workpiece. This feedback mechanism allows the system to maintain productivity by quickly identifying and correcting drop issues rather than requiring complete process interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system takes preliminary action by detecting drops before they result in excessive material application. By interrupting material supply at the moment of drop detection, the system prevents the harmful effect of excessive material deposition while minimizing interruption to the modeling process, thereby maintaining productivity and shape accuracy.
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
The solution effectively reduces the occurrence of material drops, ensuring accurate material application and improved product shape quality by automatically detecting and removing drops during the additive manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
an imaging device to image a workpiece
Implementation Method 2
perform modeling by locally melting a wire, which is a material, and applying the melted material
Implementation Method 3
additive manufacturing apparatuses for manufacturing solid shapes by the direct energy deposition (DED) technology
Data Source
AI summary
An NC device that is a numerical control device controls an additive manufacturing apparatus. The additive manufacturing apparatus performs modeling by application of a melted material. The NC device includes a monitoring unit that monitors occurrence of a drop caused by a material after being melted remaining on the material before being melted, and a command generating unit that generates commands for causing the additive manufacturing apparatus to remove the drop that has occurred.