Lamination Molding Gas Injection for Tool Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In lamination molding apparatuses, the removal of material powder from small holes or narrow grooves during side surface cutting is challenging, leading to potential damage of the cutting tool due to continuous gas injection being ineffective in removing clogged powder.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs intermittent gas injection, combined with continuous injection, to effectively blow off material powder from small holes and narrow grooves, creating a space for the cutting tool to enter without damaging it, and adjusts the gas injection strength to prevent powder from being blown up, maintaining a good molding environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If continuous gas injection is used to remove material powder during side surface cutting, then the material powder on the surface is blown off, but the material powder in small holes or narrow grooves cannot be effectively removed and may be suppressed by jet flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by using intermittent gas injection instead of continuous injection. The gas injector performs repeated short-time injection cycles, creating periodic gas flows that gradually push material powder out of small holes and narrow grooves. This periodic action prevents the suppression effect caused by continuous strong jet flow, allowing effective powder removal from complex geometries while protecting the cutting tool.
2Productivity
If gas injection strength is increased to remove material powder faster, then powder removal efficiency improves, but material powder may be blown up and molding environment deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By using intermittent injection with controlled duration and frequency, the system achieves effective powder removal without maintaining continuously high gas injection strength. The periodic nature allows powder to be gradually ejected from holes and grooves over multiple cycles, preventing the need for excessively strong continuous injection that would blow up powder and contaminate the molding environment.
3Ease of operation
If side surface cutting is performed on sintered body with material powder present, then cutting can proceed, but cutting tool is likely to bite into material powder and cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by performing gas injection to remove material powder from small holes and narrow grooves before the cutting tool enters these regions. The gas injector预先 clears the powder from the cutting path, creating a clean environment for the cutting tool to operate. This preliminary powder removal prevents the cutting tool from biting into powder during subsequent cutting operations, protecting tool durability while maintaining cutting process continuity.
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 allows for efficient and reliable removal of material powder from complex shapes, preventing tool damage and maintaining a stable molding environment by forming sufficient space for cutting and controlling powder removal.
Implementation Method 1
a gas injector that blows off material powder by gas injection
Implementation Method 2
a laser irradiation device that irradiates a predetermined region of the powder layer formed on the table with a laser beam so as to sinter the predetermined region of the powder layer to form a sintered layer
Data Source
AI summary
A lamination molding apparatus is provided capable of preventing damage to a cutting device. Every time a sintered body including a sintered layer group consisting of a predetermined number of sintered layers is formed, gas is injected from a gas injector toward a vicinity of a side surface of the newly formed sintered body so as to blow off material powder, and then the side surface of the sintered body is shaved by a cutting tool of the cutting device, wherein the gas injector blows off the material powder by only intermittent injection which repeats short-time gas injection or by a combination of the intermittent injection and continuous injection which continuously injects the gas.