Lamination Molding Apparatus Oxygen Adjustor for Stable Fume Removal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional lamination molding apparatuses face issues with maintaining a low oxygen concentration in the chamber to prevent metal material alteration, leading to unstable corona discharge in fume collectors and impaired fume removal, which affects the quality of three-dimensional object formation.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes an oxygen concentration adjustor that supplies an adjusting gas with a higher oxygen concentration to the fume collector, ensuring stable corona discharge and effective fume removal while maintaining a low oxygen atmosphere within the chamber for precise molding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the oxygen concentration in the chamber is lowered to prevent metal material alteration, then the molding quality is improved, but the corona discharge in the fume collector becomes unstable and fume removal is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The system is divided into two separate atmospheric control zones: the chamber maintains low oxygen concentration for molding quality, while the fume collector receives supplemental oxygen to enable stable corona discharge. This segmentation allows each component to operate in its optimal atmospheric condition independently.
Solution Approach 2:
An oxygen concentration adjustor acts as an intermediary device between the chamber and fume collector. It selectively adds oxygen to the gas stream entering the fume collector without significantly affecting the chamber atmosphere, thereby mediating the conflicting oxygen concentration requirements of the two systems.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If an inert gas atmosphere with extremely low oxygen concentration is maintained in the chamber, then metal material alteration is prevented, but the fume collector cannot remove fumes normally or stops due to errors
Solution Approach 1:
Different oxygen concentration levels are applied to different locations in the system: the chamber maintains extremely low oxygen concentration to protect metal material from oxidation, while the fume collector receives elevated oxygen concentration through the adjustor to enable effective fume removal via corona discharge.
3Manufacturing precision
If the chamber has high airtightness to maintain low oxygen concentration, then molding precision is improved, but the fume collector operation becomes unreliable
Solution Approach 1:
The oxygen concentration adjustor serves as an intermediary that decouples the atmospheric requirements of the sealed chamber from those of the fume collector. It allows the chamber to maintain its sealed, low-oxygen environment while independently controlling the oxygen level in the fume collector atmosphere.
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 configuration stabilizes the corona discharge in the fume collector, allowing for high-precision formation of three-dimensional objects by maintaining a suitable inert gas atmosphere and ensuring effective removal of metal vapors, thus enhancing the overall molding quality.
Implementation Method 1
a charging section having a charging electrode which positively or negatively charges fumes contained in the inert gas sent from the inlet
Implementation Method 2
collects the charged fumes with a Coulomb force
Data Source
AI summary
A lamination molding apparatus includes a chamber that covers a molding region, an irradiator that irradiates a material layer formed in the molding region with a laser beam or an electron beam and forms a solidified layer, a supply port that supplies an inert gas to the chamber, a discharge port that discharges the inert gas from the chamber, an inert gas supplier which is connected to the supply port and supplies the inert gas to the chamber, a fume collector, and an oxygen concentration adjustor. The fume collector has an inlet, a charging section, a collecting section, and an outlet. The oxygen concentration adjustor is connected between the discharge port and the charging section and supplies, to the fume collector, an adjusting gas having an oxygen concentration higher than an oxygen concentration of the inert gas which is discharged from the discharge port.