Shielding Gas System for Homogeneous Suction in Additive Manufacturing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In laser-based additive manufacturing, maintaining a homogeneous flow velocity in the manufacturing chamber is challenging, leading to varying material structures and reduced suction-removal efficiency, especially in larger building platforms where the shielding gas stream tends to fan out and recirculate.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a shielding gas system with secondary outlet openings arranged obliquely or laterally to counteract recirculation, forming a secondary shielding gas stream that enhances the flow profile and maintains a constant velocity distribution over the building platform, including additional lateral gas inflow to accelerate the gas stream and prevent fanning out.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the building platform size is increased to improve productivity, then the manufacturing capacity is improved, but the shielding gas stream fans out and recirculates causing non-uniform flow velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The suction opening structure is divided into multiple suction openings arranged in the flow direction, with each suction opening having a corresponding flow velocity. This segmentation allows independent control of suction at different locations, enabling uniform flow velocity distribution across the entire building platform while maintaining large manufacturing capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
Each suction opening is assigned a specific flow velocity based on its position in the flow direction, creating locally optimized suction characteristics. This local quality approach ensures that the flow velocity remains uniform across different regions of the building platform, preventing fan-out and recirculation effects.
2Productivity
If the suction-removal capacity is increased to improve particle removal efficiency, then the suction capacity is improved, but the flow velocity in the building platform region increases causing powder bed turbulence
Solution Approach 1:
The total suction capacity is distributed across multiple suction openings rather than concentrated in a single opening. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high overall particle removal efficiency while maintaining lower flow velocity at each individual suction point, preventing powder bed turbulence.
Solution Approach 2:
The suction openings are positioned and configured to create localized suction zones with controlled flow velocities. This ensures effective particle removal in each local region without causing excessive flow velocity that would disturb the powder bed.
3Device complexity
If a single suction opening is used to simplify the device structure, then the device complexity is reduced, but the flow velocity uniformity across the building platform deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a single suction opening, the system employs multiple suction openings arranged in the flow direction. This segmentation improves flow velocity uniformity across the building platform while keeping each individual suction opening simple in structure, balancing device complexity with performance.
4Productivity
If the gas stream velocity is increased to improve particle removal, then the particle removal capacity is improved, but the shielding gas fans out and creates recirculation zones
Solution Approach 1:
The particle removal function is distributed across multiple suction openings, allowing effective particle removal without concentrating high velocity in a single location. This prevents the gas stream from fanning out and creating recirculation zones while maintaining high overall removal capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
Each suction opening creates a localized high-velocity zone optimized for particle removal, while the overall gas stream profile remains controlled and uniform. This local quality approach prevents fan-out effects that would occur with a single high-velocity stream.
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 significantly improves suction-removal capacity and maintains consistent production conditions across the entire building platform, preventing powder bed turbulence and ensuring uniform particle removal, thereby stabilizing the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
providing an areal stream of shielding gas in the manufacturing chamber... configured for the inflow of gas into the manufacturing chamber or for the suction of gas from the manufacturing chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A production device comprises a main housing, an optical system that provides a beam for the irradiation of powder in a building platform area of a working surface for producing a component layer by layer, and a shielding gas system for providing a two-dimensional stream of shielding gas. The shielding gas system has at least one outlet opening structure and a suction-removal opening structure on opposite sides of the main housing, and the two-dimensional stream of shielding gas flows over the working surface between the opposite sides. The shielding gas system also has at least one secondary outlet opening for the flowing in of gas in the direction of the two-dimensional stream of shielding gas, which is designed for the forming of at least one secondary stream of shielding gas, which plays a part in determining the flow profile of the two-dimensional stream of shielding gas.