Device and method for calibrating a device for generatively manufacturing a three-dimensional object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10792865-B2
Application number	US-201616061009-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 20, 2016
Priority date	Dec 23, 2015
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A calibration ledge serves for calibrating a manufacturing device for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by a layer-by-layer solidification of a building material at the points corresponding to the respective cross-section of the object by selectively irradiating layers of the building material with a radiation in a working plane. The calibration ledge has an elongated shape and includes an aperture ledge extending in its longitudinal direction and comprising several aperture openings arranged in a row in the longitudinal direction of the calibration ledge which are more permeable for the radiation of the irradiation device than the region of the aperture ledge surrounding the aperture openings.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A calibration device for calibrating a manufacturing device for manufacturing a three-dimensional object within a build area by a layer-by-layer solidification of a building material at points corresponding to a cross-section of the object by selectively irradiating layers of the building material with a radiation in a working plane, wherein the calibration device comprises:
a calibration ledge having an elongated shape and an aperture ledge extending in an aperture ledge longitudinal direction, the aperture ledge comprising a plurality of aperture openings arranged in a row in the aperture ledge longitudinal direction which are more permeable for the radiation of an irradiation device than a region of the aperture ledge surrounding the aperture openings,
the calibration ledge further comprising a sensor ledge extending in a sensor ledge longitudinal direction, arranged substantially parallel to the aperture ledge, and comprising at least one surface sensor capable of detecting the radiation of the irradiation device, and
the calibration ledge being mountable in the manufacturing device such that the radiation of the irradiation device can hit the at least one surface sensor through the aperture openings,
wherein the calibration device further comprises at least one evaluation unit that evaluates an output signal of the at least one surface sensor,
wherein the at least one evaluation unit determines for one aperture opening amplitudes and/or lengths of single pulses contained in the output signal, sets up a spatial distribution of the determined amplitudes and/or lengths, and evaluates the spatial distribution, wherein one of the single pulses is a pulse in the output signal of the surface sensor that is generated by scanning the aperture opening by the radiation.

2. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture openings of the calibration ledge are at least 10 times more permeable for the radiation of the irradiation device than the region of the aperture ledge surrounding the aperture openings.

3. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein the aperture openings of the calibration ledge are widened in a direction towards the sensor ledge and/or have a diameter in a range from a tenth to tenfold of a focal diameter of the radiation of the irradiation device.

4. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor ledge comprises a plurality of surface sensors arranged in a row in a calibration ledge longitudinal direction of the calibration ledge.

5. The calibration device according to claim 4 , wherein the at least one surface sensor or at least one of the plurality of surface sensors has an extension in the calibration ledge longitudinal direction which is greater than a distance between two neighbouring aperture openings.

6. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one surface sensor or at least one of the plurality of surface sensors is a spatially resolving sensor.

7. The calibration device of claim 1 , wherein the calibration ledge is mountable in the manufacturing device such that the aperture ledge lies in the working plane of the manufacturing device.

8. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensor ledge of the calibration ledge comprises a plurality of surface sensors arranged in a row in a calibration ledge longitudinal direction of the calibration ledge; and
at least one evaluation unit is connected to more than one of the surface sensors of the calibration ledge,
wherein the surface sensors connected to a same evaluation unit are electrically connected in series.

9. The calibration device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor ledge of the calibration ledge comprises a plurality of surface sensors arranged in a row in a calibration ledge longitudinal direction of the calibration ledge; and
the calibration device contains an individual evaluation unit for each of the several surface sensors.

10. A manufacturing device for manufacturing a three-dimensional object by a layer-by-layer solidification of a building material within a build area at points corresponding to a cross-section of the object by selectively irradiating layers of the building material with a radiation in a working plane, wherein the manufacturing device comprises:
an irradiation device capable of selectively directing a radiation suitable for solidifying the building material to different points of the working plane within the build area, and
a calibration device according to claim 1 ,
wherein, the calibration ledge is movably arranged in the manufacturing device.

11. The manufacturing device according to claim 10 , further comprising a recoater movable across the build area in a movement direction for applying a layer of the building material to the build area,
wherein the calibration ledge is mounted at the recoater and is movable together with the recoater such that a calibration ledge longitudinal direction of the calibration ledge extends transversely to the movement direction of the recoater.

12. A calibration method for calibrating a manufacturing device for manufacturing a three-dimensional object within a build area by a layer-by-layer solidification of a building material at points corresponding to a cross-section of the object by selectively irradiating layers of the building material with a radiation in a working plane, wherein the manufacturing device comprises an irradiation device capable of selectively directing a radiation suitable for solidifying the building material to different points of the working plane within the build area, wherein the method comprises the following steps:
providing a calibration ledge having an elongated shape,
the calibration ledge comprising an aperture ledge extending in an aperture ledge longitudinal direction and comprising a plurality of aperture openings arranged in a row in a calibration ledge longitudinal direction of the calibration ledge which are more permeable for the radiation of the irradiation device than a region of the aperture ledge surrounding the aperture openings, and
the calibration ledge further comprising a sensor ledge extending in a sensor ledge longitudinal direction, arranged substantially parallel to the aperture ledge, and comprising at least one surface sensor capable of detecting the radiation of the irradiation device,
mounting the calibration ledge inside the manufacturing device such that the radiation of the irradiation device can hit the at least one surface sensor through the aperture openings,
scanning at least one aperture opening of the calibration ledge by the radiation of the irradiation device in the form of vectors running parallel to each other, each vector generating a single pulse in an output signal of the at least one surface sensor,
capturing the output signal of the at least one surface sensor,
determining the position of a center of the at least one aperture opening in an irradiation coordinate system from the captured output signal,
comparing the position of the center of the at least one aperture opening in the irradiation coordinate system with a known position of the center of the aperture opening in a machine coordinate system permanently fixed to the build area, and
calculating correction data for the irradiation device from the result of the comparison,
wherein two or more aperture openings of the calibration ledge are scanned by the radiation of the irradiation device and positions of the two or more aperture openings in the irradiation coordinate system are determined and/or
wherein the calibration ledge is moved transversely to its longitudinal direction

Assignees

• Eos Gmbh Electro Optical Systems

Inventors

• Philippi Jochen

Classifications

• B29C64/393 Primary

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• G06F30/00

  Computer-aided design [CAD] · CPC title

• B33Y50/02

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B29C64/153

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title