Manufacturing installation and method for the additive manufacturing of components with a material overhang

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11511494-B2
Application number	US-202016815660-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 11, 2020
Priority date	Mar 11, 2019
Publication date	Nov 29, 2022
Grant date	Nov 29, 2022

Abstract

A manufacturing installation for the additive manufacturing of components, each provided with at least one material overhang, has at least one building platform on which the particular component can at least partially be additively manufactured. In order to reduce the material consumption and the time to produce additively manufactured components, the manufacturing installation has at least one preferably electrically controllable support device with at least one movable support arm for the at least temporary holding of at least one support element, arranged on the support arm, during the additive manufacture of the particular component above the building platform.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A manufacturing installation for additive manufacturing of components with at least one material overhang, the manufacturing installation comprising:
at least one building platform on which a component can at least partially be additively manufactured; and
at least one support device with at least one movable support arm for temporary holding of at least one support element arranged on the support arm during the additive manufacturing of a particular component above the building platform.

2. The manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the at least one support element has an anti-adhesion coating.

3. The manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one support device has at least one cooling unit configured to cool the at least one support element.

4. The manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein a surface of the at least one support element has an anti-adhesion coating and the at least one support device has at least one cooling unit configured to cool the at least one support element.

5. The manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one support element has at least one of a planar surface, an angled surface and a domed plate surface.

6. The manufacturing installation according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one support element is a plurality of support elements with one support element having a planar surface, another support element having an angled surface, and still another support element having a domed plate surface.

7. The manufacturing installation according to claim 6 further comprising at least one magazine equipped with the plurality of support elements, wherein the at least one support device is configured to remove each of the plurality of support elements from the magazine and reinsert each of the plurality of support elements removed from the magazine into the magazine.

8. The manufacturing installation according to claim 1 further comprising at least one deposition unit configured to deposit layers of a metallic material of manufacture or deposit layers of a plastic material of manufacture onto the at least one building platform and the at least one support element.

9. The manufacturing installation according to claim 8 , wherein the at least one support device is configured to move the at least one support element after the at least one deposition unit additive manufactures the at least one material overhang on to the at least one support element.

10. A manufacturing installation for additive manufacturing of components with at least one material overhang, the manufacturing installation comprising:
a building platform on which a component is additively manufactured; and
a support device with a movable support arm and a support element arranged on the movable support arm, wherein the support device is configured to temporarily hold the support element under the at least one material overhang during the additive manufacturing of the component above the building platform.

11. The manufacturing installation according to claim 10 further comprising an anti-adhesion coating on a surface of the support element.

12. The manufacturing installation according to claim 10 further comprising a cooling unit configured to cool the support element.

13. The manufacturing installation according to claim 10 further comprising an anti-adhesion coating on a surface of the support element and a cooling unit configured to cool the support element.

14. The manufacturing installation according to claim 10 , wherein the support element has at least one of a planar surface, an angled surface and a domed plate surface.

15. The manufacturing installation according to claim 10 further comprising a magazine, wherein the support element is a plurality of support elements and the support device is configured to remove one of the plurality of support elements from the magazine and reinsert the one of the plurality of support elements into the magazine.

16. The manufacturing installation according to claim 15 , wherein one of the plurality of support elements has a planar surface, another of the plurality of support elements has an angled surface, and still another of the plurality of support elements has a domed plate surface.

17. A method for additive manufacturing a component, the method comprising:
temporarily holding at least one support element over a building platform during additive manufacturing of at one least material overhang of the component onto the at least one support element, wherein the at least one support element is held by a support device comprising a movable support arm; and
removing the at least one support element from underneath the at least one material overhang after the at least one material overhang has been additively manufactured over the building platform.

18. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the at least one support element is cooled before and/or during the additive manufacture of the at least one material overhang.

19. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the component is produced by deposition in layers of a metallic material of manufacture or deposition in layers of a plastic material of manufacture onto the building platform and the support element.

20. The method according to claim 17 further comprising removing the at least one support element from a magazine, positioning the at least one support element over the building platform during additive manufacture of the at least material overhang onto the at least one support element, and reinserting the at least one support element into the magazine after additive manufacture of the at least material overhang.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Grosch Guenter Hans
• Kuske Andreas
• van den Heuvel Bas
• Fritsche Richard
• Hemink Wilbert
• Lach Rainer

Classifications

• B22F12/20

  Cooling means · CPC title

• B22F10/47

  characterised by structural features · CPC title

• B22F10/22

  Direct deposition of molten metal · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

  Apparatus for additive manufacturing; Details thereof or accessories therefor · CPC title

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title