Additive manufacturing nozzle and additive manufacturing device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11845226-B2
Application number	US-201816756667-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2018
Priority date	Oct 31, 2017
Publication date	Dec 19, 2023
Grant date	Dec 19, 2023

Abstract

An additive manufacturing nozzles includes a header ( 41 ) extending in a width direction of the chamber and which is configured to be supplied with inert gas from the outside, and a nozzle body ( 43 ) connecting with the header ( 41 ) in the width direction and is configured to horizontally blow out the inert gas, which is supplied from the header, to a molding area. The nozzle body has a honeycomb part ( 52 ) which defines an inside of the nozzle body into flow channels through which the inert gas flows, a blowout part ( 55 ) disposed downstream of the honeycomb part and which is connected with the honeycomb part in the width direction. The inert gas passed through the plurality of flow channels is led from the honeycomb part to the blowout part, and a porous part ( 54 ), which has openings, is disposed between the honeycomb part and the blowout part.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An additive manufacturing nozzle used to supply an inert gas to a molding area within a chamber in which additive manufacturing is performed, the additive manufacturing nozzle comprising:
a header configured to extend in a width direction of the chamber and to be supplied with the inert gas to the header from the outside; and
a nozzle body connecting with the header extending in the width direction, the nozzle body being configured to horizontally blow out the inert gas, which is supplied from the header, to the molding area,
wherein the nozzle body has a honeycomb part which is configured to define a plurality of flow channels through which the inert gas flows in an inside of the nozzle body,
a blowout part which is disposed downstream of the honeycomb part and which is connected with the honeycomb part in the width direction, the inert gas passed through the plurality of flow channels is led from the honeycomb part to the blowout part, and
a porous part that is disposed between the honeycomb part and the blowout part, and
wherein the porous part has a plurality of openings through which the inert gas passes, and the porous part is disposed downstream of the honeycomb part along an extension direction of the flow channels of the honeycomb part, and
an opening area of each one of the openings of the porous part is smaller than a cross-sectional area of each one of flow channels of the honeycomb part orthogonal to a flow direction of the inert gas, and
wherein the nozzle body includes a separation suppressing part,
wherein the separation suppressing part is configured to couple the header and the honeycomb part to each other and the separation suppressing part is provided between the header and the honeycomb part,
wherein the separation suppressing part is a path, and the separation suppressing part has one end connected to the header and the other end connected to the honeycomb part, and
wherein an inclination angle of the honeycomb part with respect to a horizontal direction is smaller than an inclination angle of the separation suppressing part with respect to the horizontal direction.

2. The additive manufacturing nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the length of the flow channels is larger than an equivalent diameter of the flow channels.

3. The additive manufacturing nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the porous part is a porous plate.

4. The additive manufacturing nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the porous part is a metallic mesh.

5. The additive manufacturing nozzle according to claim 1 , wherein the porous part is a foamed metal.

6. The additive manufacturing nozzle according to claim 1 ,
wherein the blowout part has a lower plate part perpendicular to a vertical direction and an upper plate part disposed above the lower plate part, and
wherein the upper plate part is inclined with respect to the lower plate part so that a flow passage cross-sectional area of the flow channels formed within the blowout part is reduced toward an outlet of the blowout part from the honeycomb part.

7. An additive manufacturing device that molds an article by melting and sintering metal powder, comprising:
the additive manufacturing nozzle according to claim 1 ;
a chamber which has a nozzle body insertion opening and an outlet formed at a lower part thereof and in which the nozzle body insertion opening and the outlet are disposed to face each other;
a stage which has a molding area disposed on an upper surface side thereof and is movable in a vertical direction;
a recoater that is provided within the chamber and supplies metal powder to an upper surface of the stage; and
a laser irradiation unit that is configured to melt the metal powder by irradiating the metal powder deposited on the upper surface of the stage with laser light, wherein the nozzle body of the additive manufacturing nozzle is disposed in the nozzle body insertion opening.

8. An additive manufacturing nozzle used to supply an inert gas to a molding area within a chamber in which additive manufacturing is performed, the additive manufacturing nozzle comprising:
a header configured to extend in a width direction of the chamber and to be supplied with the inert gas to the header from the outside; and
a nozzle body connecting with the header extending in the width direction, the nozzle body being configured to horizontally blow out the inert gas, which is supplied from the header, to the molding area,
wherein the nozzle body has a honeycomb part which is configured to define a plurality of flow channels through which the inert gas flows in an inside of the nozzle body,
a blowout part which is disposed downstream of the honeycomb part and which is connected with the honeycomb part in the width direction, the inert gas passed through the plurality of flow channels is led from the honeycomb part to the blowout part,
a porous part disposed between the honeycomb part and the blowout part, and
a coupling part disposed between the honeycomb part and the porous part,
wherein the porous part has a plurality of openings through which the inert gas passes,
wherein the porous part is disposed downstream of the honeycomb part along an extension direction of the flow channels of the honeycomb part, and
an opening area of each one of the openings of the porous part is smaller than a cross-sectional area of each one of flow channels of the honeycomb part orthogonal to a flow direction of the inert gas, and
the plurality of openings of the porous part opens in the horizontal direction, and the honeycomb portion is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction.

Assignees

• Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Sys Ltd
• Mitsubishi Heavy Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Higashi Kei
• Yoshida Kazuhiro
• Komatsu Yoshinao
• Komaki Takanao

Classifications

• B29C64/364 Primary

  Conditioning of environment · CPC title

• B05B1/005

  Nozzles or other outlets specially adapted for discharging one or more gases · CPC title

• B05B1/3402

  to avoid or reduce turbulence, e.g. with fluid flow straightening means · CPC title

• B22F3/105

  by using electric current {other than for infrared radiant energy}, laser radiation or plasma (B22F3/11 takes precedence){; by ultrasonic bonding (B22F3/115 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B22F3/16

  in successive or repeated steps · CPC title