Method for producing a three-dimensional component

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11919243-B2
Application number	US-202217577578-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 18, 2022
Priority date	Apr 22, 2015
Publication date	Mar 5, 2024
Grant date	Mar 5, 2024

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional component 14 by means of an additive construction method in which the component 14 is constructed by solidifying construction material 9 that can be solidified using radiation 18, especially a selective laser melting method or a selective laser sintering method, in which the component 14 is produced by successively solidifying construction material 9 that can be solidified using the impact of radiation 18 by melting or sintering, comprising the following features: providing an additive construction apparatus 1, especially an SLM apparatus or an SLS apparatus, comprising a process chamber 3, a construction platform 7 for carrying the construction material 9, and a radiation source arranged above the construction platform 7 for generating a point-type or linear energy input for creating a melting or sintering section in the construction material 9, providing a sensor apparatus 31 for selective detection of created melting or sintering sections and for the generation of sensor values therefrom for characterizing the melting or sintering sections, and storage of said sensor values together with coordinate values localizing the sensor values in the component 14, determination of load and flux information in the component 14 manufactured or to be manufactured by means of a calculation or measuring method for determining critical load areas in the component 14 manufactured or to be manufactured, spatial correlation of the sensor values determined for the evaluation of the component quality together with the coordinate values localizing said values with coordinates of the load and flux information, and assessment of the component 14 finished or to be finished, such that components 14 for which sensor values negatively impacting the component quality are determined in the range of critical or highly loaded sections of the load and flux information are classified as components 14 not corresponding to the requested component quality, and components 14 for which sensor values negatively impacting the component quality are determined with sufficient distance from critical or highly loaded sections of the load and flux information are classified as components 14 corresponding to the requested component quality.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects, the system comprising:
an additive manufacturing machine comprising an irradiation device configured to selectively melt and/or sinter sequential layers of construction material to form a component;
a sensor apparatus configured to detect sensor values corresponding to melting and/or sintering characteristics of the construction material by the irradiation device;
a processor; and
a memory storage, the memory storage comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to:
determine sensor values corresponding to melting and/or sintering characteristics detected by the sensor apparatus when the irradiation device selectively melts and/or sinters the sequential layers of construction material to form the component, the sensor values being spatially localized with respect to coordinates of the component;
determine a localized quality for one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component being additively manufactured in the additive manufacturing machine, the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas defined at least in part by spatially localized load and flux information, the localized quality determined based at least in part on sensor values having a spatial location corresponding to the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component; and
classify the component while being additively manufactured with respect to overall quality based at least in part on the localized quality for the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component;
wherein classifying the component with respect to overall quality comprises determining that one or more sensor values indicating an actual or potential negative localized quality are spatially localized to an area having a defined distance from the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas, wherein the defined distance depends on a safety classification of the component.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory storage, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to perform a repair process upon at least a portion of the component when one or more sensor values indicating an actual or potential negative localized quality spatially correspond to a respective one of the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the repair process comprises further selectively melting and/or sintering at least one layer of construction material with radiation from the additive manufacturing machine at least at a region of the at least one layer corresponding to a respective one of the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas.

4. The system of claim 3 , wherein the memory storage, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to:
determine sensor values corresponding to melting and/or sintering characteristics detected by the sensor apparatus when performing the repair process;
determine a localized quality for one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component being or having been subjected to the repair process; and
re-classifying the component with respect to overall quality after being or having been subjected to the repair process.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory storage, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to abort additively manufacturing the component when one or more sensor values indicating an actual or potential negative localized quality spatially correspond to a respective one of the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the memory storage, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to store a result from classifying of the component with respect to overall quality.

7. The system of claim 1 , comprising:
a visualization device configured to display a graphical representation provided by the processor, the graphical representation comprising the sensor values and the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component respectively spatially localized in a two-dimensional or multidimensional illustration of the component.

8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the graphical representation further comprises visually highlighting at least a portion of a respective one of the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas when one or more sensor values spatially corresponding thereto indicate an actual or potential negative localized quality.

9. The system of claim 7 , wherein the load and flux information comprises a plurality of flux areas and/or flux lines.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein classifying the component with respect to overall quality comprises classifying the component with respect to a plurality of safety levels depending on the defined distance of the one or more sensor values indicating an actual or potential negative localized quality from the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas.

11. The system of claim 1 , wherein the additive manufacturing machine comprises a process chamber, the irradiation device, and the sensor apparatus.

12. The system of claim 11 , comprising:
a construction room.

13. The system of claim 11 , wherein the additive manufacturing machine is configured to abort additively manufacturing the component responsive to an abort instruction from the processor, the abort instruction provided by the processor when one or more sensor values indicating an actual or potential negative localized quality spatially correspond to a respective one of the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas.

14. A computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions, which when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method of classifying an additively manufactured component with respect to quality, the method comprising:
determining sensor values corresponding to melting and/or sintering characteristics detected by a sensor apparatus when selectively melting and/or sintering sequential layers of construction material, the sensor values being spatially localized with respect to coordinates of the component;
determining a localized quality for one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component being or having been additively manufactured, the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas defined at least in part by spatially localized load and flux information, the localized quality determined based at least in part on sensor values having a spatial location corresponding to the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component; and
classifying the component with respect to overall quality based at least in part on the localized quality for the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas of the component;
wherein classifying the component with respect to overall quality comprises determining that one or more sensor values indicating an actual or potential negative localized quality are spatially localized to an area having a defined distance from the one or more load bearing areas and/or critical load areas, wherein the defined distance depends on a safety classification of the component.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 , wherein classifying the component with respect to overall quality comprises classifying the component with respect to a plurality of safety levels depending on the defined distance of th

Assignees

• Concept Laser Gmbh

Inventors

• Herzog Frank

Classifications

• B29C64/386 Primary

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B22F10/28

  Powder bed fusion, e.g. selective laser melting [SLM] or electron beam melting [EBM] · CPC title

• B22F10/38

  to achieve specific product aspects, e.g. surface smoothness, density, porosity or hollow structures · CPC title

• B22F10/85

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B22F12/90

  Means for process control, e.g. cameras or sensors · CPC title