Apparatus and method for additive manufacturing

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016263833-A1
Application number	US-201514643539-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 10, 2015
Priority date	Mar 10, 2015
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A component of a computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) system may be configured to cause a processor to generate instructions that specify how a 3D-printer additively builds an article on a build plate via depositing material from a deposition head. The 3D printer is configured to cause the deposition head to rotate in order to selectively change, an angle of a deposition axis at which the deposition head outputs material. The generated instructions specify how the deposition head is operated by the 3D printer to build the article on the build plate such that material deposited along a side wall surface of the article is provided by the deposition head having its deposition axis orientated at an angle determined based at least in part on an angular orientation of the side wall surface.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An apparatus for additive manufacturing comprising:
at least one processor operatively configured to generate instructions usable by a 3D printer to build an article that specify that a deposition head of the 3D printer deposits material in a plurality of successive layers to form a side wall surface of the article with the deposition head rotated at an angle determined based at least in part on an angular orientation of the side wall surface.

2 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the 3D printer is configured to cause the deposition head to rotate in order to selectively change, an angle of a deposition axis at which the deposition head outputs material, further comprising at least one data processing system that comprises the at least one processor, wherein the at least one data processing system is external to the 3D printer and includes at least one software component that executes in the at least one processor and causes the at least one processor to generate the instructions based at least in part on a 3D model of the article, wherein the at least one software component causes the at least one processor to determine the angular orientation of the side wall surface from the 3D model, wherein the at least one software component causes the at least one processor to provide deposition axis orientation data in the instructions based at least in part on the determined angular orientation, wherein the instructions specify that the 3D printer rotates the deposition head based at least in part on the deposition axis orientation data when providing material adjacent to the side wall surface.

3 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , further comprising the 3D printer, wherein the 3D printer includes the deposition head, a build plate on which the article is built, and a controller that is operative to selectively move and rotate the deposition head responsive to the instructions, wherein the controller is operatively configured to cause the deposition head to rotate based at least in part on the deposition axis orientation data so as to provide material adjacent to the side wall surface while the deposition axis of the deposition head is angularly aligned or substantially angularly aligned with the angular orientation of the side wall surface, wherein the material is at least one of a powdered metal, a metal wire, or a combination thereof, wherein the 3D printer includes at least one heat source that bonds the deposited material together via at least one of laser light, electron beams, or a combination thereof.

4 . The apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the instructions include G-code instructions.

5 . The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the 3D printer is configured to cause the deposition head to rotate in order to selectively change, an angle of a deposition axis at which the deposition head outputs material, wherein the instructions generated by the at least one processor specify how the deposition head is operated by the 3D printer to build the article on the build plate such that material deposited along the side wall surface of the article is provided by the deposition head having its deposition axis orientated at the angle determined based at least in part on the angular orientation of the side wall surface, wherein the side wall surface is an overhanging side wall surface.

6 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the instructions generated by the at least one processor specify how the deposition head is operated by the 3D printer to build the article:
such that material deposited along a first side wall surface of the article is provided by the deposition head having its deposition axis angularly orientated at a first angle determined based at least in part on a first angular orientation of the first side wall surface; such that material deposited along a second side wall surface of the article is provided by the deposition head having its deposition axis angularly orientated at a second angle based at least in part on a second angular orientation of the second side wall surface, wherein the first and second angles are different; and such that material deposited between the first and second side wall surfaces in between the time periods when material is deposited at the first and second side wall surfaces, is provided by the deposition head while the deposition axis of the deposition head transitions from the first angle to the second.

7 . The apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the instructions generated by the at least one processor specify how the deposition head is operated by the 3D printer to build the article:
such that the material deposited between the first and second side wall surfaces in between the time periods when material is deposited at the first and second side wall surfaces, is provided by the deposition head by rotating the deposition axis at intermediate angles determined by the at least one processor by interpolating between the first and second angles along a deposition path between the first and second side wall surfaces.

8 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions generated by the at least one processor specify a plurality of successive layers for which material is applied to build the article, wherein the first side wall surface is positioned in the same layer as the second side wall surface.

9 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the instructions generated by the at least one processor specify a plurality of successive layers for which material is applied to build the article, wherein the first side wall surface is positioned in a first layer and the second side wall surface is positioned in a second layer that is positioned outwardly of the first layer relative to the build plate.

10 . The apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the instructions generated by the at least one processor specify how the deposition head is operated by the 3D printer to build the article such that the material deposited along the side wall surface of the article is provided by the deposition head having its deposition axis orientated within 10 degrees of being parallel to the side wall surface.

11 . The apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the instructions generated by the at least one processor specify how the deposition head is operated by the 3D printer to build the article such that the material deposited along the side wall surface of the article is provided by the deposition head having its deposition axis orientated parallel to the side wall surface.

12 . A method for additive manufacturing comprising:
through operation of at least one processor, generating instructions usable by a 3D printer to build an article that specify that a deposition head of the 3D printer deposits material in a plurality of successive layers to form a side wall surface of the article with the deposition head rotated at an angle based at least in part on an angular orientation of the side wall surface.

13 . The method according to claim 12 , further comprising:
prior to generating the instructions:
receiving a 3D model of the article,
through operation of the at least one processor, determining the angular orientation of the side wall from the 3D model,
saving the instructions to a storage device in operative connection with the at least one processor.

14 . The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
receiving the instructions with a controller associated with the 3D printer, wherein the 3D printer includes the deposition head and a build plate on which the article is built; through operation of the controller re

Assignees

• Siemens Product Lifecycle Man Software Inc

Inventors

• Vittitow William
• Madeley David
• Fithian Timothy R

Classifications

• B22F10/80 Primary

  Data acquisition or data processing · CPC title

• B29C64/393

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y50/02 Primary

  for controlling or regulating additive manufacturing processes · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B33Y50/00

  Data acquisition or data processing for additive manufacturing · CPC title