Device of generatively manufacturing three-dimensional objects with insulated building field

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9744723-B2
Application number	US-98249110-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 30, 2010
Priority date	Jan 5, 2010
Publication date	Aug 29, 2017
Grant date	Aug 29, 2017

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for generatively manufacturing a three-dimensional object ( 3 ), comprising: a frame ( 1 ) defining a building field ( 6 ) at an upper portion ( 2 ) thereof; a plate ( 12 ) which connects the frame ( 1 ) with a housing ( 100 ) of the device; a support ( 5 ) which is arranged in the frame ( 1 ) and vertically movable by a lift mechanics ( 4 ) at least below the building field ( 6 ); a radiation device ( 7 ) which generates an energetic beam ( 8, 8 ′) which is focused by a deflection means ( 9 ) to arbitrary points in the building field ( 6 ), so as to selectively sinter or melt a powdery material ( 11 ) which is present in the building field ( 6 ); a coater ( 10 ) for applying a layer of powdery material ( 11 ) onto the support ( 5 ) or a previously applied layer of the powdery material ( 11 ). A thermal insulation ( 13 ) is arranged between the frame ( 1 ) and the plate.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A device for generatively manufacturing a three-dimensional object, comprising: a housing; an exchangeable frame that is modularly insertable into and removable from the housing; a thermal insulation having a vertical side and a horizontal bottom; a horizontal plate that is arranged in parallel to a horizontal plane of a building field and that surrounds the exchangeable frame on all sides of the exchangeable frame, the horizontal plate being in contact with the housing, the horizontal plate having a depth along a side of the horizontal plate facing the thermal insulation; a support arranged in the exchangeable frame and vertically movable by a lift mechanism; a radiation device that generates an energetic beam that is focused onto the building field by a deflector so as to selectively sinter or melt a powdery material present in the building field; a coater for applying a layer of a powdery material onto the support or a previously applied layer of the powdery material; and the thermal insulation arranged between the exchangeable frame and the horizontal plate, wherein the thermal insulation is releasably mounted in the horizontal plate and formed as an exchangeable insert, and mounted within a full depth of the horizontal plate; and the thermal insulation is made of a solid integral material and circumferentially surrounds an upper portion of the exchangeable frame on all sides of the exchangeable frame so that the upper portion of the exchangeable frame is contacting the horizontal bottom of the thermal insulation.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation has different heat conductivities at different circumferential positions of the horizontal plate.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation extends horizontally outward from the horizontal plate at a horizontal extension and a dimension of the horizontal extension changes at different circumferential positions of the horizontal plate.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the dimension of the horizontal extension at corners of the horizontal plate is larger than at other circumferential positions of the horizontal plate.

5. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation contains different materials at different circumferential positions of the horizontal plate.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the thermal insulation includes an insulation material with mechanical load capacity and/or an insulation material without mechanical load capacity.

Assignees

• Baumann Andreas
• Philippi Jochen
• Mattes Thomas
• Eos Gmbh Electro Optical Systems

Inventors

• Baumann Andreas
• Philippi Jochen
• Mattes Thomas

Classifications

• B29C64/295

  Heating elements · CPC title

• B29C64/245

  Platforms or substrates (support structures intended to be sacrificed after manufacture B29C64/40) · CPC title

• B29C64/25

  Housings, e.g. machine housings · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B29C64/255

  Enclosures for the building material, e.g. powder containers · CPC title