Three dimensional printer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9808864-B2
Application number	US-201514858036-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Oct 8, 2014
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

A lamination molding apparatus which can lower the oxygen concentration in a molding room in short time is provided. A lamination molding apparatus, including a molding room; a processing head; a driving device housing room housing a driving device moving the processing head; a partitioning section to partition the molding room from the driving device housing room; a discharging section to discharge gas in the molding room; and an inert gas supplying apparatus to supply the inert gas to both of the molding room and to the driving device housing room.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lamination molding apparatus, comprising:
a molding room covering a predetermined molding region and filled with an inert gas having a predetermined concentration;
a laser beam emitter to irradiate a predetermined portion of a material powder layer formed on the molding region with a laser beam, thereby sintering the material powder at a position of irradiation to form a sintered body;
a processing head structured to be capable of being moved in the molding room, the processing head providing a machine processing to the sintered body;
a driving device housing room provided adjacent to the molding room, the driving device housing room housing a driving device moving the processing head;
a partitioning section to partition the molding room from the driving device housing room;
a discharging section to discharge gas in the molding room; and
an inert gas supplying apparatus to supply the inert, gas to both of the molding room and to the driving device housing room;
wherein a communicating section is in the partitioning section, the communicating section allowing communication between, the driving device housing room and the molding room; and

the communicating section has a size allowing to maintain a pressure of the driving device housing room supplied with the inert gas to be higher than a pressure of the molding room.

2. The lamination molding apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first inert gas supplying apparatus to supply the inert gas to the molding room; and
a second inert gas supplying apparatus to supply the inert gas to the driving device housing room.

3. The lamination molding apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first inert gas supplying apparatus is configured to control the concentration of the inert gas; and
the second inert gas supplying apparatus is not configured to control the concentration of the inert gas.

4. The lamination molding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein an amount of the inert gas supplied to the molding room is larger than an amount of the inert gas supplied to the driving device housing room.

5. The lamination molding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the inert, gas is supplied to the driving device housing room when a power source of the lamination molding apparatus is turned on; and
the inert gas is supplied to the molding room when a door allowing access to the molding room is closed.

6. The lamination molding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the partitioning section comprises bellows capable of extending and folding in a direction parallel to a boundary surface of the driving device housing and the molding room; and
the processing head is capable of moving in an extending and folding direction of the bellows.

7. The lamination molding apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the material powder layer is formed by moving a recoater head supplying the material powder on the molding region in the molding room.

8. A lamination molding apparatus, comprising:
a molding room covering a predetermined molding region and filled with an inert gas having a predetermined concentration;
a laser beam emitter to irradiate a portion of a material powder layer formed on the molding region with a laser beam, thereby sintering the material powder at a position of irradiation to form a sintered body;
a processing head configured to be moved in the molding room, the processing head providing a machine processing to the sintered body;
a driving device housing room provided adjacent, to the molding room, the driving device housing room, housing a driving device moving the processing head;
a partitioning section to partition the molding room from the driving device housing room,
a discharging section to discharge gas in the molding room; and
an inert gas supplying apparatus to supply the inert gas to both of the molding room and to the driving device housing room; wherein a communicating section is in the partitioning section, the communicating section allowing communication between the driving device housing room and the molding room; and
the communicating section has means for maintaining a pressure of the driving device housing room supplied with the inert gas to be higher than a pressure of the molding room.

Assignees

• Sodick Co Ltd
• Sodick Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawada Shuichi
• Muranaka Katsutaka
• Okazaki Shuji

Classifications

• B29C64/153

  using layers of powder being selectively joined, e.g. by selective laser sintering or melting · CPC title

• B22F3/1007 Primary

  Atmosphere (B22F3/1021 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B29C64/371

  using an environment other than air, e.g. inert gas · CPC title

• B33Y30/00

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

• B29C64/25

  Housings, e.g. machine housings · CPC title