THREE-DIMENSIONAL MOLDING METHOD

• Main Authors: YAMADA TAKASHI, AMAYA KOICHI, ISHIMOTO KOSUKE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; Japanese
• Published: 14.09.2017
• Subjects: ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY; ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING, i.e. MANUFACTURING OFTHREE-DIMENSIONAL [3-D] OBJECTS BY ADDITIVE DEPOSITION, ADDITIVEAGGLOMERATION OR ADDITIVE LAYERING, e.g. BY 3-D PRINTING,STEREOLITHOGRAPHY OR SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING; AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; CASTING; INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIRCHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; MEASURING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; POWDER METALLURGY; SHAPING CLAY OR OTHER CERAMIC COMPOSITIONS, SLAG, OR MIXTURESCONTAINING CEMENTITIOUS MATERIAL, e.g. PLASTER; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; TESTING; TRANSPORTING; WORKING CEMENT, CLAY, OR STONE; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the constitution of a three-dimensional molding method in which an imperfect three-dimensionally modeled product can be prevented from being generated by promptly detecting poor sintering.SOLUTION: A three-dimensional molding method includes a step of forming a powder layer and a sintering step of sintering the powder layer by a laser beam or an electron beam. In the three-dimensional molding method, the above-described problem can be solved by the following operations: (a) measurement of the reflection intensity of the laser beam or electron beam with which irradiation has been performed in each sintering step or the reflection intensity of light other than the above-described laser beam; (b) an instruction to allow sintering in a subsequent time unit or a subsequent step of forming a powder layer to continue when the reflection intensity in (a) in a time unit is detected falling within a reference range; and (c) an instruction to discontinue sintering in a subsequent time unit or a subsequent step of forming a powder layer under determination of occurrence of poor sintering when a state in which the reflection intensity in (a) deviates from the reference range is detected occurring in a time unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1 【課題】焼結不良を速やかに検出することにより、欠陥三次元造形物の発生を防止し得る三次元造形方法の構成を提供すること。【解決手段】粉末層の形成工程、及びレーザービーム又は電子ビームによって前記粉末層を焼結する焼結工程とによる三次元造形方法であって、以下の作動することによって上記課題を達成し得る三次元造形方法。ａ 各焼結工程において照射したレーザービーム又は電子ビームの反射強度、又は上記レーザービーム以外の光の反射強度の測定、ｂ 時間単位においてａの反射強度が基準範囲内であることが検出された場合には、次の時間単位内の焼結、又は次の粉末層形成工程を継続する指令、ｃ 時間単位においてａの反射強度が基準範囲から逸脱する状態が発生していることが検出された場合には、焼結不良が生じた旨の判断の下に、次の時間単位内の焼結、又は次の粉末層形成工程を中止する指令。【選択図】図１