Method of and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object

• Main Authors: ABE SATOSHI, YOSHIDA NORIO, FUWA ISAO, TOGEYAMA HIROHIKO, SHIMIZU TAKASHI, HIGASHI YOSHIKAZU, TAKENAMI MASATAKA, UENAGA SHUSHI
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.10.2013
• Subjects: AFTER-TREATMENT OF THE SHAPED PRODUCTS, e.g. REPAIRING; ARTIFICIAL STONE; CASTING; CEMENTS; CERAMICS; CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, e.g. MORTARS, CONCRETE OR LIKE BUILDINGMATERIALS; CONCRETE; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; LIME, MAGNESIA; MACHINE TOOLS; MAKING METALLIC POWDER; MANUFACTURE OF ARTICLES FROM METALLIC POWDER; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; POWDER METALLURGY; REFRACTORIES; SHAPING OF MATERIAL IN A PLASTIC STATE, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDEDFOR; SHAPING OR JOINING OF PLASTICS; SLAG; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF NATURAL STONE; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM; WORKING METALLIC POWDER; WORKING OF PLASTICS; WORKING OF SUBSTANCES IN A PLASTIC STATE, IN GENERAL

An apparatus for making a three-dimensional object includes a table, a powdery layer-former that forms a powdery layer on the table, and an optical beam-irradiator that irradiates an optical beam on a predetermined region of the powdery layer to sinter the predetermined region of the powdery layer. A chamber for accommodating the table and the powdery layer-former and a lid for opening and closing an opening defined in the chamber at a location immediately above an optical beam-irradiating range are provided. The three-dimensional object is taken out from the chamber through the opening upon completion of the sintering, and the optical beam-irradiator is disposed at a position deviated from immediately above the optical beam-irradiating range to obliquely irradiate the optical beam on the powdery layer.