Abstract
The invention relates to a method for producing a three-dimensional objects by means of an additive manufacturing process in which at least one manufacturing material is fed in a free-flowing state from at least one feed-in opening of at least one feed-in needle into a supporting material and then cured, the manufacturing material being introduced in multiple layers one after the other, wherein the feed-in needle comprises at least one tool by which at least one previous layer is machined when a current layer of the manufacturing material is introduced.
Claims
1. A method for producing a three-dimensional object by an additive manufacturing process, comprising: feeding at least one manufacturing material in a free-flowing state from at least one feed-in opening of at least one feed-in needle into a supporting material, wherein the at least one manufacturing material is introduced in multiple layers one after the other, and wherein the feed-in needle comprises at least one tool by which at least one previous layer is machined when a current layer of the manufacturing material is introduced; and curing the at least one manufacturing material to produce the three-dimensional object.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein during introduction of the current layer of manufacturing material, the at least one tool projects into at least one preceding layer.
3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the at least one tool mixes or smooths the current layer and at least one preceding layer and/or presses them together.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one tool is arranged behind the feed-in needle in the direction of movement and projects into the current layer and the preceding layer.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional object is an orthopaedic device.
6. A device for carrying out a method according to claim 1.
7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one tool can be arranged in front of, next to or behind the feed-in needle in the direction of movement.
8. The device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one tool is configured as a single piece with at least one part of the feed-in needle.
9. The device according to claim 6, wherein the feed-in needle is arranged such that it can be rotated about its longitudinal axis.
10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the feed-in needle features a flow profile that orients the feed-in needle along the direction of movement of the feed-in needle.
11. The device according to claim 10, wherein the feed-in needle has at least one orientation element, which protrudes from part of the feed-in needle and rotates it about its longitudinal axis when the feed-in needle is moved.
12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the orientation element and/or the at least one tool is attached to the feed-in needle such that it can be adjusted.
13. The method according to claim 2, wherein the at least one tool is arranged in front of the feed-in needle in the direction of movement of the feed-in needle.
14. The method according to claim 3, wherein the at least one tool is arranged alongside the feed-in needle in the direction of movement of the feed-in needle.
15. The method according to claim 5, wherein the orthopaedic device is a prosthesis liner.
16. The device according to claim 8, wherein the at least one tool is configured as a single piece with the feed-in needle.
17. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device comprises at least one drive for rotating the feed-in needle about its longitudinal axis.
Description
[0029] Advantageously, the orientation element and/or the at least one tool are attached to the feed-in needle such that they can be adjusted.
[0030] In the following, a number of embodiment examples of the invention will be explained in more detail with the aid of the accompanying drawings. They show
[0031] FIGS. 1 to 3—schematic representations of a part of a device according to first embodiment examples of the present invention,
[0032] FIGS. 4 to 7—schematic representations of the part of a device according to further embodiment examples,
[0033] FIGS. 8 to 12—schematic representations of the part according to further embodiment examples from different perspectives,
[0034] FIGS. 13 to 15—schematic representations of the part according to a further embodiment example from different perspectives,
[0035] FIGS. 16 and 17—schematic representations of the part according to a further embodiment example from different perspectives,
[0036] FIGS. 18 to 20—schematic representations of the part according to a further embodiment example from different perspectives and
[0037] FIGS. 21 to 22—schematic representations of the part according to a further embodiment example from different perspectives.
[0038] FIG. 1 shows the end of a feed-in needle 2 that has a feed-in opening 4 at its lower end, by which the manufacturing material 6 is introduced into a support material, not depicted. During this process, a current layer 8 of the manufacturing material 6 is applied to a preceding layer 10 of the manufacturing material 6. Via a collar 12, a tool 14 in the form of a mandrel is arranged on the feed-in needle 2 in such a way that it projects beyond the feed-in opening 4 along the longitudinal direction of the feed-in needle 2, which in FIG. 1 extend from top to bottom. In the representation depicted in FIG. 1, the feed-in needle 2 is moved to the right, so that the direction of movement extends to the right. The at least one tool 14 is therefore arranged behind the feed-in needle 2 in the direction of movement. It extends through the current layer 8 and the preceding layer 10 of the manufacturing material 6, thereby machining both layers. In the present example, the two layers are ripped open.
[0039] FIG. 2 schematically shows a representation of a feed-in needle 2 that has a feed-in opening 4 at its lower end. The feed-in needle 2 is mounted such that it can rotate about its longitudinal direction 16, depicted by the dashed line: this is represented by the two arrows. A current layer 8 of the manufacturing material 6 is applied to a preceding layer 10 of the manufacturing material 6 through the feed-in opening 4. The tool 14, designed in this case as a bead 18, is located at the lower end of the feed-in needle 2. In FIG. 2, the direction of movement of the feed-in needle 2 extends to the left, so that the tool 14 in the form of the bead 18 is arranged in front of the feed-in needle 2 in the direction of movement. Therefore, the tool 14 in the form of the bead 18 only machines the previous layer 10 of the manufacturing material 6, which is indicated by a small triangle-shaped attachment on the previous layer 10.
[0040] FIG. 3 shows a different configuration of the feed-in needle 2 with its longitudinal direction 16 that can also be rotated about this longitudinal direction 16. It also has the feed-in opening 4, the tool 14 being located in this area. In this case too, the direction of movement of the feed-in needle 2 also points to the left, so that the tool 14 is arranged behind the feed-in needle 2 in the direction of movement. In FIG. 3, it protrudes downwards beyond the end of the feed-in needle 2 and particularly beyond the feed-in opening 4, thereby machining both the current layer 8 as well as the preceding layer 10 of the manufacturing material 6.
[0041] FIGS. 4 and 5 show a schematic representation of a feed-in needle 2 that comprises a orientation element 20 arranged with a sleeve 12 at the lower end of the feed-in needle 12. In contrast to FIG. 4, FIG. 5 shows that manufacturing material 6 flows out of the feed-in opening 4. The orientation element 20 changes the flow cross-section of the feed-in needle 2, which is otherwise designed to be rotationally symmetrical in relation to the longitudinal direction 16 in the example of an embodiment shown. The flow cross-section and therefore also the resistance against a movement of the feed-in needle 2 is now dependent on the direction of movement of the feed-in needle 2. If the feed-in needle 2 depicted in FIGS. 4 and 5 is moved, for example, to the left in the arrangement shown, the orientation element 20 does not cause an increase in flow resistance. However, if the feed-in needle 2 is moved perpendicular to the drawing plane in the arrangement shown, the flow resistance is significantly increased due to the orientation element 20. Since the feed-in needle 2 is designed such that it can be rotated about it longitudinal direction 16, however, the increased flow resistance caused by the orientation element 20 will cause the feed-in needle 2 to pivot about its longitudinal direction 16 until the orientation element 20 is positioned behind the feed-in needle 2 in the direction of movement.
[0042] FIG. 6 shows a representation of the feed-in needle 2 that comprises a tool 14 with two legs 22 which, in the embodiment example shown, protrude downwards beyond the feed-in opening 4 of the feed-in needle 2. The distance between the two legs 22 preferably corresponds to the width of the feed-in opening 4 and thus to the width of the introduced strand of manufacturing material 6. The two legs 22 smooth the sides of the introduced manufacturing material on both sides, thus ensuring a smoother surface of the object produced as well as improved contact between the current layer 8 and the preceding layer 10.
[0043] FIG. 7 depicts an embodiment of the feed-in needle 2 that corresponds to a combination of the representations from FIG. 2 and FIG. 4. The orientation element 20 is located at the lower end of the feed-in needle 2, said orientation element being arranged on the feed-in needle 2 by means of the collar 12. The tool 14 is arranged by way of the same collar 12, said tool being in the form of the bead 18 mentioned above. The orientation element 20 ensures that it is located behind the feed-in needle 2 in the direction of movement when the feed-in needle 2 is moved. Since the direction of extension of the bead 18, which extends to the left in FIG. 7, and the direction of extension of the orientation element 20, which extends to the right in FIG. 7, are diametrically opposite each other, it is ensured that the bead 18 is arranged in front of the feed-in needle 2 in the direction of movement. Here, the bead 18 machines the preceding layer 10 of the manufacturing material 6 onto which the current layer 8 is applied by the feed-in needle 2 from the feed-in opening 4.
[0044] FIGS. 8 and 9 depict a further embodiment of a feed-in needle 2 from different perspectives. This feed-in needle 2 can also be rotated about its longitudinal direction 16 and features a feed-in opening 4 at its lower end in FIGS. 8 and 9. In FIG. 8, it is clear that the feed-in needle 2 features a kink 24 in a lower area so that, unlike in the embodiments in the previous figures, the feed-in opening 4 is not open downwards, but rather to the left in FIG. 8. The tool 14 is arranged on the kinked part of the feed-in needle 2, said tool comprising a spacer 26 and a plate 28. The plate 28 is arranged in such a way that it is arranged in front of the feed-in opening 4 at a distance defined by the spacer 26. In FIG. 8, the plate 28 also protrudes downwards beyond the feed-in needle 2. In this configuration, by simply rotating the feed-in needle 2 about its longitudinal direction 16 it is possible to produce a circular layer of manufacturing material, the outer side of which is smoothed by the plate 28 and machined together with the outer side of a preceding layer of manufacturing material beneath it.
[0045] FIG. 9 shows the feed-in needle 2 from FIG. 8 rotated by 90°. The viewing direction now corresponds to a view into the feed-in opening 4, in front of which the plate 28, not depicted in FIG. 9, is arranged.
[0046] FIGS. 10 and 11 show the representations from FIGS. 8 and 9, the feed-in needle 2 now additionally having an orientation element 20. This is shown in a lateral view in FIG. 11, in which its large-area side can be seen. FIG. 10 shows the representation from FIG. 11 rotated by 90°, so that the orientation element 20 is viewed along its edge. It is fixed to the feed-in needle 2 via the collar 12. In the embodiment example shown, the kink 24 is located below the collar 12 and therefore also below the orientation element 20. The feed-in opening 4 as well as the tool 14 with the spacer 26 and plate 28 are again located at the lower end of the feed-in needle 2.
[0047] FIG. 12 depicts the kinked part of the feed-in needle 2 as well as the orientation element 20 in a view from below.
[0048] FIGS. 13 to 15 show the lower end of the feed-in needle 2 according to a further embodiment example of the present invention. The feed-in opening 4 does not have a circular cross-section; rather, the cross-section is designed in the shape of a teardrop. Due to the elongated shape of the cross-section, the feed-in needle 2 itself acts as an orientation element, ensuring that this feed-in needle 2 rotates about its longitudinal axis if the direction of movement of the feed-in needle 2 changes. The tool 14 is arranged at the pointed end of the cross-section of the feed-in needle 2 and the feed-in opening 4, which is located at the rear in the direction of movement when the feed-in needle 2 moves. In the embodiment example shown, the tool 14 has a hook 30. In the embodiment example shown, the hook 30 is pointing forwards in the direction of movement of the feed-in needle 2 and is preferably so long that it not only protrudes into the layer of the manufacturing material currently exiting the feed-in opening 4, but also into the preceding layer below.
[0049] FIGS. 16 and 17 show the end of the feed-in needle 2 according to a further embodiment example of the present invention. While FIG. 16 depicts a schematic three-dimensional view, FIG. 17 shows a view along the longitudinal axis of the feed-in needle 2 into the feed-in opening 4. In this embodiment example too, the feed-in opening 4 is designed in the shape of a teardrop, so that the shape of the feed-in needle 2 already acts as an orientation element. The tool 14 with the hook 30 is located at the rear end of the feed-in opening 4, as shown in FIGS. 13 to 15. In addition, the embodiment shown features a further tool 14 in the form of two legs 22 which project beyond the feed-in opening 4 along the longitudinal direction of the feed-in needle 2. In the embodiment example shown, these legs 22 also project beyond the hook 30. FIG. 17 shows that the legs 22 are oriented parallel to each other and do not follow the teardrop shape of the feed-in opening 4. Rather, they smooth the lateral surfaces of the current surface 8 and at least one preceding layer 10 beneath it.
[0050] Along the longitudinal direction of the feed-in opening 4, i.e. from the wide end of the feed-in opening 4 to the pointed end of the feed-in opening 4, the legs do not extend to the hook 30. Rather, they terminate before the hook 30 in this direction. This is different in the embodiment example of the feed-in needle 2 depicted in figures 18 to 20. The feed-in opening 4 is also teardrop-shaped in this embodiment example and the hook 30 is located at its pointed end. This embodiment example also features a further tool in the form of two legs 22 arranged at both sides of the feed-in needle 2 and thus at both sides of the feed-in opening 4. The legs 22 extend along the longitudinal direction of the feed-in needle 2 beyond the feed-in opening 4 and, in the embodiment example shown, also beyond the hook 30. They are oriented parallel to each other and smooth the current layer and at least one preceding layer below it, thereby resulting in a smoothest possible surface of the object to be produced. In the embodiment example depicted in FIGS. 18 to 20, the legs 22 are designed to be longer along the longitudinal direction of the feed-in opening 4 and project beyond the feed-in needle 2 and the hook 30 in the direction of movement of the feed-in needle 2. This has the advantage that the irregularities in the current layer 8 and the preceding layer 10 resulting from the hook 30 cannot cause uneven object surfaces, as the hook 30 or another tool 14 arranged at this point projects into the respective layers 8, 10, while these layers 8, 10 are located between the two legs 22.
[0051] FIGS. 21 and 22 depict a further embodiment of a feed-in needle 2. It also features the teardrop-shaped feed-in opening 4; however, in this embodiment example, there is no tool located at the pointed end of said feed-in opening. In this embodiment example, the feed-in needle 2 only features the tool in the form of the two legs 22, which project slightly beyond the feed-in needle 2 along the longitudinal direction of the feed-in opening 4.
REFERENCE LIST
[0052] 2 feed-in needle [0053] 4 feed-in opening [0054] 6 manufacturing material [0055] 8 current layer [0056] 10 preceding layer [0057] 12 collar [0058] 14 tool [0059] 16 longitudinal direction [0060] 18 bead [0061] 20 orientation element [0062] 22 legs [0063] 24 kink [0064] 26 spacer [0065] 28 plate [0066] 30 hook
