APPARATUS FOR ADDITIVELY MANUFACTURING THREE-DIMENSIONAL OBJECTS

Abstract

Apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects (2) by means of successive layerwise selective irradiation and consolidation of layers of a build material (3) which can be consolidated by means of an energy source (4), wherein a determination device (7) is provided that comprises a first determination unit (8) and a second determination unit (9), wherein the first determination unit (8) is adapted to determine at least one first parameter of the object (2) during an additive manufacturing process and wherein the second determination unit (9) is adapted to determine at least one second parameter of the object (2) after the additive manufacturing process is finished, wherein the determination device (7) is adapted to compare the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter.

Claims

1. Apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects (2) by means of successive layerwise selective irradiation and consolidation of layers of a build material (3) which can be consolidated by means of an energy source (4), characterized by a determination device (7) that comprises a first determination unit (8) and a second determination unit (9), wherein the first determination unit (8) is adapted to determine at least one first parameter of the object (2) during an additive manufacturing process and wherein the second determination unit (9) is adapted to determine at least one second parameter of the object (2) after the additive manufacturing process is finished, wherein the determination device (7) is adapted to compare the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the first determination unit (8) is adapted to determine the at least one first parameter based on a determination of radiation propagating in a process chamber of the apparatus (1) and wherein the second determination unit (9) is adapted to determine at least one second parameter via a non-destructive technology.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one first parameter is or comprises information relating to radiation emitted from a build plane (6), in particular thermal radiation and/or at least one reflected part of radiation emitted from the energy source (4) used to irradiate build material (3) arranged in the build plane (6).

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one second parameter is or comprises an image, in particular a CT- and/or MRI- and/or ultrasonic image, of the at least one part of the additively built object (2).

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to combine and/or to compare the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter for at least one part of the object (2), in particular for a plurality of parts of the object (2), preferably the entire object (2).

6. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to determine a difference between the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to adjust the at least one first determination unit (8) in that a determined difference is compensated.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to generate a map spatially resolving the at least one first parameter and/or the at least one second parameter and/or at least one difference between the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter.

9. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to generate the map for at least two different layers of the object (2).

10. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to provide at least one built object (2) to the second determination unit (9), after the additive manufacturing process is finished, wherein the second determination unit (9) is adapted to determine the at least one second parameter, wherein the determination device (7) is adapted to establish a relation between the first and second parameter.

11. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to provide the at least one object (2) with orientation means (12), in particular a QR code, wherein the first determination unit (8) and/or the second determination unit (9) are adapted to determine an orientation of the object (2) based on the orientation means (12).

12. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to store and/or transmit data comprising the at least one first parameter and/or the at least one second parameter, in particular the relation between the at least one first and the at least one second parameter, wherein the determination device (7) is adapted to transmit the data to at least one other apparatus (1), in particular to a network of apparatuses (1).

13. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) is adapted to establish the determination performed via the first determination unit (8) as reference dependent on the determined difference, wherein only the first parameter is determined for the corresponding type of object (2) or manufacturing process, with the first determination unit (8) being established as reference.

14. Determination device (7) for an apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects (2), in particular an apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination device (7) comprises a first determination unit (8) and a second determination unit (9), wherein the first determination unit (8) is adapted to determine at least one first parameter of the object (2) during an additive manufacturing process and wherein the second determination unit (9) is adapted to determine at least one second parameter of the object (2) after the additive manufacturing process is finished, wherein the determination device (7) is adapted to compare the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter.

15. Method for operating an apparatus (1) for additively manufacturing three-dimension objects (2), in particular an apparatus (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one first parameter of the object (2) is determined via a first determination unit (8) during an additive manufacturing process and wherein at least one second parameter of the object (2) is determined via a second determination unit (9) after the additive manufacturing process is finished, wherein the at least one first parameter and the at least one second parameter are compared via a determination device (7) comprising the first determination unit (8) and the second determination unit (9).

Description

[0030] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are described with reference to the FIGURE The sole FIGURE is a schematic diagram showing an inventive apparatus with an inventive determination device.

[0031] The sole FIGURE shows an apparatus 1 for additively manufacturing three-dimensional objects 2 by means of successive layerwise selective irradiation and consolidation of layers of a build material 3 which can be consolidated by means of an energy source 4. According to this exemplary embodiment, the energy source 4 is built as beam source, for example generating a laser beam 5 that can be guided onto a build plane 6 in which the build material 3 is arranged to be selectively irradiated.

[0032] Further, a determination device 7 is provided, which comprises a first determination unit 8 and a second determination unit 9, e.g. a non-destructive analysis unit, such as a computer tomography unit. The first determination unit 8 is adapted to determine a first parameter of the object 2 in multiple positions of the object 2, for each layer the object 2 is layerwise manufactured. The first parameter may comprise, inter alia, information relating to radiation 10 that is emitted from the different positions of the uppermost layer that is arranged and irradiated in the build plane 6, for example a reflected part of the laser beam 5 or thermal radiation emitted from (consolidated) parts of build material 3 arranged in the build plane 6. The radiation 10 is emitted from the build plane 6 and is guided to the first determination unit 8 for determining the first parameter for the different position of the individual layers of the object 2. Hence, the first determination process performed via the first determination unit 8 in which the first parameter is determined is performed during the additive manufacturing process of the object 2.

[0033] After the object 2 is additively manufactured, a second parameter can be determined via the second determination unit 9 that performs a second determination process. Both, the first determination unit 8 and the second determination unit 9 may send the first parameter and the second parameter to the determination device 7. The determination device 7 is adapted to compare the first parameter(s) and the second parameter(s), in particular for corresponding positions of the object 2 and therefore, the determination device 7 is adapted to establish a relation between the first determination process and the second determination process, in particular between each corresponding set of first parameter and second parameter for the individual positions or regions of the object 2.

[0034] Further, it is possible that the determination device 7 generates a map, in particular a three-dimensional map, in which the first parameters and the second parameters are spatially resolved, wherein it is also possible to generate a map comprising the differences between the first parameters and the second parameters for each position or region of the object 2. Hence, a relation between the first parameters and the second parameters can be established and possible differences between the first parameters and the second parameters can be compensated in that the first determination unit 8 can be adjusted accordingly. Thus, based on the adjustment, it is ensured that the first parameters determined via the first determination unit 8 deliver the same results as a second determination process performed by the second determination unit 9. Therefore, the first determination unit 8 can be used as reference for determining whether the object 2 meets defined quality requirements. Thus, it is possible to perform multiple additive manufacturing processes on the apparatus 1 using the first determination unit 8 as reference, wherein the same or similar objects 2 can be additively built or the same or similar additive manufacturing processes can be performed on the apparatus 1 with the first determination unit 8 established as reference. Therefore, a second determination process performed via the second determination unit 9 is not necessary for each object 2 additively built on the apparatus 1, as the quality monitoring can be performed solely via the first determination unit 8.

[0035] According to this exemplary embodiment depicted in the sole FIGURE, the determination device 7 can be connected to an interface 11 via which it is possible to share first parameters and/or the second parameters and/or the map, for example share the data with another apparatus 1 or another network of apparatuses 1. Thus, it is possible that the relation between the at least one first parameter the at least one second parameter can be shared throughout the network of apparatuses 1 to reduce the effort related with quality monitoring, in particular to omit the necessity of performing a second determination process for each additively built object 2.

[0036] Additionally, the object 2 can be provided with orientation means 12, in particular with a QR code, that allows for a determination of the orientation of the object 2, wherein for example, the second determination unit 9 is adapted to determine the orientation of the object 2 based on the orientation means 12. Thus, it can be ensured that the object 2 is arranged in the same orientation in the additive manufacturing process, where the first parameter is determined via the first determination unit 8 and in the second determination process, where the second parameter is determined by the second determination unit 9. Thus, a direct relation between the first parameter and the second parameter relating to the same position of the object 2 (for multiple positions of the object 2) can be established. The orientation means 12 can preferably be provided during the additive manufacturing process performed on the apparatus 1.

[0037] Of course, the inventive method may be performed on the inventive apparatus 1.