阅读说明：本技术 用于sls三维打印的机器人粉末床车和兼容打印机壳体 (Robot powder bed vehicle for SLS three-dimensional printing and compatible printer shell ) 是由 T·P·齐兹恩斯基 J·格拉奇克 于 2020-05-07 设计创作，主要内容包括：多个打印机壳体和粉末床车可协调地执行各种3D打印操作。打印机壳体可直接或通过控制站调用粉末床车。受请求的粉末床车能够从备用区域分派,并且能够使用其磁导传感器来跟踪地板上的磁带线,以自动导航至请求的打印机壳体。在请求的打印机壳体处,粉末床车能够停靠,通过提升其千斤顶螺钉将粉末介质托盘和粉末床移动到位,然后开始打印操作。当粉末床车的粉末介质耗尽时,粉末床车能够与打印机壳体分离并返回备用区域,在备用区域,托盘会重新填满粉末介质,并且其电池会重新充电。(Multiple printer housings and powder bed carts can perform various 3D printing operations in coordination. The printer housing may call up the powder bed cart directly or through a control station. The requested powder bed cart can be dispatched from the standby area and can use its magnetic permeability sensor to track the tape line on the floor to automatically navigate to the requesting printer housing. At the requesting printer housing, the powder bed cart can be parked, the powder media tray and powder bed moved into position by lifting their jack screws, and then the printing operation started. When the powder bed cart's powder media is exhausted, the powder bed cart can be separated from the printer housing and returned to a standby area where the tray can be refilled with powder media and its battery recharged.)

1. A powder bed cart for a Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) apparatus, the powder bed cart comprising:

a powder bed;

an autonomous mobile device; and

means for interfacing with a print housing of the SLS device.

2. The powder bed vehicle of claim 1, wherein the autonomous moving device comprises:

a position sensor;

wheels arranged on the bottom surface of the powder bed vehicle;

a motor for steering and propelling the powder bed vehicle to a desired destination; and

a battery that powers the motor.

3. The powder bed cart of claim 1, wherein the means for interfacing with the print housing comprises a vertical adjustment means for lifting the vertical position of the powder bed to an operational position within the printer housing.

4. The powder bed cart of claim 1, wherein the powder bed is covered by a retractable cover.

5. The powder bed cart of claim 4, wherein the retractable cover includes an integrated heating element to maintain the temperature of the powder bed.

6. The powder bed cart of claim 1, wherein the powder bed cart is configured to rest at a supply area station where the batteries of the powder bed cart are charged and the heating element of the powder bed cart is driven by a socket connection rather than batteries.

7. The powder bed cart of claim 1, further comprising one or more trays for containing powder material.

8. The powder bed cart of claim 7, wherein the powder bed cart is configured to dock at a post-processing station where the powder bed cart performs at least one of unpacking, removing powder, cleaning a printed part, or refilling one or more trays with powder material.

9. A printer housing for a Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) apparatus, the printer housing comprising:

an opening adapted to interface with an autonomous powder bed vehicle of the SLS device, the autonomous powder bed vehicle including a powder bed;

a laser source configured to generate a laser beam; and

an imaging system configured to scan a laser beam onto the powder material disposed in the powder bed such that the powder material forms a solid mass at a point heated by the laser beam.

10. The printer housing of claim 9, further comprising one or more trays for containing powder material.

11. The printer housing of claim 9, wherein the opening is adapted to interface with a plurality of autonomous powder bed carts.

12. The printer housing of claim 9, further comprising a roller configured to spread powder material within a powder bed.

13. The printer housing of claim 9, wherein the printer housing is configured to send a request to the automated powder bed vehicle requesting the automated powder bed vehicle to move from the standby area to the opening of the printer housing.

14. The printer housing of claim 9, further comprising a telemetry unit configured to send and receive audio and/or video information to and from the control station.

15. A Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) printing system, comprising:

a first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts;

a second plurality of printer housings, each printer housing adapted to interface with one or more of the first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts; and

a control station communicatively coupled to the first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts and the second plurality of printer housings to control operation of the first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts and the second plurality of printer housings.

16. The SLS printing system of claim 15, wherein the control station is configured to:

sending a request to move one of the first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts from a standby area to an opening of one of the second plurality of printer housings.

17. The SLS printing system of claim 15, wherein the control station is configured to maintain a record of the type and amount of material in each of the first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts.

18. The SLS printing system of claim 15, wherein the control station is configured to receive audio and/or video information from one or more of the first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts or the second plurality of printer housings.

19. The SLS printing system of claim 18, wherein the control station is configured to transmit the audio and/or video information to one or more client stations.

20. The SLS printing system of claim 15, wherein the control station is configured to receive commands from one or more client stations, the commands configured to control operation of the first plurality of autonomous powder bed carts and the second plurality of printer housings.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to powder bed carts and related printer housings for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), and in one embodiment, the present invention relates to such carts including autonomous moving devices and devices for interfacing with one of the printer housings.

Background

So-called "3D printing", or more generally additive manufacturing, is a broad term used to describe the process of manufacturing three-dimensional objects from digital data files under computer control. Many different additive manufacturing techniques have been developed, including SLS. SLS involves the use of a laser to melt a material, typically a metal, polymer or ceramic powder, at a point in space defined by a digital model file. For a given cross-sectional layer of the model, the focal point of the laser is scanned over the bed of powdered material, causing the material to form a solid mass at the point where the laser is heated alone. After each cross-section is scanned, the powder bed is lowered, a new layer of material is applied, and the process is repeated. The process continues, point by point, for each cross-sectional layer of the object under manufacture until the desired object is completed.

Disclosure of Invention

According to one embodiment of the present invention, multiple printer housings and carts can be coordinated to perform various printing operations. The printer housing may call up the powder bed cart directly or through a control station. The requested powder bed cart may be dispatched from a standby area and can use its magnetic permeability sensor to track the tape line on the floor to automatically navigate to the requesting printer housing. At the requesting printer housing, the powder bed cart may be parked, the powder media tray and powder bed moved into position by lifting their jack screws, and then the printing operation started. When the powder bed cart's powder material is exhausted, the powder bed cart can be separated from the printer housing and returned to a standby area where the tray can be refilled with powder material and its battery recharged.

The printer housing may include an opening adapted to interface with the powder bed cart. The printer housing may also include a laser source configured to generate a laser beam and an imaging system configured to scan the laser beam onto the powdered material disposed in the powder bed to form the powdered material into a solid mass at a point where the laser beam heats. The printer housing may also include rollers configured to spread the powder material within the powder bed.

The powder bed cart may include a powder bed, a robotic movement device, and a device to interface with the print housing. The autonomous moving device may include a position sensor, wheels disposed on a bottom surface of the powder bed cart, a motor for steering and propelling the powder bed cart to a desired destination, and a battery for powering the motor. The means for interfacing with the print housing may comprise vertical adjustment means to raise the vertical position of the powder bed to an operative position within the print housing.

The above and other embodiments of the present invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1A-1C depict an apparatus for melting a powdered media in a powder bed to form a three-dimensional article according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 depicts a cart for transporting powdered media and a printer housing configured to receive the cart according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3A depicts a vertical adjustment device for placing a powder bed and a powder media tray in an operational position within a printer housing according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3B depicts an assembly according to one embodiment of the invention in which the vehicle is resting in the printer housing.

FIG. 4 depicts a system that integrates multiple printer housings, carts, and control stations according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a plant having multiple printer housings and carts according to one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. The description associated with any one of the figures may be applied to different figures containing similar or analogous components/steps.

Referring to fig. 1A-1C, an example of an apparatus for fusion forming a three-dimensional article from powdered media 10 in a powder bed 12 and the steps of operation of the apparatus are shown. A first layer of powder media 10 (e.g., metal, polyamide, or other material) is distributed over the powder bed 12. This can be achieved by spreading the material in a thin layer over the powder bed 12 using the roller movement mechanism 14, or by depositing the layer on the powder bed 12, such that a relatively thin, uniform layer of the powder medium 10 is distributed over the powder bed 12. In some cases, the powder medium 10 may be distributed by gravity feed and then rolled or scraped to form a relatively thin, uniform layer on the powder bed 12.

Once the distribution is complete, the relatively thin, uniform layer of powder medium 10, or at least a portion thereof, in the working region 16 may be heated to a temperature below its melting point. This heating can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including the use of infrared lamps.

As shown in fig. 1B, an image of a cross-sectional layer of a workpiece (i.e., the object to be fabricated) is focused on a layer of powder media distributed over the working area 16 of the powder bed 12 using a laser source 18 and an imaging system 20. In general, this involves scanning the focal point of the laser beam 22 over a bed of powdered material, causing the material to form a solid mass at the point heated by the laser. The laser beam has sufficient energy to melt a portion of the powdered medium 10 located in the working area 16 of the powder bed 12 at a position corresponding to the image of the first cross-sectional layer of the object to be manufactured, thereby forming an integral layer of powdered medium having a shape corresponding to the image of the first cross-sectional layer of the object. The remainder of the powder medium on the powder bed remains unmelted and is supported around the entire or melted portion of the powder medium layer.

Next, as shown in FIG. 1C, the powder bed 12 is lowered and a second layer of powder media 10 is distributed over the first layer (e.g., using rollers 14) and the foregoing process is repeated using an image of a second cross-sectional layer of the object to be fabricated to form an integral layer of powder media having a corresponding shape. The above process may be repeated for additional layers of powder media, each additional layer being distributed over its immediately preceding layer, and additional images of corresponding additional cross-sectional layers of the object, to form a three-dimensional article.

In fig. 1A-1C, the powder bed 12 and the trays of powder media 10 (with powder media contained therein) on either side thereof are contained in a cart 30. Other elements, including the optical components of the device, are contained in the printer housing 32. These components are described in further detail in fig. 2 and 3A-3B. The cart 30 is equipped with casters 36 or other wheels and is configured to fit within an opening 34 in the front side of the printer housing 32. The other wheels may be, but are not limited to, universal wheels (Mecanum wheel) or Omni wheels (Omni wheel), which allow the vehicle to travel sideways to reduce the amount of space required to steer the vehicle. When the cart 30 is positioned within the opening 34, the cover 40 is rolled back, thereby exposing the powder bed 12, and the tray of powder media 10 and screw jacks 38 are deployed, bringing the powder bed 12 and the tray of powder media 10 into an operational position within the printer housing 32. Fig. 3B shows the completed assembly. After the printing process is complete, or after the powder in the cart 30 is exhausted, the screw jacks 38 are moved back, lowering the cart 30 onto the casters 36, and uncovering the cover 40 to cover the powder bed 12 and the tray of powder media 10. The cart 30 then exits the printer housing 32.

The cover 40 may be provided with an integrated heating element, such as a resistive heater, to maintain the temperature of the powder bed 12 after the cart 30 is removed from the printer housing 32. As the printing speed increases, the ratio of the printing time to the post-printing cooling time decreases, which means that the bulk material after the printing process requires a longer cooling time than the printing time. After the printing process, the cart 30 may be docked to one of a plurality of supply area stations where the batteries used to power the cart may be recharged and the heating element may be driven through the socket connection rather than the batteries. With such a modular design, it is preferable that multiple printer locomotives 30 can be docked into one printer housing 32, thereby improving overall printing throughput. The printer housing 32 may request the next available printer vehicle 30 from a pool located in the supply area. The printer carriage 30 may be dedicated to using only one type of material, thereby reducing the time required to clean and prepare the carriage 30 between prints.

Note that, in the above-described embodiment, the carriage 30 includes the tray of the powder media 10 and the printer bed 12. However, in other cases, the printer vehicle 30 includes only the printer bed 12, and the tray of powdered media 10 (with the powdered media contained therein) is contained in the printer housing 32. In some embodiments, the cart 30 is an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle and performs its actions at the request and control of the printer housing 32 and/or a remote control.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an example of a system 50 that integrates a plurality of printer housings 32a-32n, carts 30a-30b, and a control station 60 is shown, wherein an example is shown that receives and processes telemetry data from these devices and sends commands over one or more networks or a network of networks 52. Optionally, one or more client stations 72a-72m are included as part of the control station 60, each communicatively coupled to the remote control station 60 via one or more networks or networks of networks 70, and at which the operation and actions of the printer housings 32a-32n and carts 30a-30b may be viewed, evaluated, and controlled. Some or all of the components of network 70 may be part of network 52, or they may be separate networks or networks of networks. The repeater unit 54, which may be fixed or mobile, is shown as providing a communication path for the printer housing 32a and the cart 30a to the network 52. In practice, multiple repeater units can be used to house multiple printer housings and carts. Although only a discrete number of printer housings, carts, client stations, and other components of the system 50 are shown, in practice, an example of the system 50 may include any number of such devices. Also, although the control station 60 is shown as a single unit, in practice, the functions of the control station 60 may be distributed over multiple computer systems, for example, a cloud-based computer system comprising multiple virtual machines running on multiple physical computing devices. Accordingly, for purposes of this description, the illustration of system 50 should be considered illustrative, and not limiting of its physical makeup.

In the illustrated embodiment, the system 50 includes a plurality of printer housings, carts, and control stations, as well as internal communication means between these units. The printer housing and cart may be of the type described above and include audio/video means (e.g., camera, microphone, etc.) for acquiring audio/video information to send the information to the control station 60. Also included are position sensors, such as GPS or similar units, for providing positional information about the respective printer housing and cart. In some cases, the cart and printer housing are located in a facility having an adhesive tape on the floor. Alternatively, optical tracking of the floor path indicator may be used. The printer housings 32a-32n are located at known coordinates and the carts 30a-30b are self-guided vehicles that include magnetic guide sensors. Upon indication from the control station 60 or one of the printer housings 32a-32n, the cart will interface with the printer housing along the tape line on the floor using its magnetic guide sensors. The motor may power one or more casters to propel the vehicle to a destination. When not in use on the printer housing, the cart may be placed in a supply area, for example, where a battery for powering the motor is recharged. At the control station 60, one or more client stations 72a-72m act as receiving and presentation stations to provide a view of data regarding the monitored cart and printer housing and the printing operations performed at the printer housing.

Another destination for the printer vehicle, other than the supply area, may be a post-processing station, similar to the printer housing, where the printer vehicle 30 may be parked to perform unpacking, dusting, cleaning of the printed parts, and/or refilling of the trays with powder media. The dusting station may be manually operated by a technician or may be fully automated.

Refilling may be performed with the aid of the control station 60. For example, the material container may be marked with a unique code to be scanned prior to loading the powder material into a tray in the cart. This code may then be provided to the control station 60 and recorded along with the type and amount of material in each carriage 30a-30 b. In performing the printing operation, the control station tracks the various printer locomotives 30a-30b, noting which cars are empty and need refilling, and which cars have sufficient correct powder material to complete the various print jobs. This helps prevent print jobs from starting with a cart that does not have the correct type and/or sufficient amount of material installed.

Generally, the communication between the printer housings 32a, 32b, 32n, the carts 30a-30b, and the control station 60 may be, at least in part, wireless Radio Frequency (RF) communication. For example, the respective telemetry units of the printer housings 32a, 32b, 32n and carts 30a-30b may include RF transceivers for transmitting and receiving audio/video information to the control station 60. In some cases, when the cart is docked with the printer housing, the cart may be configured to use the telemetry unit of the printer housing, for example using its local, short-range wireless communication connection and/or its local wired communication connection.

In the system 50, the carts 30a-30b and printer housings 32a-32n may be configured to form a wireless ad hoc network, such as a mesh network, between some or all of them to wirelessly transmit data regarding the respective local environments to the control station 60 via the network 52. Each printer housing 32a-32n and cart 30a-30b may be associated with a unique identifier that may be associated with data transmitted by the respective device in order to associate that information with a particular device and location at the control station 60. In this way, data transmission from the plant may be more reliable than relying on transmission from a single unit, since multiple wireless connections between devices to the network 52 provide redundancy in this topology. The relay 54 may also act as a relay station for one or more of the carts 30a-30b and/or printer housings 32a-32 n.

Within the control station 60, one or more computing devices communicatively coupled to the network 52 carry a server 62, such as an HTTP server, and application programs 66 that implement aspects of the system 50 according to embodiments of the present invention. The application 66 may perform coordination and analysis of data received from the printer housing and the vehicle (as well as other devices, e.g., a GPS unit providing location information, a remote drone providing an audio/video view of the plant, etc.) and store it in the data storage 68. The data store 68 may be a dedicated storage device or may be cloud-based storage accessible by computing devices that make up the remote control station.

The application programs 66 may support an Application Programming Interface (API)64 that provides external access to the client stations 72a-72m for accessing real-time audio/video feeds from the printer housings 32a-32n and carts 30a-30b, and/or from the remote data storage 68, via the server 62. In some embodiments, client applications, such as web browsers running on client stations 72a-72m, may access application 66 through server 62 via API64 using protocols such as HTTP (Hypertext transfer protocol) or FTP (File transfer protocol). In some embodiments, the various client stations may be portable or desktop computers, mobile devices such as smartphones, or wearable devices such as virtual reality players.

As shown in fig. 5, the system is suitable for controlling and monitoring the operation of a plant. In such an environment, a plurality of printer housings and vehicles perform various printing operations in coordination. The printer housing may call the cart directly or through a control station. The requested vehicle is dispatched from the standby area and uses its magnetic flux sensor to track the tape line on the floor to automatically navigate to the requesting printer housing. At the requesting printer housing, the cart is parked, the powder media tray and powder bed are moved into position by lifting its jack screw, and the printing operation is then started. When the powder media in the cart is depleted, the cart will separate from the printer housing and return to the standby area where the powder media will refill and its batteries will be recharged. In such an environment, multiple different printing operations may be run simultaneously.

At the control station, the server 62 receives audio/video information from the printer housing and telemetry data from the vehicle and passes it to the application 66 via the API 64. The application 66 begins recording and storing audio/video information and/or telemetry data to the data storage 68 for archiving and training purposes. In addition, the application 66 feeds audio/video information and telemetry to one or more client stations 72a-72m, which may be viewed by the manager of the stations.

The client station may be equipped with one or more displays in which information from the printer housings 32a-32n and carts 30a-30b is displayed. The client station is also configured to allow an operator to control the printing process, the cart, and other operational aspects of the system. Thus, a powder bed cart and associated printer housing for Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) have been described, and in one embodiment, such a cart having a device that moves autonomously and interfaces with the printer housing is described.