Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Matsushita Electric Works, Ltd.

Panasonic Corporation

Panasonic Electric Works Co., Ltd.

Matsuura Machinery Corporation

Matsushita Electric Words, Ltd., Japan

Yoshikazu Higashi

Satoshi Abe

Norio Yoshida

Isao Fuwa

Masataka Takenami

Hirohiko Togeyama

Shushi Uenaga

Yoshiyuki Uchinono

Takashi Shimizu

Yoshimitsu Nakamura

Seizo Machida

Isamu Matsumoto

Seiichi Tomita

Toshio Maeda

Norio Takinami

Takeshi Ikemura

Teruyoshi Kuribayashi

Isamu Matumoto

Yoshiyuki Utinono

Syungo Ozawa

Shinobu Ikeno

Toshiharu Iwanaga

A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object wherein the warping of the base plate is suitably addressed. The method of the present invention comprises: (i) forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of a powder layer on a base plate with a light beam, thereby allowing sintering of the powder of the predetermined portion or melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and (ii) forming another solidified layer by newly forming a powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, and then irradiating another predetermined portion of the new powder layer with the light beam, the steps (i) and (ii) being repeatedly performed; wherein, prior to or upon the manufacturing of the three-dimensional shaped object, the base plate is subjected to a heat treatment, thereby causing the base plate to be warped, and at least a lower surface of the warped base plate is subjected to a flattening process.

Method for manufacturing three-dimensional shaped object and three-dimensional shaped object

There is provided a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object. The method of the present invention comprises the repeated steps of: (i) forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of a powder layer with a light beam, thereby allowing a sintering of the powder in the predetermined portion or a melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and (ii) forming another solidified layer by newly forming a powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, followed by the irradiation of a predetermined portion of the powder layer with the light beam; wherein only the surface portion of the solidified layer, to which a force is applied when the three-dimensional shaped object is used, is subjected to a machining process.

Method for manufacturing three-dimensional shaped object and three-dimensional shaped object obtained by the same

An apparatus for producing a laminated object, includes a powder layer forming unit for forming a powder layer of a powdery material, a material supply unit for feeding the powdery material to the powder layer forming unit; and a solidified layer forming unit for forming a solidified layer by irradiating a light beam on a specified portion of the powder layer and sintering or melting the specified portion of the powder layer. The apparatus is configured to produce an integrally laminated three-dimensional object by repeating formation of the powder layer and formation of the solidified layer. The material supply unit includes a cartridge unit charged with the powdery material, the cartridge unit being configured to allow the powdery material to drop downwards.

Apparatus for producing an integrally laminated three-dimensional object by repeating formation of powder layer and solidified layer

A manufacturing method of a three-dimensional shaped object is capable of suitably forming a solidified layer by subsequent formation of a powder layer. The manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is performed by repetition of a powder-layer forming and a solidified-layer forming, the repetition including forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of a powder layer with a light beam, thereby allowing a sintering of the powder in the predetermined portion or a melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and forming another solidified layer by newly forming a powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, followed by the irradiation of a predetermined portion of the powder layer with the light beam, wherein a light-beam condition for an irradiation path with an unirradiated portion on both adjacent sides thereof is different from that for another irradiation path with an irradiated portion at an adjacent region.

Method for manufacturing three-dimensional shaped object

A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object, comprising: (i) forming a powder layer on a base plate by a sliding movement of a squeegee blade, followed by forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of the powder layer with a light beam, thereby allowing sintering of the powder of the predetermined portion or melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and (ii) forming another solidified layer by newly forming a powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, and then irradiating another predetermined portion of the new powder layer with the light beam, steps (i) and (ii) being repeatedly performed,

There is provided a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object. The method of the present invention comprises the steps of: (i) forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of a powder layer with a light beam, thereby allowing sintering of the powder of the predetermined portion or melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and (ii) forming another solidified layer by newly forming a powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, and then irradiating another predetermined portion of the new powder layer with the light beam, the steps (i) and (ii) being repeatedly performed in a chamber; wherein a localized gas flow is provided in the chamber, and at least a part of a fume generated by the irradiation of the light beam is entrained by the localized gas flow.

Method and apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional shaped object

An object of the present invention is to easily eliminate fumes inside a chamber, so as to improve a positional accuracy of irradiation with a light beam and a machining accuracy in a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object. A stacked-layers forming deviceincludes a powder layer forming unit, a light beam irradiating unit, a basewhich is fixed and on which a powder layeris formed, a lifting/lowering framewhich surrounds the circumference of the baseand is freely capable of being lifted and lowered, a cover framewhich has a windowallowing transmission of light beam in its top surface, and whose bottom surface is opened, and which is disposed on the lifting/lowering frameto form a chamber C, and a gas tankfor supplying an ambient gas. The lifting/lowering frameis lowered to reduce the volume of the chamber C, so as to discharge fumes generated inside the cover frame, which performs replacement with the ambient gas. Since the volume of the chamber C is reduced, it is possible to easily eliminate the fumes, which makes it possible to improve the positional accuracy of irradiation with the light beam L, and the machining accuracy.

Layered-modeling method for manufacturing three-dimensional object

There is provided a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object. The method of the present invention comprises the repeated steps of: (i) forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of a powder layer on a base plate with a light beam, thereby allowing a sintering of the powder in the predetermined portion or a melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and (ii) forming another solidified layer by newly forming a powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, followed by the irradiation of a predetermined portion of the powder layer with the light beam; wherein the solidified layers are formed such that they have a high-density portion whose solidified density is 95 to 100% and a low-density portion whose solidified density is 0 to 95% (excluding 95%); and wherein the high-density portion is a portion of the three-dimensional shaped object, to which the force is applied when the three-dimensional shaped object is used.

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.

Method of and apparatus for making a three-dimensional object

There is provided a stacked-layers forming device including a powder layer-forming part for forming a powder layer, an optical device for forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of the powder layer with a light beam and a powder replenishing means for supplying the powder material to above a base on which the powder layer and the solidified layer are stacked or onto an upper surface of a base frame which surrounds the base. The powder replenishing means includes an approximately cylindrical member in which the powder material is charged and a screw member which is installed within the approximately cylindrical member wherein a rotation of the screw member conveys the powder material in the approximately cylindrical member. The stacked-layers forming device of the present invention enables it to not only curb its height since the powder material can be conveyed in a screw manner, but also achieve an improved cycle of the material since the powder material can be conveyed in one direction.

Stacked-layers forming device

In a method for producing a three-dimensionally shaped object, (i) a solidified layer is formed by irradiating a light beam on a specified portion of a powder layer to sinter or melt the specified portion. Further, (ii) another solidified layer is formed by placing a new powder layer on the solidified layer obtained in step (i), and irradiating the light beam on a specified portion of the new powder layer to sinter or melt the specified portion of the new powder layer. The steps (i) and (ii) are repeated to produce a three-dimensionally shaped object. In the method, a gas is supplied to a mirror used in scanning the light beam.

Method and apparatus for producing a three-dimensionally shaped object

Disclosed is a mold for resin injection molding that can realize rapid heating or cooling. A resin injection molding mold includes a cavity mold and a core mold and is produced on a base plate by metal photofabrication. The cavity mold is provided with a cavity warm water circuit for allowing warm water for heating to flow and a cavity cold water circuit for allowing cold water for cooling to flow. The core mold is also provided with a core warm water circuit and a core cold water circuit. The core mold includes an air blowing passage for feeding warm air or cold air into a resin molding part and a suction passage () for sucking a gas within the resin molding part. The resin molding part side of the air blowing passage and the suction passage is formed of a low-density shaping part that has a low metallic powder sintered density and is permeable to gas. Warm air or cold air can be blown through the low-density shaping part, whereby rapid heating or cooling of the resin injection molding mold can be realized.

Resin injection mold

A method for producing a three-dimensionally shaped object, includes the steps of: (i) forming a solidified layer by irradiating a light beam on a specified portion of a powder layer placed on a shaping table to sinter or melt the specified portion; (ii) forming another solidified layer by placing a new powder layer on the solidified layer thus obtained, and irradiating the light beam on a specified portion of the new powder layer to sinter or melt the specified portion of the new powder layer; and (iii) repeating the step (ii) to produce a three-dimensionally shaped object. When performing the steps (i) to (iii) within a chamber, at least a part of an ambient gas in the chamber is exhausted from the chamber through a gas passage of a shaping tank.

Method and apparatus for producing a three-dimensionally shaped object, and three dimensionally shaped object

An equipment for metal-laser sintering process includes a powder layer forming unit, an irradiation unit which irradiates light beams, a correction target on which a correction mark serving as a fiducial in correction of the irradiation points of the light beams is formed, and an imaging camera which takes an image of the correction mark. The correction target is formed of a material which is melted by irradiation of light beam so as to be formed a through hole. The correction target is disposed on the substrate and the light beams are irradiated to penetrate the correction target so that the correction mark is formed. Subsequently, the imaging camera takes an image of the correction mark and the location of the correction mark is measured, and thus, correction of the irradiation points is performed. Since the correction mark is formed to be a through hole, contrast becomes clear so that location of the correction mark can be measured easily, and the correction of the irradiation points of the light beams can be performed easily.

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Moriyama, Japan

Yoshikazu Higashi