U.S. patent application number 17/444695 was filed with the patent office on 2021-11-25 for method and machine for manufacturing pieces made of ceramic or metallic material by the technique of additive manufacturing.
The applicant listed for this patent is S.A.S 3DCERAM-SINTO. Invention is credited to Christophe CHAPUT, Richard GAIGNON, Marc NGUYEN.
Application Number | 20210362231 17/444695 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005767352 |
Filed Date | 2021-11-25 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210362231 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
GAIGNON; Richard ; et
al. |
November 25, 2021 |
METHOD AND MACHINE FOR MANUFACTURING PIECES MADE OF CERAMIC OR
METALLIC MATERIAL BY THE TECHNIQUE OF ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING
Abstract
The disclosed method includes selecting a suspension ceramic or
metal photocurable composition (CPC or MPC); preparing a
sacrificial organic material (SOM) forming a photocurable layer
destroyed by heating; for manufacturing pieces, on the working
tray, forming successive layers of SOM cured by irradiation, the
one or more CPC or MPC-based pieces being manufactured by machining
a recess in a layer of cured SOM; depositing the CPC or MPC within
the recesses; curing the CPC or MPC to obtain a hard horizontal
surface level with the adjacent layer of cured SOM, when forming
each recess, it is delimited by previously defined patterns, the
depth(s) selected in order to ensure the continuity of the one or
more pieces to be manufactured; and obtaining one or more green
pieces inserted in the SOM, which are subjected to debinding by
heating in order to destroy the SOM in which they are trapped.
Inventors: |
GAIGNON; Richard;
(SAINT-VRAIN, FR) ; CHAPUT; Christophe; (LE
PALAIS-SUR-VIENNE, FR) ; NGUYEN; Marc; (LE VIGEN,
FR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
S.A.S 3DCERAM-SINTO |
BONNAC LA COTE |
|
FR |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005767352 |
Appl. No.: |
17/444695 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
15999028 |
Aug 20, 2018 |
11090725 |
|
|
17444695 |
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B22F 3/11 20130101; B33Y
30/00 20141201; C04B 35/6269 20130101; B29C 64/188 20170801; C04B
2235/6026 20130101; B33Y 50/02 20141201; B22F 1/0059 20130101; B23K
26/361 20151001; B22F 2003/245 20130101; C04B 2235/665 20130101;
B22F 2003/247 20130101; B22F 3/1121 20130101; B33Y 10/00 20141201;
B23K 26/362 20130101; B28B 1/001 20130101; B22F 7/06 20130101; B33Y
40/00 20141201; B22F 7/002 20130101; C04B 35/634 20130101; C04B
35/638 20130101; B22F 10/10 20210101; B22F 3/1115 20130101; B29C
64/194 20170801 |
International
Class: |
B22F 10/10 20060101
B22F010/10; B22F 1/00 20060101 B22F001/00; B23K 26/362 20060101
B23K026/362; C04B 35/626 20060101 C04B035/626; C04B 35/634 20060101
C04B035/634; B33Y 30/00 20060101 B33Y030/00; B22F 3/11 20060101
B22F003/11; B22F 7/00 20060101 B22F007/00; C04B 35/638 20060101
C04B035/638; B22F 7/06 20060101 B22F007/06; B23K 26/361 20060101
B23K026/361; B28B 1/00 20060101 B28B001/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 18, 2017 |
FR |
1770870 |
Claims
1. A machine for manufacturing at least one piece made of at least
one of ceramic materials and metallic materials, the machine
comprising: a frame surrounding a working tray comprising a working
surface; irradiating means facing the working surface; means for
supplying and spreading into layers, on the working tray, a
sacrificial photocurable organic material (SOM); machining means
able to form at least one recess in a layer of photocured SOM from
the upper part thereof; means for blowing and sucking the debris
resulting from said machining; means for filling the one or more
recesses formed in each layer of photocured SOM in order to
complete the layer thus recessed by one of a ceramic photocurable
composition (CPC) and a metallic photocurable composition (MPC)
able to flow; irradiating means arranged above the working tray and
able to irradiate, for curing each layer of SOM once spread, and
irradiate, for curing the CPC or MPC once located within the
recesses made in the successive layers of cured SOM.
2. The machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a gantry
having at least one scraping blade and being configured to move on
the frame above the working surface such that the free edge of the
one or more scraping blades is able to spread the layers of SOM
paste on the working surface, or wherein the SOM is supplied by at
least one dispensing nozzle movable in front of at least one
scraping blade which spreads the SOM into a uniform layer when
passing thereon.
3. The machine according to claim 1, further comprising: a tank to
be filled with a SOM suspension, in which the working tray is
configured to be lowered step by step in order to form thereon, at
each step, a layer to be irradiated, as well as a recoater in order
to ensure that the SOM suspension is dispensed on the entire
surface to be irradiated.
4. The machine according to claim 1, wherein the means for
supplying at least one CPC or MPC on the working surface are
constituted by at least one dispensing nozzle movable above a
corresponding recess in order to apply the corresponding
composition therein.
5. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least nozzle is
supplied with one of SOM, CPC, or MPC by a hose connected to a
tank.
6. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one
nozzle is supplied with one of SOM, CPC, or MPC by a cartridge
which forms the upper part of the nozzle, said cartridge containing
a stock of the one of SOM, CPC, or MPC and being refillable from a
supply tank mountable on the machine, or which when empty is
replaceable by a full cartridge, wherein this replacement can be
ensured by a robotic arm.
7. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one
nozzle is movably mounted by means of a robotic arm.
8. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one
nozzle is movably mounted on a gantry which has both a slide that
moves the nozzle along the horizontal axis x of the working tray
and a slide that moves the nozzle along the horizontal axis y of
the working tray.
9. The machine according to claim 2, wherein the at least one
nozzle is movably mounted on a gantry having at least one scraping
blade that allows displacement thereof along the horizontal axis x
of the scraping blade, said gantry also comprising a slide allowing
displacement along the horizontal axis y.
10. The machine of claim 5, wherein the tank is a piston supply
tank.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser.
No. 15/999,028 filed Aug. 20, 2018 which claims priority to FR
Application No. 1770870 filed Aug. 18, 2017. Each of the previously
noted applications is hereby incorporated by reference in their
entirety.
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and a machine for
producing green pieces made of at least one material selected from
the ceramic materials and the metallic materials using the
technique of additive processes, said green pieces being then
subjected to debinding and sintering operations in order to obtain
finished pieces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The technique of additive processes or additive
manufacturing, also designated by stereolithography, generally
comprises the following steps in order to obtain ceramic green
pieces: [0004] building, by computer-aided design, a computer model
of the piece to be manufactured, the sizes of the model being
slightly larger than those of the piece to be manufactured so as to
anticipate a shrinking of the ceramic material during the
manufacturing of the piece; and--manufacturing the piece by means
of the technique of additive manufacturing, consisting in: [0005]
forming, on a rigid support, a first layer of a photocurable
composition generally comprising at least one ceramic material, at
least one photocurable monomer and/or oligomer, at least one
photoinitiator and, when appropriate, at least one plasticizer
and/or at least one solvent and/or at least one dispersant; [0006]
curing the first layer of the photocurable composition by
irradiation (by laser scanning of the free surface of said layer or
by a diode projection system) according to a pattern defined from
the model for said layer, forming a first stage; [0007] forming, on
the first stage, a second layer of the photocurable composition;
[0008] curing the second layer of the photocurable composition, by
irradiation according to a pattern defined for said layer, forming
a second stage, this irradiation being performed in the same way as
the first layer; [0009] optionally, repeating the above mentioned
steps until the green piece is obtained.
[0010] Then, in order to obtain the finished piece, the green piece
is cleaned in order to remove the non-cured composition; the
cleaned green piece is debinded; and the cleaned and debinded green
piece is sintered in order to obtain the finished piece.
[0011] The same operations are performed in the case of a metallic
material.
[0012] The manufacturing of green pieces made of a ceramic material
or a metallic material having particular shapes may present
difficulties.
[0013] (1) Currently, once they are built, the pieces are located
within a non-cured paste block, which requires to search for the
solid piece which is located within a sticky paste, and then to
wash the piece, for example, by spraying it with a chemical product
in order to remove this sticky paste.
[0014] (2) The pieces to be built may have at least one
cantilevered part which should be supported during its building.
Reference can be made to FIGS. 1-3 of the appended drawing, which
show a piece P to be manufactured for which, regardless of the
orientation thereof, there will be always a face F which should be
supported during the manufacturing thereof, otherwise the piece
will collapse.
[0015] (3) The pieces to be manufactured may have passages p of
three-dimensional geometry, as it is the case for the piece P of
FIGS. 1-3. This passage cannot be correctly cleaned as there is no
tools adapted to this geometry.
[0016] The Applicant Company searched for a solution to these
problems and found that the building of the piece inside a shell or
hull made of a sacrificial material--which is constituted only by
the organic part of a ceramic or metallic photocurable composition,
allows : [0017] to obtain, after the irradiation of each layer, a
cured sacrificial material block enclosing the piece being
searched, block which will be merely debinded in order to obtain
the piece; the cleaning of the piece is thus optimized as it is no
required anymore to search for the piece within the paste and to
clean the piece using a chemical product; [0018] in the case of
pieces having cantilevered faces and thus being prone to collapse
during their building, to ensure that the shell or hull of cured
sacrificial material favorably makes the support being searched;
[0019] in the case of pieces having hollow parts or passages
leading to their surface and difficult, if not impossible, to be
correctly cleaned, to be able to release these spaces which are
then filled with sacrificial material, during the debinding in
order to obtain the desired hollow parts or passages without the
need for inserting a tool or a cleaning chemical product.
[0020] Furthermore, the invention offers the complementary
advantage that the amount of material to be used for the shell or
hull can be optimized by providing the proper amount, without
excess.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Thus, the present invention first relates to a method for
manufacturing at least one piece made of at least one material
selected from the ceramic materials and the metallic materials
using the technique of additive manufacturing, said one or more
pieces being formed in the green state, and then subjected to
debinding and sintering operations, said method comprising the
following steps: [0022] (1) building, by computer-aided design, a
computer model of the piece to be manufactured or of the pieces to
be simultaneously manufactured; [0023] (2) forming, on a working
tray, said one or more pieces to be manufactured, which are based
on a ceramic or metallic photocurable composition (CPC or MPC)
comprising: [0024] a mineral part consisting of at least one
powdered ceramic material or at least one powdered metallic
material; and [0025] an organic part able to be destroyed by
heating during the debinding, and comprising at least one
photocurable monomer and/or oligomer and at least one
photoinitiator,
[0026] characterized by the fact that it comprises the following
steps: [0027] selecting a CPC or MPC having the consistency of a
suspension able to flow in order to form a layer; [0028] preparing
a sacrificial organic material (SOM) able to form a photocurable
layer and to be destroyed by heating during the debinding, said SOM
comprising at least one photocurable monomer and/or oligomer and at
least one photoinitiator; [0029] for the building of said one or
more pieces, on the working tray, forming successive layers of SOM
which are stacked on each other, each layer of SOM being caused to
cure by irradiation before applying the next layer, the one or more
properly speaking pieces based on CPC or MPC being built by: [0030]
forming, by machining, at least one recess in at least one layer of
cured SOM from the upper surface thereof; [0031] depositing, within
said one or more recesses, the CPC or MPC in order to fill the one
or more recesses; [0032] curing, by irradiation, the CPC or MPC
located within said one or more recesses in order to obtain a hard
horizontal surface having the same level as the adjacent layer of
cured SOM, [0033] wherein when forming each recess, the latter is
delimited according to the one or more patterns previously defined
from the computer model, and the depth(s) thereof selected in order
to ensure the continuity of the piece(s) to be manufactured, and
[0034] obtaining, once the cured layers are stacked, one or more
green pieces embedded in the SOM, such green pieces being subjected
to a debinding by heating in order to destroy the SOM in which it
is trapped or they are trapped, so as to release it or them and
then submit it or them to a sintering.
[0035] The ceramic materials are the powdered sinterable ceramic
materials selected in particular from alumina (Al.sub.2O.sub.3),
zirconia (ZrO.sub.2), zirconia-reinforced alumina,
alumina-reinforced zirconia, zircon (ZrSiO.sub.4), silica
(SiO.sub.2), hydroxyapatite, silica zircon (ZrSiO.sub.4+SiO.sub.2),
silicon nitride, tricalcium phosphate (TCP), aluminum nitride,
silicon carbide, cordierite and mullite.
[0036] The metallic materials are the powdered sinterable metallic
materials selected in particular from pure metals, such as Al, Cu,
Mg, Si, Ti, Zn, Sn, Ni . . . , their alloys, and the mixtures of
pure metals and alloys thereof.
[0037] The recesses can have to be formed in the entire thickness
of a cured layer of SOM or with a height lower than the height of a
layer. They also can have to be formed with a height higher than
the thickness of a layer, for example, with a height equal to the
height of several layers being previously spread.
[0038] When the one or more pieces to be manufactured comprise
hollow parts, the latter should lead to the outer surface of the
piece so that the SOM can be released during the debinding.
[0039] The method according to the invention can be applied to the
manufacturing of several identical pieces, which will be trapped in
a same block of SOM.
[0040] A pasty SOM can be used, which is spread in a layer by
scraping, or a suspended SOM can be used, which is applied by
dipping the tray in a bath of said suspension in order to form,
each time, the layer of SOM to be cured, and scraping the layer
thus formed.
[0041] In the case where the piece(s) to be manufactured
comprise(s) at least one lateral part which should be supported
during the building, advantageously a computer model of the shape
of the SOM in cured state was built beforehand, by computer-aided
design, this shape being such that the manufactured piece(s) is
(are) supported during their building.
[0042] In order to form the recess(es), a mechanical machining can
be performed. A laser machining can also be performed, in
particular under the conditions of setting the laser power between
1 and 3 watts and the laser displacement speed between 1 and 100
millimeters per second.
[0043] Also, at each machining step, it is possible to blow and
suck the debris, particularly at the same time as said machining is
conducted.
[0044] The CPC or MPC can be applied within the one or more
recesses by a dispensing nozzle.
[0045] The curing by laser irradiation of each layer of SOM and the
curing by laser irradiation of the layers of CPC or MPC located
within the recesses under the conditions of setting the laser power
between 70 and 700 milliwatts and a laser displacement speed
between 1,000 and 6,000 millimeters per second, can be
conducted.
[0046] The debinding can be conducted at a temperature between 50
and 800.degree. C., especially between 100 and 700.degree. C.
[0047] The present invention also relates to a machine for
manufacturing at least one piece made of at least one material
selected from the ceramic materials and the metallic materials by
the method using the technique of additive manufacturing such as
defined above, characterized in that it comprises: [0048] a frame
surrounding a working tray comprising a working surface; [0049]
irradiating means facing the working surface; [0050] means for
supplying and spreading into layers, on the working tray, a
sacrificial photocurable organic material (SOM); [0051] machining
means able to form at least one recess in a layer of photocured SOM
from the upper part thereof; [0052] means for blowing and sucking
the debris resulting from said machining; [0053] means for filling
the one or more recesses formed in each layer of photocured SOM in
order to complete the layer thus recessed by a ceramic or metallic
photocurable composition (CPC or MPC) able to flow; [0054]
irradiating means arranged above the working tray and able to
irradiate, in order to cure it, each layer of SOM once spread, and
irradiate, in order to cure it, the CPC or MPC once located within
the recesses made in the successive layers of cured SOM.
[0055] Such a machine, able to apply into layers a SOM under the
form of a paste, can comprise a gantry having at least one scraping
blade and being able to move on the frame above the working surface
such that the free edge of the scraping blade(s) is able to spread
the layers of SOM paste on the working surface, or the SOM being
supplied by at least one dispensing nozzle movable in front of at
least one scraping blade which spreads the SOM into an uniform
layer when passing thereon.
[0056] Such a machine, able to apply into layers a SOM under the
form of a suspension, can comprise a tank to be filled with said
suspension, in which the working tray is able to be lowered step by
step in order to form thereon, at each step, a layer to be
irradiated, as well as a recoater in order to ensure that the
suspension is dispensed on the entire surface to be irradiated.
[0057] The means for supplying at least one CPC or MPC on the
working surface can be constituted by at least one dispensing
nozzle movable above a corresponding recess in order to apply the
corresponding composition therein.
[0058] According to a first embodiment, the or at least one of the
nozzles can be supplied with SOM or CPC or MPC by a hose connected
to a tank, in particular a piston supply tank.
[0059] According to a second embodiment, the or at least one of the
nozzles can be supplied with SOM or CPC or MPC by a cartridge which
forms the upper part of it, which contains a stock of SOM or CPC or
MPC and which is refillable from a supply tank that can be mounted
on the machine, or which when empty is replaceable by a full
cartridge, wherein this replacement can be ensured by a robotic
arm.
[0060] The or at least one of the nozzles can be movably mounted
[0061] using a robotic arm; or [0062] on a gantry which has both a
slide allowing to move it along the horizontal axis x of the
working tray and a slide allowing to move it along the horizontal
axis y of the working tray; or [0063] on a gantry having at least
one scraping blade in order to allow the displacement thereof along
the horizontal advance axis x of the scraping blade, said gantry
also comprising a slide allowing to move it along the horizontal
axis y.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0064] In order to better illustrate the subject-matter of the
present invention, a particular embodiment of it will be described
below, for indicative and non-limiting purposes, with reference to
the appended drawings.
[0065] In the drawings:
[0066] FIG. 1 is a perspective schematic view of a piece to be
manufactured, comprising a three-dimensional cylindrical
passage;
[0067] FIGS. 2 and 3 are schematic views of the piece of FIG. 1 in
yz and xz planes, respectively;
[0068] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the piece
being manufactured according to the invention;
[0069] FIG. 5 shows schematic views of the piece manufactured
according to the invention before the debinding, in the zy and zx
planes;
[0070] FIGS. 6 and 7 are perspective schematic views of the piece
of FIG. 5 before and after debinding, respectively;
[0071] FIGS. 8-11 illustrate the successive steps for forming a
layer of sacrificial photocurable material;
[0072] FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate the formation of a layer
constituted both by a sacrificial organic material and a
photocurable ceramic material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0073] When referring to FIGS. 4-6, it can be seen that the
formation of a piece P according to the invention within a shell or
hull S made of cured sacrificial organic material is illustrated,
the passage p being also filled with sacrificial organic material
S.
[0074] When referring to FIG. 8, a machine 1 for manufacturing
green pieces has been schematically shown, comprising a device 2
for scraping a paste layer on a working surface of a horizontal
working tray 3.
[0075] The scraping device 2, slidably mounted on the frame 4 of
the machine, comprises a gantry 5 carrying, at the front part
thereof, a scraping blade 6 having a horizontal scraping edge and
which moves forwards when referring to FIG. 8, that is, along the
horizontal axis x.
[0076] The front vertical wall of the gantry 5 has a horizontal
slide 7 along which two nozzles 8, 9 can move along the horizontal
axis y, perpendicular to the axis x, one (8) for depositing a
photocurable sacrificial organic material and the other (9) for
depositing a ceramic photocurable composition.
[0077] In FIG. 11, the galvanometric head 10, which directs the
laser beam, is also shown.
[0078] FIG. 8
[0079] A layer of sacrificial organic material 11 is deposited on
the working surface of the working tray 3 by moving the scraping
device 2 along the axis x and the nozzle 8 along the axis y.
[0080] FIG. 9
[0081] By forward movement, the scraping device 2 has leveled the
layer of sacrificial organic material 11 by moving the blade 6.
[0082] FIG. 10
[0083] The scraping device 2 has been returned to the initial
position thereof and raised.
[0084] FIG. 11
[0085] The layer 11 thus deposited is caused to polymerize by
applying the laser beam, the galvanometric head 10 being in
use.
[0086] FIG. 12
[0087] A laser machining of the cured layer 11 is performed in
order to form therein a recess 12, this laser machining operation
being performed by blowing and sucking the debris together with
lasing.
[0088] FIG. 13
[0089] Using the second nozzle 9, a photocurable ceramic
composition 13 has been deposited within the recess, which
composition is polymerized by applying the laser beam (the
galvanometric head 10 being in use).
[0090] The formation of a cured layer of sacrificial organic
material and ceramic material has been described, both being
photocured.
[0091] The piece being searched is built layer after layer of
photocured sacrificial organic material, the recesses intended to
be filled with photocurable ceramic material being drilled in at
least one layer of previously-cured sacrificial organic material,
the depths of the recesses and the locations thereof on the layers
of sacrificial organic material being selected in order to ensure
the formation of the ceramic piece being searched.
* * * * *