Laminating and shaping apparatus

Abstract

A laminating and shaping apparatus includes a laser radiation unit configured to radiate a laser to a powder layer and form sintered sections, an imaging unit configured to image the sintered sections, a calculation device configured to calculate actual laser radiation positions from positions of the sintered sections and calculate a positional deviation of the laser radiation position at each of the sintered sections, and a correction device configured to correct the actual laser radiation position of each of the sintered sections to a target laser radiation position. The laser radiation unit forms sintered sections to surround the irradiation region by performing laser radiation on places including outermost positions in the irradiation region, and as the recoater head is moved in the horizontal uniaxial direction after imaging of the plurality of sintered sections by the imaging unit, at least a plurality of sintered sections are removed from the irradiation region.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A laminating and shaping apparatus comprising:
 a shaping bath filled with an inert gas having a predetermined concentration;   a shaping section movable in the shaping bath in an upward/downward direction;   a recoater head reciprocally moving in a horizontal uniaxial direction and configured to flatten a metal powder material on the shaping section while supplying the metal powder material to form a powder layer;   a laser radiation unit configured to radiate a laser to a predetermined irradiation region of the powder layer and form a plurality of sintered sections;   an imaging unit configured to image the plurality of sintered sections formed on the powder layer respectively;   a calculation device configured to calculate actual laser radiation positions from positions of the plurality of sintered sections imaged by the imaging unit respectively, and calculate a positional deviation of the laser radiation position by comparing the actual laser irradiation position with a target laser radiation position in a case where a deviation of the laser radiation position is zero in each of the sintered sections; and   a correction device configured to correct the actual laser radiation position of each of the sintered sections to a target laser radiation position based on the positional deviation of the laser radiation position calculated by the calculation device,   wherein the laser radiation unit forms a plurality of sintered sections to surround the irradiation region by performing laser radiation on a plurality of places including outermost positions in the irradiation region, and   as the recoater head is moved in the horizontal uniaxial direction after imaging of the plurality of sintered sections by the imaging unit, at least a plurality of sintered sections are removed from the irradiation region.   
     
     
         2 . The laminating and shaping apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the imaging unit is installed on the recoater head. 
     
     
         3 . The laminating and shaping apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a main shaft that is movable above the shaping section in the shaping bath is further provided, and
 the imaging unit is installed on the main shaft.   
     
     
         4 . The laminating and shaping apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of sintered sections formed on the powder layer by the laser radiation unit have a maximum width of 0.1 mm to 5.0 mm. 
     
     
         5 . The laminating and shaping apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a laminated and shaped article obtained by the laminating and shaping apparatus is shaped by repeating forming the powder layer having a predetermined thickness on the shaping section using the recoater head, sintering the powder layer using the laser radiation unit, and forming the sintered layer,
 a thickness of the powder layer formed next to the predetermined sintered layer is set such that sintering does not reach the powder layer having a predetermined thickness formed next to the sintered layer even when the thickness is larger than the predetermined thickness and the plurality of sintered sections are formed by laser radiation,   the laser radiation unit forms the plurality of sintered section by irradiating the irradiation region with a laser,   the imaging unit images the plurality of sintered sections respectively,   the calculation device calculates actual laser radiation positions form the positions of the plurality of sintered sections imaged by the imaging unit respectively, and calculate a positional deviation of the laser radiation position by comparing the actual laser irradiation position with a target laser radiation position in a case where a deviation of the laser radiation position is zero in each of the sintered sections,   the correction device corrects the actual laser radiation position of each of the sintered sections to the target laser radiation position based on the positional deviation of the laser radiation position calculated by the calculation device, and   as the recoater head is moved in the horizontal uniaxial direction after imaging of the plurality of sintered sections by the imaging unit, portions of the plurality of sintered sections and powder materials are removed from the irradiation region such that the powder layer has the predetermined thickness.