Method and apparatus for manufacturing three-dimensional shaped object

摘要

There is provided a selective laser sintering method capable of reducing the trouble in chipping or breakage of the machining tool and the like. The manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object by repetition of a powder-layer forming and a solidified-layer forming, the repetition including the 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.

主权项

1. A method for manufacturing a three-dimensional shaped object by repetition of powder-layer forming and solidified-layer forming, the repetition comprising:
(i) forming a solidified layer by irradiating a predetermined portion of a powder layer with a light beam, thereby sintering the powder in the predetermined portion or melting and subsequent solidification thereof; and (ii) forming another solidified layer by forming a new powder layer on the resulting solidified layer, followed by the irradiation of a predetermined portion of the new powder layer with the light beam, wherein the method includes at least a surface-machining process for machining a surface of the solidified layer and/or the shaped object by a machining device at a time after the formation of the solidified layer and/or the manufacturing of the shaped object, wherein, prior to the surface-machining process, a suction removal of the powder located around the solidified layer and/or the shaped object is performed by a suction nozzle, wherein a relative positional relationship between a tip level “A” of the suction nozzle and a tip level “B” of the machining device is altered for the suction removal so that the tip level “A” is lower than the tip level “B”, and wherein the suction nozzle is used during the suction removal such that the suction nozzle and the machining device are positioned adjacent to each other.